Prince Edward Island Public Library Service and a little wrap-up

Welcome to the final post. We’ve travelled from an island off the Western shores of Canada to another off the East coast. The population of Prince Edward Island is less than many of the cities we’ve visited along the way. The public libraries of PEI all share one webpage, one Facebook page, and one Twitter account. As shown below, there are two large, easily visible buttons on the PEIPLS homepage:

Prince Edward Island Public Library Service homepage

Both accounts have a substantial (but not astronomical) number of followers. PEIPL’s Twitter feed tunes into local news and events (there’s been a lot of tweeting lately about PEI Burger Love) and the online community (like this video of the Birth of a Book), and often with a sense of humor. They also encourage followers to share their favorite books and they respond to these tweets.

The Facebook page includes upcoming events in the library. And, it looks like I spoke too soon in the previous post when I suggested that public libraries should have a photo contest on their Facebook page, as PEIPL did just this in mid-March:

“Read Around the House Photo Challenge!

Beginning on Monday, March 18th, the PEI Public Library Service is encouraging children throughout the province to read for at least 15 minutes a day during March Break. To make things a little more interesting, we are asking participants to find different (but safe) places in their homes and community to read.

Do you think you have found a unique reading place? Upload a photo to share on the library’s facebook page. Until Sunday, March 25th we will be accepting submissions and the best photo will receive a PEI Public Library Service tote bag!”

The photos can be seen in the library’s Wall Photos album (it would have been nice if they had created an album for these submissions only), but there were only a handful of entrants.

I’d like to return to Twitter and take a quick peek at who the library is following, as I think the people or organizations that libraries chose to follow will have important effects on the type of material that they are tweeting.The library is currently following 286 tweeters (about 100 less than the number of followers they have). The library follows local people, businesses, and institutions, media corporations (for example, the CBC), library journals, and other libraries in North America. The list reveals a strong connection to other tweeters within the province but also a connection with Canadians and North Americans.

If we take a look at the Information Tyrannosaur’s tips for “How Libraries Can Leverage Twitter,” he says that librarians should use Twitter to

Report library happenings

Promote library resources/services

Build community

and Engage users

I can say with confidence that PEIPL is building community by following numerous locals and provincial organizations. They are engaging users by asking about their favorite books and posting contentious articles such as Joel Stein’s recent “Adults Should Read Adult Books” and stating the librarians’ position (“We’re all about NOT judging a person’s reading choices. What’s important? That they ARE reading!”). PEIPL uses Facebook to report library happenings. Some libraries that we visited in previous blog posts used both, which did create a lot of overlap.

PEIPL could, however, make better use of Twitter to promote library resources and services. They could report on new items coming into the library (music, movies, and ebooks included) or new systems or services. I’ve noticed that in many libraries’ Facebook and Twitter posts, there is little mention of material in the library besides books. What about audiobooks, DVDs, microfilm, magazines, cds, newspapers, etc? And, in general, PEIPL’s tweets (and some of the other libraries we’ve looked at) seem to be a conduit for getting interesting tidbits from the web to their followers rather than generating conversation about the library and its community.

I feel like I’m giving PEI libraries a bit of a hard time. I think my comments above could apply to most of the other libraries we have viewed so far. It’s only now that I have begun to see a bit of a pattern emerge. I think it’s time for a little wrap-up…

The Librarian in Black says that “many people (read librarians) treat technology like it’s free like beer but it is really free like kittens…they take maintenance, ongoing effort, and staff time.” PEIPL and most of the public libraries we have visited across Canada are doing a great job of keeping these tools alive and well. Most social media sites I visited on this tour are updated regularly (sometimes more than once a day) and often include pictures and responses to feedback. But, I worry that libraries are using social media as a way to filter interesting library and book related information from the web in general to their followers rather than allowing patrons the space to create the content themselves.

If I lived in any of the places we visited, I would probably follow the local public library on both Twitter and Facebook. I would be guaranteed to know what was happening at the library and have my attention drawn to amusing or important online media and publications. But, I might also feel uncomfortable speaking to a library (rather than a person) or voicing my concerns or suggestions in a public forum. I might not know most (or any) of the library’s other followers and not feel the sense of community that the library has generated.

I think it is also important to remember that Library 2.0 does not end with technology. Library 2.0 initiatives may include other forms of feedback and community participation. While writing these posts and thinking about Library 2.0, I was reminded of Chatelaine magazine back in the 1950s and 1960s. Emily Bruusgaard writes how ” the editorial staff [ ] showed a knack for opening dialogue and a canny understanding of the Canadian public of the time.” Readers often wrote letters to the editor in response to content. Sometimes, these debates would bounce back and forth between readers and sometimes an editor would respond. And, Chatelaine would have been aware of the issues being discussed, registered their readers’ needs, and tailored content to suit it. Indeed, Chatelaine was hugely popular in the 1950s and 1960s because readers were interested in the controversial issues discussed and the sense of a Canadian community (at times, a divided one) that the magazine created. I think what helped, though, is that when they were responding to an article or an editor, they were responding to a person and not an institution. There’s something a little strange about communicating with an institution when you know you are actually writing to another human being but don’t know who that person is.

