Social Media, Libraries, and Web 2.0: How American Libraries are Using New Tools for Public Relations and to Attract new Users - Second Survey November 2009
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This document summarizes the results of a survey of 768 library staff on their use of social media and Web 2.0 tools. The survey found that over 90% of respondents think Web 2.0 is important for marketing libraries. The most commonly used tools were social networks and blogs. Respondents viewed social networks as the most effective tool. Comments indicated that while tools are important, libraries face challenges implementing them due to limited budgets, staffing and technology barriers.
Social Media, Libraries, and Web 2.0: How American Libraries are Using New Tools for Public Relations and to Attract new Users - Second Survey November 2009
- 1. Social Media, Libraries, and Web 2.0: How American Libraries are Using New Tools for Public Relations and to Attract New Users – Second Survey November 2009 Curtis R. Rogers, Ed.D. South Carolina State Library www.statelibrary.sc.gov POB 11469, Columbia, SC 29211 803‐734‐8928 12/18/2009
- 2. Overview How are American libraries using Web 2.0 applications and social networking tools to promote their library programs and services? This survey is the second attempt to get feedback from library staff members in the U.S. to determine how libraries are employing a variety of Web 2.0 and social networking tools to promote library programs and services. The first survey took place between March 14 and March 21, 2009 to gather data for a paper that was presented at the 2009 German Library Association Annual Conference in Erfurt, Germany (Deutscher Bibliothekartag 2009 June 2‐5 http://www.bibliothekartag2009.de/). The original paper with first survey results is published online via Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/crr29061/social‐media‐libraries‐and‐web‐20‐how‐american‐libraries‐are‐ using‐new‐tools‐for‐public‐relations‐and‐to‐attract‐new‐users This report presents the survey results from the second survey which ran from November 12 to November 25, 2009. Survey Results A total of 768 individuals began the survey with 545 completing it. 56.3% of respondents represented public libraries and 25.3% represented academic libraries. The majority of respondents (261 – 34%) reported their main responsibility at work is in the library administration/ management area. 143 (18.6%) of the respondents reported Page | 2
- 3. their main responsibility at work was in the children’s and/or youth services area. Other responses came from individuals who work in reference/research (16%), public relations/marketing/ communications (13.8%), and technical services (6.8%). One potential respondent identified as a library board member said he was unable to complete the survey because trustees and friends were not represented. When the third release of this survey takes place in 2010, more categories will be added to address other populations who work with libraries. Out of 531 respondents to the question, “My library uses the following types of Web 2.0 applications to promote and market library services,” social networks (374) and blogs (322) were the highest on the list. Many libraries have also begun implementing Page | 3
- 5. An overwhelming number of responses (543, 92.7%) to the question, “Do you think Web 2.0 tools are important for marketing and promoting library services?” responded positively with only 43 (7.3%) stating they did not think Web 2.0 tools were important. 158 respondents provided qualitative information in the form of comments. The following are selected responses representing a broad spectrum of how respondents feel about using these tools to promote library services. Many mentioned time constraints as a reason for not implementing these tools fully and some still feel that there is not enough data to prove these tools work. Particularly in teen services, Web 2.0 is I do not use Web 2.0 tools because they are where the patrons are. We have to meet blocked by our school's filter and banned by them there. central administration. I think web 2.0 tools are critical for I think they are very important ‐‐ it is where marketing to teens. Blogs could be useful our users are. Unfortunately, I do not sense for adult book clubs. It’s really important to a lot of buy‐in amongst the administration understand the audience. The challenge is and the supervisors (many who have been maintaining the web 2.0 tool and having a here many years, and consider social large enough audience that wishes to media/web2.0 tools, literally a joke). participate. We would love to be more technologically savvy, but our budget, staffing, and equipment for our 51‐branch system doesn't Important doesn't really do it justice. support anything beyond a very basic Any library that is not using Web 2.0 automated system with a public catalog, access to subscription electronic databases, technology is not only hurting itself, and a very basic website to link the above. but it is hurting the future of ALL We cannot afford a webmaster, and we are libraries. woefully lagging behind. We have not had a Page | 5
