Please “Like” Me!: The use of Facebook in

Pennsylvania Public Libraries

By Tara Major

ABSTRACT

With over 500 million users, Facebook dominates the world of social networking, and libraries are faced with the challenge of adopting this new technology as a way to communicate and interact with their patrons. However not much is known as to how many libraries have actually embraced Facebook and are actively using it to enhance their services to the community. This paper will investigate the number of Pennsylvania libraries that are using Facebook, whether or not that usage has increased over time, and if the libraries that are using Facebook are promoting this use adequately. A random sampling of Pennsylvania Libraries was conducted and an observational environmental scan was used to determine this information. It was found that, over time, Commonwealth libraries were increasing their usage of Facebook, but as of 2010, only about 50% were actively engaged in this popular social networking site. This suggests that libraries in Pennsylvania still have room for improvement when it comes to leveraging social software for its benefit. The paper concludes with the argument that Facebook is a valuable tool for marketing, communication, and building community, and encourages any libraries not already engaged in social networking to see the value in using this 21st century tool to connect with their patrons.

INTRODUCTION

In February 2004, four students from Harvard launched the social networking site Facebook. When it was released, its use was limited to students within Harvard University. But as its popularity grew, it expanded first to other colleges and universities, and then to high school students. By September of 2006, Facebook had altered its registration policies so that anyone could join, and by the end of that year, Facebook had over 12 million active users. Today, Facebook is dominating the world of social networking. It has amassed an astounding 500 million users, 50% of who log on to the site on a daily basis.[1] Included in these millions of people who use Facebook to connect and communicate are, of course, patrons of the library. With all of the Facebook “how to's” and statistics we hear about at library conferences, in professional journals, and in professional literature, it is hard to believe that not every library has a Facebook presence at this point. But what if, in fact, some libraries have yet to take the Facebook plunge? Are there many? Only a handful? While we know that Facebook is popular, and we know that libraries are encouraged to use it, we do not know how much it is actually being used by Pennsylvania libraries.

This paper will shed some light on the implementation of Facebook in Pennsylvania public libraries and whether or not the libraries in the Commonwealth have embraced the use of social networking sites as a means of disseminating information and expanding services. For those libraries that are currently using Facebook, this study will also investigate how effective they are at making their patrons aware of the library's Facebook presence. It is not enough to simply set up a Facebook account and post to it occasionally. If staff members have used their time and resources to establish a social networking account, libraries need to make certain that their patrons know about it. By understanding the landscape of our libraries' willingness (or lack thereof) to implement social networking tools, we may gain a greater understanding of what we, as a profession, need to do to move forward. Should we be focusing our efforts on convincing our colleagues that participating in social networking is essential to our future relevance? Or has there been enough wide spread adoption of this popular tool that we can proceed to the next stage of encouraging libraries to provide a richer, more engaged Facebook experience by giving more in-depth instructional information at conferences and in journals? For libraries that are still hesitant about using Facebook, this paper will also provide arguments for the use of social software.

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

In 2006 when Facebook was just coming on to the national scene, its impact was minimal in the library community. At that point Facebook was just another new Web 2.0 technology that may or may not take hold, and while it was occasionally touched on in articles or at conferences, there was not a strong push for its implementation. What was being discussed quite frequently, however, was the concept of Web 2.0 and what that meant for librarians. At that time MySpace was leading the social networking pack, blogging was becoming a popular outlet for professional discourse, and social bookmarking with Delicious was all the rage. Librarians were exploring these new ways of exchanging information as they recognized the importance of the role of social software, which allowed users to interact and share data with each other. What was important to libraries who were using Web 2.0 then, remains, at the core, what is important about Facebook now.