I think the basis of Library 2.0 (user-participation) is then, not all that new. It has taken on a new medium. I think it may take a while for people to become comfortable with these new tools and the virtual public space they occupy and also to realize that the library values public participation.

Newfoundland and Labrador Public Libraries

Similar to the Yukon Public Libraries webpage, the maritime province of Newfoundland and Labrador has one website for all the libraries in their system.

I searched the site for signs of Library 2.0. The website has an Ask A Librarian email service but no online chat. I found a Facebook Like button beside their list of Contacts. It seems that the Facebook page is available only if you have a Facebook account. This and the fact that their Facebook page isn’t publicized on their homepage might explain why they have 4 likes only. 😦

I did some searching around online to see if any of the branches in the system have a Facebook page, and it turns out that a few do. The Mount Pearl Public Library, and the Corner Brook Public Library have active pages with photos, events, news, and regular updates.

MPPL’s Facebook page has a really cool application that is new to me, but that’s been around for a while. It’s possible to search the library’s catalogue from Facebook! You click Catalogue on their homepage, which takes you here, and then you type in your search words (say “Fahrenheit 451”), and it takes you to the catalogue. For those who prefer to take a shortcut, they can skip right from Facebook to the catalogue without having to visit the library’s page at all. I would definitely take advantage of this Facebook application.

MPPL posts regularly and similar to many other libraries we’ve viewed, they announce upcoming events, post photos from past events, and comment on and link to related news. And, unfortunately, as with most other libraries, there is very little response to the posts and only a “like” here or there. It’s not necessarily a measure of who is paying attention, but I think it does register patrons’ hesitancy or lack of need to comment on a library’s Facebook posts. It seems that library’s are having difficulty using Facebook as a social networking tool.

The Corner Brook Public Library has a link to their catalogue and the Newfoundland and Labrador Public Libraries e-library on their Facebook site. The content they post is similar to MPPL’s. They have some recent posts about a Silent Auction and a Family Literacy Day Prize Draw contest. These posts announce or document an event that takes place in the library, but the Social Networking Librarian thinks that libraries could do more:  “Use your facebook fan page and twitter account to promote a contest. This will more than likely get better results than your everyday posts and updates. Require your patrons to answer a question or do something on the page.”

An online contest would be a great way to encourage patrons to follow a library on Facebook if they don’t already and to contribute to creating content on the page. Contests that would take place on Facebook could be advertised in the library (instead of the other way around). An example of a contest that would work well on Facebook is a photo contest of a favorite spot in the library or a patron with her/his favorite book.

There’s no screenshot in this blog post. Although the two libraries’ Facebook pages both have links back to the Newfoundland and Labrador Public Libraries, the Public Libraries webpage does not have a link to these libraries’ Facebook Pages. Visible Facebook buttons on the Newfoundland and Labrador Public Libraries site are a good place for the library to start to attract more patrons to the libraries’ 2.0 tools.

As a final thought, in an earlier post, I mentioned David Lee King’s article “Humanizing Your Facebook Pages” and his recommendations for how libraries can accomplish this. I wonder, though, if there are some limitations to the degree to which a library page can be humanized. Facebook is built primarily around a network of “friends,” of individuals with faces, personalities, interests, and complaints, and who have been ensnared in Facebook’s photo tagging system embarrassing themselves, creating art, getting married, and engaging in other human activities. People relate to each other as people on Facebook. Are libraries maybe a bit out of place on Facebook? Is it difficult for them to find their way in simply because they can only humanize their pages to a certain degree?

Halifax Public Library

The Halifax Public Library has a hopping Facebook page and a very popular Twitter feed with 4,016 followers. Unlike the other libraries we’ve seen to date, they have a mini twitter feed on their homepage with about 3 recent tweets that you can click to get to their Twitter account:

Halifax Public Library homepage

I am having trouble finding any Halifax Public Library events posted on Twitter, which is unusual for a library Twitter feed.

Oh, there they are. They’re on the Facebook page together with book reviews and staff pics. I think this is the first library we have seen so far that has very little (if any) overlap between Facebook and Twitter, and it seems to be working. I would likely follow the library on Twitter just to get my daily dose of interesting news. If I was curious about what was actually happening at the library, I would turn to Facebook.

HPL’s Twitter account reached the 4000 follower mark in early April, which is pretty remarkable. I’m curious as to what it is they are doing right, so this post will focus on HPL’s Twitter account (rather than Facebook) to try and find out what makes it so popular, and if it is a successful Library 2.0 tool.

After sampling some tweets, I suspect that the key to their success is that the majority of their posts have nothing at all to do with the library. So how does that work?

