Since posting about social networking software almost 2 weeks ago, I have been corresponding with Oceana Wilson of the Crossett Library at Bennington College. They are the library that has been soliciting feedback from students on Facebook about what materials they’d like the library to order. Oceana and I are both curious about the policies libraries have developed regarding the use of MySpace and Facebook for marketing and outreach. Or if you don’t have policies, how do you handle sticky ethical issues that creep up? Oceana has done some really interesting outreach via Facebook which reminded me a great deal of what Brian Matthews did with his Ubiquitous Reference Model.
So I asked Oceana if I could reproduce an e-mail she sent me, both in an effort to get feedback and to show some of the potential policy issues that can come up when using these tools:
I was thinking yesterday of the ethics of it all. I’m curious to know how others are handling it. I made 2 rules from the beginning (honestly not intensely thought out – mostly gut instinct) and it has worked so far.
1. I never ‘invite’ students to connect to the library profile – I only accept invitations (not that it would necessarily be unethical to invite students – I’m just not entirely comfortable doing it)
2. I don’t really read (and definitely don’t look at photo albums!) of the student in my ‘friends list’ with the exception of one thing – after I accept their invitation I look at their ‘favorite movies’ and ‘favorite books’ list and I check it against our catalog. Often I’ll find some great things we don’t have – so we order them and I send the student a quick email typically saying something like -hey – your book list is really interesting – the library didn’t have x, y, z but we’ve ordered them – let us know any time if you ever think of things you want us to have – thanks! The responses back have been positive and some have gone on to request more materials.
I still haven’t really figured out rules about accepting invitations to groups. I did get one invitation to join a group that was formed to protest an administrative decision regarding housing. I ended up accepting based on the somewhat shaky logic of looking at it as a collection standpoint –library is neutral – it tries to represent both sides – I would accept an invitation as well from a group supporting the administrative decision. Oh god – the things they don’t teach you about in library school. I’ve decided to do it on a case by case basis – automatically ruling out illegal, unethical, or generally mean-spirited groups. Thankfully none of those cases have come up yet.
How is your library handling issues like getting invitations to groups and inviting students? Have you received any inappropriate comments on your profile? Have you had to de-friend anyone? Whether or not these issues have come up, it’s important to know ahead of time how you would handle them so that you don’t make decisions arbitrarily.
This isn’t quite how the ubiquitous reference model works. First of all, I am VERY opposed to libraries setting up facebook or myspace accounts— it is too passive and. I am about being proactive not just waiting for them to approach us. Be a librarian, not a library. Isn’t it possible for us to have a conversation with students and NOT talk about all the wonderful resources we have to offer?
The ubiquitous model is about helping students when they need it and providing a meaningful experience. It’s about understanding the big picture of their lives and not about soliciting feedback or what books to add to the collection. Improvements come through interaction.
For me, social networks are about building relationships, not just the latest marketing trend. Businesses and organizations are saying “all the kids are into this—how can we get a piece of the action” and that’s the quickest buzz kill. When librarians start talking about facebook or myspace policies then you know the shark has been jumped.
It’s cool if it’s working for you, I don’t mean to be disrespectful—but it’s just not ubiquitous.
My Facebook account is my own, and not an official library account (though I may suggest we do that this summer). While I see nothing wrong with Oceana’s policies, I could also see a looser approach working well, too.
I understand the desire to not violate student privacy by reading the posts on their wall or looking at their photos, but I think it is high time that everyone acknowledge that Facebook postings are NOT private. I almost feel like the library could do students a favor by posting frequently to friends’ walls as a subtle reminder that non-students are looking at this stuff too.
I left a note of congratulations on a student’s Flickr photos ofour graduation yesterday. I felt a little odd doing it, as I didn’t want her to think the library was stalking her (I found her pictures because I subscribe to the RSS feed for photos tagged “coloradocollege”). But I see today that she has left a comment on one of our photos now. But I acknowledge that Flickr is significantly less charged than Facebook.
Ummm…. Brian… I think that going onto a student’s profile, looking at the books/movies they are into, ordering those books, and then sending them an e-mail saying “hey we ordered those and let me know if you have any other suggestions for the collection” seems pretty proactive to me. I think this is a very clear illustration of your “improvements through interaction” idea. The library is showing students that they are responsive to their needs and that they can contact the library and have a positive interaction. I think that is a meaningful experience.
In spite of all your posts on the subject, I really don’t understand what’s “passive” about having a “library” presence on Facebook or MySpace as opposed to an individual librarian’s presence? To me, what matters is what you do with the account and at a library like mine, it makes no sense to have one person be the “face of Facebook” because we want them to see all of the librarians as helpful. I don’t need them just to think that I’m cool and seek me out over all the other librarians. So for them to see the library as a whole as cool and helpful and responsive to their needs is better than them just thinking one librarian is cool.
Does it occur to you that a one-size fits all approach doesn’t necessarily work? Are your students at Georgia Tech just like the students at Bennington? Not at all. Would they find your approach intrusive? Maybe, maybe not. But assuming that you know better about how every library should be implementing things is ludicrous and extremely judgmental. This has worked very well at Bennington and the students are really excited about the fact that the library is being so responsive to their needs and requests and is even looking to see what they like on their profiles.
And I don’t think it’s about MySpace or Facebook policies, but policies that govern all online interactions with students. What if a student had felt that you violated their privacy by “bothering them on their blog” and went to administration about it? What if the library or a librarian adds a friend and that friend starts posting all sorts of inappropriate things on your profile? It’s important to have policies regarding stuff like that so that you don’t just arbitrarily make decisions depending on each situation. That’s the best way to get into trouble. If anything, having policies that govern things like this legitimizes this method of online interaction with students.
Good luck with your exploration into social software!
invatation for facebook