14.+Social+Networking

= 14. Social Networking =

Name of Technology Tool:
Facebook

===Rationale for Using this Technology Tool:===

The majority of teens today frequent social networking sites, with Facebook now being the most popular. Since the mission of the school library is to reach out to young people, there is no better place to reach teens than through social networking services where they are already spending large amounts of time.

===Description of Scenario:=== The high school library will create a Facebook page, encourage students to become friends of it, and will also engage students in lessons dealing with Internet safety and privacy protections. Teens can join Facebook at age 13 which makes this scenario appropriate for high school.



Rationale for Using This Technology Tool In School Libraries:
The high school library should make every attempt possible to reach out to and to reel in its potential primary users, namely students. Rather than remain stuck in the twentieth century, the library should embrace the social and collaborative elements of Web2.0 and Library2.0. While a library website is valuable and still necessary, a Facebook page can have a less formal tone and more friendly approach. By creating its own Facebook page, the school library can reach students in a format they are familiar with and that they enjoy. These associations will popularize and contemporize the library's image in the perception of its teen users. If marketed well and managed well, a school library Facebook page has the potential to build a sense of community involvement among the users. By inviting feedback and participation on the Facebook page and in library activities, students will become more engaged and involved with the library and perhaps the school itself. In addition, the school library must take the lead in educating students about the safe use of social networking sites and the proper way to manage their digital footprints; by having its own Facebook page, librarians can stay aware of students' activities online to a certain degree.

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Detailed Description of Scenario in School Library Setting:
1. The school librarian will create a Facebook page for the school library. This page will include the basic information about the library and school as well as special features that may attract students and at the same time represent the goals of the library. For example, the library's Facebook page could include:
 * photos of the library and students using it
 * embedded videos (YouTube/Animoto/slideshare) of activities, events, or everyday use of the library by students,and even tutorials of various aspects of library services
 * RSS feeds that connect to the library's blog (if there is one, which there should be)
 * posting of events in the library and in the school community
 * widget for Meebo (or other chat mechanism) for instant messaging with the library or with friends
 * widget that connects to the library catalog
 * widget that connects to a Facebook app like bookshare or Booksiread (weread) for students to share their reading interests with each other
 * widget to JSTOR or any other research-based database that can be linked on Facebook
 * widget to LibGuides where librarian can include guides that are of interest for curricular or recreational purposes
 * widget to citation sites such as CiteMe
 * widget to Zoho Online Office which is a Facebook app
 * links to Facebook pages that connect to the wider community such as sports teams and events or music groups and events as an attempt to make the library serve as a reference source for social topics as well as academic topics
 * links to other resources available in the wider community that have Facebook pages, such as libraries, even social meeting places and other places of interest to teens

2. The librarian will need to update the Facebook page often in order to maintain its relevancy and interest to the student population. Topics of interest related to library use can be added to the page's wall such as brief information about new books or new equipment or even information about what projects people are working on and answers to popular reference questions asked in the library.

3. The librarian will also conduct extensive instructional classes for students about Internet safety and privacy in general and specifically how they should protect their privacy on Facebook and other social networking sites. The library page can be closed which means the manager of the page (the librarian) will approve the membership. This will help to ensure greater safety and most likely help to assuage administration and parental fears about privacy issues to a large extent.

submitted by Suzanne Mathews