Article Note: On Libraries Deciding to Use Facebook for Outreach or Not

Citation for the article:

Fernandez, Peter. "Balancing Outreach and Privacy in Facebook: Five Guiding Decision Points." Library Hi Tech News Number 3/4 (2009): 10-12.

Read via Emerald.


Since I recently set up and implemented a Facebook page for my workplace, this article caught my eye. The decision points that Fernandez presents are very relevant, and they were points that we had to consider here in one form or another during the set-up process. If your library is looking at setting up a page on Facebook, then this article is necessary reading. Personally, the article made me think about about my own use of Facebook. My personal experience with Facebook is something I have pondered a few times. For example, here, where there are links to some other posts as well. My use of Facebook is something I have to constantly monitor for balance in terms of issues like professional appearance and ethical behavior. There are certain things I keep out of my Facebook profile just to avoid certain questions and hassles from certain people. Then again, the same is applicable to my blogging as well, but we can ponder that some other time.

In addition, the article asks some useful questions for reflection and discussion. As usual, let me make some notes and comment. I will make some connections to my experience operating the library's Facebook page, in the hope, infinitesimal as it may be, that someone may find it useful for their situation. Plus it helps me do some assessment on what is happening now.

• "Doing so in an ethical manner requires that libraries have a firm understanding of how Facebook works, and what kind of presence they want to have within the framework it creates" (10). I think at times libraries, in the rush to be where their patrons are, may jump in without fully thinking things through. This can also be exemplified by the many library blogs out there that are now defunct or at least moribund. You need to think about how Facebook works, and this takes some time and effort, and what exactly you want to accomplish. For instance, in our case, we mostly wanted to use it as a tool to keep our students and patrons up to date with what is going on at our library. Simple enough, but that does mean you have to think about the image you are putting out there. And as librarians, we also think about issues of privacy.
  
• A consideration: "At the same time, interacting with Facebook sites involves putting library content on a third party website, which is run by companies who have historically demonstrated a different conception of privacy than librarians might prefer" (10). For a good discussion on the third party website reliance issue, once again I point my three readers to Ms. Farkas's recent post on 2.0. For example, here we do put some photos of library events on the Facebook page, but you can bet that we do have multiple copies of those photos. So if something goes kaput, we still have the content. The Notes application on Facebook for our library page is set to pull the feed from our library's blog. Granted, our blog is on a Wordpress.com blog (i.e. a free online application). However, when things like budgets and technical power are in small supply, you do what you can with what you have. And you do back up everything. Unfortunately, this is not a perfect world, and for various reasons many of us will continue to use third party applications for content, like me using Blogger here. Just keep such issues in mind. And then there is the issue of privacy in those third party sites and services. Facebook has had issues with privacy, in large measure because what they think is good practice is not what their users think it is or should be. From the recent debacles in rolling the newsfeed feature to their gradual move to be more like Twitter, we often see Facebook and users coming head to head over what is ok or not in terms of privacy. Let me put it in another way: you have to keep in mind that, at the end of the day, Facebook is a for profit company, and they will do what they think will bring them a profit. Whether that is totally ethical, or ethical in the eyes of their users, that is a separate question. And that is not just Facebook. Pretty much any online service will follow that routine. When it comes to these third party services, you get it "free" because advertising pays for it. That's their angle and interest. So letting you get too private is not in their interest. Think about that for a moment.
  
• "Facebook does not give its users access to a neutral space, and its tools and the types of content it allows are designed to influence users to adopt an informal, revealing tone" (10). See my remark above about where Facebook's interests are at. This is something that I also struggle with when it comes to my personal Facebook profile. Between Facebook's structure and the applications, it can be very easy to reveal just about anything about my life. Since I do believe that some things are my business and private, I have to stay on my toes. However, for Facebook, the more you reveal, the more information they gather for their advertisers. For a casual user, being a little revealing is probably not a big deal. For someone like me who has to keep a certain image, it is a big deal. I know potential future employers, my current employers, and all sorts of people see some form of my Facebook profile. Although I have tightened my privacy dramatically, so pretty much mostly friends see most of the stuff, it is something I have to keep maintaining. For a library page, this very important as well since a library does have to project a certain image. And yet, to use ourselves as example, in an academic library, you do want to be professional but also accessible and humane. Same thing for a librarian's profile, which is why I do have a few things that are more on the playful side in my profile. I am a human being; I have a sense of humor, and I am a fairly normal dude, and I want my students, friends, and family to know that. Personally, the way I see, if some potential employer thinks that is a problem, I probably do not want to work for them in the first place. There are plenty of open-minded and progressive places out there.
  
• This is a problem: "However, once a personal profile has been created and associated as the primary administrator of the institutional page, there is no way to undo this relationship" (10). I will say that I struggled a bit with that when I was creating the library's Facebook page. Do I want it attached to my profile? I took the risk anyways and did it. These days, you should be able to make a page without having to make a profile for yourself. As for the attachment, it is unclear how to do it, but I think I could add someone else as administrator, then remove myself, which would be what I would likely do if I were to change jobs in the future. Facebook's Help section is not very forthcoming on that issue; I know; I looked.
  
