LIS 768

When I joined LIS 768, I expected to learn about how libraries used social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter. Upon completion of the course, I can say I learned about social networking, as well as many other ways that libraries can connect with their patrons in this digital age. This has been one of the most insightful classes that I have ever taken in my graduate and undergraduate career. The subject matter was extremely interesting and I felt more engaged and connected doing the weekly assignments, than I have felt in most of my other classes. This class has allowed me to re-think my intentions, as a future librarian and also re-imagine the ways I can interact with my future patrons. I am definitely feeling more confident about my future career and I will be on the lookout for new media and how the library can use it to their patron’s benefit!

Thanks to the Internet and digital technology, there has been a major shift in the way teens and young adults socialize, learn, and communicate. Much research has been done to understand how teens of today are interacting and to figure out how teachers, parents, and other youth workers can use this information to work with teens, instead of against them.  The public library has had to respond to these changes, by offering services and resources that speak to the wants and needs of teen patrons.

Many large library systems, like Chicago Public, Detroit Public, and Denmark’s Aarhus Public have had the opportunity to build or update their main teen centers. These updated areas are for teen patrons only, and allow teens to interact through various types of new media, including laptop computers, gaming systems, and digital cameras and camcorders. Due to limited funding or space constraints, many small or rural libraries may not know how they can emulate the success of these larger libraries. Using the information found in studies on teen interactions using media and books on improving teen spaces in the library, smaller libraries can accomplish the same goal as other libraries and be just as successful, albeit on a smaller scale.

After reading the sources posted on for this assignment, I believe I got a better understanding of why they are needed and what points they should express. One recurring theme that I found in many of the sources was that social media guidelines should be a list of Do’s, instead of Don’ts. I agree that informing users of the things that they can do, instead of focusing on the opposite, will help them get a better idea of how to conduct themselves online and also not make them feel so restricted while they interacting with others . I made the following guidelines to be more lenient and open ended, with no rules outright stating, “Don’t”. I would hope that my library would be full of individuals who know how to properly promote the library brand, whether in person or online.  I tried to reverse the “80/20” rule, and not spend the majority of my guidelines focusing on the potential negatives.

Polka City Social Media Policy

The mission of the Polka City Library is to provide an inviting environment consisting of informational, cultural, educational, and recreational resources supporting life-long learning of Polka City residents. In an outgoing effort to achieve our mission, Polka City Library has maintained a web presence beyond the main library website. Polka City Library operates accounts on various Social Networking sites, including Facebook and Twitter. The following rules were created to ensure a safe and positive social network environment for our patrons. Polka City Library has crafted this list of Social Media Guidelines for all Polka City Librarians to keep in mind while accessing any social media sites, run by the library. Please also reference Polka City Library’s Internet Policy.

Be Polite and Courteous – Engage with members of the online community in respectful manner, the same way as if they were in the library. Also, carefully read what each user has to say before making a response.

Be Helpful – Patrons may seek reference help through social media sites. Direct them to the Polka City Library online resources, where they can find help to get their questions answered.

Be Transparent – It is important for patrons that come into contact with the libraries social media profiles to know that library personnel are operating them. Be honest and upfront with your position at the library.

Be Cautious – The Polka City Library rules of confidentiality and privacy apply online as well. Only reveal information that has been approved for public disclosure.

Be Mindful – Social networking sites can be very fun, but they can also be time consuming. Try to limit the amount of time spent browsing social networks and focus more time on posting useful information and answering patron questions and concerns.

This policy has been adapted from HighTechDad Blog Crafting Your Company’s Social Media Policy and Atlantic City Free Public Library’s Social Media Policy

I was apart of the Digital Natives group (Andrea, Brianna, Debbie, Kari) and our mission was to explore and present the ideas surrounding Digital Natives, or those born after 1980. Our group focused mainly on the text, Born Digital, by John Palfrey and Urs Gasser. For our project, we all read the book to get a better understanding of what Digital Natives are and also the problems, issues, and opportunities that surround them. The book is aimed at parents, educators, and to some extent librarians or others who interact with DN’s on a regular basis, so we decided to aim our presentation at that audience.

Our group used 4 avenues of communicating with each other. Early on, we used class time to talk in person and we also used the class group on the LIS 768 site. Towards the end, we communicated mainly through emails and Google Wave. Google wave allowed us to make our own conversation “thread”, but we still ended up with about 3 different email threads that were all discussing the same things. Even with all of the email notifications I received, it was much easier using the Internet to talk, instead of trying to schedule meetings or doing phone conferences. I wish Google Wave was more intuitive to use because it would be nice to have everything we need to communicate under one site, instead of multiple emails.

My research topic is updating or implementing teen spaces in public libraries. I plan to review sources that give information that libraries can use to understand today’s teenager and gauge their needs and wants in the library. I also looked for sources that demonstrate what other libraries have done to improve their teen areas. My main concern while researching this topic was to find how libraries in rural communities could take advantage of the information I found. Many rural libraries don’t have as much space as larger central libraries in big cities. I found a few resources that touched on the needs of smaller libraries and give recommendations for creating a teen space that is just as effective as larger libraries offer. I will be referencing Kim Bolan’s Teen Spaces book, as well as Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out (Ito) for the main points of the paper.

