Social Media Within Academic Library Environment

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Latest Trends
Tools used by Libraries
Would Social Media Work for Students
Impact of applications on Students/Libraries
To what extent is the technology Successful
Growing trend in leading Universities around the World
Conclusion
Reference List

Introduction

Web 2.0 technologies are basically related to web technologies through which web pages are designed and developed. The main focus of these web pages is interactive information sharing among users, user centered design of the page that can be modified and edited by the user and whatever changes are made to the web page by the users, they are totally compatible with the web. Example of these Web 2.0 web sites are listed as follows, however it should be kept in mind that the following examples are categories not the actual websites:

Hosted Services
Social Networking sites
Web applications
Vide sharing sites
Virtual Encyclopedias
Public Blogs
Folksonomies

Latest Trends

On a general note, the year 2007 was one of the most important years in the development of web sites that used the Web 2.0 technology as many developers believe that 2007 was the year when the technology actually realized its true potential and web pages were put into the phase of transition from simple Web 1.0 technology to Web 2.0. In 2007, not only did new Web 2.0 web pages and sites were seen in the stage, but, major investors like Microsoft and Google also started to acquire some of those as they realized the potential that these websites would have in order to help them achieve their goals.

It was anticipated in 2007 that more and more people could be connected to each other through this technology and they can be made habitual to using these forums. Once the users make these services a part of their lives, then these major companies can also present their own messages, presence and their products while the users do their own work. This is one of the easiest way to market products and services to especially the students who are more indulged in using services like this and are the target markets of most of the companies.

Not only are these platforms cheaper to advertise then the normal media, but they are catering to a much larger chunk of population at the same time as compared to other forms of media. Also, by making things more and more interactive and giving the entertainment into the hands of the users, attracting and retaining users on these websites has become much easier (Fox 2007).

According to a survey, besides the rest of the world, only India saw around 150 such startups that used the Web 2.0 technology and gave users an experience with the web that they have not experienced before. Also, it is after the introduction of these websites and applications that internet has now become the part of our lives. Whenever we go to a hotel, we ask for internet facility, whatever cell phone network we choose we ask for internet services, whatever cell phone manufacturer we choose we ask for ease of browsing, the 3g technology, integrated systems in cars which also provide access to a computer and a browser.

Shopping malls, entertainment parks and everywhere we go, we do look for internet availability which is just because these Web 2.0 applications such as the Face book are now a part of our daily life. Checking for messages, pictures and videos that are uploaded by the people we know keep us updated with the latest happenings along with all the related information on the blogs.

Tools used by Libraries

Now, as we have recognized the importance of Web 2.0 technology in our daily lives, we shall now move on to how these websites prove to be virtual libraries for students in their academic careers when they have to be updated with all the latest information and the history of any event with help of just a click.

Through the Web 2.0 technology, the concept of a library has been transformed to a great extent. No matter how large or up dated a library used to be in the physical form a couple of decades ago, today, they are insufficient for the needs of students in their academic life (Bennett 2007). The reason for this insufficiency can be described by a single word that is ‘limitations’. The limitations that we are talking about are of two types. However, when we present this concept of limitation, most of the people would think that we the limitations refer to only the physical limitations that the libraries have with respect to students accessing them.

However, one more limitation that they do not realize is the fact that the traditional libraries we are talking about have a limited resource material contained in them un-like the Web 2.0 libraries today. Today the resources on these libraries are shared; every user who is connected to such a library shares his or her information with other users who are connected. This way, millions of people are sharing their information from all walks of life and from every corner of the world to provide maximum information with limitless boundaries and scope.

Today students can get instant information sitting in their homes, class rooms or even on a jogging track and can access to information on whenever whatever basis.

In this regard, social networking websites are one of the largest resources of information that are available on the World Wide Web. SNS have actually been able transform and reshape the human behavior with respect to sharing information with others. One of the most popular SNS is the face book which actually started as a college student profile search engine, and as it developed, it is now one of the fastest growing and most used SNS in the world today. Students and elders from all over the world are now connected with each other through this service and so is the information data base increasing. According to many analysts, face book is going to be the key search engine in the future which will connect a large chunk of the world’s population with each other.

