Using Social Media in Canadian Academic Libraries: A 2010 CARL / ABRC Libraries Survey

Phase 1 Data : Preliminary Results

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Dean Giustini / UBC Biomedical Branch Librarian / November 9th, 2010 This research was partly funded by a CARL / ABRC Research in Librarianship Grant

Executive Summary

This preliminary report presents raw phase I data of a two-part national survey of academic

librarians entitled ‘Using Social Media in Canadian Academic Libraries: CARL/ABRC Survey,

2010’. Distribution of this raw data is done in a spirit of open scholarship and enquiry – much

like the phenomena of the social web itself (or academic library 2.0.)

If you or your colleagues require any additional data and do not want to wait for our final report

due out in early 2011, contact dean.giustini@ubc.ca. Where information captured was seen to

identify respondents (or their libraries), this information was removed from the results.

Important points:

• The survey data is derived from ~400 respondents across Canada who completed our

survey during the 31 day period from Friday, October 08, 2010 to Monday, November

08, 2010. (A French version of the survey ran from October 20 to November 8, 2010)

• In total, 400 surveys [in English] and 60 [in French] were completed. The French

responses are not included in these aggregated results at this time. Stay tuned.

• According to 2008 CARL statistics (see References), there are currently 1316 academic

librarians working within CARL / ABRC designated libraries. With 400 completed surveys,

this puts our response rate for the English version at ~30%.

• A number of survey responses (~20) were not counted in the final response rates

because they were incomplete or because the respondents did not currently work at a

CARL / ABRC library (or did not indicate that they did).

• A detailed narrative analyses of this survey data will be forthcoming in early 2011

• Note that CARL / ABRC has recently published a list of competencies for academic

librarians that includes social media. (See references on pg. 4.)

Some preliminary findings:

• About 68% of Canadian academic librarians responding to our CARL / ABRC survey use a

range of desktop, laptop and handheld computers between 6 to 9 hours daily (pg. 3)

• 68% of the Canadian academic librarians responding said they have more than a

working knowledge or advanced knowledge of social media (pg. 5)

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• Social media tools such as collaborative writing wikis & Google Docs (92%), blogs (96%),

RSS feeds (76%), video-sharing (79%), social networking sites (76%) are used most-often

• Some respondents said tools such as Twitter and Second Life are never used (46% and

90% respectively)

• See the rich information shared about the use of social media tools in the comments

section pgs. 13-26 and again on pgs. 42-48 of this document

• On page 48, social media was rated in importance for the following library activities:

o announcing library events - 90% said social media was either ‘important’ or

‘very important’ for this activity

o communicating directly with students - 89% said social media was either

‘important’ or ‘very important’ for this activity

o marketing the library - 87% said social media was either ‘important’ or ‘very

important’ for this activity

o promoting workshops - 85% said social media was either ‘important’ or ‘very

important’ for this activity

o for fundraising - 53% said social media was either ‘important’ or ‘very

important’ for this activity

o strategic goals - 54% said social media was either ‘important’ or ‘very

important’ for this activity

• On page 71, respondents were asked to indicate how much of a priority the following

statements were to them:

o Librarians should have basic knowledge of social media - 77% of those

responding said this was either a ‘high’ or ‘very high’ priority

o Librarians should know how social media fits with scholarly communication -

75% of those responding said this was either a ‘high’ or ‘very high’ priority

o Librarians should be aware of pros/cons of social media - 84% of those

responding said this was either a ‘high’ or ‘very high’ priority

o Each library should have a social media librarian - 23% of those responding said

this was either a ‘high’ or ‘very high’ priority

o Librarians should be able to advise faculty - 61% of those responding said this

was either a ‘high’ or ‘very high’ priority

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• On page 92, respondents were asked to indicate how accurate the following statements

were to them:

o My library supports use of social media - 80% of those responding said this was

either a ‘somewhat accurate’ or ‘accurate’

o I want to deepen my knowledge of social media - 77% of those responding said

this was either a ‘somewhat accurate’ or ‘accurate’

o I am ready to try new things in my use of social media - 80% of those

responding said this was either a ‘somewhat accurate’ or ‘accurate’

Some salient quotes:

• “…I use blogs to keep current with developments in the field of librarianship, as well as other news and interests that may benefit my work. I use instant messaging for chat reference / research assistance; Twitter for library communications and to keep up with twitter feeds of other libraries and persons / things of interest. RSS for same purposes as blogs. Social networking to make professional connections and to maintain library pages. Video to promote library services. Wikis - to facilitate collaboration /sharing / communication in working groups…”

• “…I'm a web development librarian and feel that some of these services (Twitter/ Facebook/ Blogs) [can be used] as services to get our library news and events out into the world. I also use some of these services personally throughout the day as well…”

• “…the use and usefulness [of social media] varies depending on whether they are being used for distributing information, receiving information or conducting synchronous communication. Application is also a factor determining perceived usefulness. In other words, while participating in an online course, social networking can be used as a means of communication among participants whereas among colleagues on a taskforce the work can be created and communicated via a wiki…”

• “… I think ALL librarians should know how to manage social media. I do not see how you can be an effective and efficient academic librarian if you just have "some basic knowledge of the major social media tools" and just one person in a workplace in the social media tools "knowledge holder"…

Finally, you can see ‘overall impressions’ of social media of survey respondents on pgs. 117-131.

Some of you may be interested in cross-tabulations of this data e.g., how many librarians at one

university responded in a certain way. Look for this information in our final report.

Dean Giustini UBC Biomedical Branch Librarian November 8th, 2010

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References

• Aharony N. Web 2.0 use by librarians. Library & Information Science Research 2009; 31(1):29-37.

• Bejune M, Ronan J. Association of Research Libraries. Spec Kit 304. "Social software in libraries". July 2008. http://www.arl.org/bm~doc/spec304web.pdf

• Bronstein J, Aharony N. Views and Dreams: A Delphi Investigation into Library 2.0 Applications. Journal of Web Librarianship 2009;3(2): 89-109.

• CARL / ABRC. Statistics. http://www.carl-abrc.ca/projects/statistics/statistics-e.html• CARL / ABRC. Core competencies for 21st Century CARL librarians, October 2010

http://www.carl-abrc.ca/resources/reports_and_briefs/pdf/core_comp_profile-e.pdf • Chan HHR. Murdoch University Library: A Web 2.0 Journey. Murdoch University Library,

Western Australia. ALSR 2010: Conference towards Future Possibilities. • [Charnigo L, Barnett-Ellis P. Checking Out Facebook.com: the impact of a digital trend on

academic libraries. Information Technology and Libraries 2007;26, (1): 23-34.] • Chawner B. Spectators, not players: information managers' use of web 2.0 in New

Zealand. Electronic Library 2008;26(5): 630-649. • [Chu SK. Using wikis in academic libraries. Journal of Academic Librarianship March

2009; 35(2):170-176.] • Chu M, Nalani M. The problems and potential of MySpace and Facebook usage in

academic libraries. Internet Reference Services Quarterly 2008 13(1):69-85. • Connell RS. Academic libraries, Facebook and MySpace, and student outreach: a survey

of student opinion. portal: Libraries and the Academy 2009 9(1):25–36. • Conole G. "Disruptive Technologies or New Pedagogical Possibilities". Eduserv

Foundation Symposium 2008 - Grainne Conole. • Couper M. Whither the web: web 2.0 and the changing world of web surveys. • Creswell, J. W. (1998). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five

approaches. California: Sage. • [Draper L, Turnage M. Blogmania: blog use in academic libraries. Internet Reference

Services Quarterly. 2008;13(1):15-55.] • Giustini D, Wright MD. Twitter: an introduction to microblogging for health librarians.

JCHLA/JABSC 30, 1, Winter 2009 • [Greenhow C. Social scholarship: applying social networking technologies to research

practices. Knowledge Quest, Mar/Apr2009, 37(4):42-47.] • Habib M. Toward academic library 2.0: development and application of a library 2.0

methodology. Thesis, 2008. see concept models • Hendrix, D., et. al. Use of Facebook in academic health sciences libraries. J Med Libr

Assoc 2009;97(1):44-7. • Kelly, B. (2008). Web 2.0: Addressing the barriers to implementation in a library context.

Bath, UK: University of Bath, UKOLN. http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/ • KnowledgeWorks Foundation (2006). 2006-2016 map of future forces affecting

education. Palo Alto, CA: Institute for the Future and KnowledgeWorks Foundation. Available at: http://www.kwfdn.org/

• Kroski E. The social tools of web 2.0: opportunities for academic libraries. Choice 2007;44(12):2011-21.

• Lenhart A. Twitterpated: mobile Americans increasingly take to tweeting. Pew Internet & American Life Project. 2009

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• Linh NC. A survey of the application of Web 2.0 in Australasian university libraries. Library Review 2008

• Murphy J, Moulaison H. Social networking literacy competencies for librarians: exploring considerations and engaging participation. Contributed Paper, ACRL 14th National Conference, Pushing the Edge: Explore, Engage, Extend March 14, 2009. and his paper.

• [Powell RR. Basic research methods for librarians. Contemporary studies in information management, policy, and services. Information Management Policies and Services Series. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1997.]

• Putnam LL. Professional writing and publishing: resources for librarians. College & Research Libraries News April 2009;70(4).

• [Rea LM. Designing and conducting survey research: a comprehensive guide. Jossey-Bass, 1997.]

• [Rogers CR. Social media, libraries, and web 2.0: how American libraries are using new tools for public relations and to attract new users. German Library Association Annual Conference May 2009]

• Secker J. LASSIE: Libraries and Social Software in Education. "Case Study 5:Libraries and Facebook" January 2008. University of London Centre for Distance Education Teaching and Research Awards.

• [Stephens M. The pragmatic biblioblogger: examining the motivations and observations of early adopter librarian bloggers. Internet Reference Services Quarterly. 2008;13(4):311-345]

• Tripathi M, Kumar S. Use of Web 2.0 tools in academic libraries: a reconnaissance of the international landscape. International Information & Library Review [serial online]. September 2010;42(3):195-207.

• Xu C, Ouyang F, Chu H. The academic library meets web 2.0: applications and implications. Journal of Academic Librarianship; Jul2009 35 4 324-331.

Please see additional information about this project here:

http://hlwiki.slais.ubc.ca/index.php/Survey_of_Canadian_academic_librarians_%26_their_use_of_social_media_%282010-2011%29

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Using Social Media in Canadian Academic Libraries 2010

1a) Which of the following computer devices do you regularly use to access the web in your work as an academic librarian? [check all that apply]

1b) On an average library workday in the past month, how many hours did you spend each day doing work on computers and mobile devices? [e.g., browsing, doing e-mail, searching, reading, writing]

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2) Where would you put yourself in terms of your social media knowledge on the following list from 'no knowledge' through to 'a lot of knowledge'?

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a) Blogs (reading or writing posts) (Frequency of use )

b) Instant messaging (Meebo, GoogleTalk) (Frequency of use )

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c) Microblogging (e.g., Twitter, Yammer) (Frequency of use )

d) RSS Aggregators (e.g., Bloglines, iGoogle) (Frequency of use )

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e) Social networking (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn) (Frequency of use )

f) Videosharing (e.g., YouTube, Vimeo) (Frequency of use )

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g) Wikis (e.g., PBWorks, Wikipedia) (Frequency of use )

a) Blogs (reading or writing posts) ( Perceived usefulness)

b) Instant messaging (Meebo, GoogleTalk) ( Perceived usefulness)

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c) Microblogging (e.g., Twitter, Yammer) ( Perceived usefulness)

d) RSS Aggregators (e.g., Bloglines, iGoogle) ( Perceived usefulness)

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e) Social networking (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn) ( Perceived usefulness)

f) Videosharing (e.g., YouTube, Vimeo) ( Perceived

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usefulness)

g) Wikis (e.g., PBWorks, Wikipedia) ( Perceived usefulness)

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3.1) Among the specific tools you currently use above (e.g., Meebo, Twitter, YouTube), describe briefly below how you use them in your work. (Or, proceed to next question)

I use Twitter every day, blogs and wikis.

Library blog also updates to Twitter feed - send news updates regularly to our Twitter followers, and also is on main page of library website

I use twitter to get news but, honestly, rarely discover work related information I wouldn't see through "traditional" media. Social networking tools are useful for being social but I haven't found a way to use them to engage with students. RSS feeds are good idea in theory but it is still difficult not to be overwhelmed with the amount of information in my account.

I don’t [use these tools] .. I prefer more established content

I twitter on behalf of our library; we just started a few weeks ago. I also use meebo on my libguides.

find information quickly in Wikipedia

Wikis for project collaboration - keeping drafts and resources in one place for everyone to access. Facebook is interesting - many of us at work are "friends" and though we don't really use it specifically for work, we do announce work-related milestones and give and receive positive feedback to each other. It is a great way to get to know each other a bit better, which I think has helped us work together face-to-face.

Blogs, Twitter, Google Reader: keeping up with trends and important articles. YouTube: I occasionally watch videos relevant to the subject areas I'm responsible for (eg a video on pyrosequencing the other day), or videos created by other depts at the university. Facebook: I get a bit of professional news this way but use it for personal purposes. Meebo: In the near future I will be providing chat reference via Meebo. Wikis: I use the HLWIKI Canada extensively.

Students in my liaison areas can use Meebo chat to ask me questions - this has been useful. We have a library Twitter and Facebook account that we use frequently, and our help videos are very popular on youtube.

RSS aggregators: to collect blog postings relevant to my work in a single location

Share YouTube videos of relevance with staff, students

Mainly to communicate and share information/resources with other librarians in my organization, and also generally for research and to keep up to date with trends in our profession.

YouTube - get help on how to search a database; find good examples to post to my research websites or to use in instruction. RSS (email alerts actually) - keep up on LIS lit. and save to RefWorks or delicious

I have meebo widgets embedded in my subject guides, and am logged in daily while at work. We also use Meebo as the library's "Ask a Librarian" tool.

We use PBworks to host our reference wiki. We keep reports, presentations, meeting agendas and FAQs on the wiki.

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Watching videos on Youtube of past conferences. I keep my own research blog.

Use YoutTube videos to make presentations more interesting, illustrate concepts, etc. Use Facebook to connect with other medical librarians. Use IM to connect with students. Use Google Reader to keep track of publications and blogs. Tried using Google Docs and Wikis for work-related documents, but found no one was checking them or updating them other than me, so I abandoned them.

following colleagues, friends. keeping up with areas of interest in the field

My library has a blog and Twitter feed to keep students on top of what's happening in the library and to "talk" with them.We re-post videos that relate to their coursework on our LibGuides.

Meebo for chat reference; blogs for library news/events (and I read library & tech blogs regularly to keep up to date), rss feeds every day to keep up to date (plus we have some on the library web site for new content alerts, and I teach sessions for faculty/students on how to use/set up rss feeds), Facebook sometimes for discussions with a group of students I supervise (they do instruction), video sharing for instruction videos, our Intranet is a wiki & we use it for information sharing & group collaboration

to follow information themes of interest or importance and to comment and question for clarification/understanding.

Blogs - to keep current with developments in the field of librarianship, as well as other news and interests that may benefit my work. Instant messaging - for chat reference / research assistance. Twitter - for library communications and to keep up with twitter feeds of other libraries and persons / things of interest. RSS - for same purposes as blogs. Social networking - to make professional connections and to maintain library pages. Video - to promote library services. Wikis - to facilitate collaboration/sharing/communication in working groups.

Blogs and Twitter = follow certain sites/people that relate to my work or professional interests Meebo = have a widget on my research guide and use it to communicate with students RSS = receive updates from journal table of contents Videosharing = use it to help students understand concepts (information literacy, etc.) Wikis = we use several internal wikis (SharePoint) at work for committe work, projects, groups, etc.

Monitor to keep up with trends.

I use them to gather information about trends, issues, best practices. I post public service announcements on various media to highlight what our branch library is doing.

1. Blog used as a means of interacting with clients re complaints/suggestions. 2. Wiki used for dissemination of general staff information -- used mostly in a static rather than interactive manner. 3. wikis used for management of committee communications.

Use RSS Aggregators to stay current in areas of interest. Use the library blog to promote library news and events. We have an IM reference service.

use a blog to post instructional material (i.e. PDF's of presentation slides - provides one-stop for my users, as well as an archive of my instruction). The blog software that I use is mandated by the institution I work at.

I post an App of the Week to our Library's Facebook and Twitter pages as well as the latest news

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from the Library. I just constructed those pages in September 2010. I use Skype and MSN to meet with colleagues at our other location 15 hours away. I have our collections and Evergreen blog connected to my RSS feeds which helps me keep up with information from my colleagues who manage those blogs. We use Sharepoint, vs. PBWorks for ex. This is a school wide tool and I use it to share information and documents related to our Equipment Booking program as staff tend to look there vs. our website. I share videos on our website via Camtasia. While I can post them to YouTube the quality is so poor I have yet to. They appear much better on our website.

Instant messaging I use sometimes for reference services. YouTube I check for other libraries' instruction videos, and for our university's instruction videos. Wikipedia I sometimes use for my own reference in digital matters. I read some professional blogs, like Steven's Lighthouse, to stay up-to-date.

Wikis have become extremely useful to me. We are putting all our documentation up on wikis and also using them to record notes and brainstorming from various teams and projects.

Put out our news on a blog and cross-post to twitter and facebook. Use Google Reader to view RSS feeds to which I subscribe. Have created Wikis in the past. Use IM at work everyday to stay in touch with work colleagues. We have [SNIP] affiliated hospital libraries and it is often easier to IM them.

Mostly to contact other librarians within my institution

I use twitter to keep up to date with trends in academic libraries, technology, and medicine.

