In “Making Web 2.0 Work—From ‘Librarian Habilis’ to ‘Librarian Sapiens’” librarian Milica Cvetkovic asks and answers a key question about library 2.0 initiatives:
“Why do Library 2.0 services so often fail to have the expected impact? In my opinion, the most important reason is that the services have not been tied to the library’s strategic goals. . . . We first need to understand the needs of our patrons and then implement whatever technology will best meet those needs.”
In so many respects, public libraries have made great strides in shifting their focus from what is good for librarians to what is good for users. The question is no longer, “What services and materials do we want to provide our patrons?” Now we ask, “What services and materials do our patrons want and need?” Here at DBRL we have more copies of popular fiction titles to meet increased demand. We are arranging our collections so items are easier to find. We have a smashing (super-cool, user-friendly, knows-just-what-I-want) new catalog that moves beyond providing access to materials through Library of Congress Subject Headings (which privileges the way librarians are taught to categorize items) and allows patrons to tag items (which privileges the way users want to categorize items). Using this catalog, the public can share information and create lists – it’s a perfect example of a thoughtful implementation of Web. 2.0 services.
What we haven’t figured out yet is how to use a social networking site like Facebook as an extension of our web site or other services, as Cvetkovic suggests. We have a Facebook page for “fans” of DBRL, but it simply exists as a place for Facebook users to say that they like us. That’s nice and all, but it doesn’t really provide any sort of service or add value. Some of the library Facebook pages we’re exploring in this NetTrek unit show how Facebook can be used to promote programs, provide library news, or provide opportunities for people to ask reference questions in a space where a number of our users already spend a lot of time. We can also follow the lead of some book retailers. (Heck, we already do this with some of our collections marketing in our physical facilities – why not take it a step further?)
I’m thinking of Powell’s City of Books (pause for a moment of reverent silence for the greatest bookstore on earth). I am a “fan” of Powell’s Facebook page, and so I get a daily post in my newsfeed from them, often highlighting a new book that just hit the shelves or a rediscovered staff favorite. This is usually accompanied by an appealing picture of the book’s cover, much like those appealing book cover pictures in our new catalog. We could use Facebook to bring people directly into our catalog, just as we might use Facebook to bring them into one of our facilities for a program.
Does such a use of Facebook help us achieve a strategic goal, Cvetkovic’s recommended measurement for a Library 2.0 service’s success? In our recently created strategic plan, one of our service goals is to provide comfortable physical and virtual spaces, which includes “virtual spaces and services that expand access to information and online services.” An effective Facebook page could eventually be a part of meeting this goal, if we create that page in such a way that it acts as a portal to our web site, to our catalog, to our online resources, to the information our patrons seek. I understand that creating and continually updating a Facebook page takes resources in the form of staff time and expertise. But after our NetTrek training, we should have many staff members who have the basic skills to take on such a project. And perhaps the maintenance tasks could be shared among a group of staff members so that the time commitment isn’t too much for any one person. Is DBRL ready for Facebook?
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