- 6. true sytems administrator ever in charge of assumed that all members of a particular our automated functions, and our technical library community will definitely be always support staff, while great guys, came to "tuned in" to the use of Web 2.0 tools. their current jobs when their media functions were phased out, so are not certified or degreed computer geeks. We Web 2.0 tools show that the library are lucky they are as competent as they are. With the current economy, we really are not is modern and aware of current able to envision a time in the future when trends. That alone, besides any we will ever catch up with the technology! message that can be related to Web 2.0 tools can be very beneficial if they other users of Web 2.0, is a are deployed with a clear purpose, match target audience preferences, and have promotion of the library. evaluation mechanisms to measure desired result. Web 2.0 tools are important, but only to I think the tools are helpful in "grabbing" your users who use web 2.0. They should be people's attention in order to get certain balanced and blended with traditional messages across. However, the depth of marketing and promotional tools. content that can be communicated through such tools is limited. Also, it should not be I believe web 2.0 can be integral to marketing the library but it has to be coupled with campaigns on campus to get the residents and other students INTO the This is a yes and no I think if library, first! done properly regularly and I think that Web 2.0 tools can be useful‐‐ with a specific measurable however, there is still the need to overcome ingrained attitudes and stereotypes directed goal in mind they can help at libraries and librarians. I have very little but they must be looked in the evidence to suggest that students are larger scope of promotion viewing our news feed or following us on any social networking site. I feel that while they are not an ends to Web 2.0 can be harnessed for positive themselves. marketing, I feel that the assumption that if a 2.0 tool is there we need or should use it is flawed. My experience (and many of my colleagues' experience) is that the students Page | 6
- 7. are still unable to perform the most basic (frequently less savvy than assumed) computer tasks (such as saving files to non‐ patronage. default directories) and are not interested in Don't get me wrong, I love Web 2.0 tools libraries' attempts to be "cool" by using and have found many services, including Twitter, FB, etc. Rather, I feel that Web 2.0 wikis, blogs, and Delicious, to be useful to tools should be focused on enhancing core our staff for various projects. But in our services, such as reference, retrieval, and service area, with our patrons, and in our searching. Tools that move the library away experiences, marketing with MySpace, from a single building and even a single site Facebook, Twitter, et al has demonstrably are the best options, in my opinion. In my been a waste of time. library we use chat for reference and have LibX as a tool to search for any book online in our catalog (so linking from amazon.com, for example, to our catalog). This is Web 2.0 tools are such a part of our functional and thus makes sense. Tweeting marketing strategy at our library catchy updates don't interest me and I that this has already become an work at the library‐‐why do we imagine irrelevant question. We no longer that students would follow us and be ask whether email or telephones are interested in the brief "updates" or important for marketing/promoting "news" required by the Twitter format? I library services. They are simply part am a skeptic‐‐I view Web 2.0 tools of the daily equipment we use to tell similarly to all other tools (both digital our story. The important thing to and analog)‐‐if they add value, we should remember is that they are not consider using them. If they are simply the appropriate tools for every audience newest "2.0" thing, we need to evaluate nor every message. them and see where and to what extent they address a known need of our Respondents from libraries that have already implemented Web 2.0 tools predominantly use them for promoting general library services (77.7%). Other highly ranked uses for Web 2.0 tools in the library were marketing specific adult programs and/or services (60.3%), marketing specific children’s and/or youth services programs (56.8), providing quick updates to users (56.8%), and reaching a new audience of potential users (48.7%). Other uses were shared as comments for this question. The following are selected comments regarding how respondents’ libraries are using Web 2.0 tools: Page | 7
- 8. • Sharing collection of historic photos • Library curriculum & News about • Staff training and collaboration, link events volunteers • Solicit patron feedback • Blog on books/authors/reading • Monthly health awareness • Provide photos of library campaigns, events, resources, construction newsletter • Reach other librarians in the • Publicize newly acquired material network • Service alerts, spreading news about • Gain information from other events at other libraries, advocacy libraries, nonprofits and educational • Volunteer and employee institutions in the area recruitment, and to enhance our • Rreference, help with common visibility as a preferred employer, questions locally and nationally.