GTalk used constantly to communicate with colleagues; RSS aggregators so I can scan the blogs and pick what I need to read immediately; don't have much professional use for FB or twitter; wikis are used both for projects and as information resources

Blogs are written for students, communicating skills which progress with them throughout the school year (e.g. September blogs about navigating library site, October blogs about navigating specific databases)

Read library-related blogs. Our library has a Facebook page but I don't think it's particularly useful; I use Facebook personally but not for work. RSS is good for new materials in my subject areas as well as updates on blogs I watch. YouTube is good for finding videos but haven't shared my own.

I use these tools when I'm looking for ideas for training or lately for an all-day retreat we're putting on for librarians and I need articles, video, etc.

I don't personally use Twitter for work, so I said "never", but my library does have a Twitter feed which I think is useful. Similarly for videosharing - I rarely use this at work, but some of my colleagues do and I think there's a lot of potential there.

I use a chat program for virtual reference. I also use Jing to make videos that I share with individuals or post on my subject guide pages.

Wiki for procedures, Blog for updates to procedure and policy, Facebook for contact with others outside my library.

I manage a library Twitter account so I tweet library news etc. I am in the process of creating a Facebook page for my liaison areas.

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Use Meebo to do IM at work, YouTube in teaching, RSS feeds to keep updated and Wikis & Googledocs to work on projects

Twitter is great for breaking library trends / very uptodate info and great for following conferences that you are both attending or cannot attend.

use them for collections, to follow conferences when i can't attend, references to new digital projects and academic programs, to get news and information, for networking, for finding out about everything basically

I've used wikis to collaborate on a working group with librarians from other institutions; blogs can be very useful for keeping up to date on current issues; LinkedIn has relevance for raising awareness of my role and experience.

YouTube: finding videos on *how* to do things Wiki: finding quick definitions

primarily for online and in-person reference service personal use as well

I have a chat widget embedded in my LibGuides and I also provide my contact information for google talk and MSN. Twitter I use to promote events at our university, library, articles that our professors have published, to pass on things that I fine interesting or just to simply let people know what kind of day I'm having. I like to embed YouTube videos on my LibGuides and I tend to change the videos monthly. Several associations that I belong to have a blog as our web presence. When I was a student intern at another university I created a departmental wiki for a library department to use as their procedure and policy manual. Two years later it is still being updated.

Blogs - to share information about classes and assignments with other librarians working on the same reference desk. IM - to provide back up for a student librarian working on the reference desk and to provide IM reference.

Blogs - sharing information and thoughts and staying abreast of others thoughts/insights Wikis - shared work Social networking - networking Instant messaging - communicating during meetings etc. quick answer RSS - staying up to date on current issues

IM chat for reference service, twitter for keeping up with service issues related to im chat, youtube - review other location uses

I use wikis (PBWorks) to jointly create documents for national committees I'm on. I use social networking (Facebook) to answer reference questions and (LinkedIn) to network with colleagues. I use Twitter to keep up on certain topics similar to RSS feeds. I use blogs for committees at work.

I use blogs, RSS, and microblogging to keep up to date with work trends. I use instant messaging and Facebook to keep up with colleagues, who often comment on work in their status, or who organize social events through Facebook (which usually turn into talking about work at least part of the time). I maintain several pages on a divisional wiki for use by my colleagues and consider it an integral part of my job.

Catch up on other librarian's problems and sometimes solutions to common problems.

-use wikis to work collaboratively planning a conference with others not in the same city -use blog postings to communicate library news with patrons -use IM to provide reference service

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-use rss feeds to keep current with library and research news

About once a week total

Blogs and Wikis: news and events pages, general intranet pages, internal documentation, shared documentation

Meebo/IM - passive. Wait for students to ask questions. Facebook - push library-related information out. Videosharing - still rather passive. Have made a few videos but have not advertised much. For instruction, rather than promotion.

to keep up with discussions, new ideas and standards, e.g. RDA; to learn from other people how to solve problems we share, e.g., in our ILS

Twitter - subject specific news aggregator; GoogleReader - Rss Aggregator

We are investigating the use of YouTube to broadcast instructional and tour videos -- and also to review the videos produced by other libraries.

Blogs - keep up with what's out there in library world Meebo/MSN chat - chat with students, answer ref questions FB - use all the time but not for work purposes

post videos - share resources - teach

Current awareness, communicating to differing audiences with varying styles/interests, novelty

Blogs: maintain a work related blog, also follow others through RSS aggregator. Wikis: collaborate for work or committee related purposes from time to time.

Love using them. I find them visually interesting and I like the immediacy of them. ie., There's an event taking place this evening, want to attend?

Use Meebo on course pages: great to connect to students. ScreenJelly/Toaster etc. are critical tools in email and Meebo reference, plus on course pages Blogs haven't worked out as well for me as a way of pushing info out to faculty and students. Faculty in my subject areas don't use RSS in their work, apparently.

Reference queries, current awareness

We use Meebo for chat reference. We blog from time to time about new resources or new events in our library.

a) I highlight new books, upcoming events, new e-resources and changes to e-resource interfaces. b) Skype to chat with professors who are away on sabbatical and who require reference assistance. g) Wikis as part of classroom instruction (where students contribute to wiki)

I use different types of tools to communicate with specific populations within my academic environment. The undergraduate student population likes (pun intended) Facebook so I use it to promote library resources, but the graduate students seem to prefer the "more formal" blog approach to receiving information about the library and library resources.

Blogs: to communicate with folks who work on the combined ref desk; Facebook: to find and post material (links/youtube videos) relevant to art librarianship; wikis: in my library instruction classes

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I update events in our library through our Facebook page, which also updates our twitter page. We download our videos on YouTube and link to them on our website

I use Meebo to do reference work & communicate with clients. I use Twitter to answer occasional reference questions, but mostly to communicate with other librarians. I use blogs/RSS feeds to stay au courant. Some students communicate with me through facebook. YouTube is mostly about my work with library instructional videos.

I read blogs for professional development and to keep up-to-date. I use an in-house wiki for collaborative document sharing.

I occasionally use blog posts for information related to librarianship or in answering a reference question. I do not actively contribute to any blogs. I use instant messaging as part of the provincial Askaway service, but not in my personal work interaction with on campus students/faculty. I use Bloglines as an RSS aggregator of journal/news feeds from professional journals/databases. I use Wikipedia to the extent that I teach students how to evaluate it and to gain basic level information on topics. I don't contribute to Wikipedia.

Meebo is used to connect with students in a easy, fast, informal way. I add the Meebo widget to my course pages and my contact page. YouTube is used to post short videos. For example, short instruction segments (how-to's) and I was also involved with a few short videos of students explaining to students about how to do research at the library.

meebo for virtual reference connected to IL courses blogs -- for prof dev and I use blogs posts for my IL notes twitter: prof dev & library outreach

Meebo we use to provide IM reference, we have a library blog to promote services, we produce our own captivate videos and we use jing at the reference desk and I use RSS feeds for current awareness

I do not use many of the above tools for contact with students (while I have a Meebo account, the students do not choose to use it). I tend to use them for organization, networking and professional development.

I use Facebook to communicate with other librarians and often check library web sites on Facebook.

Use blogs to promote library services. Use wikis for web content creation and management, instructional purposes.

Blogs: I read other librarians' posts and contribute comments. IM: My students contact me by IM and I chat with colleagues about work. Twitter: I have a twitter account but I mostly find it useful for ideas and colleagues. Last year 100% of medical students in my school did NOT use twitter (survey). This year I have one student follower. RSS: I use it twice per month to check the new book feeds from other libraries. Facebook: I do not use it professionally, only personally. YouTube: I watch videos and share good videos with others (do not post my own professionally). Wikis: used fairly extensively professionally for collaboration with colleagues.

Research questions, share information, solve issues

Announce new datasets, titles, software available, new maps, news items, etc.

Sources of information to assist with work

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I have a blog (linked to from my library's homepage) on which I write brief entries related to books, library resources/services, book-related events, etc., in many cases highlighting books in our collection. Our Reference & Research Services department has a wiki where we share lots of information among the librarians in the department (instruction schedules, meeting minutes, handouts, etc.).

Mostly use them to search for useful content to my work, sometimes to share content and sometimes to communicate about my work.

There are several subject-specific blogs which I follow daily in order to keep abreast of developments in the discipline, particularly new publications which I should be purchasing for the library collection.

use wikis for committee work that includes members outside my library (w.g. in other depts at my institution or in other libraries in the province/country)

-wiki to organize course content, minutes -Google Reader to follow librarianship subscriptions -I'm responsible for posting current events to our website using WordPress

Staying aware of things

Blogs -- current events, keeping in touch with the library community IM -- regular chat reference shift Microblogging -- tweets from our library account Facebook -- keeping in touch Wikis -- use wikipedia regularly I also use Flickr, Facebook, Youtube, and others in my teaching.

Use our library blog as our primary communication tool for our users.

Facebook - keeping patrons and colleagues informed. RSS aggregators - keeping myself informed (not much time to use it though)

I use wikis and blogs at work (for information sharing and news). The rest I use at home.

I do have my own blog, but I don't use it much.

YouTube - getting ideas for marketing

I post news items on occasion.

Use blogs to review current trends in librarianship and in my subject responsibilities. Use Youtube to distribute instructional videos/screencasts

Use RSS aggregators to monitor news items to create in-house summaries. Look at videosharing items that are specific to legal research/database use

using Twitter as a continuous environmental scan for both librarianship and legal topics

google chat - to talk to colleagues at other libraries google docs - to collaborate on work projects RSS - to read professional/technical blogs FB - to network, see what key opinion leaders are thinking/doing/reading

SharePoint Wiki for library procedures

RSS feed readers -- keeping up to date on literature, reading tips from other librarians. Instant messaging for virtual reference only. I don't really use social networking -- just add people when they ask to be added to my network. Wikis I use sometimes when working with colleagues on a

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project.

contribute to a blog and read others periodically lots in the RSS reader but I never think of checking it. Bloglines is toast as of Nov1 Use both videosharing tools to learn how to use software or find how to videos for students or my teaching or libguides. May send in answer to a ref question. Get ideas for my instruction classes. Wikipedia - mentioned in most BI classes with warning not to cite it. Use it to understand terminology in a reference question or new grad student or prof's area of research

News blogs on the website; PBWorks to share documents.

to keep up with trends in librarianship, technology, higher education and news/current events.

I maintain a blog, and view blogs. I view YouTube videos and Twitter feeds.

Use YouTube to review content on various topics

My library's reference division keeps a reference blog that I read daily. Some of the liaison librarians create course wikis for specific course assignments that are very useful to use when helping the students do research for their assignments. I do not use IM sites for work but I am using IM when on AskAway. I sometimes show students how to use RSS when teaching or helping students search article databases.

Blogs = learning what others in the field are doing, current awareness; Social networking = personal, social contact with colleagues; Videosharing = sources of videos for training and instruction; Wikis = quick ref eg Wikipedia, intra-library communication, I also setup and manage wikis for class instruction and assignments

I read postings on some library blogs when I have time, for ideas. I use wikis for information shared by others, (Wikipedia for quick reference, library wikis for library stuff). Occasionally someone sends me a link to YouTube that is job related.

Use Meebo for chat reference; works well but not used by users. Use blogs and videosharing for my own professional development, also webinars. Wiki used for global health work; very successful, although not as effective at encouraging collaboration as hoped.

PBWorks to collaborate on projects with librarians at McGill and across Canada. I read blogs to keep up with trends and news in the field.

a) committee notes & minutes, current awareness b) Meebo for live chat with users and Pidgin for internal IM among staff c) read our twitter account d) current awareness, subscribe to library feeds e) recreational use, networking f) instruction g) committee minutes and notes.

Blogs: push information to target audience & public IM: communicaton w/ peers & patrons Microblogging: Information / resource gathering, sharing, marketing, collaborations, bookmarking, tracking Social Networking: Information / resource gathering, sharing, marketing, Videosharing: Tutorials, training, presentations, playlists, blogfodder Wikis: Training, information collation, collaboration

I'm a web development librarian... some of these services (twitter/facebook/blogs) I use as services to get our library news and events out into the world. i also use some of these services personally throughout the day as well.

Blogs for staying current. Social networking (FB) for pushing out library related events and

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information. Videosharing (screencasting?) for instruction -- almost exclusive form for instruction (or is provided to augment in class teaching).

Mostly follow one specific law/library blog; also use Meebo to provide reference service

Meebo for chat reference. Wikipedia for quick factual information.

wikis are used frequently as an internal communication device for working groups, etc. at our institution. blogs are also used to communicate with staff and the wider university community about library initiatives.

Meebo chat reference service as well as personal chats with friends/colleagues; wikis for committees; twitter for promoting library and library events; facebook for keeping in touch with library school friends and colleagues

we have meebo installed on our home page. we use it for reference services. it doesn't get used heavily, only a few times a month. we maintain a facebook and twitter account which we post information. not too many subscribers, difficult to know how useful these things are to our users. we link to some information videos on youtube. i subscribe to some blogs in my RSS reader. I feel it is an easy way to keep current on trends.

FaceBook to promote Library events, new acquisitions, and highlights of our Special Collections.

Blogs - I write a weekly e-publication and use law blogs for material.

Blogs: we use them as part of our library website, and I read them for the ideas. I also keep one tracking my own experiences with new tools. We use Meebo for virtual reference, and we use IM for interlibrary communication. I also use it to keep in touch with colleagues. I use facebook a bit, but mostly when someone sends me a message or invites me to something. Not really an active user, but there are a lot of librarians there, so I don't leave. We make a lot of video as part of our work. We show faculty how to accomplish certain key tasks via screencast, and we communicate a fair bit via video, so we make a lot of use of youtube. We screencast errors to send them on to our colleagues on the main campus as well.

Meebo and Twitter: answering reference questions. RSS Agregators: teach students and profs how to use RSS feeds to track journal articles. Facebook: to communicate with students and answer reference questions.

Use IM to chat with colleagues instead of sending email; use Meebo for our public IM chat service at the library; use library Twitter account for user feedback (suggestions) and to push out notices/information; use blogs and bloglines more for keeping up to date in my field and research;

Use and usefulness varies depending on whether they are being used for distributing information, receiving information or conducting synchronous communication. Application is also a factor determining perceived usefulness. In other words, while participating in an online course, social networking can be used as a means of communication among participants whereas among colleagues on a taskforce the work can be created and communicated via a wiki.

- reading and posting on blogs - using RSS for current awareness - use of YouTube for teaching - Wikis mainly used for collaborative writing with colleagues on projects

Meebo is the library's tool for chat ref. I use Google Reader for my RSS feed to keep up on

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professional issues. I use Facebook to network. I use PBWorks to host a couple of professional wikis.

I use blogs and RSS feeds to keep up to date with what is going on in the academic world and library world. Videos are a great way to share presentations and wikis are used for collaboration at work.

Meebo and Twitter are used as virtual reference tools, to supplement our regular chat feature.

I use Meebo to chat with my clients, as well as fellow librarians. I use Twitter to tweetn library events, interesting library facts, etc. I use iGoogle to follow blogs, and social networking to display library events, and keep in contact with librarians and other clients.

basically for keeping up with trends in my areas of interest

-multiple wikis for different aspects of work (eg reference wiki, Information literacy wiki, branch library wiki) -I Tweet for the library - primarily push info (e.g. events, workshops) but also post interesting news. Also feed suggestion box blog to twitter. - I use videos in library workshops and I've created videos to show co-workers new tools.

Gaining and sharing information

Meebo box embedded in research guide; twitter for library

eForums on cataloguing and technical services issues

Post videos I create to YouTube. Use GoogleTalk to communicate with colleagues at our two reference positions.

I am teaching an online information literacy course, we have a Meebo widget on our page for chat. Our library has a Twitter account that we use to update our users about news, events, etc. It is streamed onto our home page. We use wikis for planning various library events/documenting committee activities.

Current awareness (saved search alerts, monitoring news in blogs)

i have a couple of RSS feeds, we have a few library blogs that we read to keep up with news. YouTube is more for fun, though it has potential; occasionally i'll look up a library video.

I'm looking for relevant information from other libraries to compare against internal library knowledge and positions.

-keeping informed on what is going on in the field -spreading awareness to a wider community

Meebo is used on our Reference Desk. Other social networking sites I use more for personal reasons.

We use MSN for virtual reference and I contribute to a professional association blog. We use PBWorks to manage many aspects of the library, and have several on the go.

YouTube - creation of instructional technology videos. Wikis - meeting agendas, collaborative project documents. Blogs - getting a sense of opinions on different issues. Instant messaging, social networking - keeping in touch with colleagues and others.

we use Meebo to facilitate our online chat with a librarian reference service. Uptake has

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continually grown in the last couple years. We use facebook and Twitter to let patrons know about new resources/services, etc. I read blogs to keep up with developments in the field.

answer reference questions, post relevant information

Meebo - library's IM service to patrons Yammer - communication tool used to share project and committee updates in my place of work RSS daily news from Open Access News feed - to keep up to date in this area Facebook - updates re. library events at place of work and in wider library community; also has a social function - to keep in contact with colleagues YouTube - some of our instructional videos are posted on YouTube. Also, I view lectures and fun projects from other libraries on YouTube Wikis - we use one to keep track of policy, contact and calendar information for our regional instant messaging reference service

Content production, delivery, and consumption.

I use Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn as a means of gathering information about my donors and users (current and potential)and for research about my field of performing arts

as necessary. Every use is different.

I blog news about the library and other medical information sources. I use RSS to keep up to date on trends in technology, libraries and medicine. I answer reference questions that come in via Instant Messaging. I use Wikis to collaborate on documents.

