What is the Internet Public Library?

From Drexel University

When you hear Internet Public Library (IPL), have you heard of this or know what it is?  Do not worry if you have not heard of this because many adults and young adults have never heard of this tool, but probably have used it in their life today.  I have also written about whether or not libraries are still relevant in our 21st century?  The Internet Public Library, now know as ipl2, is an online-based public service organization that serves as both a library and an internet institution.  The goal of this organization and project was to develop a one stop shop kind of place for information that is organized and easily excess-able.  This website provides online references, content collections, youth-oriented resources, and services for other librarians can use all across the country (Maceli, Wiedenbeck & Abels, 2011).  But, many patrons do not know or understand what modern day users of the internet actually use this website for.  

One article I found titled "The Internet Public Library (IPL): an exploratory case study on users perceptions" by Monica Maceli, Susan Wiedenbeck and Eileen Abels explores this topic.  The main purpose of their study was understand what the public perception is of the Internet public library and what services and materials should an Internet public library offer to its patrons (Maceli, Wiedenbeck & Abels, 2011)?  Before conducting their own research into this topic the researchers also wanted to explore previous data and experiments already conducted with this topic in mind.  Previous research found that 84% of participants began their information research from a search engine, only 1% started from a library website (Maceli, Wiedenbeck & Abels, 2011).  This research means that users go to main stream search engines like Google or Bing to start their research from instead of going to a library resource online or in person.  The previous research also found that college students had the highest rate of library use, but other patrons were simply not aware of most libraries' electronic resources (Maceli, Wiedenbeck & Abels, 2011).  These findings show that very few patrons know of the Internet Public Library and all its resources it provides for free.

The article I am focusing on conducted their research by asking 10 college students to asses their experience with public libraries both physical and online and their expectations of an Internet public library (Maceli, Wiedenbeck & Abels, 2011). They found six main themes that came up numerous times during the interviews with the student. The first theme found in this study was actually the confusion about the name, four of the ten participants did not know of the term "Internet public library" (Maceli, Wiedenbeck & Abels, 2011). Many of the participants lacked the understanding to differentiate between public and academic; physical and digital libraries, this was also found to be the third theme (Maceli, Wiedenbeck & Abels, 2011). The fourth theme found from these interviews was that electronic resources, catalogs, and searching tools were key pieces participants wanted in the Internet Public Library (Maceli, Wiedenbeck & Abels, 2011). The fifth theme they found while conducting their interviews was that many of the participants wanted these resources also to be available in the physical library (Maceli, Wiedenbeck & Abels, 2011). Finally the last theme collected in this research was that participants liked personal and personalized help while using the online resources (Maceli, Wiedenbeck & Abels, 2011). The article then went into further detail about each theme, but I will provide a link to the article below if you want to read more about this topic.

References:

Maceli, M., Wiedenbeck, S., & Abels, E. (2011). The internet public library (IPL): An exploratory case study on user perceptions. Information Technology and Libraries, 30(1), 16.

Links:
Article:

http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=mlin_c_worstate&id=GALE|A249958006&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon&userGroup=mlin_c_worstate&authCount=1

Curated Content: Are Libraries Still Relevant in the 21st Century?

http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=mlin_c_worstate&id=GALE|A249958006&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon&userGroup=mlin_c_worstate&authCount=1

Social Networking for Public Libraries

(Photo from Earthlink Blog)

Libraries have changed over the years, or in a sense they have had to change with 21st century technology and all the new ways of acquiring information. Many public libraries fear that they will become un-relevant in their communities and their patrons will no longer come to use the library.  To stay relevant within their own communities and their patrons they rely on, they must learn to use social networks as a tool for success.  Using Facebook or Twitter effectively for public libraries can have many different faces and appearances.  But how do these public libraries use these social media platforms effectively to communicate with their patrons (Crawford & Bayer, 2014)?

One article I found by Crawford and Bayer aimed to explore how public libraries are using these networks and also look at how librarians and workers feel about this topic.  Many patrons of public libraries automatically think that all public libraries have a Facebook or Twitter page they use, this is simply not true for many public libraries.  Many public libraries have a strong community and patrons already established and do not need the extra means of advertisement and communication with their patrons.  But with the invention of the internet and all the resources you can find online, many public libraries are losing the traffic they usually have from their patrons.

Though Crawford and Bayer cover a wide range of topics within this one particular article the main point I want to focus on in this blog post is whether or not libraries should be on social networks sites?  The authors brake down this question into four main points they wanted to discuss with this topic.  The first main question they discuss about this topic is whether or not your particular public library can devote staff time to create and manage the social network account (Crawford & Bayer, 2014)?  Many smaller public libraries are all volunteer based and do not have the time and resources to devote a staff member to that kind of project.  The next theme the authors point out is can your library maintain activity on the social networking site, this includes making posts almost everyday and following up on feedback from patrons (Crawford & Bayer, 2014).  I really like this point because a library may be on a social networking site, but if they do not post a lot or do not respond to feedback on the social networking site patrons may find this discouraging.  The third question the authors ask the libraries thinking about using social networking sites is does your community use these social networking sites as well (Crawford & Bayer, 2014)?  If the community you are in already uses social networking sites this will push the need for the library to also use social networking as well.  Finally, the most important question in my opinion is do the patrons expect or want to see the library on these social networking sites (Crawford & Bayer, 2014)?  Your best way to find out this information is by simply asking the patrons in person while they are at the library or even use the community social networking posts to ask the question there.  I will also post links to other sites that ask these same questions and go into further detail about public libraries using social networking sites.

References:

Crawford, W., & Bayer, C. (2014). Successful social networking in public libraries. Chicago, [Illinois]: ALA Editions.

Links:

https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2013/07/16/how-libraries-are-using-social-media/

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/05/marketing/social-media-libraries-are-posting-but-is-anyone-listening/#_

My curated content on whether or not libraries are relevant today

https://storify.com/rwood3/getting-started

Introduction

This is from the Canadian Library of Parliament

My  name is Rebecca Wood and I am currently a senior at Worcester State University, majoring in psychology.  Another huge part of my life is working at the university library on campus at the circulation desk.  I was able to get this job when I was a freshmen and have loved every minute of it since.  When I was younger I could no read until I was in the 2nd grade, this really pushed me to work hard and I also think this was where my passion for books came from.  Since I could not read as fast as the other children, my parents where always reading to me and having me stay after school for extra help.  After a lot of work I was finally able to read and you could not stop me, I would pick up a book and I would not put it down until I was finished.  Sometimes my mom would bring me to the public library and let me pick out a book and I would finish it before the end of the day.  My towns public library is beautiful and is full of history and that sense of calmness you get when your around a whole bunch of books, I love it.  Almost everyday after school when I was waiting for a ride home I would wait inside and read books, sometimes I would even do my homework.  When I was in high school I was able to do an internship with the schools library and really see how the system really works.  From this one internship I was able to find my passion in life, I fell in love helping people find books for classes or books to read just for fun.  Helping people use the library is one of the things I still love today and hope to continue to do for a long time.  With this blog I hope to share my ideas about public libraries around the world and how the can use social media as an asset to help promote the library.  This blog is for my Social Media class CM315 at Worcester State University.
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