• And what about the other librarians? "Should the library administration encourage librarians to link their profiles to the libraries Facebook site?" (10). My two cents? I say you can encourage, but you cannot require it. A personal Facebook page is exactly that, personal. That is a choice every individual librarian needs to be comfortable making.
  
• And then there is the issue of how you will handle certain things. "Facebook interactions raises a host of questions for libraries from how to handle potentially hateful speech, to relatively simple things, like what to do if patrons post false, or otherwise problematic information to the site" (10-11). I spent a bit of time reassuring my boss and the powers that be that we would monitor the site. But I also told them that, yes, there is always the risk that someone will post something that we may not agree with. Now, disagreement is fine. Hateful speech is not. In essence, you have to give some thought to how much monitoring and moderation you will have to do. What I have found, so far, is that things are not as bad as we may think they could be initially. Don't get complacent though.
  
• Just remember: ". . .most libraries using Facebook will want to keep their settings relatively open, or risk creating barriers for potential patrons who visit the site" (11). And while we are talking about barriers, let me say that the Facebook line of not allowing me to set up a vanity URL for the library page because my fan numbers are not high enough is a load of male bovine solid waste. Their excuses of preventing spam or squatters simply do not amount to a hill of beans, especially for small organizations like my library, or other campus organizations here with Facebook pages facing the same barrier.
  

Fernandez emphasizes, and I will concur, that having a maintenance plan is important. You do have to monitor the Facebook page as well as keep it up to date. You also have to add new content to it in order to keep it fresh and keep your fans coming back. In the end, I think most libraries can take the chance, but they have to go in informed and with some degree of planning.


Update note (same day): A few additional items I have seen on the topic. Jotted them down on the scratch pad.

Article Note: Options for reference texting

Citation for the article:

Stahr, Beth. "SMS Library Reference Service Options." Library Hi Tech News Number 3/4 (2009): 13-15.

Read via Emerald.


This is a short piece that outlines some of the advantages and disadvantages of using a short message service (SMS) to provide reference service. It is a pretty light piece, but it caught my eye in part because the decision was made to add Meebo chat widgets to our Research Guides (run by LibGuides; actually, we have struggled with the terminology, is it a LibGuide or a Research Guide or what? In other words, the branding. But that could be a separate post). I think the best way to put it is a quote from Stahr's article: "a possible disadvantage for the library is the requirement for yet another 'virtual service point' to monitor, unless the library already monitors IM" (13). We did not previously monitor IM, but we do participate in the statewide UT System live chat. I will be honest: it seemed the "cool thing" to do, so we moved with it. Could have used a bit more thought, but that is my opinion, and it is a done deal. The point is that it does create yet another thing to monitor. This is also something that I think is not considered in general out in libraries, so this article, by at least mentioning it, opens the way to some discussion and thinking. However, the Meebo thing is not terribly intrusive, at least at this point, when compared to some of the options the article presents.

As I often do, let me make some notes and a comment or two.

• "Libraries that yearn to reach users should consider text reference service to be as vital and necessary as telephone or email reference service" (13). I know I will probably get named persona non grata by some Mount Ubertech dweller out there, but I am not convinced this kind of service is absolutely vital. I think this is dependent on demographic, size and ability of each individual institution to handle it, and all the costs that can go with it monetary as well as staff labor. And given that Stahr does suggest that an option may be getting a dedicated cellphone for the service, it seems less vital.
  
• "Firstly, such a service demonstrates that the library is one the cutting edge of technology, and that it is meeting the needs of all its users, including younger patrons who prefer to communicate via text" (13). I always worry about the equation of being on the cutting edge with meeting patrons needs. As if somehow we are being neglectful if we do not get in the latest bandwagon. This is the kind of thing I have pondered in one form or another for a while (for example, here, here, and over here and over there).
• The article describes some vendors who will be happy to help you set up some texting service if needed (like these folks or these guys). For some libraries, this may be worth a look. Given you can do a lot with something like a Meebo widget, maybe not. However, with 2.0 online tools, you always have the issue of relying on some third party for the service your library provides. I just came across this post by Meredith Farkas on just that topic, which is worth a look and certainly is food for thought. I have had to deal at least once with 2.0 tools that have proven somewhat unreliable.
• "Some have questioned whether it is possible to realistically answer library reference questions using short messages. Does the inherent small size of the communication message reduces the efficacy of the text message reference service? While the experience is limited, libraries which have adopted these services all report satisfaction?" (14). I would like to see an actual list or some specific libraries named that are reporting such satisfaction. The author does not provide names in this part of the article to illustrate satisfaction levels. And while there is a references list, is the implication then I have to go look the references up to see who was satisfied? Outside of the brief discussion after this quote about Southeastern Louisiana University's experience with SMS, which by the way is the author's institution, there is little other mention of anyone else. I want testimonials, and I want more than one. I also want to see who was not satisfied and why. Because in the library literature, we often get the success stories, but we rarely get the failures or the accounts of why some service was dropped after not working or meeting expectations. I am sceptical, and I want more evidence. However, I do understand that more substance is likely outside of the purview of the original article.
  