We use to use Meebo for our chat reference service, but now we use Live Help for AskON's service.

blogs -- reading blogs to keep up do date instant messaging for reference purpose rss agregators - TOC, News (I keppe up to date in certain fields and send news to researchers and faculty

I use Meebo widgets with an invitation to ask me questions in my library resource/subject guides and stay logged in during work hours. I'm more of a Twitter voyeur than a participant, using it only to follow other librarians and academic library news, as well as science & technology news (I'm in a SciTech library).

The major tools we use in our office are a staff wiki for recording and sharing information, and Twitter for posting updates about our library services.

we tweet coming events and items of interest, new resources; we keep a blog for desk staff of policies/procedures; I use FB for personal stuff incl video sharing, not work; we keep a bunch of wikis for recording policy/procedures changes library-wide, which I find less useful.

Blogs for staying up-to-date, (E.G.) Catalogablog Shushie IM, people aren't usually on, useless Twitter,too much dross, gimme some meat, not soyfill RSS, best thing since sliced bread, one place to look, too bad Bloglines is down now Facebook, too much info YouTube, cool, but not fitting my jobWikis, love them, like BatchLoad, it's great to share knowledge

- IM for answering reference questions - Blogs/ RSS/ Twitter to keep up with the field and gain new information - Videos for library instruction (as much as possible) - Wikis are used as reference when I don’t know something or I look for a good resource

Go on university Facebbok page to help confused students, who'd rather ask a peer than someone who works at the uni...

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RSS aggregators provided an excellent way to quickly identify newsworthy developments in areas of interest

Keep up to date & post library news using blogs; post queries, commentaries during conferences using Twitter; keeping up to date using iGoogle; have closed down the library Facebook page; use wikis to document groupwork

I use b) to provide Chat reference service. Some of our reference support information (e.g. passwords, helpful hints, etc) are available via a staff wiki.

Frequently use Wikis to gather information and share information.

Blogs & RSS feeds -- keeping up-to-date Instant messaging -- reference Wikis -- collaboration with colleagues for research or projects

To keep current and to keep in touch with my colleagues.

blogs - use to track some great thinkers in library-land - use to track important issues like copyright

Blogs - collect ideas, keep current with what is happening in community IM - connect with other people in my library system AND chat reference Twitter - ask questions, keep current RSS - gather my blogs; search, share, star Facebook - pictures and news Videosharing - promotion of libraries, videos for my patrons Wikis - use only when I have to :/ mostly internal wikis

IM, in particular, helps me connect quickly to colleagues to address immediate issues. We also use it to share reference questions from the front-line staff to the librarians. I use Twitter to follow trends, and blogs to read specifics.

- use wikipedia to teach - would like to see more use of twitter or facebook or youtube but for useful things and not fluff or show

Our library staffs reference hours using Meebo. I use twitter to follow development in OA / Schol. Publishing. I contribute to a number of blogs that serve our library users.

-As an archivist, I use Wikipedia to update researchers about location of archival fonds -I also post on my Twitter feed about new archival photos added to our IDR -I've posted on Twitter about elements in our exhibit that was getting low traffic - our stats instantly doubled. -I know videosharing could be useful for outreach and educational purposes but it is difficult to find the time, develop the skills on top of all my other work. -Our blog has been useful to create an online space to promote a physical event in-house or give attention to a topic, collection, that "doesn't quite fit" in our wider scope of outreach. Especially events/acquisitions that don't warrant a press release or full blown exhibit.

Twitter feed feeds onto our home page. Also have a library blog that feeds onto our home page. Read RSS feeds in my Outlook account - it has an RSS aggregator.

we use blogs and wikis to document work we are doing, share documents, minutes, working papers, procedures, etc. we use instant messaging to communicate amongst ourselves at work, and to answer research help questions. we use facebook to publicize conferences and raise awareness on issues, as well as to network with colleagues. YouTube is a great place to share teaching materials.

Post a weekly blog for our website, post/read Facebook daily, read RSS feeds, post to the

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Library's Twitter feed.

I use Twitter daily to post resources in my field. Follower number is low and not necessarily from my University.

Exploring social media for creation of digital collections/virtual exhibits & in working collaboratively with large teams geographically dispersed

Meebo is used for some chat reference. GoogleTalk was used during a project when we did not have access to a telephone and needed to replicate real time conversation

Primarily as teaching tools

I use a meebo chat widget to allow students to access me from our LibGuides. I regularly blog my own research, and read many blogs (through igoogle) about library issues and my own research areas. And what would we do without the love/hate relationship with Wikipedia!

I use twitter to push my services to my target users.

I use wikis to communicate with others working academic libraries and to track developments in the project i am involved with.

I sometime use YouTube to share video tutorials that I create for IL purposes, and occasionally share librarianship-related content through Facebook, though the latter is rarely with a substantial network of library colleagues.

Wikipedia - reference work Yammer - communication on various library issues Youtube - Some library tutorials

keeping current on news and trends. Mostly as a user, not a contributor.

work on a Livehelp chat service twice a week; use blogs for news and updating myself in my field; wikis for sharing files and instructions

post youtube video on facebook and blog twitter every day use meebo for online reference every day

University is using YouTube channel more for video content. Switching some online tutorials to YouTube/Vimeo content. Meebo for online chat reference, GoogleTalk for web team discussions (help at point of need from team members across campus. Facebook for networking with other librarians, not students.

Use RSS feeds to keep aware of faculty publications, new trends in subject areas, new trends in scholarship, etc. We use blogs (posting to) to keep in touch with faculty. I read blogs in my subject areas to keep up to date with current trends. I use IM as a point of contact/ref tool for patrons.

Twitter - to post news on library web site; blogs to keep up to date with issues, e.g., copyright; wikis - to find information and to share information with other staff.

I use the above tools primarily for professional development (help identify trends, reports, new projects, etc) and for professional communication (blogs, twitter, etc)

I have a meebo account so that students can chat online with me in my office. It is rarely used by them.

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Facebook & blog (Facebook links to blog) for library Facebook presence and communication of library tips/services

Meebo - used for chat reference service

We use a wiki for internal library communication. I usually read blogs when I'm researching a particular topic.

PIDGIN once a week for virtual reference shift. Check a specific blog from time to time, when necessary. View YouTube from time to time when someone sends out an interesting link.

Current awareness, information literacy instruction and liaison to client groups

We have a wiki that serves as a memory tool for the IT team. I consult RSS for new trends.

Mostly professional communication - blogs to monitor commentary in my research field as well as current practices, instant messaging for colleague questions and discussion, aggregators (academic articles), facebook for networking with professionals, wikis - depends on the group

Meebo: chat with students

I have RSS feeds for a number of blogs that I find useful and try to check these daily. I use Facebook at work both to keep in touch socially with friends and with colleagues at other institutions. I used to maintain a wiki for a research course - now most of the information has been moved to a LibGuide and a CMS (course management system). (I preferred the wiki!) I opened a Twitter account about a year ago, but don't update very often, and rarely for work-related purposes; while that was the original intention, my institution doesn't have a set policy or "space" for official Twitter feeds, but I have found it very useful for getting interesting/timely information from other Twitterers!

I use instant messaging to determine if a colleague is available to talk (either by phone or chat). I use twitter to announce project progress to colleagues. I use my Google reader as a means of keeping up on trends in the library profession.

Internal wiki to post progress on projects

Blogs: don't have time to write or comment on external blogs. I write content for the library's blog. Students expect IM/Meebo/instantaneous response. This is an important service provided by others in the library.

Frequency of use

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h) Collaborative writing (e.g., GoogleDocs, wikis) (Frequency of use )

i) Photo-sharing (e.g., Flickr, Picasa) (Frequency of use )

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j) Powerpoint-sharing (e.g., SlideShare, Prezi) (Frequency of use )

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k) Social bookmarks (e.g., Delicious, Connotea) (Frequency of use )

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l) Social cataloguing (e.g., LibraryThing) (Frequency of use )

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m) Virtual worlds (e.g., Second Life, other) (Frequency of use )

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n) Web file-sharing services (e.g, Dropbox, LiveMesh) (Frequency of use )

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h) Collaborative writing (e.g., GoogleDocs, wikis) (Perceived usefulness )

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i) Photo-sharing (e.g., Flickr, Picasa) (Perceived usefulness )

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j) Powerpoint-sharing (e.g., SlideShare, Prezi) (Perceived usefulness )

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k) Social bookmarks (e.g., Delicious, Connotea) (Perceived usefulness )

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l) Social cataloguing (e.g., LibraryThing) (Perceived usefulness )

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m) Virtual worlds (e.g., Second Life, other) (Perceived usefulness )

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n) Web file-sharing services (e.g, Dropbox, LiveMesh) (Perceived usefulness )

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3.2) Among the specific tools you currently use above (e.g., Delicious, Flickr, SlideShare), describe briefly below how you use them in your work. (Or, proceed to next question)

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3.2) Among the specific tools you currently use above (e.g., Delicious, Flickr, SlideShare), describe briefly below how you use them in your work. (Or, proceed to next question)

Dropbox for accessing files from home; GoogleDocs for collaboration.

I love, love, love Dropbox. I store all my files there. Googledocs is handy but when I've tried to use it with collaborators, they find it unfamiliar so we usually revert to using Word. Flickr is good for finding and storing photos. And I also couldn't do my job without my delicious account. I use it to catalog information on the web and to access frequently used sites.

I hate that the ipad does not manage docs better ... getting dropbox setup was a pain and while i love the ipad for play .... i get much more work done on my computer

delicious: a way for reference team to share resources slideshare: as a browser, not a truly contributing member (such a lurker)

GoogleDocs: we use this for a collaborative reference project. Photosharing and Social cataloguing: I use these kinds of tools (Picasa, GoodReads) in my personal life but not professionally. SlideShare: I use this often but wish it were iPhone-friendly, since I often want to view things on it during my off hours. Delicious: I used this years ago but now I use Twitter more for this purpose - if I read an article I like and want to remember, I tweet it.

Google Docs for sharing files with colleagues that require collaboration

I mainly use collaborative writing tools for committee work.

Picasa - photos of Library interiors to share with colleagues/research group Delicious - save user guides, tutorials, research, podcasts Slides share - find good slides for class presentations Google Docs - edit documents

I have used Slideshare to access presentations although I have never posted any of my own presentations.

Flickr used to find images for illustrating presentations or web pages, as well as for answering ref questions. Tried using google docs, but it only works if your co-workers use it too. I have viewed Slideshare presentations, but never upload my own. (I would rather use our school's AV department to make a professional quality video that embeds slides in my own presentation with my video/voice). Never used second life or library thing but I've heard others do.

Use SlideShare to mount PP on LibGuides.

I use delicious most (for sharing resources with students and colleagues, and for myself). We have a wiki as an Intranet and do some collaborative work there (but it is a bit clunky to use), and I've used Google Sites as a collaborative group workspace for some consortial groups (worked better than our mediawiki). I personally don't do much photo sharing or social cataloguing at work, and we don't do anything where I work with virtual worlds. We do share documents (e.g. powerpoint) sometimes using things like Slideshare but I prefer to use options that are more accessible for people with disabilities so don't use it a lot.

useful for committee and teamwork.

GoogleDocs - sharing documents with other librarians (mostly with librarians at other institutions, as we have other ways of sharing documents within our library). Flickr - for

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communications purposes (such as to communicate/document progress during renovation projects). Social bookmarks - for maintaining links of professional interest. We dabbled with the idea of using social bookmarking for our subject guides, but haven't done this yet. Second Life - I explored Second Life to see if it would be valuable for my library. I didn't think it was worth the time investment.

Delicious = bookmark useful websites in my subject area and faculty publications. Pull in the RSS feed from Delicious into my subject guide. DropBox = helping to teach a course at a library school and dropbox is used to share the Powerpoint slides developed for each class.

My use of Delicious has really decreased in the last year. Twitter is up. RSS feeds are dropping off (i.e., fewer blog postings found), but I still depend on it. Viewing mobile Slideshare is limited -- better viewed on a larger screen if slides are dense with text (which is typical). but since I'm more on my iphone, I might not choose to view mobilized slideshows.

I primarily use Google Docs with my colleagues who I am working on projects with. I also organize my bookmarks with Diigo primarily for personal use related to my work.

Sometimes use Flickr and other photo-sharing sites to get copyright-free or Creative Commons images for presentations or LibGuides. Use PowerPoint sharing to view professional presentations I was unable to get to, or to review those that I was.

I like to consult recent ppt presentations on slideshare to keep up to date both with content and also to see which presentations i find most effective (how they're organized; how they look...)

use Delicious to keep track of all my bookmarks so I can access them anywhere; use GDocs to share docs with colleagues; same with Prezi; use LibraryThing occassionally but far less than I did a few years ago; use Dropbox for sharing big files with myself from machine to machine (ie MARC records I work on at home and then load to system at work)

I use Google Docs and file-sharing services primarily for my work-related research, particularly with co-investigators who are at different institutions. Google Docs has also been useful for some collaborative writing among colleagues in my unit.

I have shared PP and Prezi files with colleagues to show them how I use them or how I teach classes. I use Dropbox a lot to share files between members of working groups/task forces and my professional association executive.

Some of my colleagues share using Google Docs & Slideshare so I'll view their work using those tools.

GoogleDocs and wikis for projects with other staff/librarians Delicious bookmarking

Google docs is great for group work and collaborative working / writing projects.

use images and video on subject pages in the library websites, on my blog, use bookmarks to keep track of good online resources

Delicious I use for keeping track of websites that I might find useful. In the past I have shared my folders with partners if we were doing collaborative work.

googledocs - multi institutional collaborative groups virtual worlds -s econd life - networking File sharing - international collaborations

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Wikis are part of my everyday work. My colleague and I are starting a photo-sharing site to connect libraries in our province. I am more on the receiving end of powerpoint sharing.

-I used to use Google docs on a daily basis when working on a paper collaboratively with colleagues in another province, VERY useful tool

Dropbox is great for working away from one's office (e.g. at various reference desks, home, etc.) Also used to collaborate with colleagues - we set up folders and place readings in them.

Our team of 10 librarians uses Google Docs to write our annual plan.

teaching - sharing information - sharing resources - collaborative work is important

Have used delicious, social cataloguing tools more in the past; no time to continue

Collaborative writing/Web file-sharing: used to collaborate with colleagues Social bookmarks: use to keep track of research

using document sharing is useful for larg-ish groups especially at a distance (ie, national committee) but are tedious to track changes, the back and forth, etc.

h) I use google docs to collaborate in paper writing with colleagues and google spreadsheet and google notebook for keeping track of orders and requests, sharing with coworkers and users as appropriate. i) I use picasa to upload pictures that I want to use via my blog, and also to share photos from library events.

It can be very handy to snap a photo - upload to flicker, and then send the link to colleagues, when trying to identify a work...particularly since our listserv rejects attachments.

GoogleDocs: to share documents and edit them with my colleagues;

we have a local web file-sharing tool at our institution. I can share files to anyone from different committees, units, (including non-library ones).Flickr - especially the creative commons photos are great for Power Point presentations and website developments.

Collaborative writing & cloud file sharing = work with a few colleagues. The rest are not used.

I use Google Docs for most of my productivity needs. I use MS Office only when I have to. I use delicious for remembering my bookmarks, but not really with the intention of sharing them with others. Flickr is for my personal use.

use Delicious to keep track of important/interesting things I read (work related)

Occasionally committees that I am on have found it useful to use GoogleDocs or a Wiki to track information. For my day to day file management I have remote access through my institution to files and email - and don't have a need for an alternate system.

Flickr allows me to find images that I can use under Creative Commons license for course pages, web pages, powerpoints, and various instruction materials. It is extremely useful!

delicious i use as my everyday citation manager google docs for doc preparation of all types

Google docs are great for committee work

We use delicious for our bookmarks and we have made them available/share them with students

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I use dropbox to manage my personal work between home and the office as well as for large files I cannot email to others.

I get Power-point presentations from other colleagues if I missed the presentation or did not go to a conference.

GoogleDocs for collaborative project work. Slideshare to share presentations around project work we do. Dropbox to work with files remotely.

google docs and wikis - sharing files, collaboratively improving a document, working as a committee - things that evolve over time. Photo sharing - don't really use it professionally but I can see how some would. Delicious - mostly for my own use but it's nice to see what others have (I use my lists in WorldCat the same way, and also to share with my students). LibraryThing I use personally but I can see how some would use it professionally. Virtual Worlds are BS and I am tired of people trying to make them a thing. Web file-sharing devices are necessary with small inboxes/file limits.

I used Flickr once to upload a photo of a display and then add notes identifying the books. I was inspired to do this while doing an online course for library staff on Web 2.0, but I never got around to using it again. I have a LibraryThing account because I felt I ought to know about it, and enjoy using it to keep track of the books I read (not the books I own) -- which is for fun, not work-related. I did not check off Second Life as the only time I've used it was as part of the Web 2.0 online course I took.

Collaborative writing tools have been quite useful in the past - especially when working with people outside my home library (we have other internal collaborative tools that we use internally like Sharepoint that allow us to share and collaboratively create content). I use Flickr every now and then to find useful content but I never share (I'm a horrible photographer!) and have only "used" Prezi once.

Delicious to compile and tag recommended health sciences websites; GoogleDocs to co-write papers with authors from elsewhere

Google Docs -- have used for compiling reports/committee work Flickr -- use CC photos for signage and instruction Prezi -- have tried it out but never presented with it Delicious -- use it to store links LibraryThing -- use it more for my home library

Google Docs - working on shared documents Delicious - keeping bookmarks and sharing them File sharing - file sharing!

