social software in libraries: powerful marketing tools for cutting-edge librarians
DESCRIPTION
Presentation at the GAELIC & Friends Marketing Fair, 11 September 2009, Pretoria, South AfricaTRANSCRIPT
Social Software in Libraries: Powerful Marketing Tools for cutting-edge Librarians
Pavlinka KovatchevaUniversity of Johannesburg, Library & Information Centre
Could you repeat that? Marketing?
• Marketing is a process of promoting or selling a product or a service.
• A good marketing strategy can help an organisation improve its position on the market
So, why are we gathered here today?
To share experiences in marketing services & resourcesTo share a passion and interest in being a new “brand” of
librarians, that can change the traditional image of the LibraryTo make statistics “talk” and prove OR disapprove that social
software tools are powerful tools to market libraries worldwide and with their intended users.
Why Marketing Library Resources & Services?
• Bring up to date users with the latest in the Library• Attract users to participate in Library initiatives• Market Library Resources to increase awareness and usage
statistics (Databases, Institutional Repositories, etc.)• Promote Library Services and Staff to the University Community What is needed for a marketing strategy to be successful?- Good planning?- Degree in Marketing & Communication?- Initiative?- Spontaneity? - Passion?
Marketing Library Services in a Traditional way
Marketing in a Traditional way:- Publish a Library Newsletter - Advertise through e-mail/circular (news notifications) - Do Visual Displays @ the Departments & the Library- Make use of print handouts - Make use of your Library website- Use Library training courses- Do special Library events & exhibitions- Market specific databases & library services
Marketing Library Services with Social Software Tools
• Social software encompasses a range of software systems that allow users to interact and share data. (Wikipedia)
• Social Software allows people to communicate, collaborate and build community online, wherever they are.
• The use of social tools in the library, keep the librarians current and help them become active participants in the building of a new knowledge society generation.
• The term Web 2.0 is also used to describe these social software tools: Blogs, Wikis; RSS feeds; Social Networking; Social Bookmarking; Photo sharing, etc.
Marketing with Social Software tools
OTHER SOCIAL TOOLS
WIDGETS & BANNERS
MIND MAPGOOGLE MAP
PHOTO SHARING
SOCIAL BOOKMARKING
& SHARING
BLOGS
SCIENCESLIBRARIAN
PORTAL
Marketing with 2.0UJ Sciences Librarian
Kingsway campus
UJ Sciences Librarian Strategy for Implementation of Social Software/Web 2.0 tools
Stage 1: 2007-2008
(Individual Experiments)Created the following tools:
- UJ Sciences Librarian Blog (Oct’07)
- UJ Librarian News Blog (Oct’ 07)
- Delicious: tag articles (Oct’ 07)
- Flickr account (Nov’ 07)
- YouTube account (Dec’ 07)
- Wiki portal (Early’ 08)
- Facebook profile (May’ 08)
- Second Live account (May’08)
- Mind Maps (Mid’ 08)
- Twitter (Sep’08)
- Library Thing account (Sep’ 08)
- UJ Science Library News Blog (Oct’08)
- Technorati; Snap Shots; Share This; Scribd, LinkedIn, many more …..
Stage 2: 2009 (Integration + further experimentation)
- Updated the Wiki Portal (Jan’ 09)
Created:
- Over 45 web pages (Jan-Jun’ 09)
- IM/Chat account: MeeboMe (Feb’09)
- Embedded Widgets on the Portal (IM; Blogs; Twitter; Delicious; Google widgets, etc.)
- iGoogle web profile (Apr’ 09)
- Netvibes portal (May’09)
- Custom Search Engine for the Portal
- Google Map (Aug’ 09)
Stage 3: 2009-2010- Feedback from users & updates
according to needs
- Mobile Technologies
- More experiments with new tools
Marketing through the Sciences Portal
The portal is developed and maintained by the UJ Sciences Librarian @ APK
A wiki platform allow Librarians flexibility in placing subjects specific content and
opportunity to collaborate.
Provides access to:Sciences Subject PortalsTeaching, Research & Undergraduates
Support for Sciences usersTop Electronic Resources for SciencesUser Education, Guides & TutorialsVirtual Learning Environment: Special
websites with instructions for Courses & Assignments
Social Networking tools: Twitter; IM/Chat; Library & Research News (blogs); Social Bookmarking (articles), etc.
