[Web4lib] Facebook and libraries

[B.G. Sloan]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet in the "facebook and libraries" thread, but the following report is kinda interesting.
 
It starts out by describing a failed attempt to use Facebook at the Gelman Library at George Washington University:
 
"In 2007, librarians launched the 'Your Librarian is your Friend' campaign, in which instruction librarians created Facebook profiles and used them to maintain connections with students following the completion of library instruction sessions.  These librarians used their profiles to share research tips, display library applications, and emphasize their availability to their student 'friends.'  Posters advertising this campaign were prominently displayed in the library building, and bookmarks highlighting individual librarian profiles were available at service desks.  Despite these efforts, most librarians’ friends seemed to be librarians or other peers, and there was scant evidence that those profile features targeted at students were being used by students." 

The bulk of the paper discusses Gelman librarians' attempts to figure out why the initial experiment failed:

"These disappointing results led Gelman librarians to take a step back and ask a critical question: What do our students really want? That is, how do our students actually use Facebook, and what part can the library play in this social environment?"
 
http://cua.wrlc.org/bitstream/1961/5136/1/Beyond_the_Buzz.doc

Bernie Sloan