I work in 2 special libraries. Access to Second Life, Facebook, Flickr is restricted in-house.

I use a combination of Read-It-Later and Delicious to track things of interest; Delicious is more of permanent storage RIL a quick reminder of things I want to check out later

GoogleDocs has been useful for writing group reports arising from committee work.

delicious to save websites instead of bookmarking them. Accesible from anywhere and can link to other's related web docs Flikr and Picasa - save library interior photos from my camera. Easy to share with committee or library admin to illustrate ideas for renovations etc. Slideshare - ideas for teaching specific tools or concepts GoogleDocs - edit documents from the library association council which I am on. Info Desk Wiki - retrieve 'local knowledge' and recommend additions.

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GoogleDocs to share documents, but it never worked properly.

To collaborate with colleagues easily, to access my work easily when I am not at work.

Google docs is useful for collaborative writing and statistics.

Post presentations or lectures to slideshare

Powerpoint presentations and other teaching materials created by librarians at my work are made available on our staff intranet.

Collaborative writing = potentially valuable but too buggy to be reliable; Photosharing = source of images for teaching; Virtual worlds = have investigated thoroughly but not useful for my specialty; Web file sharing = very useful in the absence of library solutions for ftp to students

GoogleDocs proved useful in working with a group of staff from different universities -- within my own school we have internal collaborative methods. I have relatively little contact with the public, which seems to be where the greater use of social media lie.

I was probably an early adopter of collaborative writing tools - too early, perhaps - technical issues rendered them ineffective, although have successfully used PBWiki with a research team to good effect. Others, still need to see more evidence of effectiveness.

Writing: collaboration, filesharing, presentations, Photosharing: reference question support, marketing, local color, documentation, training Bookmarks: library guides, rss feeds Virtual Worlds: classes, outreach, webinars, presentations, collaboration, teaching, learning, personal networks

We use sharepoint as internal document management, and for a few internal forms which initiate workflows. i use flickr creative commons licensed content for presentations, same with powerpoint sharing and file sharing.

GoogleDocs for an OLA project with librarians at various locations - but I have been unable to access the shared folders, a known bug that I have not been able to solve

The cloud is essential for collaborative writing, for the mobile office. We have a server I have access to remotely as well. I've used Delicious to keep track of independent publisher for collection development (foreign language in particular)

Web file sharing services rarely to share large files with others.

I use dropbox all the time to synch my files with my home computer so that I can easily work from home.

I've collaborated on research with colleagues from other institutions using Google Docs. I use drop box to sink files with various computers. (iphone, home, work)

I use google docs all the time. Most of my work docs are in there; it's the easiest way to share documents with my supervisor and colleagues. It's my go-to word processor. We have a wiki for work that I consult probably 3 or 4 times a week. The library has a flickr feed of authorized pictures, but I use flickr a lot to find CC licensed pictures I can use in presentations. I know I should use bookmarking tools, and I see their value, but again it's one of those things that needs more forethought on my part to use effectively. We have our professional development collection in librarything, so I use it occasionally. I have built in second life and find it an

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incredible canvas for communicating things that are impossible to communicate otherwise, so for that I remain loyal to virtual worlds, but I don't really hang out there. Just build. I use dropbox on occasion, but honestly google docs is filling that gap more and more lately.

Google Docs: to share documents among colleagues. Photo sharing: through facebook--to provide some more interesting content on our facebook page. Prezi: to make presentations (from time to time--use powerpoint more). Delicious: to organize and categorize the sources that I need to check when ordering books.

Use google docs when writing reports/materials with colleagues; use flickr account to store all library photos from events, etc.; use dropbox to share large files (e.g. prepping for a conference with colleagues far away)

- delicious for sharing resources with students and colleagues - collaborative writing tools used v. often for group writing with colleagues

Photosharing works for marketing purposes and sharing marketing ideas across institutions. I use wikis for cross-institutional collaboration and reports.

I use GoogleDocs to work on shared documents with colleagues.

Have a Delicious account to keep track of sites related to open access. Use Flickr to upload photos of events that occur in the library. Used a wiki to prepare a submission for an agency application, which required wide input.

I used GoogleDocs for a project with an external library organization. It was cumbersome and involved some learning (I know Word well and don't like to waste time learning something like it, when it works fine for me.)

Use to share information internally /externally. Some use is for teaching at MLIS level.

Google docs and power point have very practical uses

I use Flickr for personal reasons, but not for work.

I use GoogleDocs for many group projects at work, and we maintain a Delicious account for key weblinks for students. I use Dropbox to access my documents at home.

Collaborative writing - good for sharing and developing project and policy documents; Photo-sharing - good for presentations; Powerpoint sharing - good for sharing information and presentations; Dropbox - sharing large files with faculty, librarians, and other project collaborators.

I use Delicious as I feel it is easy to group my preferred websites.

working on a paper/chapter with colleagues both at the institution and in other geographic locations.

GoogleDocs - to create a spreadsheet for a volunteer service task undertaken for the library alumni community Delicious - collect bookmarks to websites related to academic subject specialist areas

When working on group projects or projcts that need editing/feedback from my peers

I use GoogleDocs all the time for collaborative editing and project work. I post all of my

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instructional presentation files to SlideShare.

In our library department, we have a professional reading collection which I have catalogued using Library Thing.

Delicious connotea i used for finding sometime "hard to find" reference and to bookmark

Collaborative writing is great for research projects or other co-authored work.

See previous comment re: wiki

Occasionally use Google Docs for collaborative editing/document creation - sometimes even in real time over the phone when we can't get togteher in person I use photosharing mainly for non work, once in a while we use it to show the hawks in the trees outside the library.

Social life was a memory suck disaster and I deleted from all 3 of my computers Web file-sharing, still too iffy for access and slow

Collaborate writing : to work on project and documents with colleagues Powerpoint-sharing: to get ideas for my teaching Social bookmarks: I use Delicious but not the social aspect of it.

collaborative writing via wikis is an invaluable tool

posting files and comments on group projects

I LOVE dropbox and now use it as my primary file storage.

Collaborative writing -- collaboration with colleagues Photo-sharing -- collection development; employee engagement Web-file sharing -- collaboration with colleagues

To collaborate with colleagues.

Collab writing - good, but we also use an internal file sharing network, so not always necessary Photo & ppt sharing - see above Social bookmarks - where I collect bookmarks; don't often go to other people's bookmarks (once/mo) Dropbox - use for bringing work home and for association work (related to job but not "my job")

Collaborative writing - very useful... untill the excel sheet crashes/can't be downloaded and then you're fracked. Photo-sharing... does posting archival photos on our IDR count? If so : very very useful. Dropbox : I use our university's equivalent almost everyday to deliver research requests and scanned images : very very helpful and keeps costs down.

Have used Prezi for presentations, use Flickr for uploading photos of library and events. Have used wiki to plan events/documents in collaboration with colleagues. Have a Delicious account on a particular topic to share with colleagues

I discovered Prezi last summer and have begun to use it for presentations that can be best taught through concept mapping.

I've used GoogleDocs to collaborate on an article writing project with a colleague before.

Bookmarking new sites in my subject areas.

We have an internal file share service which is very useful. I don't use the other very much

Use the university filedrop server to send/receive large files. Love it!

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I use Google Docs for collaborative reports. We use it in the division to share and annotate collections spreadsheets.

Google docs to share meeting notes and agendas etc. with other staff; occasionally Flickr for images for library advertising, etc.; Delicious for sharing web sites with other staff.

Google docs is great for note taking and for sharing docs. Powerpoint is a useful, if not overused, instructional tool. Flickr is great for helping those ppt shows to be more interesting. Delicious allows me to access my online docs/research easily from anywhere. Dropbox is great when working between computers.

I use Delicious to supplement my Subject Guide pages.

For searching and screening information. Which specific tools are not really matter as long as whatever is the information I am interested in is being offered.

A colleague has put material on Flickr which is useful for my subject area.

I use Google Doc to share documents with co-workers. I use Flickr for my two children

GoogleDocs and Dropbox are used frequently in my collaborative research projects

I have used all of these tools, other than virtual words and web file-sharing services, to some degree but more on a personal basis than as an academic librarian. I have an ongoing project where we made some use of GoogleDocs, but more for easy file-sharing than collaborative writing. In the future, I'd like to use GoogleDocs more in its intended manner. I use PowerPoint all the time but never an official sharing program - I make my PowerPoints available after all training sessions, simply in PPS format (on a Virtual Campus webspace).

I use Delicious daily to find favourite locations and to tag useful tools. I use Dropbox daily to have key working files available on my desktop or mobile devices.

4) How important do you think it is for your library [now or in the future] to use social media for the following activities? [e.g., to have 'digital presence' and use interactive tools]

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a) Announcing upcoming library events (4) How important do you think it is for your library [now or in the future] to use social media for the following activities? [e.g., to have 'digital presence' and use interactive tools])

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b) Communicating directly with students and faculty(4) How important do you think it is for your library [now or in the future] to use social media for the following activities? [e.g., to have 'digital presence' and use interactive tools])

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c) Fundraising for library programs & services(4) How important do you think it is for your library [now or in the future] to use social media for the following activities? [e.g., to have 'digital presence' and use interactive tools])

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d) Helping to reach strategic goals or objectives for your library(4) How important do you think it is for your library [now or in the future] to use social media for the following activities? [e.g., to have 'digital presence' and use interactive tools])

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e) Marketing your library's services and programs(4) How important do you think it is for your library [now or in the future] to use social media for the following activities? [e.g., to have 'digital presence' and use interactive tools])

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f) Promoting workshops offered by your library(4) How important do you think it is for your library [now or in the future] to use social media for the following activities? [e.g., to have 'digital presence' and use interactive tools])

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Which tools are used / might be used?

Which tools are used / might be used?

Twitter and blogs

Twitter, blog, document sharing

It's hard to know how effective any of these tools are for communicating with users and as a marketing tool. Our library has a twitter account and several facebook accounts. I don't see much (actually I've never seen any) engagement between our users and our profiles in these social media tools. It's hard to know if that's because users don't want to communicate/engage with us on these platforms or if it's because we're not using them to effectively communicate/engage with our users and as a result they don't engage with us.

Important ... is a stretch ... more like "an option among many"

twitter!

Let them have and do their thing, on their things, without invading their territory. They can come to our spaces (webpages) for information about us.

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Twitter, our Library's blogs

Twitter for last minute updates of workshops, Facebook for events.

RSS feeds Wikis IM/SMS messaging

Twitter, facebook, blog, wiki

I plan to make my Library's resources and services available through mobile devices, and better utilize social media to communicate with users.

Meebo

We currently have a facebook page for our library....I don't believe students actually use it.

RSS feed. Facebook. A marketing plan!

Facebook, blogs, IM (for communicating with students), BBM

Blogs, Twitter, library Facebook page

blogs, social networks, microblogging, Youtube

We use Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube primarily.

-The library keeps two blogs: a suggestion blog and a "what's new" blog. -The library is also on Twitter and Identi.ca (it's an extension of the "what's new" blog, with a few more announcements than the "what's new"). -The library also uses RSS to disseminate the "new books by subject" feeds. -I also use a blog on my subject guide to announce interesting events/research/news in my subject area.

Citation citing sites could be promoted more.

Currently, Facebook, Twitter, Sharepoint and our website.

Facebook pages, Twitter.

facebook, blogs

Most of the social networking tools already mentioned in the survey

YouTube & Twitter are currently being used by the library.

Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, Rss Feeds

twitter, facebook

anything, really - depends where your clients are

Facebook

Facebook, RSS feeds from library website

Facebook Twitter Announcements on library home page

Twitter, facebook, etc.

we use facebook and twitter as well as individual librarian blogs to advertise our services, people and events.

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Our unit has a Facebook page. Updates/promos are posted once a week.

Twitter, Facebook

facebook or blogs

any of the previous that are stable and can be incorporated into the branch's routines

Twitter

blogs, twitter, video sites, pretty well anything original or creative - i think the creativity is more important that the platform

wikis and blogs in particular.

email, facebook, rss feeds, library blog, flikr

blogs

Our library currently currently has a twiiter account and a facebook account. Faculty members use yammer for discussion.

Blogs, social networking tools, You Tube

Blogs Facebook YouTube Maybe Twitter but only to a limited segment that actually uses it WIKIs - for collaborative projects

facebook, twitter

Library would have to supply handhelds to staff, a major money concern.

-was thinking mostly of our news and events blog

Facebook, Twitter, Web pages (in conjunction with RSS feeds)

RSS feed, blogs, email, website, etc.

Although I haven't used yet, I can see the usefulness of a twitter feed on various websites to keep intended audience up to date Blogs (although have to get the intended audience to read them)

a and f are asking virtually the same thing.

social networking sites (eg FB), slide share, you tube, google doc's, skype, google voice, file sharing apps, itunes,

whatever works - and these are constantly evolving

We seem to use blogs primarily to promote workshops, etc., but I know some librarians here also have a Twitter account.

could use a variety of them. Facebook for sure.

Facebook

Twitter, Facebook, blogs, Youtube, Flicr, Piccasso, google docs, (are already in use), but might want to use LinkedIn, and make an effort for more coordinated use of tools like YouTube, Google Docs, Slide share, etc.

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Blogs

We have an RSS feed on our 'branch' Library homepage; I suspect the Facebook page for our library gets more "viewings" (or my personal one).

Yammer, Facebook, Blogs

Web pages, blog, Facebook and Twitter. Plus mass email to specific groups.

Blogs

Twitter, Facebook and RSS News feeds have proven to be the best ones- although some undergraduate students have recently told us that in-person announcements about programs, workshops and services are stillthe most effective! In particular the blackboard/whiteboard!

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube

Blogs

For announcing library events I think our webpage and formal campus advertising venues are more appropriate and effective at reaching the campus (student/faculty) audience. To communicate directly with faculty and students I think personal (liaison) and institutional (committee-level) relationships are more important than social media - for direct communication, advertising of events, communicating strategic directions and marketig. For example I send a two page PDF newsletter by email directly to all faculty members in my liaison areas three times a year. I additionally send them event information. Campus wide committee involvement elevates the library, librarians, and librarian work to the level of importance that it deserves within an academic institution - I don't think facebook serves this purpose, and may in fact detract from it.

Blogs & RSS - for promotion of classes, workshops and other events in the library. Meebo for connecting directly with students, faculty and the public. Wikis for storing data for reuse in websites and as a reference source.

blogs, twitter, facebook

opt in to receive text messages from the library and producing videos would be useful marketing tools

I think every little bit of promotion counts even if it only reaches a small population.

The more coordinated use of select tools would be useful in our context for marketing.

Twitter, facebook, sites people visit for local content (if your town or city has a popular blog, etc.)

Blogs are used for promotion of events/announcements of new resources; however, it is not easy to assess whether people were paying attention to it or not.

Twitter, Facebook, Blogs

Facebook, twitter, RSS news feeds, youtube I know we use right now for some of these purposes. I'm not sure what else might be used now or in the future - we have a marketing team and I'm not on it!

blogs, twitter, facebook, rss feeds

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Even if advertising a particular library event doesn't draw in a larger crowd, it still reminds people that the library exists and is available when they need it.

Twitter, Facebook

Wordpress to announce workshops; Wordpress with comments turned on for acquisition/resource feedback.

We use Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and our library news blog.

Facebook

Facebook, Twitter, blogs,

blogs, twitter

Twitter/blogs, etc., could be used for promoting library instruction, etc.

I chose neutral because I don't think any of the ones on the previous screen could be used this way unless the library is paying the media owner to place ads whenever someon from my university accesses the social media. Facebook is not a good tool for promo and marketing. Its content is more personal.

Intend to try some of these, but our Virtual Services Librarian is on mat leave right now and no time to explore myself -- I can bearly keep up with current communication modes!

Twitter is used for promotional events.

My library uses its website for announcing news, upcoming events, library services and workshop promotion. We use several blogs (Piping Up, Scholarly Publishing News) to communicate with faculty and students, announce events and receive feedback. We could use LibraryThing to make our catalogue more interactive.

Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin could be useful. SecondLife has been tried and is not worthwhile.

It's hard to say if the popularity of Twitter and Facebook will continue -- the future may lie with apps for iPhones and other portable devices instead.

Chat reference via QuestionPoint has been bad - technical problems / slow response make it painful to provide services via this tool. Wiki collaboration is the one tool that I find valuable.

RSS feeds, twitter, web site, Youtube for videos, Camtasia for online tutorials

twitter to aggregate RSS feed of library news/events... a blogger blog to connect folks with information about some of our services.

Twitter and FB.

the Library website, Twitter and Facebook

We have s small (800) select group of members using our library. Many are older, and email seems to work best.

Facebook, Twitter, blogs, remote access apps.

twitter, blogs, facebook (although I'm not about libraries using facebook because I'm not sure

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that students really want to communicate with libraries in this way - facebook is seen as a cool space to interact with your friends and not so much a place where you communicate with the library. I could be wrong about this though...)

Twitter; RSS on webpage; Facebook announcements/event pages

twitter, facebook.

FaceBook is used extensively.

Library blog - we currently have a Wordpress recent books blog. Too busy updating our current web page to a CMS as well as using the university's Blackboard function -- both used to communicate with our communities of users -- to look at social media. Once we have completed our current projects we can look at social media. It is a question of time & staff.

We have a twitter feed, which sits on the front of our website and feeds to digital signage. I have more ideas about the kinds of content that should go there. the difficulties there are getting people to commit to using it, not the tech itself. It gets attention, it does its thing.

