The recent ALA conference in June featured many programs on libraries and social networking. One of the presenters was Meredith Farkas, aka Queens of Wikis. She blogs about social networking, among other topics, at Information Wants to Be Free.
I have to admit that I have my doubts about library forays into these spheres. Although Beth Evans at Brooklyn College has done a superb job with her library’s MySpace page, I suspect that most libraries who are making attempts in this arena are just doing it because they think it’s hip; but they don’t really understand the culture. What do you think?
If you would like to read more on social networking, take a look at this interesting article in the July/August 2007 issue of Information Today which traces the history of social networking and its meteoric rise. The author admittedly draws heavily from A Brief History of the Internet by Leiner, et al. which is also a good read in case you’ve forgotten how the Internet got started (or didn’t know to begin with).
For more scholarly treatments of the topic see this analysis of online friendships and this article on privacy and social networking. Have a good weekend!
Judith Galang said
Although I see the potential value of libraries creating profiles on social networking sites, I think the approach can backfire if the only reason is to try to be hip. The result may be similar to a middle-aged mom trying to relate to her daughter’s friends by dressing and speaking like a teenager.
As with establishing any other type of website, if the goals are clearly defined and a strategy on using a social networking site to achieve these goals is mapped out, the effort could be quite successful.