In “Twitter for Libraries (and Librarians),” Sarah Milstein writes that “the essence of Twitter is conversation. Libraries, however, tend to use it as a broadcast mechanism.” Millstein writes that “libraries on Twitter should encourage followers to interact with the library—ask questions, share links, re-Tweet interesting posts from others, and reply when people message you (those are prefaced with @ your account name).” HPL is setting a good example and trying to get some conversation rolling by posting links, news, and events outside the walls of the library and replying to messages. It seems that this method, rather than using Twitter as a “broadcast mechanism,” attracts the most followers, which hopefully leads to more talk about the library in general and a supportive community of patrons.

HPL tweets about Google doodles, CBC stories, the City of Halifax, the release of Census records in Canada and the U.S., job seeking, tech news, and everything in between. HPL tweets several times a day (they tweeted 6 times on April 5!), and the tweets are conversational and upbeat. NPL uses the character limit in Twitter to write a short blurb about something that caught their interest, include a # when appropriate to categorize their tweets, and link to the page where it can be found. Because NPL links to sources outside of the library and because they use hashtags, they have built themselves into a rich online network. They are responsive to user needs, too, as a recent tweet demonstrates. One of the library’s patrons asks if HPL has an iPhone app, which he says he would use. HPL responds: “No iPhone library app yet (except the OverDrive app for library eBooks). We’ll forward your suggestion to our web manager!” I think we’ve just witnessed Library 2.0 in action.

Moncton Public Library

Moncton, New Brunswick is a small mainland city of just under 70,000. The Moncton Public Library has a colorful and welcoming website that can be viewed in either French or English. The library has links to its Twitter and Facebook accounts about halfway down its homepage. I’m used to seeing these buttons either at the very bottom, the very top, or on either side of a page. They don’t stand out, but if you’re looking for them, they’re easy to find.  You can take a cool virtual tour of the library here.

MPL’s Twitter account has

667 Tweets

269 Following

498 Followers

and includes a small handful of seemingly random pictures. If there is some method behind the photos they chose, it’s a mystery to me. I think MPL (and libraries in general) could do a better job of carefully selecting the pictures they post.

Recently, MPL has been tweeting several times a day. As we’ve seen with most of the preceding libraries on this blog, MPL uses Twitter to announce upcoming events and programs in the library, notices and cancellations, trivia, and link to related articles or images elsewhere on the net such as this barn that was converted into a library. The tone is playful, for example, “Have you checked out our teen blog Your Space yet? Do itttt!!” and MPL occasionally responds to other tweets. I think the Twitter account does a good job of getting the word out, and it seems enough people are paying attention.

MPL has a Facebook page with 224 Likes currently, about half of their Twitter flock. They have a neat photo album with quotations from Moncton Public Library patrons writing about what the library means to them. As with other libraries, there is a lot of overlap between tweets and Facebook posts, which seems redundant and like a waste of time. It would be ideal if libraries had some way of knowing which of their Twitter followers were also their friends on Facebook to determine whether or not it was worth the time to post the same message in multiple places.

MPL makes an effort to engage with their Facebook fans, by asking questions like “Who has seen The Hunger Games movie? Love it or hate it?” But, sadly, they usually get only a couple of responses if any at all.

In David Lee King’s blog post “Humanizing your Facebook Pages,”  he observes that popular library Facebook pages are doing what he calls “humanizing” their pages. He lists the following activities that attract followers and generate dialogue:

• Posting regular status updates
• Interacting with visitors in the comments of status updates
• Pointing to stuff that’s happening in the library (ie., lectures)
• Regularly add photos and videos – sometimes hundreds of them.
• They use Facebook’s Events feature to list events.

MPL does all of these things. And while 224 Likes isn’t bad for a small city library, there are very few user comments and only a couple of likes here and there. Both Facebook and Twitter are getting the word out, but are they successful Library 2.0 tools? They might be getting people into the library, which is a good starting point, but there is little user interaction, feedback, or content creation. Once in a while, a library patron will ask a question, such as “I was wondering if there is a photocopier there for public use?” or “Hi wondering if you could give me info on your children’s story times for 1 year olds and 3 year olds. Thanks!,” interactions that are refreshing to see on a library’s Facebook page.

I think that Facebook and Twitter can be powerful tools for simple reference/information questions like the ones mentioned above. But, I think librarians have overestimated people’s level of comfort in asking these types of questions in a public forum such as Facebook or Twitter.  But, are these types of interactions even really Library 2.0, or are they the same old library questions in a new medium? I think when we start to see Facebook or Twitter followers asking for programs that they would like to see, that will be a sure sign of Library 2.0. In the meantime, it seems that in the libraries we have visited so far at least, libraries are sharing with their patrons but patrons are not yet sharing with them.