The scope of face book is not only limited to the concept of peoples search but it also encompasses resource discovery of all sorts as per the need of an individual. The best thing about this search engine is the fact that the information available is not just restricted to the print or published resources which can be found in libraries, however, this search engines includes information such as personal information and personal experiences which cannot be matched by any other physical or virtual library (Philips 2007).

Marketers, companies and corporate have changed their way of brain storming after the advent of such a platform. They are now in better position to see the latest trends and needs of their target markets as they get to see the live feed back and trends on line through this search engine.

As far as the libraries are concerned, search engines such as face book can actually help libraries and librarians very effectively in order to market their libraries on line through this social network. For example, when Orkut was in its boom, many librarians made their own communities to which the students signed up in order to hear for the latest additions and availability of resources online. Moreover, students were also able to take part in conversation regarding the operations and the resource availability of the libraries on the discussion forums.

Similarly, as most of the college students are now connected with SNS such as face book, thus, libraries and librarians have accepted the fact that they can target these students right on the place where they actually spent a significant proportion of their time from their daily routine every day. This can be done by sending welcome messages to students and inform them about a library and the resources that they can access through a certain library. This technique has been proved very successful in the sense that many students have responded to such welcome messages in pursuit of more detailed information about the library and its services and they have also met the librarians and the concerned people who they have met on the face book.

Moreover, just like ads of other products and services that the marketers put on the borders and main pages of the website, libraries have also got a chance to present their unique selling point just like other marketers do in order to reiterate their salient features in the minds of the students whenever they log in to their account (Secker 2008).

Moreover, many libraries have also posted their links on these SNS services which redirect the students to the libraries main home page from where they can check for books that are available on a certain subject or type. It is just like a campus management system through which students keep themselves up dated with the latest news and information about events going on in the university. The students can check for availability of books, the dates on which they are due, students who have issued them and teachers who use certain books.

Also, in the early days of face books, many libraries made their own profiles on the network to which the students good add and get themselves signed up with the library services. At these profiles they were guided in much more detail about the services of the library, special offers, new researches and upcoming titles that could be useful for them. Also these libraries generated their own quizzes for students In order to make it more interesting for the students to come back and visit the profile again and again. However, this service was terminated by face book because of the fact that it was against the basic concept of the face book with which it started that it is a profile belongs to a specific person and not a department or organization.

Shelfari was one of the similar tools other than face book which was then taken over by Amazon. It provided a virtual book shelf through which the students could search their desired books in a category along with their title images, publishers and prices at which they were available in the market. The students could also mark them as to read, reading and read in order to keep their research on track and efficient. Shelfari could not become as successful because changing from one category to another category involved a number of clicks and the search methodology was not that easy as it is on the Amazon website today.

Moreover, Good read came up with a better methodology in which they did not charge for larger collection of books, but they actually made building a collection of books actually free. Moreover, they also included video clips which were related to book reviews, interviews of the author and other comments. Moreover, this search engine also provided links and ways to interact with the author of the book in order to know the author just as easy as finding music on my space. The target was to improve reader author relationships in order to spread better understanding and knowledge among the readers about certain books and the background in which they were written (Chu & Meulemans 2008).

As we have seen in the above discussion, a number of tools are there and a number of strategies have been adopted in order to make libraries more accessible to students and make them know more about the world. Not only can students find the best book on these websites, but also they can find an experts experience by searching their profiles and talking to them on their blogs while other comment on them. In the above discussion although it has become very clear that student do, and are taking all the benefit from these websites, but, there are a couple of limitations that come along as well.

For example, when a student wants to search for an expert of English language, he gets a list of people on the network of which many even do not have English names. Moreover, no one can directly view each others in detail until and unless they are added to them unlike Orkut. The results show a limited view of the profile and it is not sure that the targeted expert is actually a real expert or just a person who knows how to speak in English (Fox 2007).

Moreover, when students look out for blogs and posts, those blogs which have the highest number r of posts and debates are shown the first and all the rest are lined up at the bottom. Regardless of the usefulness of the information shared on the blogs, even those blogs which have few but the most relevant information available are lined up at the end of the list. This way, many students find it hard to extract the right information from the right source.

Moreover, when referencing their source, much of the information that they got from blogs and people on their profiles or not actually authentic enough to be cited in their researches or projects. The reason is that the information that is available on blogs and posts is an informal piece of text which has not been published or cross checked for validity. The problem is that it has the room to be changed whenever someone would object unlike a book which has to contain the correct information as no changes can be made after it has been published.