- 9. Many studies are reporting on uses of social media by age and gender. The perception of who uses social media in libraries tends to be closely related to various study outcomes. Information about females and their use of Social Media was recently posted to Marketingcharts. com. “According to the SheSpeaks Second Annual Media Study (pdf), 86% of US women now have a profile on at least one social networking site, a 48% increase from 58% who had a profile in 2008. Since 2008, the percentage of women reporting they log into their social networking sites at least once a day grew 36%, from 53% to 72%.” According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, “Instant messaging, social networking, and blogging have gained ground as communications tools, but email remains the most popular online activity, particularly among older internet users. Fully 74% of internet users age 64 and older send and receive email, making email the most popular online activity for this age group. At the same time, email has lost some ground among teens; whereas 89% of teens said they used email in 2004, just 73% currently say they do.” When respondents were asked how likely they believe people in certain age brackets are influenced by the library’s use of Web 2.0 tools, the majority
- 10. responded that individuals 18‐25 were the most likely with 26‐35 and under 18 ranking second and third. The Pew study also reported, “Teens and Generation Y (internet users age 18‐32) are the most likely groups to use the internet for entertainment and for communicating with friends and family. These younger generations are significantly more likely than their older counterparts to seek entertainment through online videos, online games and virtual worlds, and they are also more likely to download music to listen to later. “ Respondents were also asked to provide success stories with their library’s use of social media or Web 2.0 tools for promoting the library’s services and events. Listed below are selected responses: From a recent website survey: "Now that lot of web‐based marketing and that they the library is my Facebook friend, I have weren't part of that audience. learned so much about the HC Library System. Prior to friending, I had no clue that all this virtual information existed! Now that I get the HC Lib updates via Facebook, I will be much more active, I believe. I look We posted a photo on Twitter forward to using the system more and more." during our first annual author Twitter has reached critical mass on our event and immediately received campus, so has been surprisingly effective. tweets from three authors I'm not sure it's fair to say that some of these groups have been specifically saying they would like to speak influenced by 2.0 tools; we'd just be missing them where they live if we didn't use such at our event next year. tools. I send out a quarterly newsfeed blast to our county employees containing our online newsletter for the public. While supervising Since I have been using my constant contact a program one night, (I always ask, "How e‐newsletter, I have gotten over 200% did you hear about this program") an increase in attendance to programs. I get to attendee said that they read our online not only send out the initial release of newsletter ‐ she is a county employee. It information, but reminders closer to the made me realize all that time working on date. That works! The day my e‐newsletter the newsletter was well spent. comes out I get a flurry of calls. It is very obvious that they are reading my e‐letter. The "aha" moment occurred when trying to And the age groups are over 30! figure out why seniors weren't coming to the beginning computer classes that we We found a patron on Twitter that was offered. We realized that we were doing a unhappy because her library card was Page | 10
- 11. stolen and 10 videos were checked out and Facebook ads and event page were the never returned. We were able to approach driving force behind the success of the her through Twitter and turn the bad event. It was hands down the most effective situation into a more positive one for her money we have ever spent on advertising and all the Twitter users who read our (and it was cheap!). updates. We believe it helped our image to intervene. If we had not been on Twitter, we I have a lot. I do training in Social Media would have never known about the problem Marketing. The number of our Facebook ;^) friends grew with very little effort. We have received testimonials on FB and reached out to potential new users on Twitter using Twitter search. My aha moment is more about how traditional media doesn't work well anymore. In this age of transparency relationship marketing is the best way to go In one jurisdiction, a web ‐ especially for libraries. 2.0 announcement on a Simply that you need to be prepared to be blog drew more than 200 very responsive. These are tools for 2‐way communication, not simply pushing community members in messages out. If you can't support responsiveness, think twice before entering. less than 24 hours. That's probably the 'aha' moment. There are many success stories (and that's why we keep using them). In my previous job, I was the marketing person for a large urban library system. We set up an event page and purchased ads When we got our Facebook page up, it was on Facebook for a Vampire Masquerade Ball amazing to see how we could immediately on October 30 of this year. We targeted the gauge the success of what we were posting age group we were hoping to attract (14‐ by the responses. People feel great 20) with the ads and started running them ownership of their public library and social 2.5 weeks before the event. 350‐400 people media allows them to underscore and showed up for the event! We also put up deepen that ownership. posters in the high schools, and there were a couple of mentions in the local newspaper, but I believe the As soon as I created a Facebook page and began communicating with "friends" that way, our weakest demographic (ages 18‐ 25) has consistently shown improvement over the ensuing months. Page | 11
