Implementing social software in public libraries. An exploration of the issues confronting public library adopters of social software
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/07378830810880306 |
| Date | 13 June 2008 |
| Published date | 13 June 2008 |
| Pages | 184-200 |
| Author | Louise L. Rutherford |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
Implementing social software in
public libraries
An exploration of the issues confronting public
library adopters of social software
Louise L. Rutherford
Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a research project designed to identify
the kinds of social software that public libraries are using and to explore the issues confronting public
library adopters of social software.
Design/methodology/approach – This research uses a qualitative methodology and takes the
form of open-ended interview questions using an e-mail format. The research uses Rogers’ Diffusion of
Innovations theory as a framework.
Findings – The research found that blogs were the most popular social software tool being used in
public libraries and that people-related issues were the most important issue for librarians to take into
account when implementing social software. Library staff acceptance of social software was the most
crucial success factor for social software. Other important issues included staff training, the steep
learning curve involved in becoming a social software user, and human resource constraints.
Originality/value – This paper provides public librarians with a basis on which to assess potential
adoption decisions for social software and to learn from the experiences of others.
Keywords Public libraries,Computer software, Diffusion, Innovation
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Many public library staff are interested in implementing social software tools such as
blogs, wikis and instant messaging. Public libraries want to encourage community
participation and in library services, and they see great potential for social software to
enable this. But before a library implements social software, there are many unkno wns
to be addressed. What social software tool is the best to start with? What has worked
for other public libraries and what has not? What are the implementation problems
that will be faced? These are some of the issues facing a librarian considering whether
to adopt social software. This paper investigates these questions.
Implementing a new piece of software is not always an easy decision. It must be
justifiable in terms of costs, have a learning curve that is not too high, and ha ve the
support of management if implementation is to go ahead. There are also technological
and human resource constraints to be considered. Staff must be trained in the new
software, and users need to be both trained and aware that it is available before they
will use it.
This paper is intended to make potential public library adopters of social software
aware of these issues, as well as informing them as to how others who have already
implemented social software overcame them.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0737-8831.htm
LHT
26,2
184
Received 9 December 2007
Revised 28 January 2008
Accepted 29 January 2008
Library Hi Tech
Vol. 26 No. 2, 2008
pp. 184-200
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0737-8831
DOI 10.1108/07378830810880306
This paper reports the results of a research projectthat identified the social software
tools currently being used in the public library context and found a range of
implementation issues that public librarians who were experimenting with social
software had in common. The study consisted of in-depth e-mail interviews with seven
participants from different public libraries in the United States and New Zealand.
Participantswere asked ten interview questionsto identify what forms of social software
they were using in their libraries and to explore the implementation issues they had
experienced. Participants for the research were chosen from the small group of public
libraries which could be considered “early adopters” (Rogers, 2003) of this technology.
The group was found to be experimenting with a wide range of social software
tools, including blogs, RSS feeds, wikis and discussion groups. Although each had
their individual reasons for the decision to adopt this technology, all indicated that they
wanted to improve their users’ choices for communicating with the library and they
believed it was important. However, the decision to implement social software was not
always simple. Although respondents generally felt costs were low and support was
good, each participant related several challenges around the implementation of social
software. This paper will report and consider the group of common issues identified by
the researcher.
Social software use in public libraries
Literature discussing how social software is currently being used in libraries tended to
be either very broad, or be case study literature. There were two types of case study:
those that discussed a single social software tool in isolation and those that provided a
case study of a wide range of social software tools within the same paper.
A group of papers discussed how social software is currently being used in libraries
in a very broad manner (Casey and Savastinuk, 2006; Macaskill and Owen, 2006;
Stephens, 2006a, 2006b). These were more conceptual and necessarily introductory in
nature.
Case studies: one social software tool at a time
The majority of case studies on social software chose to concentrate on the use of one
particular social software tool in the library environment. Studies were found on the
use of the following social software tools in a library environment:
.Blogs (Clyde, 2004; Stephens, 2006b; Singh and Shahid, 2006);
.RSS feeds (Etches-Johnson, 2006; Stephens, 2006c; Pival, 2006);
.Instant messaging (Schmidt and Stephens, 2005; Stephens, 2006d);
.Wikis (Chawner and Lewis, 2006; Stephens, 2006e); and
.Photo sharing applications (Stephens, 2006f).
Clyde’s (2004, p. 188) research into how and why libraries use blogs has particular
relevance for this research paper. Clyde concluded that:
Most library weblogs were designed for one-way communication between library staff and
users, but a quarter provided interactive features. The level of usage of the latter was at best
unclear, but seems to be very low. Most libraries were not updating their weblogs daily,
giving users little reason to make frequent visits to the site.
Implementing
social software in
libraries
185
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