Social technologies in public libraries: exploring best practice

Abstract

2014),"Experts as facilitators for the implementation of social media in the library? A social network approach", Library Hi Tech, Vol. 32 Iss 3 pp. 529-545 http://dx.If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this article is to report on a research project that explored social media best practice in the public library sector. Design/methodology/approach -The primary research approach for the project was case study. Two organisations participated in case studies that involved interviews, document analysis, and social media observation.Findings -The two case study organisations use social media effectively to facilitate participatory networks, however, there have been challenges surrounding its implementation in both organisations. Challenges include negotiating requirements of governing bodies and broader organisational environments, and managing staff reluctance around the implementations. As social media use continues to grow and libraries continue to take up new platforms, social media must be considered to be another service point of the virtual branch, and indeed, for the library service as a whole. This acceptance of social media as being core business is critical to the successful implementation of social media based activities. Practical implications -The article provides an empirically grounded discussion of best practice and the conditions that support it. The findings are relevant for information organisations across all sectors and could inform the development of policy and practice in other organisations. This paper contributes to the broader dialogue around best practice in participatory service delivery and social media use in library and information organisations. Originality/value -Research around social media has focused on the usage of tools rather than the conditions that allow staff to use social media to reach users effectively. This research fills the gap by exploring the organisational culture that allows staff to use social media in order to develop a participatory library service.

Using social media to create a participatory library service: an Australian study

“…Libraries need to engage with social media thoughtfully, with a focus on developing their brand on existing channels and exploring new spaces. The two organisations that were the subject of this case study based project, YPRL and CLT, are leading the way in best practice for a participatory library service in Australian public libraries (Smeaton and Davis, 2014). Indeed, their practice meets what is considered to be best practice on an international level.…”

“…Examining each social media platform in turn, the article discusses how the platforms are being used by public libraries as well as the best practice usage of each tool and innovative examples of use by public libraries. Best practices presented here have been published separately (Smeaton and Davis, 2014) but were derived from the interactions observed on social media, the use of these tools to create a participatory service combined with case study interviews of Yarra Plenty Regional Library (YPRL) and City Libraries Townsville (CLT). The findings presented in this article will allow public libraries to consider which platforms they can use, and the type of messages to post, to start a conversation with their users and move towards a participatory service.…”

Effective Social Media Strategies for Business Libraries

“…On the subject of public library social media usage, Smeaton and Davis (2014) stressed the importance of having a clearly defined target audience and strategy for engaging with followers.…”

Bibliotecas, medios y métricas de la web social

“…Los botones de compra que están presentando los medios sociales afianzan y confirman las posibilidades de retorno económico de estos medios. 3 La bibliografía profesional nacional y extranjera sobre el uso de la web social por parte de las bibliotecas, ha sido abundante desde los inicios en 2006 y 2007 hasta la actualidad (Gómez Pereda y Merlo-Vega, 2010;Ferrer Martínez, 2012;Margaix-Arnal, 2013;Smeaton y Davis, 2014;McKendrick, 2013;Rogers, 2012;Ahmed, 2014;Gross, 2011;Kwanya, 2012;Singh y Gill, 2013). Todas las áreas de la biblioteca y los servicios que ofrece cada una de ellas, se ven involucrados en el uso de las herramientas y aplicaciones de la web social, que por otro lado han transformado los perfiles profesionales a la luz de los medios sociales.…”