Morrin Centre Library

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any public libraries in Quebec that have an English homepage and/or that use social media in English. The Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales du Quebec use Facebook, Twitter, RSS, and YouTube, but in French. They do have a strong following (6,279 likes on their Facebook page). The Bibliothèques de Laval uses Facebook but in French, too.

The Morrin Centre, an English cultural centre in Quebec City, has a Victorian library that is open to the public but lending privileges are for members only. You can see photos of the charming library here. Although it is not fully public, I thought it would be worth taking a look, as they do have an active Facebook page with 206 likes, not outstanding but not bad for a small cultural centre. The link to their Facebook page is easy enough to find on the Morrin Centre homepage:

Morrin Centre homepage

But, this is the only place on the site to link to the Facebook page. So, if you land on the library page, you might never know they have a Facebook account. It would be better if they had a little Facebook button at the bottom of each page near their contact info.

The Morrin Centre’s Facebook page announces both upcoming events at the Morrin Centre (such as Irish fighting stick classes), but it does include library events and a weekly book review. I was a little disappointed by the Weekly Book Reviews or Book of the Week (as they were called previously). They are usually only a couple of sentences or quotes from other reviewers and a photo of the book.

The tone of the posts is friendly and conversational. In his article, “Facebook for Libraries,” David Lee King writes that libraries “need to work on being personable online. Make sure your status updates read like something you’d say out loud. Sometimes, it helps to actually say your status updates aloud. If it’s not phrased like something you would say in conversation, edit away. The more conversational you sound, the more opportunities for conversation you’ll have.” This is great advice.

A post like the following from the Morrin Centre is both conversational and friendly. The emoticon adds a nice touch:

“Still looking for that perfect Valentine’s Day gift?

Why not go off the beaten track and buy your beloved bookworm a year’s membership to the charming library of the Morrin Centre? We have the most up-to-date and comprehensive collection of English-language novels, to keep the thrill going ;)”

Sometimes, the Morrin Centre asks for user input. For example, “Enjoyed a book from our library? Send us your review!” King writes that it is important to “share really interesting stuff about your library and the information found there. … asking about books really encourages comments. People love sharing their favorite authors, or which books they’d want if they were shipwrecked on a desert island.” The Morrin Centre does make an effort to ask these kind of questions occasionally, but I think they could be a bit more creative and ask more often to encourage participation. I can say that if I lived in Quebec City, I would definitely visit this library simply to witness its charm. If I was interested in events at the Centre or the library, I would join the Facebook page, but I probably wouldn’t do so for the book reviews. As King points out, it’s important to share neat facts about the library or its contents. The library must have an interesting history, but  no one’s writing about it on Facebook.

Toronto Public Library

I know it’s incongruous to choose Red Deer Public Library as the library of focus for Alberta and then pick Toronto, Canada’s largest city, for the Ontario post. But, I think diversity is good. One blog in particular caught my eye, the Accessibility Services blog. Of course, TPL has a plethora of 2.0 tools, but the Accessibility Services blog will be the focus of this post.

The blog can be accessed by clicking the blog button on TPL’s homepage:

Toronto Public Library homepage

And then choosing the Accessibility Services blog from a list of active TPL blogs:

Toronto Public Library Blogs & Publications page

As you can see in the first screen shot above, TPL has all sorts of Library 2.0 tools (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr). They also have an Ask A Librarian Chat Service. On their homepage, they have a blog feed that lists recent posts. This is the first library on the tour so far that has given this kind of space and priority to their blogs.

The list of blogs is long, which can be expected from such a large library, and includes blogs for people who are new to Canada, science fiction fans, and healthy living. All of the blogs use TypePad and have a similar layout. The Accessibility Services blog lists Recent Posts, Categories, Archives, and has an About statement. The blog’s About statement is worth quoting to gain an understanding of what the blog offers and what it wishes to achieve:

“The Accessibility Services Blog provides information and updates on current and upcoming library trends, programs, collections, and services to existing and potential TPL customers with disabilities, along with their friends and family. The blog offers a forum through which library customers can interact with TPL and share feedback and ideas, and communicate with staff. Features of the blog include highlights on special collections and assistive technologies available through the library, opportunities to get involved, and staff recommendations for programs, books and other materials.”

As I’m new to Library 2.0 tools, and the blogosphere, I was surprised to see how libraries have created very focused blogs such as this one to suit their customers’ particular needs. I think that the Accessibility Services blog sounds like a great idea, and an important Library 2.0 service as it exists not only to serve the needs of users (in particular those with disabilities, their families, or caregivers) but also to promote the library. For example, the blogs features Children’s Braille Books in the library’s collection.

The blog is young and was born in April 2011. The frequency of posts varies from several times a month to once every two months, which, by most standards, is irregular and infrequent. However, the posts are substantial and feature reviews of products, such as the Kindle, to evaluate accessibility and personal anecdotes of living with a disability (there’s only been one to date). There are very few comments in response to blog posts and only 3 subscribers to the RSS feed. I really hope this blog, and others like it, can attract a larger following. The posts are thoughtful and well-written, and I would assume helpful. But, perhaps they are too few and far between or perhaps the blog is too new and hasn’t caught on yet.