- 12. Many of these responses illustrate that if social media and Web 2.0 tools are used effectively, they can produce many positive outcomes. Respondents were also asked to choose from a list of 26 Web 2.0 and social media tools their library uses. The tool most widely used was Facebook at 74.7% (360). Blogging tools came in second with 53.1% (256) and Twitter arrived in third place with 50% (241). This question had 65 comments posted listing other related resources being used by libraries. Below are selected comments: We use an add‐on for our site which allows I've had a lot of success with individualized all of our content to be shared on the major e‐mail blasts using mail merge. Not exactly social networking sites ‐ so customers can 2.0, but it's been effective. share materials of interest themselves ‐ we don’t' have to be there ‐ they can talk it up In all honesty, we do not have a unified for us. approach to social media/web2.0 and it is only done by a few individuals on behalf of
- 13. the library. Meebo is the only service that Libraryh3lp is what we use for chat we actually use on a regular basis. Many of reference us within the library use this service for personal or professional interests, but it is Our Teen Dept. uses Goodreads. We are separate from the library. listed on Yelp. We are listed on Friendfeed. A last open‐ended comment option was provided for respondents. Below are selected comments: I think the most important thing for libraries campus if the library had a presence in the to remember is to direct patrons back to student commons, in the dorms, in resident their main web presence. It's not about life. Some students don't 'discover' us until repeating your message in several different their last year and this is a failing on our places ‐ it's about using part. If we were a 2.0 as virtual road signs business with this to direct them to the We have an intranet that mentality, we'd be correct primary entry for hardly anyone uses. We slowly going their library related bankrupt. We can't needs. have an online newsletter afford NOT to market ourselves to students Social networking works that I email to a list but in the age of Google between people in the and Highwire. same mental and that's as advanced as it chronological age Just a general concern groups. I feel and am too gets! I am very interested in that the older old to really use 2.0 demographics will effectively. Younger many 2.0 applications but never adapt to Web librarians have a better 2.0 and will lose "old chance at this. It's a am not allowed to use them school" contact learned language. I have through mail/ reading but no speaking at work. newspapers/printing proficiency. because of economic realities. I'm not sure why my large library, with a very large community base does not We have just started with social networking participate in social networks of any type. and it has yet to be well advertised. We're designing bookmarks now and hope we'll I believe social media only works if you have soon see an increase in traffic. Our major a social presence first. All of these items concern is keeping our pages up to date. would be so much more effective on this Page | 13
- 14. Summary What many of these responses illustrate is that many library administrators are still divided on the uses and/or benefits of Web 2.0 and social media in a library setting. While many respondents provided very useful examples of how their library has implemented and continue to use these tools, many comments voiced a great frustration with their library’s administration who do not allow these tools to be used. The most important thing for library administrators to The challenge of understand about these tools is that they are simply implementing Web 2.0 another means of communication. The challenge of implementing Web 2.0 and social media tools in the and social media tools library centers around three basic principles: in the library centers education, testing, and keeping up. Since the playing field now changes so rapidly, we must learn what we on three basic can about these tools, test them out and see how they work best in our community. Then we must keep up to principles: education, date as best we can. According to the Scottish Library testing, and keeping & Information Council’s Guide to Using Web 2.0 in Libraries: up. Web 2.0 services are increasingly becoming embedded in many areas of life as more people, from teenagers to national governments, recognize and harness these powerful communication tools. Similarly, libraries and librarians all over the world are using Web 2.0 technologies to promote services, share information, and engage with users and network with colleagues, on a global scale. It sounds simple but it does take time, therefore we must determine what no longer works, stop doing it, and take on new roles. We must also feel comfortable to test new methods of promoting library programs and events, and learn from others who are documenting their success. Libraries no longer operate in a “if you build it they will come” mode. Libraries now compete with growing numbers of bookstores and coffee shops that offer free Wi‐Fi and in‐house use of magazines and books and games. We must learn to advance and change to best reach our customers on their level. Libraries are essential to many facets of life but if we don’t change to meet the needs of our patrons and remind them we’re here, we have the potential to get lost in the shuffle.