Jerome Hurt Social Media Impacts

8/3/2019 Jerome Hurt Social Media Impacts

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Discuss how social media impacts the delivery of information services in a type of library or

information center of your choice. Give examples of current library initiatives that illustrate how

these technologies have been implemented.

Social Media: The Tools to Connect a Middle School Library

Social media connects users across the world by interest. It allows educators to discuss,

debate, and share information with other educators across the world (Ishizuka 2010). Social

media is transforming the way people receive, deliver, interact, and share information. Though

the continual use of social media, school library patrons anticipate digital content to be easily

accessible in the library, class, and the world. As students information seeking behavior evolves,

it is the responsibility of the schools library media specialist to meet users on their level.

Moreover, the specialist should provide users with convenient reliable access to information

using the tools in which users are comfortable receiving information. Social media is

transforming the way school libraries transmit, receive, and deliver information (Eisenberg,

2008). Different types of libraries, institutions, and schools have implemented new programs for

information dissemination in response to patron social media use and changes in patron

information seeking behavior. New initiatives and programs in other institutions serve as

templates or roadmaps for middle school libraries to meet their users in the social media arenas.

When school media professionals introduce students and staff to social media through quality

programming and initiatives, schools can create a culture of professional learning environments

(PLEs) and information literate students.


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Initiatives

Library of Congress

The Library of Congress is an institution that sets a leading example in social media and

information services with several different ventures in delivering and receiving information. The

Library of Congresss Flickr Commons is a social media photo-sharing tool that the library is

using to engage current users as well as engage unknown audiences. Furthermore, students use

Flickr in school libraries for assistance on research projects, homework, and web page creation.

Flickr serves many different purposes for users across the board with their interactive pages. By

delivering information (photos) through social media and providing users with an interactive

experience, the Library of Congress is attracting more users who are able to comment, share, and

interact with the information (photos). This initiative allows institutions to post historical

pictures with no known copyright issues and encourages the public to comment, discuss, and

describe these pictures with tags.

The initiative of the Flickr Commons began with a small team at the Library of Congress

discussing how to increase visibility of their historical photo collections (Kroski, 2009). After

several lengthy discussions, the library decided that an in-house solution would be too

cumbersome and expensive. To control cost, the committee began reviewing open source

alternative solutions. After more deliberations, the 2007 Computers in Libraries conference

highlighted the success of the National Library of Australia with Flickr, a social media photo-

sharing site. The committee began exploring the possibilities of using Flickr for the needs of the


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Library of Congresss photo archives; taking the time to examine security concerns, user

interfaces federal regulations and copyright issues. Flickr appeared to meet all their needs except

an issue that dealt with images where the owner was not the holder of the copyright, and the

copyright was unknown. Flickr Commons After deliberations, an agreement was made which

birthed the. This endeavor into social media information delivery has proven very fruitful with

over 10.4 million views of the photos in the Flickr Commons as of October 23, 2008 (Kroski,

2009). Through providing information through Flickr, a social media outlet, the library has

reached new audiences and engaged previous ones.

Flat Classroom

The concept of a 'flat classroom' an ideal based on the constructivist principle of a multi-

modal learning environment that is student-centered and a level playing field for teacher to

student and student to teacher interaction. The Flat Classroom initiative is a global collaborative

project that joins together middle and senior high school students through social media (Flat

Classroom Project 2010). This project initially began with Julie Lindsay a teacher from Beijing

and teacher Vicki Davis from the United States. Using various forms of social media to interact

and share information with classrooms and other students across the globe creating PLEs in both

schools. The classrooms that participated in the Flat Classroom Project team with other schools

across the globe to build a compressive website took advantage of a wide-ranging social media

information delivery services. Blogs, twitter, RSS feeds, social video sharing, and wikis are some

of the information delivering tools recommended to build a website that engages and inspires


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users to be active and revisit the site. Moreover, competition using social media classrooms adds

level of ownership in the quality of information delivered.

107 Voices

Created by Mellisa Wantz (2009) 107 Voices, a teacher created social media site used for

interactions with her English students. Students are regularly engaged to blog about classwork

issues and class related discussions. Students are able create their own page and allowed to

customize their page with school appropriate dcor. This site has a mobile feature allowing

students to read teacher posts, reply to homework, post pictures, and view assignments from their

mobile phones. Allowing students to use tools they are familiar with and are already at their

disposal generates interest and allows for information delivery in a means where students

frequent for regular amounts of information.

Social Media Information Delivery Tools

Social Networking

Social networks are online connections between people or who share interests and

activities. Social networks allow connections for instant and constant information to send to

users. Through user news feeds, photo and video sharing, and micro blogging status updates,

users have become accustomed to receiving a continually and instantaneous stream of

information. An advantage of social networking is the ability to create groups for users. Creating

groups allow librarians, grade levels, subject areas, teams, or any special interest groups to

disseminate information to a specific group. Some school national groups such as the National


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Junior Honor Society produce pages on social media sites linked and information shared with

local members of the group.

Twitter Questions

Twitter (2010) is a real-time information network that connects users to the latest

information people find interesting. Twitter uses micro blogging to allow users to post short

statements that are searchable through index tags. The New York Public library twitters daily

about the libraries resources, events, and happenings around the city. The library also offers a

question and answers via twitter. Todays students in secondary school digital natives growing

up receiving short feeds of information about topics they would like to explore. Twitter is an

excellent way to keep students engaged and allows students to ask questions as they have them.