The TPL is dedicated to accessibility in its library and has a page devoted to accessibility at the library that includes updates from the blog. But, it seems that this blog is going largely unnoticed. Infrequent posts aside, how can a blog with a good mandate, a focused user group, and useful posts go unnoticed? Maybe the posts aren’t very useful, or they provide information that people already know about? Or, maybe there are a lot of people who read the blog but choose not to comment or subscribe? If I was interested in accessibility services, I may consider subscribing to this blog or at the very least reading through the posts. I wish that they did update it regularly though or perhaps hyperlink to outside sources in order to create a network and maybe draw some interest from outside the TPL’s community. While it is imperative for Library 2.0 services to reach users, I think it can also be important for them to reach the internet community at large. Some of the blogs I stumbled across when I was researching, I found because they were linked in to a rich network of discussions online about social media and libraries.

I imagine that there are a lot of little blogs like this that go unnoticed and eventually either gain momentum or lose steam. This brings me back to a point I discussed in a previous blog about the Saskatoon Public Library asking what can be done when librarians make a concerted effort to engage in 2.0 tools, but their users are either disinterested or unaware? Is it that the need for some of these services doesn’t exist in the first place? Is the medium wrong? These are questions that I think have already come up and will continue to be addressed in the following posts. I really liked the Accessibility Services blog, but I would like to see more content more frequently and perhaps a little more zest in the posts before I would commit to reading it regularly.

Winnipeg Public Library

With 20 branches in Manitoba’s capital city Winnipeg, the Winnipeg Public Library serves a population nearly double that of Saskatoon. Similar to the Yukon Public Libraries homepage, WPL’s main page is nested under the city of Winnipeg’s city services site, which is a pity since I think the library merits its own site. On the other hand, people who are new to the city or checking out the city website might be more likely to stumble upon the library site.  The library has several buttons that connect to its various 2.0 tools, which can be confusing at a first glance.

I checked out WPL’s Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube accounts, and they use them in much the same way as the Saskatoon Public Library. WPL’s YouTube account has only a handful of videos that range from entertaining in-library programs to informative how-tos. They also have a blog called Readers’ Salon, a forum to discuss books. But since we were on the topic of YA lit. in the previous post and because WPL uses Facebook and Twitter in similar ways to the Saskatoon Public Library, I thought I would focus on WPL’s teen blog Booked in this post.

I didn’t notice the Booked button on their homepage until I had already found the blog through the blog button at the bottom of the page. The Booked button isn’t very helpful since someone who is new to the library or doesn’t know about the blog would have no idea what Booked is. The same applies to the Readers’ Salon button.

So what is Booked? Booked is an engaging blog space for teens. Booked includes a blog, online polls, events at the library, hot topics, reviews, top tens, a link to the catalogue and the library’s social media tools, and a space called The Mash Up that I have yet to fully comprehend. There is a “What is a Mashup?” button on Booked, but the site is currently under construction. From what I can see, the Mashup is a space for teens (not for librarians) to post their photos, poetry, and create collaborative fiction. You don’t need a WPL card to post to the Mashup. So far, there have only been a couple dozen posts, but I think it has the potential to be a relatively safe online space for teens to explore and share their creativity.

The blog portion of Booked has been running since January 2010 and is updated several times a month. The posts are mostly substantial reviews of YA lit., book awards, and reading awareness such as I Love to Read Month. Comments on the blog are not enabled, which is too bad since readers might like to contribute feedback about the posts and discuss books that are reviewed. The Top Ten lists are for the most part subjective and provide useful links to the library catalogue if you click on a title, which is a great way to use social media to bring patrons directly to the library’s catalogue.

The online Polls are few but have the potential to get important user feedback. So far, the polls have focused on both library and non-library questions such as “Which of the following series is the most futuristic?” or “Do you use your cell phone during class?” People can suggest a poll they’d like to see on the site and while this might produce some amusing polls, I think the library could do more to include polls that relate to library services or the information and entertainment preferences of teens in particular.

YALSA’s (Young Adult Library Services Association) Teens & Social Media in School and Public Libraries toolkit says that when teens “have the opportunity to communicate with peers, experts, authors, etc. via online social media they develop social and cultural competence,” when they “have a voice in the future of the school or the library by using social media they gain a sense of personal identity and value,” and they may also see how positive role models such as librarians engage with social media. WPL’s blog Booked has the potential to help teens develop strong online social skills, a voice for their future, and a sense of identity as well as provide a model for how teens can use social media for educational, entertainment, and social purposes. I never want to be a teen again, but if I were, I can see myself using this space to write collaborative short stories.

