Adoption of Library 2.0 Functionalities by Academic Libraries and Users: A Knowledge Management Perspective

Purpose – The goal of this paper is to examine the use of the major social networking tools in academic libraries in the USA. As college students are heavy users of social networking, such efforts provide academic libraries with outreach possibilities to students who do not use the physical library. The paper also seeks to examine the concerns about their use both from students and within the academic library.Design/methodology/approach – The paper summarizes findings from articles published since 2006 found in the Library Literature and Information Full Text database. The first author also examined librarian blogs and library accounts in various social networking sites.Findings – Social networking can be an effective method of student outreach in academic libraries if libraries take care to respect student privacy and to provide equal coverage for all subject areas.Research limitations/implications – Most information about social networking is anecdotal with very little statistical analysis of its effect...

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Social networking in academic libraries: the possibilities and the concerns

Purpose – This study aims to understand how three political leaders – the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu; the Prime Minister of Britain, David Cameron; and the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama – communicate through Twitter.Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents an analysis of tweets produced between August and October 2010 by three political leaders, using statistical descriptive analysis and content analysis.Findings – The research shows that the US President tweets more than the other leaders, with the British Prime Minister tweeting the least, and that all three leaders use Twitter for both transparency and outreach.Originality/value – As Twitter has become widespread over the last few years, and several studies have focused on Twitter and its impact on different sectors in our society, it is interesting to focus on political leaders' use of Twitter.

Twitter use by three political leaders: an exploratory analysis

Purpose – This paper aims to present an overview of how libraries are using Twitter in an academic setting.Design/methodology/approach – This study analyzed the current state of 296 Twitter accounts from a random sample of academic libraries. A total of 19 different criteria were explored, with an emphasis on the following three categories: layout and design, content and number of tweets, and account followers.Findings – Only 34 per cent of libraries in the study had a Twitter account and characteristics varied widely among libraries, however it is evident that it is possible to successfully communicate with patrons via Twitter.Research limitations/implications – A primary limitation for this study is the frequency with which Twitter can change.Practical implications – This paper provides a snapshot of how libraries are currently using Twitter, which can be of assistance to libraries seeking to implement a Twitter presence.Originality/value – The paper presents an overview of trends in academic library Tw...

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Libraries atwitter: trends in academic library tweeting

Microblogging is a relatively new phenomenon in online social networking that has become increasingly prevalent in the last few years. This study explores the use of Twitter in public and academic libraries to understand microblogging patterns. Analysis of the tweets was conducted in two phases: (1) statistical descriptive analysis and (2) content analysis. The research findings show there are some differences between public and academic libraries, including the number of tweets, linguistic differences, and content. However, it seems that using Twitter in libraries enables both kinds of libraries to broadcast and share information about their activities, opinions, status, and professional interests. The research findings are relevant for librarians and information scientists who wish to better understand and explore the phenomenon of library tweets.

Sarah Milstein

Papers

Twitter for Libraries (and Librarians).

Twitter for Libraries (and Librarians)