Facebook, Twitter.

a,b,e,f

library news and events blog syndicate on homepage, twitter account, staff newsletter blog, flickr account

It depends. My sense is that for marketing and promotion we need to make use of these tools in the hope of "catching" the attention of our intended audience. However, I believe that these anticipatory recipients of our messages are very diverse in their use and uptake of the social media tools available to them.

- blogs, twitter, yammer youtube

Facebook, Twitter

Blogs on library sites

Facebook and Twitter.

twitter, facebook, blogs

Twitter, Facebook, Meebo, YouTube.

twitter, facebook,

facebook, twitter

We use Twitter & Identi.ca Library has 2 blogs Some librarians feed their Delicious accoutns onto their subject guides We've advertised on Facebook (though we don't have a fan or group page)

Twitter

We're using Facebook, Twitter and wikis. I'm not directly involved.

blog; facebook; twitter

Library blog, Twitter, Flickr

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there is not option in this question to say that it's OK to use some tools some of the time. Entering people's social media space can backfire, e.g. if may be OK to market via RSS but not Facebook.

Blogs, Wikis, Facebook.

all of these things are already done using the library website and email, but it can't hurt to try a variety of ways to raise awareness...

Plasma screens in buildings, Facebook presence, screencasting and YouTube videos

Blogs, wikis, PowerPoint presentation (prezi), YouTube (and other alternatives), Drupal modules, Google docs, etc.

Facebook and Twitter are currently used.

facebook, twitter, meebo

Facebook, Twitter, IM, blog

blog facebook

Facebook, Twitter

Blogs, RSS feeds, Facebook, Twitter

Our library has a marketing librarian who actively uses social media, such as Twitter, to promote the Library in a wide variety of ways.

Right now none! I suggested using Facebook but ....

We use Twitter for most of our 'marketing' activities as well as dedicated listservs to inform other librarians about events and changes to services.

It's just part of a large group of communications tools and methods that we need to incorporate into any marketing plan.

Simple tools. Donors tend to be older. they don't tweet much. E-mail is still the tipping point app. My mom is 85 and she e-mails, but you won't get a dime out of her from a wiki. Who's your audience? The students for certain purposes and donors for others, faculty for others, and don't forget about staff communication.

Facebook (social networking) Twitter

We use twitter & facebook to announce library events, new services, new additions to web page, promote workshops. We use a blog to post info of use to desk staff. We use IM to respond to library queries.

Facebook

Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, not very familiar with other tools

Postings in learning management systems. Twitter and Facebook would be useful if there were more uptake of our Twitter and Facebook presence by our users.

IM< Twitter, blog.

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rss facebook twitter

Twitter, Facebook, scrolling news items on library homepage, Posterous blog are all used.

Facebook is probably the most useful for this, followed by Twitter.

Prefer personal contacts (visits, telephone calls, e-mails) with faculty, students and donors. Social media seems a passive way to convey information.

whatever students use

Twitter : for info-tainment, to keep stats healthy. Also helpful to tap into current events quickly to plug our own programs (i.e. When Rohinton Mistry's book got banned at his alma mater, we were able to post on twitter linking the story back to our finding aid of his papers). Blogs : for more substantial events Online exhibits : for more developed content.

Facebook might be used. Twitter is used.

RSS feeds, blogs, Facebook, Twitter

Facebook, Twitter.

Email and posters is still likely more effective.

If the strategic plan calls for it, it will be looked at and done.

blogs

there are very few students or faculty following our twitter feeds and other social media initiatives. mostly other libraries or other campus groups are following. Students have flat out told me that they think it is inappropriate for us to be in thier social spaces.

Twitter, IM

Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, wikis, blogs, IM, Flickr

Using newsfeeds and blogging. Maybe twitter.

twitter

Facebook; blogs, twitter

It's not about the tools, it's about the messages. Library signage, listservs, emails, presentations, etc. are all just as effective as social media. It's not about the technology. It's about the message and the service.

We're using some of these things now, but my research with faculty and students indicates they're not reading what we're putting out.

Blogs, RSS feeds

Twitter, blogs, other RSS feeds.

All the tools previously mentioned: twitter, facebook, blogs, wikis....

Most faculty still only use email. Students send text messages,so perhaps social media is a better fit. You need to ask students directly.

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Facebook

FB ads, twitter

mobile phone apps

Blogs, twitter

Facebook I think

I have seen Twitter used to great effect for this sort of thing. Email and posters are the main ways we do this sort of thing right now - probably not the most effective.

Posterous, in-house news and events software, twitter and facebook.

I use e-mail to target specific groups for promoting workshops.

Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, RSS from library web site are currently used by the library.

5) How likely are you to want to adopt social media (now or in the future) in order to take advantage of the following benefits in your work?

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b) Creating new knowledge objects (e.g., video, audio, online tutorials)(5) How likely are you to want to adopt social media (now or in the future) in order to take advantage of the following benefits in your work?)

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c) Downloading free, open source software (as opposed to buying software)(5) How likely are you to want to adopt social media (now or in the future) in order to take advantage of the following benefits in your work?)

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d) Peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing of information, anytime(5) How likely are you to want to adopt social media (now or in the future) in order to take advantage of the following benefits in your work?)

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e) Learning new information skills (e.g., media literacy)(5) How likely are you to want to adopt social media (now or in the future) in order to take advantage of the following benefits in your work?)

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f) The "Network Effect" (networking with other librarians, building contacts)(5) How likely are you to want to adopt social media (now or in the future) in order to take advantage of the following benefits in your work?)

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Comments:

Comments:

I prefer meeting people face to face

I'm interested in the use of social media but either don't know much about a specific 'tool' (ie: cloud computing) or am hesitant that believe that students want us in their social media.

I am not allowed to download software on my work computer.

Already doing many of these things. I use OpenOffice and other free software exclusively at home. Much of my reluctance to use other products at work stems from no one making a damn decision about which technology to use, so everyone is using something different. Social media

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needs to reach a tipping point for usage in the corporate sphere.

Already do all these things

As for P2P, I'd like to explore this more, but it is blocked on campus. This issue needs to get more attention because there are many interesting P2P options that could be of interest for libraries.

We aren't allowed to download software to our computers without assistance from our IT department.

My library as an institution uses open source software, which is the reason I gave that one an 'extremely likely' rating. My work is more related to management than front-line librarianship which is why "creating new knowledge objects" has a not at all likely (it's just not really part of my job). I'm not really sure what d, e & f would look like so they got rated in the middle since there was no "don't know" option.

I already use all of these media in my daily work.

Some of these e.g. a and d depend on what my Systems Dept. will allow!

I am an archivist so this will depend somewhat on how my colleagues pick these tools up.

-the issue of limited interest is more around time pressures than lack of interest -- there is so much work to be done that there isn't time to investigate new ways of doing the work.

I'm not sure if you meant "you" as in, me personally, or "you", my institution. I answered for myself. I'm not sure where my institution would stand on some issues, i.e. open-source software.

I think if we're not open enough to do everything suggested in question 5, our profession will probably die.

I do create online tutorials using Captivate software. I am unsure how this qualifies as social media - they are somewhat interactive but not collaborative. I am unclear how email is different in practice from p2p technology - I recognize the architecture differs, but I fail to see how this is important in the context of communicating.

I am concerned about the privacy implications of cloud computing (I don't want my documents to reside on a corporate server (and especially not on a server in the U.S.). I am keen on open source software but do not see how this is related to social media.

Peculiar question. Most of the software and infrastructure at my library is controlled by Systems dept. I have to download new tools at home in order to test them. I've been networking with other librarians in many ways all my working life. Ditto learning new info skills.

Downloading software and sharing information has been relatively easy to do for me with very limited use of social media, but that may change!

I believe that my current means of accomplishing these objectives are working well. Willing to learn, but need to see benefit before committing the time to learn thoroughly.

I am retiring in July 2011 so my "professional future" is short

I'm likely to use any of the above although it hinges on the in person contacts I have.

In an ideal world we would have toime for all of these new "structures".

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The only thing I don't see a place for is P2P. I'd love to see libraries build something using P2P conceptually, but I struggle to see just what that would be. We're institutions; our peers are other libraries, not patrons. We have structures to support info distribution, we don't really need the uncertainty of P2P. I'm not anti-P2P by any means, I just don't think it really fits into our profile at present. I'd love to see something that did.

My concern about cloud computing deals with privacy issues. Not wild about having 3rd party users, including various governments, have access to my data: http://epic.org/privacy/cloudcomputing/

we have to justify downloading any software, which puts a big damper on downloading something and trying it out

[our library] doesn't like cloud computing since it exposes us to Patriot Act legislation in the US.

I think that all this technology is moving too fast to truly incorporate or "adopt" -- we are just entering a mid-youth period of the Interweb and my feeling is that all of these tools are really quite adolescent -- not what they will be in the future and with a lot of growing up to do. In a research library, my ability to reach the largest possible number of users is generally through video, the web site, and email marketing.

Sharing is the best, but not having a home system is a HUGE disaster when it goes down, and it happens. Then serve 26,000 students with a company that has US thanksgiving and nobody is there. It has happened to me. Not again if I can help it.

That's where we're heading as a profession and in particular, that's where I see archives staying relevant. We need to be bridging the tech gap between archival documentation and potential users.

these would be tools for teaching or collaborting with colleagues

The questions about networking, sharing, creating new, etc. seem to assume that this isn't being done OR cannot be done without the "new" social media. Good communication is an ongoing skill, regardless of the tools.

Our IT system does not allow us to download any software directly, so as an individual librarian I am unlikely to so do at work.

If I only had an app that stopped time for a while...

I should be doing more of this, but do not have the time.

Very likely to adopt free non-library tools as they become available, e.g. Skype, Google Docs, etc.

6) Where would you put the following statements from 'not a priority' to a 'very high priority' in terms of how academic librarians in general should utilize social media?

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a) Librarians should have some basic knowledge of the major social media tools(6) Where would you put the following statements from 'not a priority' to a 'very high priority' in terms of how academic librarians in general should utilize social media?)

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b) Librarians should know where social media fits into scholarly communication(6) Where would you put the following statements from 'not a priority' to a 'very high priority' in terms of how academic librarians in general should utilize social media?)

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c) Librarians should be aware of the pros and cons of using social media(6) Where would you put the following statements from 'not a priority' to a 'very high priority' in terms of how academic librarians in general should utilize social media?)

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d) Each academic library should appoint one librarian to manage all social media(6) Where would you put the following statements from 'not a priority' to a 'very high priority' in terms of how academic librarians in general should utilize social media?)

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e) Librarians should be able to advise faculty about copyright issues in social media(6) Where would you put the following statements from 'not a priority' to a 'very high priority' in terms of how academic librarians in general should utilize social media?)

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Comments:

Comments:

For the statement about pros and cons - there should be a degree of experimentation in social media tools. If librarians get caught up in the pros/cons they won’t take chances. We need to take chances and assess but chances have to be taken first!

6d - all librarians should be involved not just one librarian assigned to it.

In my liaison area, faculty do not use social media for scholarly communication so I don't think this should be a high/very high priority. I don't think it's useful to have one librarian to manage social media. I think that creates a ghettoization of social media. And it also can create a situation

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where the rest of us don't need to learn about these tools because there's an "expert" on staff.

I don't think only one librarian should manage social media; I suppose I say that coming from a large system. It's okay to have a team approach to social media.

I don't believe social media should fall to one person - the most effective use of social media occurs when staff from all parts of the library contribute to the account and make it useful for students/faculty.

more than one librarian should manage social media

All librarians should have a working knowledge of social media. A designated librarian for social media is not necessary, but rather a librarian for marketing, student communications, etc. Social media should be one of several tools used for communication.

I don't think academic libraries should appoint one librarian to manage social media because I think we all should be doing it. eg. Facebook, I should communicate with faculty and staff in my subject areas through FB, not have some designated "Facebook librarian" who they don't know otherwise try to talk to them.

Branch libraries have a need to manage their own social media as they have a different audience and priorities

Agree with all but not that every library should appoint one person to manage all social media. I think it should be more distributed since if one person manages it people tend to think they don't need to know about it, and they do. We have a group that coordinates social media, and various people are responsible for various things, which I think is a better idea.

Item d) libraries should make appointments for this, but not necessarily just one appointment.

I am the current manager of our social media pages. I am thinking of asking a Library Technician to support my role to get more people in the Library involved.

Copyright is a big issue all over campus right now, with faculty doing all sorts of semi-illegal or downright illegal things.

i'm not sure i see a blanket statement like "librarians should ... " as being appropriate. in an academic environment, how someone does her job is determined by the person. academic libraries should not appoint only one person to take care of social media. that is counter to the movement

only ONE of the priorities I have and not the most important

Managing social media should be the responsibility of multiple librarians, not one person - use of social media often involves collaboration anyway.

professional identity is important - i am not sure i want one person to manage my professional persona. there should be some wording around the library's direction or use of social media in respect to the organization's goals but not my professional interests or how i choose to express them

Re: d/e - there are many approaches that could be taken to address these needs. It's not black and white.

Don't really want to 'own' copyright issue on campus. Negative image for libraries to be in the

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policing/chastizing role.

I have a problem with the d) statement above in question 6 because I think ALL librarians should know how to manage social media. I do not see how you can be an effective and efficient academic librarian if you just have "some basic knowledge of the major social media tools" and just one person in a workplace in the social media tools "knowledge holder".

I would be great if more than one librarian in each unit would have the time to manage social media so that they could be more fluid with it. As far as copyright goes, I think librarians should know the basics, but we aren't lawyers, so I believe in referring patrons to those more knowledgeable in the library and to the copyright act and amendments themselves.

I think all librarians should manage social media...not just one. As a librarian, I am still don't understand (fully) copyright issues and laws. Is it really our duty / part of our profession? I think this is where libraries can appoint one librarian to advise faculty about copyright.

I think copyright is a thorny issue that librarians should leave up to politicians and legal experts. With all of the hoopla and confusion surrounding the state of copyright in Canada, librarians would be hard pressed to know enough and are probably better off not advising anyone about it. This issue makes me very uncomfortable and I usually refer students and faculty to our student copyright office.

I like the idea of each library having a librarian whose role is to promote social media. They would help encourage all of the librarians and staff to use these new tools. In a smaller way [ snip] we have been sharing through the Tools for Outreach and Teaching Series (TOTS) -- each person who is exploring an emerging technology has a forum for sharing with their colleagues and having a open conversation about perceived usefulness of the technology.

In libraries with low interest perhaps one person could be appointed but I also think that many might be interested and want to contribute!

I see our group using these tools more frequently in the future. More training wkshps would be welcome, though I find experimenting on my own, at home can be interesting and speed up the process of learning how to to pick up these tools.

Advising faculty about copyright issues is courteous, as long as they understand we are not supposed to be providing legal advice

I don't understand this question. Do you mean (a) is this a priority for me, or (b)do I think it is a priority for librarians in general, or (c) do I think it should be a priority for librarians in general? Since the statements already say "should..." then perhaps a clearer question would be "don't agree, strongly agree, etc) I agree with statements a, b, c, and e. I don't agree with statement d.

I think it is a priority for librarians to have basic knowledge of a lot of different technologies but I do not think it is a priority for librarians to actually engage in all the technologies they know about - including social media technologies. Like anything we use or do at work, I think that those who want to make it a priority for themselves or who are willing to take it on and make it an organizational priority AND WHO CAN PROVE ITS USEFULNESS TO THE LIBRARY'S MISSION AND FULFILLMENT OF STRATEGIC GOALS, should do so. We all have interests and expertises that can benefit our organization. However, I think many technologies, including social media, lend themselves to a lot of "play." Unless we can prove the usefulness of the technology and its lasting benefit to Library users (as we should with any and all initiatives we undertake at our

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Libraries) - social media becomes a waste of time and resources ($$ and people time).

I'm not convince about "Each academic library should appoint one librarian to manage all social media". That's like saying that we should only have one person who uses the telephone. If by "manage", we mean "encourage everybody else", then I concur.

we now offer a Creative Commons course

Librarians should also adopt a critical stance in relation to the implications of social media: privacy, ownership, copyright. IMHO librarians tend to be too uncritical in relation to new technology. By that I don't mean "too positive"; I mean "too unquestioning."

not sure about appointing ONE person; prefer more distributed approach

appointing one person to manage all social media defeats the purpose of having everyone up to date and on par, and domination of control may take place.

I think you should have had some Don't Know options in these questions.

No one person should be appointed - everyone should play a part, get familiar with the tools, play and experiment with them, where they can.

I think social media is not yet part of everyday work flow or immediate tasks for most librarians. The librarians who do use social media to communicate with faculty and students show by example how successful it can be. It would help libraries to appoint one librarian to manage all social media and train others. It would also help to have a coherent policy towards social media use in libraries and set standards for its use.

All academic librarians should be aware and knowledgable. For d), one librarian might be appointed to lead training and spearhead initiatives, but I don't think that is the same as "managing social media"

I think all academic librarians should have some knowledge of social media, and how they can be used/abused in an academic setting. Having only 1 person responsible for social media keeps it compartmentalized -- all librarians should be able to consider if social media use is relevant for their work.

I worked with two colleagues to introduce library staff to various 'web 2.0' projects... flickr, delicious, blogs... about 2 years ago. this project was very successful and helped to ensure that our staff/librarians had at least a base understanding of what these services were, how to use them...this wasn't merely a presentation... this was a highly interactive 'project-based' examination of these services where we gave staff tasks to complete and asked them to use these various services. "taste 2.0"

d and e are good ideas that I had not considered.

re: question d) I think it's useful to have someone dedicated to managing social media in terms of learning about it/encouraging others to learn it, etc., but it's not a top-down kind of thing. Everyone should be using it, and with a lot of freedom re: what how they use it.

not really sure what responsibility a librarian has for understanding and interpreting copyright law.