As a final thought, here are some tips from Michael Stevens about how libraries can use social media to connect with teens. Overall, I think WPL’s blog Booked is trying really hard to engage with teens, and is keeping the posts fresh and relevant. I hope they can keep up with the numerous services offered on the blog and keep teens coming back.

Saskatoon Public Library

We now head south to the heart of the prairies to visit the Saskatoon Public Library. Links to SPL’s Twitter, Flickr, and Facebook accounts can be found about half-way down the homepage on the left-hand side:

Saskatoon Public Library homepage

Yep, that’s a friendly pelican you see at the top of the shot. Pelicans like to congregate on the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon in the spring and summer, and the SPL’s mascot is PJ the Library Pelican.

On the homepage, the Twitter, Flickr, and Facebook buttons are green when inactive but change to their usual colors when you hold the mouse over them, which might make them a bit more difficult for new users to spot.

SPL’s Twitter feed does a fine job of keeping followers in the loop. And currently has

2,643 tweets

711 following

931 followers

which is significantly less than Red Deer’s Twitter account in a city with a third of the population of Saskatoon. SPL is using Twitter to post on upcoming events in the library, library and book news in general, and respond to followers’ questions.

SPL’s Flickr photostream has photos from the recent Speed Scrabble Tournament, a donor appreciation event, library anniversary celebrations, and the J.S. Wood branch archives, which has some neat historical photographs. On its own, the Flickr photostream is not much of a Library 2.0 tool. The albums have on average 100 viewers, and there are few comments (if any). But, I think the Flickr photostream has begun and has the potential to document Library 2.0 initiatives in the library, such as the Speed Scrabble Tournament or the recent Human Library event at the SPL. I think the SPL, and other libraries with photostreams, should subscribe to the less-is-more philosophy. I think if they choose a handful (maybe no more than a couple dozen) photographs to upload, they can capture an event without overwhelming the viewer.

SPL’s Facebook page is available to those who don’t have a Facebook account and has 720 likes, which suggests that compared to Red Deer (and perhaps other cities), either SPL’s Facebook page is more engaging or the people of Saskatoon use Facebook more than some cities. I’ve heard before that cities seem to have a preference for either Craigslist or Kijiji. For example, Kijiji is pretty popular for house-hunting in Saskatoon but Craigslist is more popular for the same thing in Vancouver. My guess is that it’s the same with social media tools. As Meredith Farkas points out in her web presentation Organization 2.0, one of the keys to using 2.0 technology successfully is to know your users, which includes knowing the kind of social media tools they prefer. (The Librarian in Black’s helpful summary of and comments on Farkas’ presentation can be found here.)

SPL’s Facebook page doesn’t have as much dialogue as Red Deer’s, but there is frequent activity and photos and events are posted. Occasionally, a post will spark an interesting debate, such as a recent post with a link to the New York Times article “Adults should Read Adult Books.” SPL asked “Do you agree with this author’s argument that adult should not read YA?” Some did and some didn’t. Similar to their tweets, SPL posts frequently on YA literature. It might have something do to with recent buzz about the highly popular YA trilogy The Hunger Games. But, it might also be the library’s effort to reach younger patrons that they believe are more likely to be using social media in the first place.

Overall, the SPL does a good job of using social media tools to inform users of upcoming events in the library, documenting those that have passed, and every so often creating dialogue. As with the other libraries we have viewed to date, Library 2.0 applications seem to generate a bit of a one-way street. From what I’ve seen so far, it seems that libraries are making an effort to meet their users in their online environment, but users seem reluctant to voice their needs to the library. But, I think asking engaging questions, as SPL sometimes does on its Facebook page, marks a good starting point for encouraging residents to participate in library programs and services. Although there has been a lot of focus in online forums, blogs, and articles in the library community about how libraries and librarians are using 2.0 tools, I think patrons’ willingness to use these tools and themselves participate in a discussion with the library need to be further examined, so that a more fruitful two-way conversation can begin.

I used to live in Saskatoon, and I didn’t subscribe to any of these social media tools. I visited the library a lot, and so I assumed if something important was happening, I would read about it in the library. But, if I move back, I would consider following SPL on Twitter or Facebook (if I ever sign up again).

Yellowknife Public Library and Nunavut Public Library Services

Yellowknife is the capital of the Northwest Territories and one of Canada’s smallest capitals with only 18, 700 residents. The Yellowknife Public Library is the only Northwest Territory library that uses a Library 2.0 application to reach users.

The YPL does not have its own webpage but is instead nested within the city of Yellowknife’s homepage. Unfortunately, the YPL’s Facebook page can only be accessed if you have a Facebook account, which I don’t, so I couldn’t even take a peek. The link to their page is easy enough to find, but they should make it accessible to anyone rather than Facebook users only to reach a broad audience.