When professional librarians discussed Web 2.0, they were trying to convey the importance of the participatory library. In his article The Promise of Web 2.0, Michael Stephens explains that librarians need to be at the forefront of the 2.0 shift by using social tools to create conversation, connections and community. He presents some key principles of Web 2.0 and explains how libraries could take advantage of new technologies to implement them. Some of these principles include openness, ease of use, innovation, social interaction, participation, and sharing. At the time of the article, Stephens provided a variety of social tools which would accomplish each of these tasks, such as wikis, blogs, RSS feeds, instant messaging, etc.[2] At that time, all of these applications were seen as useful and no single Web 2.0 tool really stood out from the other. Over time, however, Facebook has emerged ahead of its competition. Libraries can now leverage this wildly popular social networking tool which incorporates many of the social software concepts and websites that librarians were championing a half decade ago. The Web 2.0 concepts of interaction and engagement that the library community latched onto then are still relevant to what is going on with social networking now, and can be, and should be, implemented with a platform that will give libraries as much exposure as possible.

Another common theme that was heard at the onset of the Web 2.0 movement, and that continues to be popular today, is that librarians need to “go where their patrons are.” In her 2007 “Social software in libraries: building collaboration, communication, and community Online” article, Meredith Farkas emphasizes the importance of libraries using social software to strengthen communities by allowing them to more easily connect with each other online. She stresses that patrons actively use these collaborative tools and libraries need to provide services via these tools as well. Social networking tools allow the library to reach out from beyond their brick and mortar walls and reap the benefits of a virtual world. On a social networking site, librarians can do market research, build a presence, market services, and provide reference services. If patrons are gathering in these virtual worlds, libraries need to be where the patrons are. And the greater the online presence for the library, the better they will be able to position themselves as the center of online communities.[3] It is time for libraries to start thinking about how they are going to keep pace with our rapidly changing society. If libraries choose to remain with the status quo, they could face the danger of being left behind. The role of the library should adapt to the needs and habits of the public and right now, the public is spending a good bit of time online. For libraries to remain relevant, we may need to reexamine the future role of our institution and figure out how we can continue to be the community centers that we have always been.

As Web 2.0 technologies continued to unfold and became more and more popular, the online community began to embrace their roll in this new interactive society. No longer did users need to just view content that has been provided for them. They could create, collaborate, and share within their own communities. As library professional and author Elyssa Kroski notes,“We are no longer relegated to the sidelines as passive bystanders on the Web, but have been empowered to be creators as well.”[4]

WHY FACEBOOK?

When Web 2.0 emerged on the scene, there were any number of social software platforms that libraries could choose to embrace. Popular ones included blogs, wikis, social bookmarking (Delicious), photo sharing (Flickr), and RSS feeds. In terms of social networking, MySpace was the dominant platform for engaging friends and family with posts, photos, information, etc. But when Facebook entered the social networking arena, users gravitated toward its simple, user-friendly interface. This shift in popularity did not go unnoticed by the professional library community, and they began to explore how Facebook might be useful for their institutions.

Unfortunately, it was not easy in the beginning for libraries to carve out their own place in the Facebook universe. Facebook required users to be actual people, making it difficult for businesses or organizations to get a foothold into the Facebook world. Some libraries created “profiles” for their library and try to “friend” their users. Others tried to create groups, but found this interaction more limiting in terms of how they could access their fan base. Profiles had status updates that showed up in their friend's news feeds, but groups did not, so the profile platform was certainly more appealing. However, in order to have a profile page, libraries were forced to either portray themselves as an individual (The Librarian), or somehow fudge their library name so they appeared to be a person, not an organization. This cumbersome setup made for an awkward public presence on Facebook.

In November, 2007 Facebook launched Facebook Ads, and one of the key components of this new feature was the ability for businesses to create Fan Pages.[5] This change would make it much easier for libraries to connect to its patrons. A Fan Page worked just like a Facebook Profile, except that it represented a business, not a person. Libraries would no longer have to “friend” their users – instead, patrons would have the ability to become a “fan” of the library's Facebook page. Fan Pages incorporated some of the great features that librarians liked about profile pages – the ability to incorporate applications, status updates showing up in their fan's news feeds, creating events, and organizing photos into albums. Using these available tools, libraries finally had the ability to engage with their customer base in a more effective way.