I'd really rather NOT have one librarian manage all social media. That's not very authentic. I'd

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rather see it spread, maybe with a guardian who helps. But I think a whole library that communicates is better than PR driven by one person. Social media is social!

I think all librarians should be involved in social networking initiatives and the "guidance" should come from the web librarian or communications expert.

Social media should NOT be given to just one person at the library; everyone should be competent and incorporate social media tools into their work;

I think social media is something that all currently practicing librarians should know about; I'm not convinced that every institution needs a social media specialist and would rather see that knowledge/expertise spread throughout.

I don't think "one librarian" cuts it; it's our responsibility to stay abreast of these trends to understand when to and when not to employ them.

It is definitely not a priority for librarians to be able to 'advise' faculty, but it would definitely be a priority for librarians to be familiar with copyright issues. We should not be aiming to be the legal experts, but should be aiming to be informed about the complex issues around copyright.

Regarding d), - it should not be one librarian who manages all social media. All librarians or the majority of librarians should be proficient in managing social media and support one another in the appropriate and effective use of social media.

I don't think one librarian should be appointed to manage all social media, I think all librarians should be able to contribute, but perhaps one should lead the project.

for d) I answered "moderate" in absence of a better way to express that I think more than one person needs to be assigned to this task

Regarding 6d, I would prefer to see all librarians skilled and participating in social media.

I answered "not a priority" to statement d as I would NOT limit to one librarian to manage!

E is very important.

We should all be fluent in a basic understanding of this, the idea of appointing one librarian is a bad idea.

One librarian always a bad idea in a big institution. 2 or 1 with backup. Facebook goes down and your librarian is hiking in Patagonia. Then what for 2 weeks?

having one librarian to manage social networking seems contradictory

I think d) above should have read "at least one librarian"

depends very much on the social media you're talking about

not sure if one librarian should manage social media, all librarians should participate as they see fit, perhaps have a communications & outreach person who would be responsible for more library-wide usage

I'm almost retired, but I am sure that in the future, social media will play a bigger role than it does now. So, for younger librarians, I do believe that it is important to learn and use. But not to dedicate a whole person just for that. It should be like word processing - everyone should learn.

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Basic knowledge: absolutely. One librarian for all social media? Heck no! People most knowledgable about topics should develop their own content. You wouldn't designate one faculty to write a department's conference proposals would you? I would however advocate the designation of one librarian who can be the 'go-to' person re. social media. The same with copyright for faculty. This is where PP's developed on a department/campus-wide level can be helpful.

Re: d), I think everyone should be aware, not make it one person's responsibility. It's supposed to be social, not an individual effort!

All librarians and staff should be conversant on social media. As such, appointing a point person is counter-intuitive and would be like trying to contain the web.

item d: "Each academic library should appoint one librarian to manage all social media" might not work well at some of the larger institutions, but librarians should definitely be actively managing their library's presence.

This question is difficult to answer because I think social media are tools that should be on the radar fo libraries, they are not one of they high priorities in my particular area. Furthermore, (d) presupposes one particular model for introducing or managing social media I'm libraries. Answering "not a priority" suggests an opposition to use of social media where there may be none.

Regarding (D), social media is too important and *pervasive* to merely appoint one librarian to "take care of it". That's like saying we'll put one librarian in charge of using MS Word.

Social media is not something that should be dedicated to one individual to lead (ie. emerging tech librarian) but something that all librarians should know.

Centralization of social media management in one person would conflict with the liaison role of communicating directly with faculty.

I think all academic libraries should have one primary communications officer responsible for social media coordination but every librarian should have a hand in maintaining the currency of each access point.

All academic librarians should be aware of how faculty/researchers/students use social media in their research and publication processes. One librarian could be appointed to oversee *the library's* use of social media, including staff development, but knowledge and use should not be centralized.

7) How accurate are the following statements in reflecting your views of using social media at work?

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a) My colleagues are a major influence in my decision to use social media(7) How accurate are the following statements in reflecting your views of using social media at work?)

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b) My experience is that social media is simple to use(7) How accurate are the following statements in reflecting your views of using social media at work?)

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c) Most social media is a distraction to me(7) How accurate are the following statements in reflecting your views of using social media at work?)

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d) I have resisted pressure to use social media(7) How accurate are the following statements in reflecting your views of using social media at work?)

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e) My supervisor encourages me to use social media(7) How accurate are the following statements in reflecting your views of using social media at work?)

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f) I am too busy to learn how to use social media(7) How accurate are the following statements in reflecting your views of using social media at work?)

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Comments:

The majority of my engaging in social media is on my personal time which I will then implement into my work.

As useful as some social media can be, there's no denying that some tools can be distracting.

Yeah I'm busy (who isn't?) but I need to be and know where the information is being discussed. And that's in social media. I need students about the importance of knowing what's going on with brands, companies, key players in industry, etc.(for business research); at the very least, find out if a company even has a social media profile/strategy, etc. Wait maybe you're going to ask me about whether or not I talk about this stuff with students...jumping the gun. oops.

Some social media tools I find distracting, just so much blather with no content. However others I find extremely useful.

"too busy" to learn anything new is a cop out! social media is simply another way to communicate in a job that is all about communication. We connect people to information. The format of the information should be irrelevant.

I would like to use social media more than currently but it's hard to find the time to learn. Would

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like to know more about how these tools can be used in an academic setting but have to learn on my own

people who say they are too busy are making excuses. we all make time to do things we think are priorities.

While 'disruptive technology' has been widely lauded, one thing it has succeeded in disrupting is reflective reading (and the time do it).

We tend not to jump on the band wagon right away. Sometimes I worry this will leave us in the wake BUT it does seem to work to our benefit. Why take on something new if you don't need it at that moment?

I consider it to be my job to understand trends like social media, and anything similar that comes along in the future.

Use social media along with a gazillion other ways I reach students

I learned to use it first for non-academic purposes and saw the advantages of connecting to our users and colleagues.

If it weren't for my profession/job, I may not have signed up for any social media accounts (twitter, Facebook, Delicious, etc.) I try out a lot of social media just to see what it's like, and whether it will be useful in my job.

g) I have witnessed colleagues waste time on social media when they should be working: accurate

I learn from my colleagues - they are a positive influence. There is a learning curve to everything and social media is rapidly changing. Time is precious - more support to use social media would be welcome.

My supervisor has no idea whatsoever about social media - wouldn't know what to encourage me to use. No clue. Nada.

I'd like to try more but trends come and go so quickly.

My supervisor would never suggest social media to me, but is supportive when I bring the ideas of using social media in the context of promoting the academic library to our various user populations. I always need to start the conversation, and take a very active leadership role in using social media in our library.

I am so invested in social media, I'm not sure I could do my job without it. I sometimes wish supervisor, employer and colleagues took the time to understand social media's potential, but perhaps it's better for me if they don't. I'd have to think about that.

We're all busy, but we need to make strategic choices about what we learn and how we spend our professional development time. I think learning more about social media is a good investment in my time and provides value to the services I offer students and faculty.

I definitely notice myself reading a lot of irrelevant things on Twitter but the nice thing about being a librarian is that you never know when you'll need that knowledge!

d) is very confusing

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I know how to use it and it is often very easy to use but unless it has a clear advantage over other technolgies or forms of communication, I find it more of a distraction than anything.

With respect to 7f, some forms of social media are not worth my time but other forms of social media are definitely worth my time to learn.

I think most social media is fairly intuitive for users, as long as they get the basic concept behind a particular service.

Some of my colleagues are very enthusiastic about social media and others are not aware of it or do not see it as essential to what they do. Once social media becomes embedded or integral in day to day work tasks (like email has become) it will be easier to adopt wholesale.

Social media are not all equal. Some are just distractions and some have academic value. Academic librarians should be knowledgable about all types (even if not daily users) so as to be able to distinguish those media with educational potential.

I have been somewhat resistant to learning more about social media because there hasn't been much application for my particular library work. The way Facebook and Twitter are being used to follow individuals' every action is not appealing to me, but I do see possibilities in terms of getting news/information out to people quickly.

Regarding b: it's only simple if I understand the overall purpose of the SM. That's not always readily apparent.

Not that important in my role although I see its importance for the Library as a whole. I am approaching retirement and am less enthusiastic about learning to use social media than I would have been earlier in my career.

I think there is too much pressure to be familiar with all the different types of social media--it's easier and more effected to focus on a few.

Again it depends. If the tool is effective and efficient I'm prepared to put in the effort to learn and will naturally use it.

Hate the "too busy" cop out.

It depends on what "social media' application is referred to.

If I found social media to be valuable I would make the time to learn it and use it.

c) Sometimes it is a distraction to me. 5 - point likert (strongly disagree - strongly agree with a N/A)may have been a better measure for this question rather than a scale of accuracy.

I have encountered resistance to my use of social media at work. For example - I have been prohibited from adding the URL for my professional blog to my contact information on the library website.

I am too busy...period!

I would LOVE to learn more about using social media @ work - it's a matter of MAKING the time, including STOP doing some other activities but .... stop doing what? Almost everything I do is a CORE activity; if I could 'give-up' managing, administering, supervising, 'trouble-shooting' non-public service isseues -- I would love it as it would create work-time to learn how to use social media & incorporate into reference, teaching, liaison, outreach, marketing, promotion, etc.

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aspects of my job!

I was ont of the first one in my previous job to use Facebook to track the number of students that were using this social network and how the number of students invreased significantly over the years (my first experience with facebook was 4 years ago)

It's not hard to learn social media, there just has to be good justification for it from the point of view of efficiency or effectiveness.

Second life was miserable on a Mac. Facebook constantly changes. We get Baby courses, like how to logon. Face it, you Facebook all day, how does that look to your boss?

Time is definitely a factor in learning to use and continuing to use technology and new technologies. We are fortunate in our setting to have colleagues who are willing to try lots of new technologies, report on their use and make suggestions about which can be most useful for the rest of us in our work.

I use it a great deal, at present not as part of my work

I use various forms of social media because it is useful, it gathers popular viewers (even if their engagement is very shallow), it bumps up statistics, it can communicate and contact new networks of donors/users/supporters and it inserts academic libraries into mainstream relevance. However, it *is* distracting, it can take up a lot of time, and often the quality and depth of the writing can be less than desired.

Am perhaps too busy to figure out how to incorporate social media widgets into subject guides, alternatives to lectures etc. Better incorporate as opposed to "separate" tool.

There are other reasons besides "busy" as to why I haven't learned to use Twitter, for example!!

I am too busy to do many things but I do find time to use social media

If you're too busy to learn how to use important tools, then you're not setting your priorities correctly.

I already have lots of students and faculty contacting me, probably much more than most colleagues, so I don't see the need as much as them.

While I do like using social media, I am often too busy to take the time to learn how to use it more strategically/effectively for professional purposes.

Learning social media happens naturally: if others are using, you must also use in order to be involved. I make judgments about which forms of social media are worth my time to use.

8) How accurate are the following statements in reflecting your library's acceptance (or non-acceptance) of social media?

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a) In general, my library supports the use of social media(8) How accurate are the following statements in reflecting your library's acceptance (or non-acceptance) of social media?)

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b) My colleagues see more positives in using social media than negatives(8) How accurate are the following statements in reflecting your library's acceptance (or non-acceptance) of social media?)

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c) Social media is compatible with other technologies we use in my library(8) How accurate are the following statements in reflecting your library's acceptance (or non-acceptance) of social media?)

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d) We are more concerned about protecting our privacy than using social media(8) How accurate are the following statements in reflecting your library's acceptance (or non-acceptance) of social media?)

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e) Social media is an improvement over older tools (e.g., listservs, e-mail)(8) How accurate are the following statements in reflecting your library's acceptance (or non-acceptance) of social media?)

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f) Our approach to social media is to 'proceed with caution'(8) How accurate are the following statements in reflecting your library's acceptance (or non-acceptance) of social media?)

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Comments:

Comments:

Interesting - those of us "on the ground" are VERY interested in using social media. I'm not sure that our library administration knows much about it and appear very wary.

Our library promotes the use of social media, but implementation is either slow or unannounced.

Library management supports social media, but my immediate supervisors do not. I think many of my colleagues are wary of social media, some won't even put their pictures online. As for whether social media is an improvement over older tools, it depends on what you're trying to accomplish.

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I think we just need to be careful what we say. A) We don't want to put up sensitive information which requires more than 140 characters to accurately report and B) We don't want to overwhelm people with information waste for the sake of using our social media outlets.

All the faculty in Medicine, Pharmacy, Med Rehab, and Dentistry still rely on emails and listservs. So we can't give those up. I see social media as like adding other channels on which you can reach people. Not something that has made previous communication forms defunct (like T.V. was supposed to replace radio and the Internet is supposed to replace T.V.)

I'm sad that administration and also many colleagues have no interest in learning about or using social media. They tend to think it's like a game and trendy, and not useful in professional settings. :(

I think there are pockets of social media users in the library but the upper echelon of the library is a bit media un-savvy.

Fearfulness characterizes many of my colleagues' approach.

There is a definite generational divide when it comes to how the usefulness of social media is perceived. Actually, more accurately, newer librarians, regardless of age seem to be more open to the use of social media than those nearing the end or their careers.

we don't have a unified vision of this issue so it is difficult to respond to these questions.

Using social media means being innovative and taking risks - but it might lead to great improvements in service. We will never know if we don't try it!

There is no concerted push towards social media at our institution. Use just evolves. There is no plan.

e) every tool has valid purposes including older ones

At my institution, the approach is not to proceed at all - every social media initiative is the work of an individual or group. There is no plan, no strategy, no cohesion, no sharing, no training, no support.

I'm actually not clear on if we even have a strategy for how to use social media, or if units just decide ad hoc.

Very old school here. Top brass a bit out of touch and don't really participate. IT is also holding back alot of creativity in this area...stifling it in fact. I think they'd all like us to use the library catalogue in monochrome and wordperfect 5.1 to print out communication to each other.

I would say that many of my colleagues are personal and professionalo users of social media - some heavily so. My Library is very accepting of the use of social media in our work but does not go out of its way to encourage or demand its use. We use a lot of the older technolgies extensively for internal communication still and I would say that we use the social media technologies more for external communication and marketing.

I think social media will have a tough time beating email for communication, simply because email is so familiar. My experience has been that most document sharing tools are woefully underused despite best intentions from all involved.

I have been working in my current position for less than a month but this is my view on my

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library's attitude towards social media.

Our university has policies in place regarding mass communication -- for instance, mass emailings are very restricted. The Library has been exploring some forms of social media, and has certainly found some, such as instant messaging, to have some use. But many of the social media technologies were developed for purposes very far from library uses, and I think we therefore do need to think about what areas we want to explore.

older tools still have their place... eg... not all patrons use twitter... more use email... so offering library news via various methods (twitter, rss, email subscription) lets you get your updates to your diverse audience.

Social media is not used or well understood by senior librarians.

It depends on the circumstances. Always use the best tool for the job and many social media tools are not appropriate for the work that I do.

there is no "don't know" option

We use LibGuides, which have nice integration with some web2.0 apps like Twitter and Meebo.

Regarding b), - it can be time consuming, this needs to be recognized by all involved. Regarding d), - we are concerned about protecting privacy. Regarding e), - it may not always be an improvement over other tools, they are just different and it helps to know the various tools and how they can be used to determine which tool is the most appropriate one to use for each situation. Regarding f), - even though our library supports social media, as a group we still evaluate the technologies and determine if a candidate technology is going to meet our needs, rather than just adopting all social media.

E-mail still remains the primary communication tool in my library, by far.

I answered 'neutral' to e because the older tools were so-o-o easy to use.

At this point, we are using too many tools - both traditional methods (newsletters, listservs, mass email) and social media - I /hope think at some point we will be able to use only a few avenues.

MY approach to social media is to 'proceed with caution'

Too much caution usually.

There is much fear and "wait and see" behaviour around here.

f) I can't say "our", but I would say "my" approach. I can't spend time learning something that will be gone in a few months.

We take a critical approach to implementing social media to see ones best fit our needs and goals.

The library as a whole has embraced social media.

9) How accurate are the following statements in reflecting your intention to use (or not use) social media in the future?

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a) I want to deepen my knowledge of social media in the future(9) How accurate are the following statements in reflecting your intention to use (or not use) social media in the future?)

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b) I'll wait to use social media until it's more accepted by faculty(9) How accurate are the following statements in reflecting your intention to use (or not use) social media in the future?)

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c) I'm worried about the many risks associated with using social media(9) How accurate are the following statements in reflecting your intention to use (or not use) social media in the future?)

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d) I find it difficult to evaluate social media for use in my work(9) How accurate are the following statements in reflecting your intention to use (or not use) social media in the future?)

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e) My use of social media will depend on my users' demands for it(9) How accurate are the following statements in reflecting your intention to use (or not use) social media in the future?)

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Comments:

(b): Some faculty will never accept new technologies. I am more concerned with students who are major users of social media.

I do not strive to use social media. I simply use what tools are available to access information and communicate with others. However, I do like to try new tools to see if they can help me in my work.

Users' demands have to trump everything else. There is no point having a Twitter account if your users don't give a damn. On the other hand, how will you know if you haven't tried?

we are somewhat cautious in our use at work--we feel social media is useful and want to participate, but don't want to put lots of time and effort into something unless there is at least some interest from users and we can maintain it.

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Item c) -- don't understand role of word "more", so have responded as if it was omitted.

