Reflections from LSC 597 Social Media

It is hard to believe this class will come to an end next week. I have learned a great deal about social media. At the beginning of this class I was a bit unease since I did not have any social presence at all. Now, I have a blog, am addicted to facebook, am tweeting, and even created my first flickr presentation. This class has opened up a new world of "technology" for me to use in my daily activities.I think the most important concept I learned or maybe rethought was exactly how social media fits into the realm of library science. I will admit I was a bit unsure how social media played an active role in libraries today. After reading many articles, having discussions on our Sakai site, facebooking and twittering, I can clearly see that social media does play an important and invaluable role in libraries today. This creates a greater presence for the library, it helps libraries communicate with patrons and get information out to the community. That is what a library's first goal and mission should be. Many libraries have websites, facebook pages, blogs, and even twitter important events that are occurring for their patrons. We live in a world of instant gratification and it is the same in the library world.

At first I thought I may not continue using my blog, facebook page or even twitter, but I was WRONG!!! I will continue to use social media to the maximum. As for the future of social media who knows. I think anything is possible.

Thanks everyone, this has been a remarkable experience.

Robin

Games /Second Life and Libraries

Our topic this week is video games and libraries. The readings were very interesting along with the video of Howard Rheingold. I will admit at the beginning my knowledge of video games is limited, and the academic library I work in does not have any games in their collection. Is that good or bad? After reading the article by Suellen Adams, I can see why video games should become an integral part of most libraries. I am an avid reader and I can also understand why some in the library field would disapprove of this type of technology. Does this type of technology take away from the "traditional literacy skills"? My first impression was yes, but after completing the reading I am inclined to say no. As was pointed out in the reading there is a great deal of learning that goes on in the virtual world. I think it is just a different way to learn. While this is an important fact to grasp many may have trouble understanding this new way to learn. Video games allow the participants to use their imagination to explore and create stories. Isn't that the role of libraries?

While gaming is primarily associated with young adults, it would be beneficial for all library patrons to become familiar and knowledgeable of this new technology. The role of the librarian is changing and the use of video gaming is a new skill that should be promoted to ensure patrons can manage in the digital world. The virtual world allows us to create, connect and socialize and that is a plus for our society on all levels.

Ethical and Information Policy Issues

I first must start this blog with a personal statement. It is hard to believe this class will be over in 2 weeks. This class has opened my eyes to many facets of social networking I have learned a great deal, and this has been a wonderful group of people to work with in the cyberworld. Thanks for everything.

Now onto our topic for this week, ethical and information privacy issues. This topic could not have come at a better time for me. I am finishing up my paper on privacy issues dealing with social networking and this put it all together. There is a great deal of information published about privacy, and with the implementation of Web 2.0 the issue of privacy has come to the fore front for the librarian. As most know the fastest growing SNS is Facebook and of course there are privacy concerns. More and more libraries are using this as an "outreach" to their patrons. However, this does bring up ethical, privacy and confidentially concerns. Having just a professional Facebook page would alleviate many of the privacy concerns. However if not, then the library has an ethical obligation to be aware of how to regulate interactions on the site. The use of privacy settings and certain controls will also help the privacy issue.

It is hard to balance a facebook page for the library and also to keep the key issues of privacy at hand. One key point that came up in the literature I reviewed for my paper was the need for "EDUCATION". It is crucial for librarians to educate the library patrons on a continually basis. Information Literacy is a core value and necessity for librarians in the 21st century.

The role of the librarian is changing rapidly especially with new advancements in technology and the changing world of social networking. Librarians must make informed decisions to guarantee they uphold the mission, goals of the library and always keep the needs of the library patron first.

Class Division and the Use of Facebook

Our 4Th of July weekend has come and gone and I can not believe this year is more than half over. That being said, I also realized my Social Media Class is also more than half over. I have learned a great deal in this class and I feel this class has helped me forge ahead in this very new and exciting world.

OK, on to this week's subject, class divisions and the use of Facebook.We read two very interesting articles concerning this topic. I think I agree with Dana Boyd when she "argues class divisions in the US have more to do with lifestyle and social stratification than income". Lifestyles do play an important part in our class divisions. She believes that most goodie two shoes are now going to Facebook, and the burnouts use MySpace. I will admit that in my opinion, I do prefer Facebook. I have looked at MySpace, however it does not appeal to me. Does that make me a goodie two shoes? I do not think so, I think I along with many others like the clean look that Facebook brings to the table. I think it is easy to use and thus I feel comfortable putting my info out there, all be it with some privacy concerns.

Another important point made in the article by Hendrix was that Facebook offers many "outreach opportunities" for library patrons of all classes. Facebook is used as a promotional tool for most libraries, and this is one of the easiest ways for libraries to interact with different classes.

Facebook is a very useful tool for most libraries, however in the future Web 2.0 may create a new technology for libraries to move beyond this social media, and this may cause a greater divide among the classes. Librarians must be aware of this fact and become proactive when using social media tools.