Bolan, K. (2009). Teen Spaces. Chicago: American Library Association.
Casey, M. E., & Savastinuk, L. C. (2006). Service for the next-generation library. Library Journal .
Detroit Public Library. (2009). Helping Young People Excel. HYPE: http://dplhype.org/index.html
Garfin, C., & Koushik, M. (2009). CPeLevated: Chicago YouMedia TeenSpace. Pittsburgh: Entertainment Technology Center.
Gregory, G. M. (2009, April). Designing Library Places: for the Younger Crowd. Information Today , p. 40.
Ito, M., Horst, H., Bittanti, M., Boyd, D., Herr-Stephenson, B., Lange, P. G.,… Robinson, L. (2010). Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out. Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press.
Palfrey, J., & Gasser, U. (2008). Born Digital. New York: Basic Books.
Wernett, L. C. (2008). Teen Space and the Community’s Living Room: Incorporating Teen Areas into Rural Libraries. Pacific Northwest Library Association , 7-18.

I decided to research the Hennepin County Public Library because I am originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota and I am interested in knowing how connected HCPL is to its digital patrons. A few years ago, HCPL’s central library, located in downtown Minneapolis, was redesigned and rebuilt in the same location as the old central library. This newly updated building boasted new teen and children’s areas, study and meeting rooms, and many sustainable elements (Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects).  HCPL also ranks as the 5^th best library on the HAPLR ratings for 2009 (www.haplr-index.com).

I first searched Facebook.com to see if HCPL had a presence on the social networking site. I was pleased to find that not only do they have a fan page; it has been constantly updated by the HCPL staff. It’s not completely clear who maintains the page (librarians or non-professional staff), but all of the posts contain useable information for patrons. Information on new library programs, library news, and upcoming library events is posted to the Facebook page. Library fans (patrons) also post questions, comments, and information relating to the library and community. Patrons were also using the Facebook page to contact library staff, when the HCPL website was down. The staff that updates the Facebook page promptly responded to the issue and alerted patrons when the main website was back up. Below is a screenshot of the HCPL Facebook fan page.

I next searched Twitter for “Hennepin County Public Library.” I found that the library has a Twitter page (Twitter.com/Hcpl). The page lists Meg Canada and Jody Wurl as the main contributors of the information posted. The Twitter page has similar information to the Facebook page, but it seems that it is updated more often. I also searched to find other users Tweets that might be about the library. I was quite surprised to find so many people tweeting about the library. Some of the results were FourSquare check in’s, but many of the people were commenting about library programs and events. Hennepin County definitely has a presence on Twitter. Below is are screenshots of the Twitter page and search results.

I was very surprised to see that HCPL had a strong presence on YouTube. There are 58 videos that were posted under the Hennepin County Public Library’s YouTube page. Many of the videos are for children (videos on finger play and songs) and some of the videos show young patrons doing book talks on popular children’s books. The YouTube page seems to be directed at the younger patrons (12 and younger) and their parents. Many of their videos have low view counts, but I think if they add content for a wider range of patrons, they will get a larger following of YouTube users. Also adding their YouTube content to easily accessible pages on the main website and Facebook will give the videos higher visibility. I hope they continue to make videos on YouTube and cover a wider range of programs.

Fingerplay Ms. Mary Mack

Finally, I searched Google News for any recent mentions of HCPL. I found a few articles that touched on the library. Only one recent article featured the HCPL as the main topic, as most of them merely mentioned the library system or library funding in addition to another topic. I also searched Google Blogs, but there were only a few blog postings that were actually about the library. It seems that most of the posts just mentioned the library in relation to an event that was being discussed.

From the resources that I visited, I can say that the Hennepin County Public Library has a very good presence on the web. I think they could make a more concentrated effort to attract users from the college age and recent college graduate ages (19-25). Seeing as I how I fall into that category, I really feel like the library is overlooking us. The main library site (http://www.hclib.org) has specific pages for children and teen patrons, that feature blogs and links for program that target them, but I could not find similar pages for older patrons. The Twitter page attracts all age ranges, especially the younger adults, but I think it would benefit the library to also designate a space for them on the main site. Overall, I am pleased with the web presence of the Hennepin County Public Library.

Since visiting the YouMedia Center at the Harold Washington Library in downtown Chicago, I have been interested in being a teen librarian. More specifically, I have been interested in working in newly updated teen spaces that offer a fresh take on learning within the library. What attracted me the most was YouMedia’s mission to “connect young adults to books, media and institutions throughout the city in one dynamic space designed to inspire collaboration and creativity” (http://youmediachicago.org/2-about-us/pages/2-about-us). The vibe and atmosphere of YouMedia was more of a teen “chill spot” or hangout, rather than a quiet library where communication and collaboration were at a minimum.

