Overhyped Fad or Missed Opportunity? A History of Academic Libraries and the Social Web

The emergence of social media has radically transformed the way we create and consume information. These changes have in turn given rise to new models of librarianship centered on principles of participation, interaction, and collaboration. Over the last decade, academic libraries have eagerly adopted social media as a means of enhancing services and connecting with a new generation of users. But how exactly has this technology changed libraries? In what ways has the social web transformed library services or our relationships with users? This article attempts to assess the impact of social media on academic libraries in the United States through a review of the literature published since 2005. In particular, it looks at how academic libraries have used social media to improve or develop new services. By comparing published case studies with the theoretical literature, this article seeks to separate theory from practice and determine the extent to which the social web has transformed library practice. The author concludes that, despite several noteworthy examples, the majority of social library applications ultimately fail to live up to the transformative potential promised within the literature and that this failure may have more to do with philosophical rather than technical limitations.     

Solo Librarian and Outreach to Hospital Staff Using Web 2.0 Technologies

The part-time librarian at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center (PPMC) serves physicians, staff, and students. Challenged by time constraints and the need for a physical presence in the library, the librarian sought methods requiring limited manpower and maintenance to reach out to users. The librarian utilized two Web 2.0 technologies, Delicious and Bloglines, to extend library services beyond the confines of the hospital intranet. This article details the process to implement these two technologies in the hospital setting. Informational resources about Web 2.0 technologies are included in the article.     

Views and Dreams: A Delphi Investigation into Library 2.0 Applications

The study's purpose was to investigate the views and opinions of librarians about the implementation of Web 2.0 technologies into library operations and services. The Delphi technique was chosen as the method of inquiry in this study, in which a group of panelists graded the desirability and probability of a list of statements. Thirty-nine librarians from United States and Canada participated in the study by answering the questionnaire. The study consisted of two rounds. In the first, participants were asked to grade seventeen statements and answer four open questions posted on a Web site. In the second round, participants were asked to provide an explanation for answers that fell outside of the consensus. The study investigated the panelists’ views on the following issues: (a) the changing nature of libraries and of the information profession, (b) user-generated content at the library, (c) the library's role as a learning center, and (d) adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in libraries. Participants’ answers also revealed issues with the marketing of library services. Findings revealed a big difference between what participants viewed as desirable and what they thought as probable for most issues. Furthermore, participants were skeptical on the ability and willingness of librarians and libraries to make the necessary changes to adapt to the new information reality brought on by Web 2.0 technologies.     

Experiments and Experiences in Liaison Activities: Lessons from New Librarians in Integrating Technology,Face-to-Face,and Follow-Up

As is the case in many university libraries, Albertsons Library at Boise State University, has hired many new librarians to replace retiring librarians. These newer librarians, typically with less than 3 years’ academic library experience, are actively engaged in meeting the opportunities and challenges of subject liaison responsibilities using innovative Web-based tools. This article addresses liaison experiences with faculty-directed blogs, personalized faculty research pages, a wiki-based liaison manual, and the use of LibraryThing as a collection development tool. An overview of these efforts confirms that new technologies are only as good as the face-to-face communication and the follow-up that accompany their implementation. Much of the content in this article was presented at the 2007 and 2008 Acquisitions Institute conferences at Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood, Oregon.     

A Use of Space: The Unintended Messages of Academic Library Web Sites

Academic library home pages are not only access points to the resources and services of a library, they are virtual representations of the library itself. The content placed on the page, where it is placed, and the amount of space allotted are all choices that send a message about the character of the library, the resources a user should start with, and the library's attitude toward its users. This study explores the messages being sent by the content selection and design of the home pages of 49 of the 50 largest academic libraries in the United States. By looking at the area allocated to different content types and the number and location of different content types, the researchers discovered that design elements and promotion/public relations receive a large amount of page space. The researchers also identified the prominently positioned multi-search box as the apparent de facto standard access point to library resources. Many sites are clearly designed to direct users to specific, presumably important resources. Other sites are more obscure in their site structure and design, increasing the options and visual clutter for users without providing much guidance.     