My post could end here, but I decided to look a little further and see if there were any related organizations, blogs, or websites that were using 2.0 apps. I found the Northwest Territories Literacy Council website, an active site with great resources on Aboriginal languages, literacy facts, and digital literacy (which provides information on some Web 2.0 social media such as blogs), and more. The NWT Literacy Council has a YouTube channel, a Twitter account, and a Facebook page that include regular updates on poetry, books, youth literacy, the NWT 11 official languages, and much more. Twitter and Facebook are updated regularly, and the YouTube channel has 15 uploaded videos where you can learn about Family Literacy or how to make a foam book.

The territory of Nunavut has a population of just over 33,000. The Nunavut Public Library Services site serves all of Nunavut’s public libraries. The Nunavut Public Library Services provides vital services to those in the community, including a Borrower by Mail program, Reading Circles, and internet access. Although Iqaluit’s Public Library has seen major cutbacks in programming in the past, recently, the library has had a record number of visitors. Hopefully, as communities and telecommunications companies work to bridge the digital divide in Nunavut and as more and more people visit the library, library staff will be able to engage in 2.0 services and maintain a regular presence online.

I wondered if the digital divide has anything to do with the NWT and Nunavut’s libraries’ lack of engagement in Library 2.0 services online. I came across a recent article on the digital divide in Canada’s northern communities in Up Here Business magazine. Loren McGinnis’ article “The Digital Divides” discusses internet connectivity in northern communities. McGinnis says the digital divide “means some people have access to all of the information and services provided on the Internet and some do not.” The digital divide in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, as well as the relatively small and sparse population, may explain why their public libraries use few 2.0 applications.

Perhaps there are in-library initiatives that I am not aware of that encourage patrons to engage with their library. As Michael Casey iterates, “Library 2.o is not just about technology.”

Red Deer Public Library

Before heading over to the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, we’re going to make a quick stopover in south central Alberta at the Red Deer Public Library in Albert’s third largest city. Calgary and Edmonton’s public libraries both use a handful of  2.0 applications to keep in touch with their users, but I thought it would be interesting to check out a smaller centre. I’ve been to Red Deer before, and all I remember from the trip was buying delicious cinnamon pretzels in the mall with my cousins. After visiting the RDPL Facebook page, I am intrigued and may have to make another trip to visit the library.

The link to the RDPL Facebook page can be found on their homepage on the left hand side closer to the top, which makes it a little easier for new users to find. The RDPL also has a Twitter button that is easy to spot:

Red Deer Public Library homepage

The RDPL’s Facebook Page has 450 Likes, which was more than I expected. At first glance, it’s easy to tell that the page is updated regularly and includes conversations among followers, two signs of a healthy library 2.0 application. RDPL posts to Facebook at least once a day and posts include upcoming events in the library, new catalogue features, author trivia, related news, neat library or book projects, and even cute puppy pictures. Most of the RDPL followers’ feedback seems to be positive, which is good but doesn’t necessarily mean Facebook is being used as a tool for change. That said, whoever is behind the delightful Facebook posts is doing a great job of keeping patrons (and even non-patrons like myself) interested.

RDPL’s Twitter feed currently has

1,880 tweets

900 following

1,387 followers

Not bad. Unlike the Facebook page, though, the Twitter feed seems to be a monologue for the most part, but some tweets do respond to patrons. RDPL tweets mostly about upcoming events at the library but also about news in Red Deer such as rising gas prices. Recently, there’s been a lot of buzz on both RDPL’s Twitter feed and Facebook page about their new catalogue, which has some interesting personalized and social features and is worth reading about. Although the Twitter feed is not as engaging as the Facebook page, I think they complement each other nicely and use the respective character limits appropriately. To be honest, I didn’t expect this much Library 2.0 innovation in little old Red Deer, but I’m happy to have been pleasantly surprised.

Yukon Public Libraries

From British Columbia, we go north to the Yukon. The Yukon Public Libraries   “provides library services to Yukon people through a central library in Whitehorse and 14 community branches located throughout the Yukon.” The YPL has a clean webpage, and a link to their Facebook page can be found at the bottom of the homepage:

Yukon Public Libraries homepage

Like GVPL, I think that YPL could benefit from having the link to social media sites closer to the top of the page. YPL has a list of Quick Links in the top right hand corner of their homepage, and I think the Facebook link would fit nicely there.

YPL’s Facebook page can be viewed without a Facebook account. It seems that on average, YPL posts to Facebook about once every couple of weeks, sometimes less, sometimes more, and sometimes more than once a day. The library uses Facebook to announce upcoming events in the library such as upcoming readings and holiday closures. In December, YPL posted nearly 100 photos that document the Whitehorse Public Library’s recent relocation. Currently, the Yukon Public Libraries has 43 likes, which isn’t very many followers. It’s unlikely that I would follow YPL on Facebook.