I’ve decided that I want to research ways in which libraries can actively engage their teen patrons (or Digital Natives as Palfrey and Gasser would call them). Many large public libraries have had success implementing new teen spaces and services, like Harold Washington’s YouMedia or Detroit’s H.Y.P.E. center. I want to present the ways in which these centers have been successful and how smaller libraries can emulate this success, no matter the size of the population or how much space they have to work with. Libraries can focus on updating or creating a teen only space by updating teen specific programs; fully developing the young adult collection; and adding or updating technology for teens to use to create and collaborate at the library. I will also try to  relate the Library 2.0 service model to this project, as I think any library serving teens would be remiss to ignore its importance.

I chose to add a few books to the LibraryThing website because I’ve been looking for a good website to catalogue the books that I’ve read this year. I’ve also been looking for a site where I could make a list to keep track of the books that I plan to read. The LibraryThing website is extremely easy to use, which is important to me because I didn’t want to have to search around to figure out how to add books to my library or how to add a new collection list. After adding all of the books I could remember, I begin to play around with the site and I noticed that the homepage is all about connecting users to books. The homepage lists links to forum discussions, blog posts, and book reviews that might interest other users and introduce them to books they may have never seen before or may have forgotten about. Most of Gene Smith’s building blocks of social networks are right on the homepage. Users can identify themselves through their profiles; relationships can be made through the forums or in commenting on reviews other users have written. Sharing is one of the main goals of the community and users are encouraged to give recommendations and reviews of their favorite books. LibraryThing is the best (well, only) social networking site that I’ve seen, that is centered around books.

I’m surprised at how useful I found the site. I’ve added it to my favorites in my web browser and I plan to update my library and wishlist often. I was hoping to find an Android application that I could that I could easily access on my phone that was similar to the Iphone’s Goodreads application, but the LibraryThing website loads just fine on my mobile browser. It is one of my new favorite websites!

Before starting this assignment, I had no idea which book I would choose. I wanted to read a book that would pique my interests in teens and their usage of digital media, but wasn’t written in a very “techy” (translate = boring) voice.  I happened upon the “Born Digital” book, after listening to a couple of classmates talking about it. From their conversation, I realized that I could identify with the age group that was described in the book as “Digital Natives.” After reading the book, I still feel an underlying connection with Digital Natives, but I feel that the book focuses more on the younger portion of DN’s (Digital Natives).

“Born Digital” breaks down the activities of what the authors refers to as “Digital Natives,” those born after 1980. The book is written for parents and teachers (librarians fit in there as well), as a guide of the “do’s and don’t’s” in understanding the ways young people are using technology to shape their lives. Each chapter tackles a different subject, like digital identities, privacy, safety, and information and digital overload. Many of these topics overlap and the authors do a good job in tying them all together under one central theme. One important theme that reoccurs throughout the majority of the chapters is the need for “digital immigrants” to educate themselves on the online activities of the DN’s. Digital immigrants are those who have not grown up immersed in a digital environment, and they can be parents or teachers or anyone who does not have an innate understanding of how youth today use technology. The authors suggest that digital immigrants learn about the serious issues affecting DN’s today and learn how to protect DN’s, while also teaching them ways to protect themselves while online. The book describes the digital activities of DN’s in a good light and encourages parents and teachers to support the young people in their lives to learn good internet and technology habits.

Librarians who also identify as digital immigrants should read this book to get a good understanding of their young adult patrons. I’ve been to public libraries in smaller cities, where internet access is blocked to social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. Librarians that have a good understanding of Digital Natives, or even education in the 21^st century would know that social networking sites are not only a place where students can “waste time.” Digital Natives learn and play using the same resources, and these resources should be available for use in libraries. I believe libraries are in the unique position to help foster the digital growth of young adults today. Teens today can use the library as an outlet away from home and school, where they can safely access the internet. As a future librarian, and older Digital Native, I have the insight to ensure that those of my generation will receive the same access and rights of those in the older generations.

I always feel a little slow on the uptake when it comes to recognizing the new technology avenues, like social networking and now hyperlocal web information. I don’t have troubles with using these services, as many times I take part before they “catch on” in the mainstream. I just have a hard time immediately recognizing the business use new technologies offer. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I identify with the born-digital generation and I approach technology differently from many of the older generation. Although I haven’t recognized it before, the hyperlocal technology affects my life a great deal. I realized that I almost literally couldn’t get around the City without using my Google Maps application on my phone.  I search for directions to where I’m going or I search for broader terms like “fast food” or “shoe store” to find places that are near me.

I would love for my public library to break things down on a more local –neighborhood level. It seems like hyperlocality would seriously thrive in a city like Chicago, with so many different neighborhoods that all have their own unique special interests. As the Lyons article states, “Every community is, in its own way, buzzing with activity, and local librarians can dare to press their ears to the hive” (Hyperlocal Libraries, 7/15/2009). If CPL can tap into the hyperlocal movement and make it meaningful to those who crave to be connected on the hyperlocal level, I think new opportunities can be created that will help to secure the libraries position as a definite resource in our city. As other large public libraries across the country have faced budget cuts and some have even come close to being closed down, Chicago should begin to focus on how important the hyperlocal movement might be to patrons.