Striking a Balance: Effective Use of Facebook in an Academic Library

Authors

Dianna Sachs, Western Michigan UniversityFollow
Edward J. Eckel, Western Michigan UniversityFollow
Kathleen Langan, Western Michigan UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Version

preprint

Publication Date

6-8-2011

Abstract

As one of the fastest growing social networking sites, Facebook presents librarians with a prime opportunity to engage academic library patrons. A survey of 136 users at Western Michigan University measured the effectiveness of Facebook as a marketing, reference, and instruction tool. It also measured user comfort and satisfaction with a library’s presence on Facebook. The majority of respondents found Facebook to be a useful and engaging medium to learn about library resources and services. The study shows that an effective library Facebook page must maintain a balance between providing pertinent and useful information, and preserving patron privacy.

WMU ScholarWorks Citation

Sachs, Dianna; Eckel, Edward J.; and Langan, Kathleen, "Striking a Balance: Effective Use of Facebook in an Academic Library" (2011). University Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications. 18.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/library_pubs/18

Published Citation

Sachs, Dianna E., Eckel, Edward J., and Langan, Kathleen A. “Striking a Balance: Effective Use of Facebook in an Academic Library,” Internet Reference Services Quarterly 16(1-2) (2011): 35-54.