Facebook as a Social Media Hotspot for Libraries

It seems that social media is here to stay from Twitter to Facebook social media tools have found their way into the library environment. More libraries throughout the nation are successfully using some form of social media tool to make a difference in their marketing strategies by connecting, contributing and collaborating in social network.  Social media provide libraries the opportunity to communicate with their users through a variety of tools such as blogs, Facebook and Twitter. 

 ComScore, Inc. a leader in measuring the digital world released a report in December 2011 “It’s a Social World: Top 10 Need-to Knows About Social Networking and Where it’s Headed. According to the report Social networking is the most popular online activities worldwide. 82% of the world internet population age 15 and older accessed the Internet from a home or work computer, representing 1.2 billion users around the globe. That is an important fact that cannot be overlooked. It’s not only a younger generation of people that are using social networking anymore. Social networking is seen not only as a way to continue a conversation, it provides news, promotes businesses, serves as a community, is informative and is a way to connect with people that you otherwise would never meet or places you never been too.

According to ComScore, Inc.  report in “October of 2011 Facebook had reached more than half (55 percent) of the world’s global audience and accounted for 1 in every 7 minutes spent online around the world and 3 in every four social networking minutes.” If Facebook can gather 

these many users, then why not use Facebook as an avenue for reaching library users. In my opinion Facebook is one of many social networks that can successfully promote advocacy and generate community awareness about library services and programs.  It could be a wonderful tool if use properly to start and continue a conversation about books; encourages conversation and comments that can lead to quality reference services, and improving patron services. There are many libraries out there that are taking advantage of social media. Such is the case of the New York Library. The New York Library is doing wonderful things through Facebook. The New York Public Library Facebook to be engaging they update post every day and I have seen them provide post every hour. The Facebook page is attractive to the vision, is informative with news of what events are taking place at the library. It serves as a marketing tool. In their webpage they promote books, music and events. There is a section for recommendations and allows for others to make post or announcements about the library. I really enjoyed browsing thru their Facebook page. 

One thing I did notice is lack of traffic from followers.  But the New York Public Library is not the only Facebook page that attracts a following. There is a Social Media for Libraries Facebook page that I discovered the other day and it seems to be a relatively new page, most of the post listed are about converging social media and libraries. The page seemed to have lifted off on a good start but it is now static and the last post listed on the page is from May 2, 2011. I wonder what could have happened. I can only imagine that the page was created by librarians for librarians and it lost down the road a following or simply was abandoned due to lack of support. Finally a last look at another libraries Facebook page, I decided for my own library Miami-Dade Public Library . Miami-Dade Public Library Facebook displays beautifully with colorful pictures of children. Its page displays events, announcements, many event pictures, news, recommendations and maps of its location. They do not seem to post daily but they seem to at least post weekly. They seemed to have a following but not a large one. I did not see a Calendar of events but they do make announcements of what is going on. Although is colorful and organized it does not provide a statistical snapshot of usage. Aside from activities it does not promote reading or a list of recommended books.  

I think that with so much going on at the library it is a shame to see that not as much as we would like is being done through Facebook. In Facebook, conversation is an important draw. It’s the primary activity of most Facebook users. If libraries want users to become advocates they are going to have to engage more in Facebook or any other social network in order to get people to become followers and share the library content and help spread its message.