Unfortunately, most of YPL’s Facebook posts do not encourage library patrons to participate in a discussion about library services and the way they are used. Unlike GVPL’s twitter posts that encourage and respond to user feedback, the YPL’s Facebook updates are a one-way street. In their article, “Service for the Next Generation Library,” Michael Casey (the man credited with coining the term Library 2.0) and Laura Savastinuk write that “at its most basic level, the Library 2.0 model gives library users a participatory role in the services libraries offer and the way they are used.” Although YPL’s Facebook page may look like a Library 2.0 tool, it’s not necessarily used as one.

Understandably, it can’t be easy for a small library system that caters to remote locations to attract a lot of followers. I think that YPL could attract more Facebook fans and spark lively conversations if they posted more often, encouraged feedback from and conversation among patrons on Facebook, and posted on events, news, or new releases of interest but not related directly to the library community.

Perhaps the library should consider creating a blog and joining Yukon’s Urban Yukon blogging community, which hosts over 100 blogs. Urban Yukon was started to give “bloggers more exposure and to help people discover and share information about what it’s like to live and work in the Yukon.” Sounds like a perfect opportunity for a librarian to share their experiences!

Greater Victoria Public Library

We begin our trip in western Canada on Vancouver Island in the provincial capital Victoria at the Greater Victoria Public Library. The Greater Victoria Public Library (GVPL) website provides service “to almost 300,000 residents in 10 municipalities” in the greater Victoria area and Brentwood Bay. On the homepage, the eye is first drawn to an animated image scroll of upcoming events in the library or services available through the website. It’s evident at first glance that the website has quite a bit to offer patrons online.  Steampunk scavenger hunts and a language-learning program are two of the entertainment and educational activities available to patrons through the website. My favorite feature on the website is Tales from the Vault, which GVPL describes as “our ongoing look at local history. In it we present some of the stories you’ll find in our old and rare books, newspaper clippings and hundreds of more recently published books of local interest.” Anyone can access the enticing tales from the website.

Let’s move on to social media. The GVPL uses 3 social web tools: Twitter, Ask Now, and RSS feeds. GVPL’s Twitter and Ask Now buttons lie unobtrusively at the very bottom of the page in shades of grey and blue. The buttons aren’t hard to find, but they would be more obvious if they were colorful. The image below is taken from the library’s homepage and shows the Twitter and Ask Now buttons.

Greater Victoria Public Library homepage

GVPL has an active Twitter feed, and to date has

1,292 tweets

373 following

1,462 followers

GVPL tweets regularly, either every couple of days and once in a while several times per day. GVPL both tweets about upcoming and current events at the library, good reads,  job postings, links to relevant articles, and much more. The tone is upbeat and friendly, and the language is clear. GVPL often responds to other tweeters who mention GVPL in their tweets, which is a good way for them to keep in touch with patrons and reach those who live far from a branch or aren’t able to make it to the library regularly.

The Ask Now instant messaging service is often offline, and this is because they have set hours that do not correspond with their branch hours. Ask Now is closed Sunday. Monday, Friday, and Saturday, the service is available 1-5pm; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, the service is available 1-8pm. When Ask Now is offline, you can click on the Ask Now button and a box where you can leave a message pops up. The limited hours may be inconvenient for some users, who prefer to do their work in the morning, but it is possible to leave a message. GVPL does have a Fast Answers page that can be found in the drop-down menu under “Digital Content.” Fast Answers lists links to ready-reference sites such as dictionaries, encyclopedia, telephone directories, local organizations, and the library’s most popular websites. Fast Answers isn’t too difficult to find, but it might be helpful to some users if they were either given a link to Fast Answers or made aware of the page when they clicked Ask Now when the service is offline.

GVPL also has a news feed that you can subscribe to via RSS. There is quite a bit of overlap between the library’s news feeds and tweets. For example, both feeds posted about a job opportunity and an upcoming book sale. I think this overlap is ok and to be expected. Some users may not subscribe to twitter and may be more accustomed to checking a website’s news page. Also, the library’s RSS feed often provides more information than a tweet. Sadly, there was only 1 person who subscribes to the news feed compared to the 1,462 (and growing) who follow GVPL on twitter. While RSS feeds are useful for those who want to receive information, it is not a networking tool. Twitter, on the other hand, enables people to respond to posts and communicate with one another.

Overall, GVPL uses social media tools effectively. The RSS feeds don’t seem to be doing too much though and perhaps having news feeds on the webpage and updated tweets is enough. The Ask Now service would improve if service was available weekday mornings. It would also be a good idea if the “Send a Message” pop-up provided a link to their Fast Answers page when offline. GVPL’s web 2.0 asset is their Twitter feed. They tweet regularly, engage with their patrons and community members directly, and express enthusiasm. If I lived on beautiful Vancouver island, I would likely subscribe to their twitter feed and wouldn’t hesitate to use the Ask Now service. I wouldn’t feel the need to subscribe to the RSS news feed because I would feel confident that the twitter feed would keep me up to date and in the loop!