• "Regardless of how text message reference service is implemented, marketing is essential to the success of an SMS reference service" (14). This is applicable to just about any new service your library implements, especially for an online service. Whether it is a Facebook library page or the fact you are using some SMS service, you do have to market it, and you have to promote it on every possible venue.
  
• "Table tents, posters, online entries and library instruction sessions have all been used to promote such services" (14-15). And I have used every single one of them and some more not listed in the quote in the process. And I have learned a thing or two about marketing in the process as well. Maybe that will be a separate post, some lessons on library marketing I have learned.
  

Article note: On alternative literature and collecting zines

Citation for the article:

Koh, Rowena. "Alternative Literature in Libraries: the Unseen Zine." Collection Building 27.2 (2008): 48-51.

Read via Emerald.



The first question I had when I started reading the article was what was the effect of the Internet in terms of zines. With blogs and wikis and similar tools, you can very easily put up a zine online. The author does address some of this towards the end of the article, so read on.

The article makes a case for the importance of collecting zines in libraries. This is especially important for public libraries which are local institutions by nature. What I am trying to say is that public libraries reflect their communities. Zines reflect their local communities as well, often in very unique ways, so it is important then for libraries to collect them as much as possible. The problem is that librarians often ignore or overlook these publications. Some of the reasons that librarians do not consider zines are due to the zines' nature: low budgets, low circulation, often controversial nature, and the fact that they are self-published. But, as Koh writes, "the unfiltered voices found in zines are probably the most accurate reflection of societal diversity" (48).

Zines are not easy to collect, and Koh discusses some of the challenges in this regard. For one, you have to look for zines. They are often found in independent book and record stores or other out of the way places. One place mentioned in the article, which I have not seen even in the few big cities I have been or lived, is the infoshop, which is an alternative reading room, a sort of "street library" run by volunteers where zinesters often have access to zines as well as some resources for production. Koh draws on some of the work by C. Dodge regarding zines, and she cites Dodge who says that "librarians who know about infoshops generally agree that their presence indicates some degree of failure on the part of urban libraries" (49). I think we can safely note that zines are mostly an urban phenomenon. Houston or Austin may have some; Tyler does not. The point is that zines often reflect alternative views, arguments, and opinions, and any library that values a diversity of information and opinion needs to make at least some effort in collecting them somehow. "If the role of libraries and librarians is to preserve and disseminate information reflecting as many diverse views as possible, then it is clear that zines have a rightful place in any library's collection" (49).

Challenges to collecting zines include:

• Selection and acquisition. You are not going to find them in some vendor catalog. There are some formal review sources, but given the very ephemeral nature of zines, many sources can be outdated by the time they are published. As Dodge suggests, it may be better for a library to collect locally, or on a specific subject if trying to be comprehensive proves too difficult (qtd. in 49). Often donations will be the best way to acquire zines.
  
• Storage and display. This is due to the various formats and sizes zines have. You need to decide the degree of access, i.e., do you just place them in some archive, or find some other way to let them circulate, facing issues of loss?
  
• Cataloguing and access is a big challenge. There are no real good categories or subject headings. LC is somewhat limited since it lumps zines and fanzines under fanzines or distinguishes between zines and works about them. Koh provides a helpful illustration with some examples of how some libraries have catalogued their zines, and the variety is all over. This also includes cases where cataloguers simply misuse headings. "Clearly, classifiers are ill-informed about the world of zines and alternative literature; consistent cataloguing rules do not exist for them either" (50). I find that problematic, but not surprising, that a lot of librarians simply have little to no idea of what alternative literature is or what it entails. Personally, I make an effort to learn and read in the alternative literature to expand my knowledge, but also because I think a librarian needs to draw on as much information and knowledge as possible, plus he or she needs to be exposed to as many different sources and materials as possible. Obviously, you can't read everything, but you should have at least an awareness.
  

Koh ends by looking at e-zines and the Internet. She does mention that online tools and software like desktop publishing make publishing a zine online a lot easier. However, this does not mean one should be complacent and assume they are all online now. Far from it. A lot of zinesters still prefer to put out their work in print. Even if they have an online presence, they may not put their zine online, but they may put a preview of material, for instance, or do some things online they do not do in print and viceversa. On another positive development, the online world has facilitated the emergence of some selection tools as well. For libraries, they can link to e-zines and zine related sites. Do keep in mind those links do have to be maintained regularly.

Overall, a short little piece worth reading, especially for librarians wanting to learn more on this topic.

Happy 4th of July 2009

Americans will be out and about celebrating Independence Day, which falls on a Saturday this year. Most of them probably left already, but some of us still have to work for a living. Anyhow, I left a few links for the day over at the personal blog. Feel free to hop over. Have a safe and happy holiday.

Celebrating Canada Day 2009

A Happy Canada Day to our Canadian friends in Canada and around the world. I wrote a post with various links and information about the holiday over in my personal blog.

Here is the link. I hope you will consider hoping over. Best, and keep on blogging.