Breaking the Ice
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5860/rusq.54n1.44Abstract
Students and faculty members at Chapman University frequently friend the performing arts librarian on the popular social networking site Facebook. Statistics of reference interactions with all library users from the Conservatory of Music were kept during the fall 2012 semester to determine if library users who are Facebook friends with the librarian were more likely to have reference interactions than patrons who were not connected to the librarian on Facebook. Data analysis demonstrates there is a significant correlation between the numbers of reference interactions with Facebook friends than with non-Facebook friends. It is hypothesized that the creation of personal relationships with library users through social media helps to alleviate library anxiety and increases the amount of librarian interaction during the users’ information seeking process. Other facets of users’ information seeking behavior, such as where and how long, are also analyzed to provide more insight into the information seeking behavior of this user group.
References
Constance A. Mellon, '“Library Anxiety: A Grounded Theory and Its Development,”' <i>College & Research Libraries</i> 46 no. 2 (1986): 160-65\nIbid., 162\nIbid., 164\n 'Pew Internet: Social Networking, report of the Pew Internet' () accessed November 19, 2013, \nDarcy Del Bosque, '“Will you be my Friend? Social Networking in the Workplace,”' <i>New Library World</i> 114 no. 9/10 (2013): 428-42\nIbid., 429\nBrian S. Mathews, '“Do you Facebook? Networking with Students Online,”' <i>College & Research Library News</i> 67 no. 5 (2006): 306-7\nIbid., 307\nSarah E. Miller, Lauren A. Jensen, '“Connecting and Communicating with Students on Facebook,”' <i>Computers in Libraries</i> 27 no. 8 (2007): 18-22\nIbid., 20, 22\nNancy K. Phillips, '“Academic Library Use of Facebook: Building Relationships with Students,”' <i>Journal of Academic Librarianship</i> 37 no. 6 (2011): 520\nNedda H. Ahmed, Adraian Edwards-Johnson, '“Should Librarians Friend Their Patrons?”' <i>Reference & User Services Quarterly</i> 53 no. 1 (2013): 9-12\nDavid Bietila, Chris Bloechl, Elizabeth Edwards, '
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' (Seattle, Washington: (Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2009) March 12–15, 2009)\nIbid., 141\nDianna E. Sachs, Edward J. Eckel, Kathleen A. Langan, '“Striking a Balance: Effective Use of Facebook in an Academic Library,”' 16 no. 1–2 (2011): 41\nMathias Klang, Jan Nolin, '“Discipling Social Media: An Analysis of Social Media Policies in 26 Swedish Municipalities,”' <i>First Monday</i> 16 no. 8 (2011): accessed June 13, 2014, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.5210/fm.v16i8.3490">http://dx.doi.org/10.5210/fm.v16i8.3490</a>\nLin Grensing-Pophal, '“The New Social Media Guidelines,”' <i>Information Today</i> 27 no. 3 (2010): 47\nIbid., 47\nFelicia A. Smith, '“In Praise of Helicopter Librarians,”' <i>Library Jounal</i> 137 no. 18 (2012): 42\nC. Michael Sturgeon, Christin Walker, <i>Faculty on Facebook: Confirm or Deny?</i> (Arlington, VA: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 504 605, 2009)\nHarriet L. Schwartz, '“Facebook: The New Classroom Commons?”' <i>Chronicle of Higher Education</i> 56 no. 7 (2009):\nKatherine A. Karl, Joy V. Peluchette, M. D. Roblyer Ed., '“‘Friending’ Professors, Parents and Bosses: A Facebook Connection Conundrum,”' <i>Journal of Education for Business</i> 86 no. 4 (2011): 214-22 “Findings on Facebook in Higher Education: A Comparison of College Faculty and Student Uses and Perceptions of Social Networking Sites,”
