LIBR 246-12: Web 2.0 and Social Networking Tools (Fall 2008)

If a library's presence in Facebook and MySpace increases the use of the library's resources and patronage, then definitely it should provide services through that medium. However, the problem in the K-12 setting is that Facebook and MySpace are, in most cases, blocked by school districts' firewalls. School districts cite CIPA in restricting social networking mediums as some profiles contain "inapproriate matter" for minors. Of course, students have learned to circumvent the firewalls through proxy sites.

Prahbu, M. (2008). Schools grapple with teachers' Facebook use. eSchool News.

Visual Bookshelf is a Facebook application which allows users to track the books one is reading as well as see what others are reading.  I’ve been using it for a while now and I find it to be a great way to share book reviews with friends and also keep track of what they’ve reading lately

I enjoyed making a page for a library this week.  It was so easy to make a page that had so much info like hours of operation.  It is alos easy to make events and send invites to them. There are so many great things that can be done here for churches and businesses too.

I placed a few library applications on the page such as Citeme, Worldcat, and JSTOR.  I would have liked to place Meebo, but it didn't seem to fully load.

I was not able to browse the slis network since it din't like my email account.  I think I needed to not have the sjsu portion specific to the school.

I have experience with both MySpace and Facebook, but went for Facebook for this assignment.  Actually, I deleted my MsSpace account a year or two ago because Facebook offered more applications It also seemed cleaner and more streamlined.  I also liked how it was more private since everyone had to provide a valid email address.  F

Do you think libraries should be providing services in MySpace and/or Facebook? Why or why not?

As per the iLibrarian blog, Facebook has uploaded 10 billion photos; quite significant when compared to a photo-sharing only website such as Photobucket which hosts 6 billion photos and Flickr which stores just over 2 billion. Impressive!

I found this post on David Lee King's blog last week and have been holding onto it for this week's topic.  In his post, David talks about the various elements on his library's Facebook page, and what he would like to add. He also goes into what works and what may not be working on his page.  he even asked other library Facebookers what they do with their Facebook page.  This blog post may even help with ideas for this week's exercise :)