Twittering about books is also a way authors have found to deliver information and attract

audiences. School media specialists have found this is an excellent way to get students excited

about books (Ishizuka 2010). Students tweet quotes from and about books to share information

with the world and others.

Twitter post responses in real time and allows users to use hash tags simplifying the task

of finding posts or tweets related to a subject. Best Buy (Twitter 2011) uses the technique to

answer multiple customers questions in real time. Middle school teachers are using this tool as a

method of extra credit to inspire students. Short research questions or open-ended questions

allow for question and answer via twitter. The hash marks and the at symbol make indexing

and finding answers easy for teachers and fellow students. Other methods of quick response


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questions on twitter include sentence corrections, math word problems, and allegory question

and answer.

Video

Social media networks are vehicles to embed video streams that provide information for

users. Students in classrooms are able to view video and debate on issues other students have

(Wantz, 2009). Videos also give students the chance to introduce themselves to other students

across the country. School libraries provide more than books providing equipment for video

conferencing and video editing along with training. Implementation, care, and training for social

media projects services provided by library media specialist.

Skype

With the change in delivery of information and services due to social media, social media

changes human interactions also. Skype allows authors to meet and interact with groups of

students instantly at a fraction of the cost (Chima, 2009). Schools are implementing short author

visits via skype to have question and answer sessions delivering information instantly and

virtually face-to-face (Messner 2010). Social media has shrunk the world virtually making it an

expectation to interact online with people across the country and world.

Website Integration


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Schools and school districts integrate twitter, Facebook, and Rich Site Summary (RSS) feeds to

their webpages to continually stream information to stakeholders (Houston ISD. 2011). By

adding social media, tools to schools and librarys website students, parents, and teachers are

able to interact with each other in many new ways. RSS feeds provide continual news about

topic administrators. Libraries use RSS feeds to including announcements, extended services, e-

journals and table of contents services, reference service, library blogs, web resource

announcements, search resource, books, newsgroups, search results, and RSS-based search

engines (Bansode, Dahibhate, & Ingale, K. 2009).

Media Plan

Public schools have much to learn from other organizations when it comes to the

implementation of information delivery about social media aspects. To accommodate for the

current needs of users of plan social media information plans are implemented The LOC Flickr

Commons can be adapted to a middle school by allowing students to upload pictures of places

they visit, and allowing other students to comment and tag the picture. History teachers could

also utilize this function by placing pictures of upcoming lessons and allowing students to tag,

comment, or guess relevant information about the images. Similar approaches and methods occur

in science classrooms. The Flat Classroom projects extend the classroom beyond the physical

walls of the school. Middle school libraries could adapt this information delivery system to

coordinate book talks with other libraries across the city or world. Skype and iChat are video

conferencing tools that would allow instant access and interactions with audiences, authors, and

experts across the world. Micro-blogging social media tools allow the delivery of information to


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a wide group of users. This information can include announcements, new arrivals, events, and

random tidbits of knowledge delivered to students preferred method of delivery. Twitter also

provides the tools to support question and answer with students outside of library hours or

facilities. Social media networks like Melisa Wantzs (2010) allow students to be creative and

expressive in an outlet they are comfortable with and enjoy using. Students can use their librarys

social network to share information on books, post comments while the library can use the site to

share information on collections, post information videos, foster question and answer question on

message boards, and allow students to provide peer support in forums. Social Media has altered

the worlds methods of information delivery. In order to meet students where they are, libraries

must use the tools of social media to provide quality services in an evolving world.


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References

Bansode, S., Dahibhate, N. B., & Ingale, K. (2009). Rss applications in libraries and information

centres.Library Philosophy & Practice, 11(1), 1-4. Retrieved from

http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~mbolin/lpp.htm

Chima, C. W. (2009, June 11). Skype author chat at discovery middle school [Web log message].

Retrieved from http://cindachima.blogspot.com/2009/06/skype-author-chat-at-discovery-

middle.html

Eisenberg, M. (2008). The parallel information universe.Library Journal, 133(8), 22-25.

Retrieved from http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6551184.html.

Flat Classroom. (2010, July). The flat classroom project. Retrieved from

http://www.flatclassroomproject.org/file/view/Flat_Classroom_Brochure_July2010.pdf

Houston ISD,. (2011). About hisd rss feeds. Retrieved from

http://www.houstonisd.org/HISDConnectDS/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=ce972eec5d02d110

VgnVCM10000028147fa6RCRD&vgnextchannel=3e5608ae6b8fc010VgnVCM1000005

2147fa6RCRD

Ishizuka, K. (2010). People Who Need People: How 11 intrepid users get the most out of social

media. School Library Journal, 56(2), 32-36. Retrieved from

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/reviewsprofessionalreading/856513-

320/people_who_need_people_how.html.csp.


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Kroski, E. (2009). Stacking the tech: the library of congress talks digital initiative.Library

Journal, 133(8), 22-25. Retrieved from

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6551184.html

Messner, K. (2010). An Author in Every Classroom. School Library Journal, 56(9), 42-44.

Retrieved from http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com

Twitter. (2010). About twitter. Retrieved from http://twitter.com/about

Twitter. (2011). Case study: best buy twitter for business. Retrieved from

http://business.twitter.com/optimize/case-studies/best-buy

Wantz, M. (2009). About twitter. Retrieved from http://107voices.ning.com/

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Jerome Hurt Social Media Impacts