I'm always ready to try new things in my use of social media because I believe in trying things before judging them. Before I used twitter I was skeptical of its benefits but now I love it and use it all the time (more for monitoring than for posting).

time demands at work and at home; and the stability of the specific social media are important factors to how I increase my use of social media, as well as my intentions

i don't use social media for my users - i use it for my career development

Judgment must be used to prevent wasting a lot of time and using it enough to be helpful to my work

e) I believe if they build it they will come.

I try to anticipate users' demands which means a lot of trend watching.

I'm proud to be a bleeding edge adopter. I do wish my employer gave me more support - financially and time-wise - to pursue my interest more fully. Right now I have to buy new tech myself and find the time to explore and learn new things in an already busy work day.

RE: e) my users' demands. I find that through using social media I am able to inform my users about their potential uses. (eg. wikis and chat). I think we role to be leaders in this area and not just follow our users current demands for it.

I don't want to waste too much time on things my students won't use (for example twitter) but they still have value to me so I try to find a balance.

not a necessity in my work

I think my use of social media is very tied to user demand for it and internal pressure to use it. I personally don't enjoy using it but would use it if it became the standard for internal communication at my Library or if my users demanded I use it to communicate or particpate in something with them. My perception from our users, however, is that they don't want us in their "personal" space. I'd be invited to particpate as an individual, perhaps, but not on behalf of my Library.

It is more whether or not the students want us in their social media spaces -- anecdotal experience implies NOT! And in the experience of some of our faculty, it can lead to inappropriate boundary issues.

Most of my faculty are not interested in social media: their lives and schedules are too busy to keep up with the constant influx and promise of new products, spending their time teaching and researching instead.

I have not had much chance of exploring the use of social media at my library. Other librarians have taken the initiative in the use of social media and some librarians contribute to efforts at the adoption of social media in the library (writing blog posts, for example), but others don't. I personally have not made it a priority for myself, although I recognize its importance, and am waiting for it to become necessary to how we do work or provide service to our users. Other methods of communication (email, listservs) are still more widespread so it doesn't seem necessary yet. The most important news at my library is still communicated by listserv among staff although we have a staff reference blog that we could also use to pass on news.

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My experience has been that I am more knowledgable about social media than the faculty members with whom I work, and as a consequence they expect leadership and guidance from me (and the library) on the use of social media in their course assignments

There is generally no point in developing skills you won't use, so I'm unlikely to learn more about social media unless I see a use. However, if I do see a use, I'm very wiling to try new things.

I've created a campus map using google map and imported it as a kmz file into tomtom's map share program. This took me about 1 hour, yet now allows visitors to campus to use their GPS device/smart phone to navigate campus.

I think part e) is very important--often I feel that librarians are too quick to jump on the bandwagon and we do so without considering the effect or usefulness of the tool.

Just want/need time to try/learn/use etc. Already work too many hours.

e) is unclear to me. Do you mean that my use of social media is limited to, defined by, or independent of users' demands? Anyways, I try to be one step ahead and surprise them with new, useful and relevant social media.

my role is managerial/administrative and so the direct application of social media for me is not to reach users directly but to create networks that help me in my work, find the mix between personal and professional hard to navigate in an efficient way

I'm ready to try new things, but should stress that being open to new things doesn't mean uncritically embracing the use of social media.

Should anticipate user needs, not wait for demand.

We definitely cannot wait for faculty to adopt social media before using it ourselves...that will take a LONG time!

I use social media when it helps accomplish what I need done.

10) To use social media more effectively in the future, how much of a priority do you think the following library supports are from not a priority to a very high priority?

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a) Clearly-written library policies or guidance(10) To use social media more effectively in the future, how much of a priority do you think the following library supports are from not a priority to a very high priority?)

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b) In-house library workshops and courses for staff(10) To use social media more effectively in the future, how much of a priority do you think the following library supports are from not a priority to a very high priority?)

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c) Professional development opportunities (e.g., conferences, seminars)(10) To use social media more effectively in the future, how much of a priority do you think the following library supports are from not a priority to a very high priority?)

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d) Strategic planning (e.g., short or long-term library strategies?)(10) To use social media more effectively in the future, how much of a priority do you think the following library supports are from not a priority to a very high priority?)

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e) Systems infrastructure (e.g., adequate speed, support, flexibility)(10) To use social media more effectively in the future, how much of a priority do you think the following library supports are from not a priority to a very high priority?)

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f) Technical services (e.g., book rating tools; tagging catalogue items)(10) To use social media more effectively in the future, how much of a priority do you think the following library supports are from not a priority to a very high priority?)

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g) Web development (e.g., linking to social media on library websites)(10) To use social media more effectively in the future, how much of a priority do you think the following library supports are from not a priority to a very high priority?)

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11a) What are your overall impressions of using social media in academic libraries?

11a) What are your overall impressions of using social media in academic libraries?

Does using social media qualify academic librarians for tenure and promotion as scholarship, even if only a small percentage of the time devoted to it is done as part of a librarian's responsibilities (requiring exercise of professional expertise or practice)?

There may be a generational issue at some libraries where individuals find social media as something which is outside of librarianship. Most negative comments about the use of social media that I have come across deal more with the question of "I don't understand" rather than "I don't think this is valuable." However, because of the lack of understanding, it turns into a question of value.

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Students use social media for social reasons - not for academic research purposes. The "we have to meet them where they are" mentality is flawed. Trying to reach them in this way looks foolish/misguided to students. It is akin to a parent trying to be "cool" or "hip" by hanging out with their kids. It may appear like a good idea to the parents but kids are not interested in the interaction in that context.

inefficient use of staff time; loathing of people who need to jump of the bandwagon

Poor ROI.

Social media is an excellent way to reach our users and the wider community. It also helps us stay aware of new developments in our profession, and collaborate on team projects.

Sometimes I get the impression that there is pressure to get on the social media bandwagon for academic libraries--for example, creating Facebook pages. However, as you've broadly defined social media in this survey to include various collaborative tools, I think using social media tools to foster collaboration among academic librarians and academic library staff is probably it's greatest use in academic libraries rather than getting fans to a FB page.

not a priority with administration.

I think it is essential that academic libraries embrace and utilize social media in order to remain relevant and accessible to users who are relying more and more on these new technologies.

Careful not to mix library/academic contact with student/faculty personal.

I see why we want to do it, but I don't know that students (and sometimes faculty) see us there or even want us there. It often feels like we're trying to hard to be hip and "come to the student" when in fact, the students don't seem to see the usefulness of social media in using OUR library.

Management is not being strong enough with their middle managers in getting them onside.

Our library system is falling behind, e.g. Facebook accounts are not being updated. Enthusiasm for new tools dies quickly and viewed more as a trend to be part of rather than everyday tools to use.

I think social media is useful, but we need a plan and strategy so it is sustainable and we offer services (like all our others) that are useful and sustainable

Have to stay current with student population, so its required.

Use is ad hoc. Sometimes useful, and sometimes just a distraction.

my students contact me through email or telephone to set up appointments. Chat reference has not taken off in my subject area, so I am hesitant to try something like twitter or facebook. I'm not convinced that students use social networking for academic/studying. My assumption is that they use social networking to get a break from studying!

Wildly varies from institution to institution - support from senior management really helps

It is crucial that the security and identity of users be protected.

It doesn't hurt and it seems to provide new ways to reach some people (mostly younger and the more technologically savvy).

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The more we use social media in our libraries the more we'll relate to our users in their terms. That will lead to better acceptance and use of academic libraries by our students...

As with anything we have early adopters and luddites - I'm of the mind that if it solves a problem or makes things easier, use it, otherwise don't waste your time on it just because it is there. Just like I wouldn't go to the hardware store to pick up an auger until I needed it - it might be a wonderfully useful tool, but why clutter up the garage?

I'm still not sure if there is a place for it yet

Many of our libraries are using social media to good effect in reaching out to staff and students.

They are useful when the feedback, results and relationships stemming from these avenues are used to change/develop day-to-day use of the library by both students and staff.

Librarians want to try them but students aren't really into friending or following their libraries or librarians.

I think it can be extremely useful and effective, but there has to be a library-wide culture that expects its use. We seem to be in the formative stages of using it - not everyone is on board but those who are end up frustrated by others' lack of interest or enagagement. Until our library develops a strong flavour, policy, or makes it a huge part of the strategic plan I think we'll be slow to adopt it completely.

I find that some of my colleagues expect training and workshops in things that can easily be self-taught. I find the excuse that things cannot be explored or adopted because there has been no formal training very frustrating. Exploring new technology or things like social media is an integral part of my job.

Useful adjunct to other tools

At this point in time it's important to be aware of the tools and desirable to experiment with them. The landscape changes so quickly, however, that I don't foresee making major investments in any one tool.

inconsistent, worthwhile, many are time consuming

is there nothing that can't be policied up? i think social networking is about being free.

There is potential for enhancing our value to students and faculty, but social media will not be as important as other forms of reaching out to our patrons.

some are further along than others; use is not widespread within a library, tends to be a few people using it

Use- don't over-use

It's fun and for the most part easy to use, however, not everyone wants to be friends with their library or librarian, therefore we need to recognize that in this moment it can not be the only way to target our users.

I use social media where I can but would probably use social media tools more if there better IT and management support.

Useful if it meets objectives in strategic plan - need to determine that it is an appropriate vehicle

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for the target audience and task; one size does not fit all, social media is not the be all and end all for all clients and task. Social media can be costly with little real return if we invest staff time and other resources in vehicle that are not apporpriate or effective for the audience or purpose intended. Like anything - requires management, evaluation and thought.

they are great tools to use to connect with colleagues and users. It also makes cross institutional committee work much easier to accomplish.

Not ready for it yet but coming. Above question is moot as we have not determined anything yet.

there are some kinds of social media (eg virtual worlds) that I am not convinced have any place in academic libraries, other tools such as wikis, blogs, IM are essential

opportunity to put a face on our services, good place to negotiate meanings beyond the classroom, we should use methods that are authentic ie reflect ourselves and the needs of our users - choose tools wisely

it's hard for big institutions to be 'nimble'

I think more assessment needs to be done into certain uses of social media to determine its usefulness before we all blindly create a Twitter account or Facebook page for our libraries. I've seen it used in ways which I would perceive to be successful and in ways which I would consider to be of no interest to our users.

More occasions for early adopters to talk to each other. Too easy at my institution for many librarians to ignore it.

It's harmless, but I'm skeptical about its effectiveness as a tool for connecting with students and faculty. Other than a few key products and platforms, I'm not convinced that use of social media among students is as widespread as many assume it is, or that academic librarians/libraries are a welcome presence in every social space.

We need to connect our use of social media directly to our user needs. We also would benefit from collecting more data on it ROI and user perceptions.

I see a lot of benefits from using social media as a communications tool, but don't feel it's as useful in providing services.

In this time of tight budgets, budget cuts and fiscal restraint within academic libraries, there is no money for professional development opportunities or conferences.

I think it has its uses and is a way of engaging with patrons. Some patrons may feel more comfortable communicating with social media tools than in person. This can result in more participation, but in my opinion, sometimes a loss vis a vis human interaction/relationship building, and in the quality of discourse. Plus, there are privacy and security concerns.

I have found my employer to be supportive as long as I am pursuing my interest on my own. I have found the institution to be somewhat inflexible in the use of social media - being more concerned with the university's "brand" or image than with using social media to greatest effect (for which an institution must be open).

Too much noise, too little payoff. A better understanding of what our users actually want/expect from academic libraries is a good starting point instead of assuming that they want to read our tweets or visit us on Facebook.

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In general I feel that academic libraries have jumped on the bandwagon of social media in an effort to connect with young students. I think this approach is misguided and ignores larger social changes that are taking place which have led to rampant grade inflation, many students enrolled in universities that have to inherent interest in post-secondary, large class sizes (and smaller, less rigorous assignments), technological changes that have made centralized control over information by the library impossible to enforce. Social media seems to me a distraction, embraced by our profession, that provides a band-aid solution of "coolness" in place of an honest assessment of the importance, and difficulty, of access to high-quality information in the digital environment.

We have an opportunity here. We can be leaders in our academic communities using and exploring social media to be where our users are, when they have an information need.

In the Music Library there does not seem to be a lot of interest from the students.

I think that some libraries are using it well. A tool for gathering and responding to library feedback, promoting workshops/events. Library use them well, in my opinion, use them in selective and focused ways.

I think we are getting there and we will get there faster when encouraged by those around us!

From a TS perspective we are at the early stages, but the PS folks are making ever great use of the opportunities. I think these tools hold great potential for staff communications, training, and information sharing, in general.

Many faculty are reluctant to use social media tools because of privacy concerns. It may be useful to adjust the terminology in order to make it suitable for a work environment. Can something other than "friends" be used in facebook? Perhaps, "colleagues" or "connection" may be perceived as more appropriate

Can be a useful additional tool. At times too much emphasis is placed on social media, can be a time-waster for some staff.

I think that sometimes using social media in libraries is of great benefit to the user but I think that fewer libraries than we think actually use it well and can prove a benefit to the user.

Some social media tools can be used effectively to help libraries achieve their objectives and to help their users, but I worry that too much time and focus is sometimes given to these tools and that more important, core services are not getting the attention they need as a result.

Mostly glitz, low on substance. Another example of pushing contentto everyone rather than targeting to specific market segments.

Social media is sometimes not evident to the user; e.g. Wordpress for announcing events.Using social media in academic libraries can open up public discourse on many topics relevant to library users.

The tools are great, however I feel that we are often more enthusiastic about incorporating them then our users are.

Everyone around here (including our patrons) are too busy and suffer from too much information overload - to be really keen to join and actively pay attention to news coming out of the library. I don't have time to monitor my feeds nor to keep our Facebook group events page

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up to date. Its a vicious cycle - if I don't keep it up to date and actively market it - then there's not enough people watching our Facebook page; if there's not enough people watching it, then it doesn't make sense to keep it up to date - if it's not up to date, then people won't watch it, etc. We also don't have sufficient buy-in from the library director, nor from faculty or students. There are also too many avenues already for advertising around here, so far we have: the Faculty of Law webpage news feed; the student portal via the University; the announcements television monitors in the law school; the student email list, Facebook, the in-library bulletin boards, the "Directed messaging system" etc. There are just too many advertising avenues for us to remember; and if we do get our advertisements up in all of these places, the students start complaining that they are getting bombarded. It's an interesting dilemma - personally, I think students prefer Social Media to stay social / personal and not professional. I know, however, that they are spending more time texting than pretty much anything else - even while in the classroom. Do we ride the wave? "when in Rome".. or do we say "please turn off all cell phones for the duration of the class if you want to get your money's worth out of this class?" I'm only 38 - but I have been leaning toward option B these days. If you can't get their attention for a millisecond - how are they ever going to learn anything!?

Although I use many of these, I think it's the "flavour of the month" in libraries. We dilute our primary mission when we get too interested in the toys rather than the substantive issues.

Our patrons do a better job in using social media than the librarians.

It is important to be selective and interact in the right space for us.

I think social media can be very useful, but it can also become a time sink; like many things in life a balanced approach is best

I experience social media as "personal" so think it works better person to person than institution to users. That is a kind of broadcast mentality (one to many). So, for example, I would rather use it as "Me the Librarian" than "Us the Library" - I don't find that it works as well.

Social media can me helpful

They are simply new tools for my toolbox. I don't see them as ends in themselves. I would adopt a tool if it helped me to advance my goals for users - helping them become independent and critical users of information to resolve their information gaps.

Lots of noise, not much productive evidence that they meet the needs of our patrons or our staff.

Use it when it fits, not just for fun's sake!

Not usually a good use of time, but can be for some. Good for those librarians who love technology and will make use of it, but is more of a toy in most circumstances for librarian techno-enthusiasts to play with, cloaked in the guise of being progressive.

Social Media is likely one more tool in a broad range of tools and skills librarians need.

I think social media is the way of the future. It is used by our users in their personal lives and in their studies. My only concern is that social media tools will be adopted simply because they are available and other libraries are experimenting with them, and then the tools will fall into disuse. This can be avoided if libraries critically analyze the benefits of a variety of social media tools for their users and do careful planning to make sure the use of social media tools is sustainable.

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In my experience, some media have proven very valuable (eg using wikis in course assignments) and some have not (eg SecondLife, Twitter). Academic librarians need to be informed and knowledgable about all current trends in information and communication, and always on the look-out for educational applications. We play a guiding role in selecting, demonstrating and recommending social media for educational use to our faculty partners.

I think that there is a future for social media in libraries, but that the best ways to use them are still being developed. Libraries should be part ofstudent and faculty lives, but how libraries can fit into the way they use social media is still in early exploration stages.

I am against using social media just to say that we are using social media -- there should be a reason for adopting a new tool or providing a new service. There are some great tools out there if they are used correctly and appropriately, but it can be very overwhelming to know what to use for what purpose.

Positive. Bit trendy and faddish. Complement more traditional modes of communication, but don't replace them.

Underutilized, misunderstood, and way behind what could be done

It's crucial in order to market to our patron-base. If we only offered a paper library news publication, think of how few people we would reach... when we add various forms of social media, we increase the chances our news is read/propogated, and this increases the potential for our services to get out to patrons.

largely a waste of time

I think Social Media are great tools. We have Meebo in our institution but our statistics are very very low compared to QuestionPoint. We are using Twitter but there are few comments from users. Second Life was a flop. We tried to be present on Facebook but users are not thinking of checking the library on their own time. All that amounts to alot of energy spent in creating interactive tools with our users that our clients are not using to interact with us.

It seems to be the way to communicate with students. Faculty are less caught up in it.

I haven't seen much evidence to show that it is important to the students and faculty members in my faculty. On a personal level, I think that blogs, twitter, facebook, etc. is mostly a waste of time.