However, other than the critics that we have provided in the above discussion, still the students believe that these blogs and SNS sites provide them with crucial information related their research with just a few clicks rather than going to a physical library or turning around hundreds of pages in order to get a couple of definitions. The experience that the students get to share is priceless for them and they believe that no matter if they are correct or incorrect; it gives them a new perspective to think upon (Buck 2007).

Impact of applications on Students/Libraries

As far as the impact is concerned on the libraries and the student, neither of the two will be affected adversely, only the composition will change. By the word composition, we mean that the students will be rarely found in physical libraries because of the fact that they will now shift to the virtual libraries most of which are operated by physical libraries in universities.

Students will not have to go the library for every single bit of information and they can now get them over the internet by using these blogs such as Wikipedia and SNS in order to get an idea of what they are looking for. Then for official work for which they would need references, the students can then go to libraries in order to check their information which is more or less correct, do a couple of additions and editing and then they can easily provide authentic references from the books from which they crossed checked.

Libraries will never be abandoned as they have no alternative for the theoretical knowledge that they posses and the for the validity and authenticity their books offer, however, today, students not always need exact information from libraries, but they also need reference material which they can easily get from these SNS and virtual blogs.

To what extent is the technology Successful

No matter what limitations are there with the authenticity and validity issues of the social media, still, the extent with which it is spreading amongst the students and the academic world, the pace is worth praise and this is what makes them so successful. Not only do students get academic information, but, they are also informed of what students in other countries or other universities are doing. For example, a student in Pakistan can now share his views with a student studying in Harvard. Both of them can share their ideas and see how deep the water is before they step into it (Mathews 2007).

This is the reason why most of the teachers and counselors of many universities are also using these SNS services in order to be more interactive with the students and guide them along the way towards the heights of their career. Universities advise teachers to see the trends that are seen in the students over these blogs and then they devise their teaching plans according to it. In India, teachers found out through these SNS blogs that students are more comfortable with the case study style of teaching rather than old theoretical knowledge and concepts that they do not actually practice. Thus the teacher prepared case studies for these students based on their daily activities and the local industry in order to provide them practical knowledge and an experience with real life scenarios.

Growing trend in leading Universities around the World

Most of the Indian universities and their teachers can be found on these SNS portals where they are seen guiding their students and providing them with resources links on the discussion blogs in order to help them in their studies.

Almost all the university teachers around the globe have made their separate groups on MSN or Google from where they communicate with the entire class regarding notes, assignments and special announcements. Moreover, students also interact through these groups by having discussion blogs on various topics and chapters.

Lastly, many universities have also started to incorporate these SNS services in their web portals which provide separate access to the students enrolled in a particular university. They have their own community and students who are enrolled and those who have passed out stay in touch with each other for assistance and guidance (Fox 2007).

Conclusion

SNS websites and other social platforms are playing a positive role in bringing forward the knowledge that most of the students have always saved it in their minds and never shared. Many students who were in misconceptions have now seen the real picture by interacting with people with different interests, different backgrounds, different cultures, and different aims in life. These students now know how to interact with each other and how to work together when regardless of who belongs to what background.

Communication gap between students is decreasing at a highly increasing rate which shows that more productive and useful results will be found when these students will go out and work together in their practical lives. Importance of libraries will always be there and libraries can never be substituted with the knowledge that they posses, but, as far as instant knowledge and information is concerned, these SNS and search engines are the best way to get hold of instant information.

Reference List

Bennett, J., 2007, “What you like: the goal of social search is to combine Face book’s personal touch with Google’s speed”, Newsweek.

Phillips, S., 2007, “A brief history of Facebook”, The Guardian.

Secker, J., 2008, Case Study 5: Libraries and Facebook, LASSIE: Libraries and Social Software in Education, Centre for Distance Education, University of London.

Chu, M. and Meulemans, Y.N. 2008, “The problems and potential of Myspace and Facebook usage in academic libraries”, Internet Reference Services Quarterly.

Buck, R., 2007, “Social search: what it is and why it’s not going away”, TechNewsWorld.

Fox, V., 2007. “Searching for people in all the new social places”, Information Today.

Mathews, B., 2007, “Online social networking”, in Courtney, N. Library 2.0 and Beyond: Innovative Technologies and Tomorrow’s user. Libraries Unlimited.

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