Of Fans,Friends, and Followers: Methods for Assessing Social Media Outreach in Special Collections Repositories

Increasing adoption and implementation of social media applications suggests a cultural shift in the way special collections departments communicate with external constituents. Research shows many social networking tools are used successfully to connect with special collections patrons, but limited documentation exists to describe whether special collections departments receive demonstrable returns for the time, effort, and energy expended to sustain social media activity. This article provides the results of an empirical study that examined social media usage in special collections departments at 125 Association of Research Libraries member institutions. By analyzing publicly available data from profiles on a variety of social media platforms, the authors explore how special collections units employ social networking tools and whether it is possible to determine success in terms of benefits received by the department, such as increased dialogue between departments and supporters. By using return on investment, this study found that special collections departments achieve moderate success when using social media to advertise collections, events, and activities, but they have little success when using social media to engage with external constituents. To address less successful aspects of social media projects, departments can engage in routine assessment activities, such as return on investment, to make the most of new technologies.     

Use of Social Networking Sites by LIS Professionals in Higher Education Institutions in India: A Study

The study investigates how library and information science professionals working in higher education institutions in India integrate social networking sites (SNS) into their routine work. It was revealed through the questionnaire that the majority of respondents are members of the institution's official group on the SNS, whereas only one fifth are members of an unofficial student group. These information professionals use SNS to socialize, keep themselves up-to-date, find jobs, and acquire information about conferences and seminars in their respective fields. Some of the legitimate concerns of library and information science professionals are privacy and cyberbullying. To increase use, social networking applications must be incorporated into the curriculum of master's degree courses for library and information science.     

Engaging Students in Active Learning: Use of a Blog and Audience Response System

Librarians provide instruction to medical students as part of a core course in the medical school curriculum. Instruction was provided, in part, through didactic sessions covering professional-level medical information resources, PubMed search skills, psychosocial information, and evidence-based medicine. Librarians redesigned instructional sessions with the goals of increasing student engagement and minimizing the lecture format, maximizing the number of students receiving feedback on their search and evaluation skills, and permitting students to see a variety of possible responses as well as engage in peer- and self-evaluation. Librarians integrated the use of a blog and an audience response system (ARS) into the instruction to help accomplish these goals.     

Transitioning from Marketing-Oriented Design to User-Oriented Design: A Case Study

The transition to a new architecture and design for an academic library Web site does not always proceed smoothly. In this case study, a library at a large research university hired an outside Web development contractor to create a new architecture and design for the university's Web site using dotCMS, an open-source content management system. The library participated in the design and development process along with other campus units. Because the university-wide process focused on marketing the university to prospective students, parents, and donors, the contractor's fact-finding process focused on how the library's site design could incorporate Web 2.0 technologies. The resulting library Web site showcased Web 2.0 technology more than it provided users with access to library resources. The library's users quickly communicated their dissatisfaction and confusion, which led to some immediate changes and a commitment to redesign the site based on expressed and demonstrated user needs. The library then hired another contractor to conduct iterative usability testing on both the new site and prototypes for a redesigned version. The testing showed that Web 2.0 technology that does not meet existing user needs creates obstacles for both novice and experienced users. In collaboration with the university's information technology unit, the library developed and launched a revised Web site, which helped users connect to the resources they needed. In the upgrade, Google Search Appliance replaced the native dotCMS search functionality. The authors of this case study demonstrate that libraries may need to advocate for different Web design priorities than those used at the university-wide level and that working with outside contractors presents different challenges and opportunities depending on the contractor's hiring unit. These experiences also demonstrate that libraries can do a better job learning about their users when they lead the fact-finding process. Following these experiences, the library committed to conducting iterative usability testing on a regular basis.     

A Library and a Radio Show: The Story of a Successful Partnership at 10 Years and Counting

Your Health® Radio is a weekly one-hour radio show about consumer health produced by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department of Family Medicine. It provides practical, health-related news and information to listeners in an easy to understand style. Hosted by a family medicine physician faculty member and co-hosted by other health professionals, it airs on a local radio station. Since 2009, Health Sciences librarians have collaborated on the show, bringing their expertise in information discovery and organization, consumer health, and health literacy to this consumer health endeavor. In the process, the librarians and libraries have also benefitted.     

Academic Research Journals in Medical Sociology,Medical Anthropology,and Contemporary Social Medicine: A Focus on Public and Global Health

A bibliography of 31 academic journals in medical sociology, medical anthropology, and contemporary social medicine with a focus on public and global health is provided. Along with basic identifying information, the bibliometric measures of Eigenfactor, Article Influence Score, SCImago Journal Rank, and H-index have been specified for each journal when available. Brief annotations along with both Library of Congress and medical subject headings are supplied. Though some limitations are acknowledged, this bibliography serves as a valuable tool for locating and selecting a wide range of periodical scholarship devoted to the social and cultural features of health and medicine.