Useful for marketing and promotions. But if it went away tomorrow, there would still be other ways to get the word out.

Administration is proceeding cautiously, which is somewhat of a barrier. re: question a) I think strict policies can hinder more than help.

I think it has a lot of potential. not sure that potential is being met yet, on the user side, and on the technical side. most of the popular social media sites don't reflect the realities of academia

It is growing and we learn form each other.

Well, there's lots of free avenues out there, it doesn't hurt to use them. I think probably the most important thing you can do is determine who your audience is and how you can approach them. It's easy for me to use these tools, but in reality our students are all in the building pretty much all the time, so I don't need to go very far to get their attention. Anything that feeds back into my

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existing systems (site, blackboard, digital signage) is good. I'm interested in social media because of how easy it's making things, not because it widens my net. I think you need to be clear about why you're doing things and who you're talking to.

These are all very important. The library needs a purpose and a plan.

Could be a fad. Will wait and see.

good adjunct to our current tools, fun thus enhancing work enjoyment, slow to adopt or appreciate by many faculty

Just like anything else using social media is just one tool of many that we use to accomplish our jobs!

I think social media is overrated

The creative and innovative adoption is inspiring and exciting.

Like other tools, I think social media can be v. effective depending on how thoughtfully you use it. I think that strong content and clear, engaging writing are priorities no matter the medium.

I am still not convinced that the library patrons want/need us in their space (i.e. Facebook in particular).

I think some of it is very useful (e.g., collaborative writing tools, slideshare, etc) but the biblioblogosphere's love of all things Twitter has really grown tiresome.

I think it's efficient when used properly, and needed.

Social media tends to be used in a few silos, but not overall. We also tend to reinvent the wheel.

I think we should use it whenever we can. In many cases it's not much additional work so why not give it a go? Librarians talk about being where their patrons are and I think we can do that even if where they "are" is an online space.

There's value in using social media but as with other forms of communication, it's not everything to everyone. It's just one more tool.

It's not always a good match for our mission. Overall, libraries should consider the best way to accomplish their goals, not just comply with "flavor of the month" tendencies.

Some do it well, some don't. Some use it too much--kinda like catching your parents doing something embarrassing.

In our context they seem a lightweight distraction so far.

I think it's a good idea. Why not try something new?

a mixed bag, great variation between libraries as to extent. Some people/libraries seem to jump on board just because it's cool or new, without thinking a bit first. A lot of glory goes to using social media for simple (and usually good) projects, and little glory goes to less visible and often much more complex projects. it's the cool factor I think.

for reaching the students - not terribly effective, but can't hurt to try for keeping informed on trends, whatever - very useful

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It's difficult to sometimes see how academic libraries' prioritize with the functionality that social media allows (i.e. getting face time with faculty, securing better collections funding, etc.)

Social media can be useful. First however, it is important that form follow function, - that we have a clear idea about why a tool is needed. Then the tools need to be tested and evaluated to determine if they meet the need. Finally, there needs to be opportunities for feedback after implementation to figure out if the need is being met or if there might be a better tool that could be used.

I think it can be useful, but we can also get carried away spending too much time using social media.

Social media seems to be many different tools that are sexy at a given time, sometimes for a short period of time. Some become established, others do not. Some of my faculty have tried social media for their own purposes, and in the classroom, but none have been overwhelmed by success. It would be good to be nimble enough and have enough time to invest in tools that may or may not take off. Our current staffing allotment does not make that remotely easy.

My impression is that work well among our staff and for in-house use in the greater workplace (ie. among employees). We use a lot of social media tools that provide our patrons with an opportunity to participate in discussion or provide feedback, and from my observations, very few of them respond.

Social media is becoming more ubiquitous with our users' information seekign practices--library's should have a presence in sm and be more aware of our users' changing dynamic

Early adopters are dragging their colleagues along. Thankfully, our patrons' increasing reliance on social media is giving our libraries a much needed push in the right direction.

The heading of social media covers a wide range of tools. Some social media is used all the time, for example, Doodle polls to organize meetings. Other tools have been a bit disappointing, for example, I have mixed impressions on the usefulness of Facebook to connect with library users.

Vitally important that libraries incorporate as tools as our students & faculty (particularly younger ones) use and that is where we can interest & engage them.

Very slow....

It's perfect for the inherently collaborative and communication-fueled energy of academic life, while overcoming some of the hierarchical barriers of academic institutions. It humanises libraries and scholarship, while encouraging active participation and engagement in the academic community.

Social media are useful but need to be used in conjunction with other library services, including older methods of communication such as email lists.

Fools rush in. Social media is great, but my experiences with our knowledge base wiki that won't with IE but only Fiefox, and the foolishness of 2nd Life and multiple logons means people aren't evaluating properly.

It is in its infancy.

We need to try them out and use them where they fit the customer service objectives. If our patrons are using them, we need to at least know about them and use them where appropriate.

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more a matter of potential that actual benefit at this point

To make it happen, we need an inhouse library leader -- a tech-savvy staff member who keeps up on the new tools, tries them out, is able to identify how they would be useful in the library, and shares that with other staff.

Libraries seem more willing to offer social media services than users are interested in using them.

I'm not sure about the importance of the "social" purposes (e.g., networking) for an academic library. In terms of sharing information, social media is a double-edged sword. It can be useful for information dissemination/sharing/collaboration but also has the potential to worsen information overload (e.g., Twitter). Thoughtful, considered uptake, as well as evidence-based evaluation of these tools is necessary for academic libraries to make best use of social media tools.

It's a good way to engage our clientele.

It takes time to do it well, and you need to find the right audience + tool.

Just like any technology, they should be used when they fill a void or improve an existing service.

thought it was a fad but students are using it, just hesitant to have it for fluff, rather have a more concerted effort to make its use meaningful

we already link our website to social media - people will pick it up if they are interested - very little instruction is necessary for those who are interested.

There is pressure from UL to engage with all sorts of social media, however, our library lacks the tech support and tech staff to keep up with demand and really focus our efforts. I wish we had a clearer statement and directive about how our library wants to present itself online and our priorities and message we want to relay.

very useful; also fun, interesting & where the students are

Believe it's essential. We have to go where our students are going.

grassroots approach prmoted by a select number of librarians

Use it when it makes sense to do so; don't use it just for the sake of being on "the cutting edge"

Just a bunch of icons on pages right now put in place by individual library staff, not part of a coordinated effort.

sometimes it seems like we are doing a lot of silly things to grab the attention of students. I would rather spend my time teaching students how, when, and where to use the information they find in social media rather than trying to come up with "clever" ways to attract them to us in these spaces.

If it's very easy and fills a new need, people will adopt it. However, it's very hard to move many people (especially non-librarians) from the comfort zone of e-mail.

The role of libraries is in flux and many libraries (and librarians) have yet to really grapple with that, despite the overabundance of conference presentations on the topic. The profession is shifting to a user centred support role, defined by instruction, networking and communication.

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Social medias will come and go but we will always need ways to engage our clients face-to-face or by distance wherever they are!

it is often used for its own sake, without much consideration to content

My overall impression, as a young, ICT-engaged professional, is that social media is overly romanticized. Most social media seems more of a distraction than anything else, and stops us from connecting meaningfully with our students. But then making a statement like this would like be seen as heretical. I think we need to think long and hard about why we as a professional seem to so uncritically embrace these sorts of things.

Web development I think is highest priority, need to integrate.

essential

Worth exploring the use of Social Media in academic libraries, some will work well, others not so much.

It's not about the tools, it's about the messages. Library signage, listservs, emails, presentations, etc. are all just as effective as social media. It's not about the technology. It's about the message and the service.

very useful tool

I think it helps the library appear relevant to students.

It's pretty wide-ranging. Some of my colleagues have embraced it wildly, others not at all. I'm somewhere in between, although I don't 'friend' students on facebook unless they are people I am friends with in person.

Not very well understood or supported by admin.

low response from students to Library FB pages, blogs or tweets

Social media use is wide ranging. Some libraries embrace it whole heartedly without much consideration while other libraries are hampered at every turn. Most of it depends on how supportive upper administration is in its adoption.

It is a trendy technology that will probably disappear and be replaced by something else. Many academic libraries and most faculty are conservative and late adopters - so by the time it catches on it will be old fashioned.

For the generation of students entering the system, social media is a must. We must be able to adapt to the social landscape around us if we want to stay relevant to our students.

The use at in our library system is sporadic. It really depends on the individual librarian. Some are more advanced than others.

Still at an experimental stage - unsure how users benefit from many of the social media applications currently used.

We are behind the curve and support to help facilitate adoption is almost non-existent

Challenging - striking the right balancing of connecting with users in the social media space - using it effectively not just using.

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currently it is primarily for social rather than for work or professional activities

I find the approach taken by most libraries and individual librarians to be somewhat scatter-shot, without much in the way of overall guidance.

It appears to be more accepted as a useful thing to do in the library community but I'm not convinced our users are finding our efforts useful. We need more evidence.

Social media is a moving target: we need to be where our users are, and pay attention to what they find useful. Using it ourselves, for academic pursuits, helps us make informed judgments.

Comments:

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Comments:

It's just one of many tools in my professional toolbox. If it suits my purpose, I'll learn it and use it.

Social media exists in the "marketing mix" to deliver messages to target markets, as with other media.

I see the medium as neutral. Whether we choose to make it beneficial or not is up to us.

has to be evaluated for usefulness to specific library goals rather than jumping on because others are doing it

Not just a question of benefits, but of necessity. In some cases beneficial; in some cases not beneficial in the sense that it adds complexity to our work, but should still be embraced.

All things considered, librarians no longer seem to know what their mission is.

I would also say necessary. I think social media is a major factor in supporting the evolution of libraries and librarian's.

I personally don't see what the big deal is. These technologies are just the new extensions of what has been happening with the Internet and computers. We were using IM in 1987 on Unix. Now more people are using it and so it seems new. Most social networking tools just help people do things that programmers used to have to do. We can all make web pages, chat, and keep up with each other more easily now. I am not sure it makes us more productive and I have yet to see our use of Social Networking drive more students to our pages. They are more interested in following Aston Kutcher than our library ;)

I'd actually say "essential" to the mission of academic libraries in the 21st century not just beneficial. If we don't adapt to the way our users communicate and learn our roles will die out.

I think it can be somewhat beneficial but the tools are fairly new and it will take time to see which ones are ultimately important and add value to our work.

Only somewhat beneficial if used appropriately

That said, for certain audiences and tasks I would say the word "critical" is important. We still don't understand enough about how various segments of our target audiences - faculty and students and various segments therein use social media, the library etc. To a certain subset of our clients - it is imperative that we understand and make use of social media. In other instances it just isn't a factor.

I am afraid that I will not be too useful to your survey as I am virtually a non-user of social media. You will probably have guessed that from my replies to your survey questions. If I had known then what I know now, I would have declined to reply to your survey. Having said that, I have now learned a lot of new names of social media!

-it's how it is used that is important, not the tool itself

Social Media is essential. Please do not limit future surveys to librarians. The majority of people who work in libraries do not have a library degree. These folks are quite likely to be in our

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administration (i.e. our leaders and holders of power/pursestrings) and/or the born digital staff in closest contact with our users (students).

If the academic library does not adopt social media tools in their day-to-day operations and their mission, we will lose all relevance (we are seeing this already as a trend) to our user communities and they will not visit us in person (a trend we are seeing now) nor will they visit us virtually. We will not be relevant to them at all, and the academic library and its services will fade from their collective memory.

Use is beneficial to the mission if it is done in a well thought out, deliberate and selective way.

We have to be comfortable and skilled at learning, developing, and utilizing the many advantages presented by social media, but be wary of their potential dangers to privacy. I think that these tools will present excellent opportunities to bring out the finest creativity and thinking outside the box possibilities among staff and librarians.

I think much remains to be seen. Social media is simply a tool for communicating. It is more important for us to have a relevant message to communicate than to worry overmuch about the technology that will deliver it.

Social media is a tool - it's neither harmful nor beneficial in itself - it's what we make of it.

The use of social media can be harmful to the mission of academic libraries if social media tools are not used appropriately or effectively and especially when their use means that more important services and resources are not given the attention they need. Because time and money is limited, it would be foolish for a library to take time and money away from supporting important library services and resources in order to support new social media tools which provide limited benefits to a small percentage of its users.

Social media have become a regular part of life for many of our patrons. We should treat it like the telephone: use it for what it's good at, but continue to communicate in other ways as well.

There is a blurring of social activity and academic learning as the result of social media in academe. I often liken it to taking your grandmother to the pool hall -- some will be quite uncomfortable with her presence, some will engage with her (at varying levels), some will ignore her, some will not quite understand the purpose/value of her being there. Much will depend on each individual's personal frame of reference/life experiences and comfort level with having what was traditionally 'their space' invaded by someone who doesn't quite fit with the 'norm' and has no perceived purpose or value to add.

Licensed resources, by necessity, operate in opposition to the sharing capabilities of social media. That's a big challenge too

Go outside. Take a walk. Turn off the computer.

I advocate less "be the library's friend on facebook" and more "I am a person (who happens to be a librarian) connecting with others on FB" approach. I like the potential of academic social networks (mendeley, anianet) but don't find that I actually GO to them as often as I do to FB or LinkedIN. I am not sure about cloud-based docs but I'm using them any way - they're so convenient! I do think about privacy a lot. I generally opt for more privacy on settings and don't judge others. I think this will become a larger issue as some of the repurcussions become clear (when MY internet and YOUR internet become two different virtual worlds....)

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I am waiting to be convinced that this is worth spending very precious working hours pursuing. Bah! Humbug!

There is ample evidence to suggest that social media is a great mass marketing tool - if libraries could figure out a way to harness this aspect of SM then all things considered SM could be very beneficial to academic libraries

I have no doubts about the benefits and usefulness of social media, both to our users and to increase effectiveness in our individual and collaborative tasks, but I think it is hard for social media to be adopted on a librarian by librarian basis. I think top level policies, standards and guidance need to be in place in libraries for social media to be adopted completely and effectively by all librarians.

Libraries need to be adaptable. Social media is a big thing now, but we don't know what will come. In ten years, there may be something very different in terms of electronic communications.

Social Media is tool to communicate with our users. Not using it would be akin to not using email or anyone e-communication tool.

Using a computer is enough, and I try to do my best at that, and I do try to serve the user. In general, though, I am sick and tired of the technology being forced on us and the speed with which we're supposed to assimilate it. When I went to library school in the seventies, if I'd known what librarianship would become, I wouldn't have done it. Thank goodness I have only three years to go before I retire.

It can also be a massive waste of time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_sfnQDr1-o

change "is" to "can be". The right tool for the right job.

We need to harness the potential and give it more gravitas (of dear, am I dating myself!)

this survey is too long, hope i manage to finish it, i'm beginning to resent the time i've spent on it

Unknown, unknowable, uncertain.

My choice of word would have been "relevant."

currently neither, potentially somewhat beneficial assuming done sensibly and not overtaken by some other trendy technological paradigm. (Remember filling out a survey like this on Web Portals, any one?)

Beneficial if social media is used in a directed and purposeful manner. At times I feel our profession is jumping in and our message becomes too shallow, erratic and flippant. Just because we're using Twitter does not mean we should abandon good writing and grammar.

Social media influences political decision making. It is powerful, and could be put to good use in libraries for promoting ethical information literacy.

Possibly beneficial

...and essential.

I see some benefits, and I know some students are really into it, but I do not yet see it as highly important.

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If we arrive at a point 10 years from now and privacy concerns outweigh all other costs - then it will be harmful but I'd rather lead, discuss, develop, innovate and challenge these issues as we move further into the 21st century rather than be conservative. Academic libraries need to continue evolving and need to be prepared to do it more quickly than we have in the past.

Somewhat beneficial if it is used properly and appropriately. (How those will be defined is yet to be determined.)

Social media can assist with many of the library's goals and objectives. This shouldn't be confused with social media as a goal unto itself.

1) Which Canadian research library do you work in? [select from list below]

Response Count Percent

Bibliothèques de l'Université de Montreal 1 0.3%

Bibliothèques de l'Université du Québec à Montréal 3 0.8%

Bibliothèques de l'Université Laval 0 0.0%

Brock University Library 11 3.0%

Carleton University Library 5 1.3%

Concordia University Libraries 11 3.0%

Dalhousie University Libraries 12 3.2%

McGill Libraries 25 6.7%

McMaster University Libraries 18 4.9%

Memorial University Libraries 9 2.4%

Queens University Library 5 1.3%

Ryerson University Library and Archives 10 2.7%

Service des bibliothèques et archives de l'Université de Sherbrooke 0 0.0%

Simon Fraser University Library 13 3.5%

University of Alberta Libraries 22 5.9%

University of British Columbia Library 39 10.5%

University of Calgary Library 15 4.0%

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University of Guelph Library 15 4.0%

University of Manitoba Libraries 28 7.5%

University of New Brunswick Libraries 6 1.6%

University of Ottawa Library 14 3.8%

University of Regina Library 2 0.5%

University of Saskatchewan Library 10 2.7%

University of Toronto Library 42 11.3%

University of Victoria Library 16 4.3%

University of Waterloo Library 8 2.2%

University of Western Ontario Libraries 10 2.7%

University of Windsor Leddy Library 9 2.4%

York University Libraries 12 3.2%

2) What division, department, subject or liaison area do you work in for a majority of your work week? [select more than one, if needed]

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3) How many total years of work experience do you have as a librarian?

138

139

5) What is the highest library degree you have earned?

140

6) What is the highest non-library degree you have earned?

141

7) How old are you?

142

8) What is your gender?

143

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