Current Awareness Services
Aim: Make scientific information easily
accessibleTailor-made content for researchersOne stop to find subject specific
informationIntegrate Library & Internet ResourcesMarket resources & services to clientsRaise Awareness of new technologies
http://ujsciencelibrarian.pbworks.com
Marketing through theUJ Sciences Librarian Portal
UJ Sciences Librarian Portal: Usage Statistics
Jan’ 09 - The Portal was updated
Hits - 186Feb’ 09 – Training
students (24 groups; > 600 students)
Hits - 1790Apr-May’ 09 – Assignments
/Research timeHits – 924 & 678
June’ 09 – Exams/ Recess
Hits - 362Jul-Aug’ 09
Start of the 2nd Semester
Hits – 769 & 861 www.goodcounter.org/
BLOG for Marketing Library Resources & Serviceshttp://ujscienceslibrarynews.wordpress.com
Advantages:- Easy to find posted information - Keep users up-to- date with the latest library news - Serve as a reminder of past events & trials- Feedback from users (comments)- Encourage initiative & participation
Disadvantages:- It can be time consuming
Suggestions to new Bloggers:- WordPress.org- Use Institutional generalised e-mail
UJ Sciences Library News Blog: Widget Statistics• Embedded on the UJ
Sciences Librarian Portal• Increase Awareness of the
Resources• Visual impact of the posts• Summary of all posts• Picked-up by Google
A widget is anything that can be embedded within a web page. The use of widgets has been increasingly
proposed as a marketing channel (Wikipedia)
UJ Librarians News bloghttp://ujlibrariansnews.blogspot.com/
Communication Channel for UJ Library staff
Posts on workshops; Library events; Pictures from library functions
Summaries of Library related newsletters
Links to blogs; presentations; useful websites
Marketing via Social Bookmarking & Sharing
Social Bookmarking is the practice of saving bookmarks to a public website and “tagging” them with keywords
It can be used for Current Awareness, Marketing and Selective Dissemination of information (Articles, News; ToC, Websites; Blog posts, etc.)
Databases using Social Bookmarking:- EbscoHost, ACS, RSC, IoP, Elsevier,
etc.
Tagging resources with keywords has the potential to change the way we store and find information
Social Bookmarking simplifies the distribution of reference list; bibliographies, articles; news and other resources among peers and students
Some Social Bookmarking & Sharing sites:
- Delicious, Digg, Google Bookmarks, Facebook, etc.
Social BookmarkingImplications for Librarians, Researchers and Learners
Social Bookmarking: EbscoHost database
Social BookmarkingSelect any service, you would like to implement in your library
Social Bookmarking: Results list on Delicious
Tags on Delicious: ScienceLibrarian http://delicious.com/sciencelibrarian
Delicious is a free website that enables all the users around the world to bookmark their favorite web contents on the web
Advantages:- Easy to find new & older Information (tags);- Keep users informed on the latest in the in Sciences, Library, IT fields;- Subject search per tag;- Enable you to advertise your own links (blogs, websites, etc.) - Easy & Quick to do;- Save e-mail overload;- Good Marketing tool.
Suggestions:- Can trust: Delicious is used by many libraries;- Use Institutional generalised e-mail and name;- Create more focused delicious, don’t cover too many topics.
The Power of Marketing with Flickr: Photo sharing
• Create Library account• Upload Library
pictures:- Building space- Library Events- Promote your staff- Show a different side
of the library- Users will connect with
the Library in their own space
- Don’t be shy. Share!
Twitter: The latest explosion in sharing and marketinghttp://twitter.com/ujlibscience
Twitter allows people to send and to receive messages (140 characters) in real-time
What are you doing?Links to useful websites Raise an Awareness to
Library services and resources
You can “follow” in order to see what are others saying
I follow: Springer; Elsevier; IOP, Other Science Librarians, etc.
“ujlibscience” Twitter Stats
UJ Sciences Twitter: Embedded Widget Statistics
Social Software Tools - Overall Usage Statistics
Mind Map: Make your Library visibleGoogle Map: Make your Library visible
Raising Awareness: Embedded Widgets on the UJ Sciences Librarian Portal
Marketing tools: Banners
Marketing through other Social Software tools
• RSS Feeds
• Instant Messaging
• Podcasting
• Videos
• Mobile Technologies
• Library Thing
• And many more…..
In Conclusion
Is it worth it to use Social Software/ 2.0 tools in the Libraries?• Yes. They bring the change, the sharing and the excitement in the
librarian life. • The statistics show that the Social Software tools are indeed powerful
tools for Marketing locally and internationally.• You are “out there”, not only “in here”. You are part of the creation and
sharing of the worlds knowledge and information. You are a cutting-age Librarian.
Suggestions:• Coordinate Marketing initiatives with your colleagues• Decide which Traditional & Web 2.0 tools will work better for your library
and for what purposes.• Implementing is easy. You don’t need IT skills or a degree in Marketing
& Communication, just initiative and passion for what you do.
A Librarian 2.0 Manifesto
Thank you!
Pavlinka Kovatcheva Cutting-edge Sciences Librarian
Library & Information Centre, Kingsway CampusUniversity of Johannesburg
Tel.: 011 559-2621; E-mail: [email protected]
UJ Sciences Librarian Portalhttp://ujsciencelibrarian.pbworks.com/