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13, no. 3(2010): 134–40\nJoseph P. Mazer, Richard E. Murphy, Cheri J. Simonds, '“I’ll see you on ‘Facebook’: The Effects of Computer-Mediated Teacher Self-Disclosure on Student Motivation, Affective Learning, and Classroom Climate,”' <i>Communication Education</i> 56 1 (2007):\nJeff Cain, '“Social media use by Pharmacy Faculty: Student Friending, E-professionalism, and Professional use,”' <i>Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning</i> 5 no. 1 (2013): 6\nRuth Sara Connell, '“Academic Libraries, Facebook and MySpace, and Student Outreach: A Survey of Student Opinion,”' <i>Libraries and the Academy</i> 9 no. 1 (2009): 29\nRebecca Metzger, '“Embracing My Authority,”' <i>Library Journal</i> 133 no. 17 (2008): 37\nRoblyer et al., “Findings on Facebook in Higher Education,” 138\nMazer et al., “I’ll see you on ‘Facebook,’” 13\nSamuel S. Green, '“Personal Relations between Librarians and Readers,”' <i>Library Journal</i> 118 no. 3 (1993): S5\nIbid., S5\n
<i>Pushing the Edge: Explore, Engage, Extend; Proceedings of the Fourteenth National Conference of the Association of College and Research Libraries</i>
' (Seattle, Washington: (Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2009) March 12–15, 2009)\nIbid., 141\nDianna E. Sachs, Edward J. Eckel, Kathleen A. Langan, '“Striking a Balance: Effective Use of Facebook in an Academic Library,”' 16 no. 1–2 (2011): 41\nMathias Klang, Jan Nolin, '“Discipling Social Media: An Analysis of Social Media Policies in 26 Swedish Municipalities,”' <i>First Monday</i> 16 no. 8 (2011): accessed June 13, 2014, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.5210/fm.v16i8.3490">http://dx.doi.org/10.5210/fm.v16i8.3490</a>\nLin Grensing-Pophal, '“The New Social Media Guidelines,”' <i>Information Today</i> 27 no. 3 (2010): 47\nIbid., 47\nFelicia A. Smith, '“In Praise of Helicopter Librarians,”' <i>Library Jounal</i> 137 no. 18 (2012): 42\nC. Michael Sturgeon, Christin Walker, <i>Faculty on Facebook: Confirm or Deny?</i> (Arlington, VA: ERIC Document Reproduction Service, ED 504 605, 2009)\nHarriet L. Schwartz, '“Facebook: The New Classroom Commons?”' <i>Chronicle of Higher Education</i> 56 no. 7 (2009):\nKatherine A. Karl, Joy V. Peluchette, M. D. Roblyer Ed., '“‘Friending’ Professors, Parents and Bosses: A Facebook Connection Conundrum,”' <i>Journal of Education for Business</i> 86 no. 4 (2011): 214-22 “Findings on Facebook in Higher Education: A Comparison of College Faculty and Student Uses and Perceptions of Social Networking Sites,”
<i>Internet and Higher Education</i>
13, no. 3(2010): 134–40\nJoseph P. Mazer, Richard E. Murphy, Cheri J. Simonds, '“I’ll see you on ‘Facebook’: The Effects of Computer-Mediated Teacher Self-Disclosure on Student Motivation, Affective Learning, and Classroom Climate,”' <i>Communication Education</i> 56 1 (2007):\nJeff Cain, '“Social media use by Pharmacy Faculty: Student Friending, E-professionalism, and Professional use,”' <i>Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning</i> 5 no. 1 (2013): 6\nRuth Sara Connell, '“Academic Libraries, Facebook and MySpace, and Student Outreach: A Survey of Student Opinion,”' <i>Libraries and the Academy</i> 9 no. 1 (2009): 29\nRebecca Metzger, '“Embracing My Authority,”' <i>Library Journal</i> 133 no. 17 (2008): 37\nRoblyer et al., “Findings on Facebook in Higher Education,” 138\nMazer et al., “I’ll see you on ‘Facebook,’” 13\nSamuel S. Green, '“Personal Relations between Librarians and Readers,”' <i>Library Journal</i> 118 no. 3 (1993): S5\nIbid., S5\n
Published
2014-09-25
Issue
Section
Articles