The launch of Facebook Pages seemed to be the perfect opportunity for libraries to plant themselves firmly in the world of Facebook. But were librarians flocking to this growing social networking platform? Research indicates that they were not. In the spring of 2008 a study was conducted by the Library Research Service that looked at the use of Web 2.0 technologies in U.S. public libraries. According to the research, other social networking platforms had taken hold and were being used much more prevalently than Facebook. Blogs were the most popular, with 31% of librarians incorporating its use into their service model, followed by RSS Feeds at 14%, MySpace at 6%, and Flicker at 5%. At that time Facebook only commanded a 2% use by U.S. public libraries.[6]

This result is not really all that surprising when you consider that in 2008, blogs had been around for over ten years, and MySpace was still the dominant social networking site. Librarians were being handed an entire list of Web 2.0 technologies that their more tech-savvy colleagues were encouraging them to “just try out”. However, that may not have been easy for a small library with a limited number of staff members. For many libraries, the pros of adopting these new tools did not outweigh the cons. They may have already been stretched thin in terms of time and budget, and committing to yet another new technology trendmay not have been deemed a priority for them.

The adoption of social networking sites like Facebook might have had a slow start, but over time, usage continued to grow. A study conducted in 2007 showed that librarians had a positive view regarding the use of social software. They felt that is was not so much a new idea that would change how they normally conducted business, but rather a way of “extending the current ranges of services they offered, and providing new ways to achieve familiar goals”. [7] They also recognized the importance of reaching out to users wherever they were and felt that it would allow them to better connect with customers that were physically distant from the library. Social software provides a forum where users can voice their opinions, access services more conveniently, and develop a sense of community and ownership in the library.[8] This idea is also supported by Farkas for whom “creating a presence in social networking software makes the library more visible and more convenient to access.”[9] It is clear that professional librarians recognized the importance of social software, and were ready to embrace it, but there was still the matter of how to implement this new technology in their libraries, and which platform to use.

By April of 2009 with its 200 million active users, Facebook finally surpassed MySpace as the most popular social networking site. And by July of 2010, the number of Facebook users had more than doubled to over 500 million. [10] Not only had Facebook established its place as the dominant social networking site, it was also getting easier for libraries to create an online presence using Facebook's “Fan Pages” platform. Additionally, the landscape of the Facebook user had evolved. Social networking sites weren't just popular with young people; in fact older users had also begun to try it out. A recent study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project showed that in social networking, use had nearly doubled for internet users ages 50 and older – from 22% in 2009 to 42% in 2010.[11] This evidence supports the argument that Facebook has staying power, and libraries no longer need to wait out the social networking race before jumping in.

In conclusion, Facebook's ease of use, communication tools, and large number of users has propelled it to the top of the social networking sites. Over the past few years, librarians have been presented with a lot of encouragement from their professional colleagues about the need to embrace social networking. And now that social networking has firmly engrained itself in American culture, libraries should be adopting these Web 2.0 concepts and technology. For this reason, this study will look at Pennsylvania public libraries to see if they are indeed heeding the call, and if participation in Facebook is trending upwards.

METHOD

Research Problem

This study will investigate the use of Facebook in Pennsylvania public libraries. It will also determine if libraries that are using Facebook are making the link to their facebook page easily accessible on their website. Additionally, it will compare the changes in use over the course of a year and look at how many pages are actively updated.

Research Questions

  1. How many Pennsylvania public libraries are using Facebook?
  2. Of the libraries that are using Facebook, how many have provided a link to their Facebook page on their website?
  3. Over the course of one year, has the number of libraries using Facebook increased?
  4. Over the course of one year, has the percentage of libraries providing access to their Facebook page on their website increased?
  5. In 2010, how many Facebook pages were actively being updated.

Libraries Sampled

Of the more than 600 libraries and branch libraries in Pennsylvania, this study used a randomly selected sample pool of 362 libraries. Every county in the state was represented, and 50-100% of each county's libraries were used.

Quantitative Data Collection
From the more than 600 libraries and branch libraries in Pennsylvania, 362 were randomly sampled and an observational environmental scan was conducted to see how many of them were using the social networking platform Facebook. It was also determined whether or not a Facebook link was accessible on each of the libraries' web pages.

An observational method of data collection was determined to be the best avenue for gathering information as this would most closely replicate what a patron might need to do in order to locate their library's Facebook page. If evidence could not be found that the library had a Facebook page by using Facebook's search tool or the library's own website, then there was a good chance that someone else looking for that information would assume that a Facebook page did not exist.