I keep hearing that librarians want to connect with their customers in spaces where they are- like facebook, myspace, etc. Did we ever ask what THEY want?
Today, an article in The Chronicle’s Wired Campus Blog mentions that in a University of Michigan survey, “half those answering the survey said they were not interested in communicating with a librarian via Facebook or MySpace.” Interesting.
A profession in another article on the same blog seems to think that “people tend to be loyal to one social-networking site, though that relationship is often fleeting.” Well I think I’m amongst those who get bored quickly and move on just as quick to something else before the process starts over again- but I’ve stuck with Facebook for a few years now. MySpace for longer- although maybe there’s something to be said here- I only go to Facebook when I get an email saying something’s happened and I try to avoid MySpace cause it’s too flashy and high-schooly.
While I worry that librarians think they need to do something without having asked the people it has to do with I am most concerned that the reason these surveyed students weren’t interested in communicating with a librarian via Facebook is because their idea of librarian is still of a stodgy, old, unhip librarian with a bad customer service rep…. hmm.
I think a high number of businesses, including libraries, see the social network sites and say we should be there, we should use this to reach our clients. However, they have no idea if the people on these sites are ‘our clients’ or want to have ‘us’ in their social network world. Remeber, these are ‘social’ and it is where people find ‘friends’. I don’t think of my service providers as either part of my social life or my friends.
We spend a huge amount of time trying to get in on the ‘next big thing’ after it has become the big thing. Instead, we need to focus on what the information needs of our patrons are and find the next big way to meet those needs. I suspect it has little to do with MySpace or Facebook and everything to do with creating a welcoming physical space with wifi and people who are nice, helpful, interesting, and competent.
Libraries are full of people right in front of us–do we talk to all of them, or just wait for them to approach the desk? Maybe instead of trying to grab virtual patrons, we need more focus on people.