Social Networking Literacy Skills:Recasting the Readers Services Librarians’ Competencies in the 21st Century

Presented at PAARL’s Summer Seminar-Workshop on the theme “Librarians at their Best: Envisioning and Realizing Multilevel and Progressive Readers

Services”Lyceum of Aparri, Cagayan Valley, April 29 – May 1, 2009

By Fe Angela M. Verzosa

• “A huge number of the readers servicespopulation are logging on to the internet forthe sole purpose of social networking.”

• In order for librarians to successfully extend effective and efficient services to its modern library users, engaging in social networking activities is a must.

• This topic discusses various social networking activities and develops strategic approaches for integrating these activities to formulate a productive and cutting-edge readers services.

• Internet usage increased from 23 percent in 2007 to 28 percent in 2008, according to a new survey conducted by Nielsen and Yahoo on Filipino Internet habits study.

• Internet use is not restricted to the big cities like Metro Manila. E.g. Cagayan de Oro City – 35%

• 47% of all internet time are spent in internet cafes.

• Social networking is a key online activity.

Overall popular online activities :63% - Email/Instant messaging58% - Searches53% - Playing online games51% - Download/upload of photos51% - Social networking24% - Reading news online3% - Online banking/purchasing

products

Profile of Internet users:50% - 10 to 19 years old41% - 20 to 29 19% - 30 to 3912% - 40 to 493% - 50 + above

Other relevant facts:• Philippines has been tagged as "The Social

Networking Capital of the World”• 83 percent of Filipinos surveyed are

members of a social network (Universal McCann)

• also regarded as the top photo uploaders and web video viewers, while they are second when it comes to the number of blog readers and video uploaders

Other relevant facts:• 2.2 M out of 9M registered Multiply users are Filipinos,

outnumbering even nationalities with a bigger population base like the United States

• 1M photographs are uploaded by Filipinos to Multiply every day, which is half of their total number worldwide

• 60% Filipino Multiply users are female, while 70% are under 25

• Friendster - the Philippines now holds the record of “having the most number of Friendster users worldwide” with 87% of local Internet users

• 55% Filipino Friendster users are female, and between 16 to

30

What is…

• Connecting with existing networks, making and developing friendships /contacts

• Developing an online presence• Viewing content and/or finding information• Creating and customizing profiles• Authoring and uploading your own content• Adding and sharing third-party content• Posting messages• Collaborating• For e-learning

What is Social Software?

• a range of web-enabled software programs that allow users to interact and work collaboratively with other users

• includes the ability to browse, search, invite friends to connect and interact, share film reviews, comments, blog entries, favorites, discussions, events, videos, ratings, music, classified ads, tag and classify information, etc.

• functions like an online community of internet users

Social Networking Sites

General with 235,000,000 users General with 253,145,404 users

mainly business for professionals

General, popular in ASEAN countries Photo sharing, commenting, popular

worldwideVideo-sharing, commenting, banned in

some for Music countries for blogging

for Book loversNing - Users create their own social websites/ networks Wayn - Travel and lifestyle

Sosyalan.com is the 1st Pinoy video-sharing and social networking site in one.

With Sosyalan.com you will be able to: - Easily connect with friends, relatives, classmates and other Filipinos from all over the world - Create your own webpage- Share, blog, and watch videos, tagalog movies, and listen to OPM music videos

Types of social networking service• Profile-based

organized around members’ profile pages that mainly consist of information about an individual member, including the person’s picture and details of interests, likes and dislikes.

Users develop their spaces in various ways, and can often contribute to each other’s spaces, typically leaving text, embedded content or links to external content through message walls, comment or evaluation tools.- Best examples of profile-based services: Facebook, Friendster, MySpace, Multiply.com, Sosyalan.com

• Content-based- the user’s profile remains an important way of

organizing connections, but plays a secondary role to the posting of content.

- Best examples Flickr - for photo-sharing YouTube – for video-sharing Last.fm – for music-sharing LibraryThing – for sharing personal library catalogs and book lists

Types of social networking service

Motivations for Social Networking

• Anticipated Reciprocity contribute valuable information; expect that one will receive useful help and information in return

• Increased Recognition - individuals want recognition for their contributions

• Sense of efficacy – contributors believe that they have had some effect on this environment or community

Social Networks in Libraries• Market library services• Provide links and information• Sharing – discussion topics

pictures/music/videos• Participation - create a dialog• Get feedback

Great tools for: Library PortalsNetworkingMarketing & PromotionOutreachBranding

…as Library PortalsUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library Portal at MySpace

Library catalog search box

mission

discussionboard

photos

events

guides

catalogs

web

Book reviews

Univ of Indiana

Catalog search

Photos videos

polls

…for Marketing/PromotionUniversity of Central Florida promotes their Ask a Librarian

service through their MySpace page

…for Marketing/Promotion

…for Library Networking

Blog entries

YouTube clips Instant messaging

messaging

blogging

profile

music

links

calendar

…for Professional NetworkingUsing Ning as a tool…

over 2,500 librarians who belong to the Ning Library 2.0 social network

…for Library Outreach

Reaching out to students…

…for Catalog Search

academic libraries have created Facebook applications to enable their patrons to search their library catalogs

an online service to help people catalog their books easily

Also connects people with same books

Users create their own social websites/ networks

mainly business for professionals

Music community website

For travel and lifestyle

Social networking for UST

Blogs• short for web logs, are like online journals wherein

the ”blogger” (or owner) posts messages periodically, sharing and focusing on a particular subject or issue,allowing others to comment

• a venue for writing and peer editing and sharing, posting articles, stories, illustrated books,

and opinions on current events, personal experiences, etc.

• libraries use blogs as news vehicles, venues for staff communication, to support library instruction, and as a forum for peers/colleagues to express opinions on library issues and concerns

Ideas for Library Blogs•Online book discussion•New releases – books,

video, electronic resources

•Upcoming events•Updating community –

building a new library•Appeal to special

interest groups•Reference Log

School Librarian in Action

Blogging Tools

• Blogger – free, with tutorials, templates• Edublogs – free, great for students/teachers• WordPress – free, over 60 themes and

integrated stats system• Blog It – Facebook blogging application • LiveJournal – free blog social network; most

distinctive feature is its “friends list”• Snip Snap – Blog/wiki tool• Vox – blogging and social networking tool

Enjoys a Google PageRank of 6

Blogs as Library News Vehicles

Blogs as Subject Resources

a business blog on which Binghampton University library blog about electronic reference resources, business database news, and statistical sources

Uses of Media-sharing tools• For digital collections

management especially for historical collections

• Online exhibits• As training modules

•Teaching as instructional aids•Marketing and promotion•Library and museum

tours

Video-sharing for Library Orientation

Video-sharing for Library Tours

an engaging way to introduce new students to the campus library as well as to its librarians

For sharing photos of events …

More ideas for Flickr

•Highlight library events•Hold a photo contest•Upload a collection•Library tour•Ask people to post pictures

of themselves reading or using the library

•Create a sense of community

Library News on Flickr

Photo-sharing for Historical Collections

Wikis

• a web page that is accessible to anyone with a Web browser andan Internet connection

• allows readers to collaborate with others in writing it and add, edit, and change the web page’s content,

• making it a tool for collaboration

Uses of Wikis in Libraries• Library Websites• Intranets• Training tools or course

instruction• Event planning• Subject Guides• Reference Wiki• Best Practices• Encyclopedic works

Wikis as Library Web Sites

Wikis as Intranets

Wikis as Training Tools

Wikis for Event Planning

Wikis as Subject Guides

… as a Reference Wiki

Wikis for Best Practices

Wikis as encyclopedic works…

PAARLWiki as a Library 2.0 initiative

Benefits and Opportunities

• Literacy and communication skillsUsing sites to communicate, collaborate and createmeans learners use and can develop a wide range ofliteracy skills.

• Collaboration encourages creativity Using collaborative tools can develop

creative and entrepreneurial skills

• Being where learners areUsing social networking services sends a clear message to learners that you are aware of the types of spaces they enjoy online.

Negative Views/Potential Risks

• Blocking and filtering sites because of perceived inappropriate content

• Abuse and mismanagement of online presence

• Misunderstanding the nature of online environment

• Data protection and copyright concerns

• Learning about e-safety issues

Tips for Online Safety• Do not publicly post your

personal address, phone number, private info. Remember, these are public spaces.

• Change passwords often.• Do not post anything that you don’t

want others to see or know.• Harassment, hate speech and

inappropriate content should be reported

Tips for Online Safety

• Beware of Phishing (Phishing is a method used by fraudsters to try to get your personal information, such as your username and password, by pretending to be a site you trust. )

• Always look at the URL of the page you are directed to login to make sure that it stays in the website, prior to login.

• People are not always who they say they are. Be careful about adding strangers to your friends list; remember, it is OK to deny a friend request.

Contact fe.verzosa@dlsu.edu.ph

Questions?