Social_Networks

[] This website is a blog dedicated to Young Adult literature. It reviews and discusses YA Adult literature and YA librarianship. It is up to date and has section for users to blog about the books and issues being highlighted. The site was created by three (very hip) Young Adult Librarians. It is an excellent site for Teachers, Students and Librarians. This will assist teachers and Librarians in making current and interesting selections. Students will enjoy discussing the books on the blogs with other interested readers. I think this is a great forum for young people because sometimes they may be scared or too shy to share in a normal learning environment.- //Yvette Olvera-Rose//
 * The YA YA YA’s **

**Using del.icio.us in My Classroom** [] This website is a guideline for teachers and school librarians in how to instruct students in what "del.icio.us." is and how it can be used. The creator of this website goes into detail about social networking, bookmarking and tagging to help explain the uses to the user. The Teacher and/or the librarian will find the step by step guidelines uncomplicated and user friendly. The creator of this website is Jennifer Verschoor, she is the director of Teachnet. This company’s emphasis is integrating technology into the classroom. -//Yvette Olvera-Rose//

[|://meredithfarkas.wetpaint.com/page/Harnessing+the+Hive:+Social+Networks+and+Libraries?t=anon] Meredith's Presentations is a site kept by Meredith Farkas. Harnessing the Hive is a presentation she did at the ALA Annual Convention in 2007. This page also includes links relevant to the presentation. Different slides in the presentation show different applications of using social networking in the library. There are also some examples of the uses of Wikis on thi s site. The home page of this site includes presentations that she has done at different library conferences and trainings, on a variety of technology related topics. Susan Pratt
 * Harnessing the Hive: Social Networks and Libraries**

[|**http://readergirlz.com**] Readgirlz is a site developed by Justina Chen Headley,Dia Calhoun,Lorie Ann Grover, Holly Cupola, and Melissa Walker. All are published young adult authors that combined their talents to create a site just for teen girls. The site highlights a different YA book each month, and the authors strive to choose books from all genres. There is a link that allows girls to blog about the books they read and share their ideas, thoughts and opinions on books. There is also a scheduled time to chat with each other and the author of the book. This offers the girls the opportunity to not only get to know each other, but to also get to the authors they are reading. The website offers so much personal information about the authors such as their likes and dislikes, playlists they use while writing, and audio clips of the author. There is a link to MySpace that allows visitors to discuss within the confines of their MySpace page. The site offers ideas for books clubs and parties that are built around the theme of the book of the month. Books that have been featured in past months can be accessed in the archives. This site can be very useful to librarians looking to start a book club or just as a way to keep up with current YA books and how teens are reacting to them. //Angela Whisenhant//
 * Social Networking: Teen Girls Connect with Books**

[] In the article, “Turning Social Networking Into a Job Offer” from //U.S. News and World Report//, author David LaGesse suggests that social networks can be used for more than just friendships and dating; they can also be used to help find a job. Although this article does not specifically apply to school librarians, considering the economic situation that our country now faces and the fact that more high school students are joining the work force rather than going to college, I believe it is a relevant topic for high school level/college level librarians. The article cites specific social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn that can be used by students as tools on the job search. For example, users can cultivate “weak” social connections (like friends of friends) to network in a particular job market. It also gives tips on how you can best use these websites (social networks) to promote yourself. School Librarians could work in conjunction with the school’s guidance counselor and/or vocational teacher to set up “job centers” within the school library (using a couple of computer stations). They could direct student to which social networks would best serve their needs and match them up with the best sites for their particular job field using the tips presented in the article. For example, students at my high school have the option of taking “Colt Connections.” This class helps students adjust to becoming adults. One component of the curriculum is career building. The Colt Connections teacher could work with the librarian to help set up a lesson on using social networks to find a job. -Katherine Stedman
 * Social Networking - Turning Social Networking Into a Job Offer**:

[|www.ila.org/netsafe/SocialNetworkingToolkit.pdf] At this website, librarians can find a PDF document called //Teens & Social Networking in School and Public Libraries: A Toolkit for Librarians & Library Workers//, which was created by the Young Adult Library Services Association. This document gives information and resources to librarians about teens and social networks. This document gives a brief synopsis of social networks, cautionary information about possible dangers for teen on social networks, and several practical applications for social networks in the school environment. One way the document suggests that schools can use social networks is to use blogging software to post a school newspaper. This could save time and money, because it could be updated and corrected with little cost. Another use would be for two biology teachers in different parts of the country to create a wiki with scientific information about their particular areas; social networks would then facilitate the sharing of knowledge. Also, the school library could create their own MySpace site in order to connect with teens at the school and provide information (in a way that students will respond to) about the library. Also, students could search for their favorite authors on blogging site or social networks. This way, they would be able to “keep up” with what their favorite author is doing and writing by following their MySpace or Twitter site. This document provided a wealth of resources for library workers; it is definitely worth a look! -Katherine Stedman
 * Social Networking- Teens & Social Networking**:

[|http://clifflandis.net] Author Cliff Landis writes frequently on his blog and in published articles about social networks and their implications for public/school libraries; his site is http://clifflandis.net. One particularly good article is “ Friending our Users: Social Networking and Reference Services ,” which discusses how research and reference librarians can use social networks to reach student users on their own “terms.” The article discusses not only the uses of social networks, but also the history of social networks, the reservations behind using social networks in the school environment, and the current uses of social networks in the library. One current use for social networks is for library marketing. Services and resources (like bookmobiles, fairs, seminars, etc.) could be advertised using a library profile on MySpace and/or Facebook. Also, the library could advertise new programs, changes to their hours, special services using the blogging tool. The librarians could post reading list and suggest reading materials to their “Friends” using a link on their Facebook page. Libraries could also purchase “flyers” on MySpace to advertise their resources to many of its users. These social networks could also be used for reference purposes. Personal messages could be sent to library users who have “Friended” the library’s MySpace page; through these messages, private questions could be answered.The article is found at: [] -Katherine Stedman
 * Social Networking - Cliff Landis**:

[|**http://www.theschoolsunited.com/community/about.php**] This website allows schools and their administrators, teachers and staff to network with other schools, administrators, teachers and staff around the world. They can share ideas, suggestions, advice, accomplishments and more. They can also set up learning experiences between schools. School librarians, too, can find other school librarians to network with. From the website: "The Schools United website is the first networking site dedicated solely to the education community worldwide. It provides schools and staff with the free facility to share educational resources and experiences. Share anything from teaching aids to multimedia files (video, audio and photos). Or download new sheet music for the school band, get school trips ideas, or share artistic works…the list is endless!" - Glenda Alberti
 * The Schools United -- Free online networking for schools**

[|www.coursefeed.com] - This site is a combination of online school content and facebook. Students can joing groups based on subject areas and share thougths and ideas. It's an excellent site to quickly share information on new books, authors, and technology for students that can be found in the library. Because it is linked with Facebook, users can navigate it very similarly, and adding information is very easy. I would use this site to promote new literature or technology to the library by posting the information and links for students to view it through coursefeed. [|www.blogspot.com] - While this site is not a traditional social network, it does allow users to read each other's blogs and comment. In a school library, the librarian could use this site to promote different books and have the students contribut comments about what they have read. It would also be a great place to establish groups within the school to discuss different types of literature, research tools and materials, and new technology available in the library. I would use this site to encourage discussions of different books and technology among the students and get them to share their own ideas. [|www.gaggle.net] - This site allows students from the same school to email each other. It is promoted as "safe," and can be managed by the teacher or librarian requesting it for their school. Librarians can use this site much like the blogspot site to promote discussion of new books and services found in the library, as well as other topics that students may find interesting within the library setting. Students could also email students from other schools that have joined gaggle.net to find out what books or technology they use in their school libraries. I would use this site to have students send ideas and thoughts about books to their fellow students, and I could also send updates on books available to those students requesting the information.  "**Why Social Networks Are Good For The Kids"** by Sarah Lacy**.** February 24, 2009 [] This blog article on TechCrunch examines the benefits of social networks for kids. She argues that the use of "real identity" is something that is missing on other sites where it is easy to make up a personality and pretend to be someone else. Also, being a user of Facebook can make people more considerate; remembering birthdays, for example. Also, personal relationships can be enriched by the quick connect/reconnect opportunitues that social networking sites provides. -Glenda Alberti
 * Social Networking Sites for School Library Use** - Laura White, SLIS 5720

MySpace/A Place for Friends: __[|http://www.myspace.com]__ Link to MySpace Colleges & Schools It’s easy to “get back to school” with MySpace and connect with classmates or make new friends. Discuss what is happening at School, and talk about it in the Schools Forums. Form blogs to share school work problems or join groups or forums to discuss special events that are happening with in the school that they attend. Teacher could set-up forums or blogs where students can go to discuss homework assignments. They can also create videos so that the students can use them for tutorials on assignments that they do not understand. Students can create and post their own videos to share with the other students from their school or classroom.---Lolita Mora 

BookSprouts.com - [] An online book club site that promotes private and global reading groups. Registered users can start their own group or join existing ones. Includes "Hot Books To Read" for recommended titles, "Popular Book Clubs" to show groups that have the most members and have the highest amount of activity. With a motto of “Making book clubs and reading groups easy, online,” this site introduces a global aspect to the reading community. -- Cindy Dinneen

Facebook- [|www.facebook.com] Facebook is a social network that features unlimited photo uploads, groups, blogs, message boards, and a full-profile searching capability. A school librarian can use facebook to answer reference and research questions (example: dmack@psu.edu for Penn State) and to encourage students to make use of the library. Facebook also allows school districts to share news quickly such as the closing of the Fort Worth and New Braunsfels schools due to the swine flu ([|www.futura.edublogs.org/59k]). Teachers can also use Facebook to share examples of "exemplary work" through photos or posts. Educators can make announcements, post documents, assignments and discussions through facebook. //Cindy Smith//

MySpace- [|www.my.space.com] MySpace is the largest social networking website including features such as blogs, groups, photo galleries, and message boards. MySpace provides an interactive environment. Engaged students can learn more and retain more of what they learn. MySpace enables students to learn about areas of interests for them such as the Green Social Networking Site for teens who want to learn more about environmental issues ([|www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6643402.html?indust]). MySpace is useful in building relationships between groups of students and educators by allowing collaboration outside the walls of the school. ([|www.wired.com/culture/education/news/2007/04/mys...-53k]). MySpace can also be used by teachers who wish to share ideas or lesson plans. //Cindy Smith//

LiveJournal- [|http://www.livejournal.com] LiveJournal is a social network where users can create profiles that include interests, geographical location, educational affiliations, and photos. LiveJournal emphasizes the blogging utility. E.S.L. (english as a second language) teachers can utilize LiveJournal by allowing the students to publish their writing and receive comments from outsiders leading to discussions that encourage the authentic use of english. ([]) LiveJournal is also used to improve students' writing abilities. The teacher requires the students to write a certain amount each week on their blogs and to respond to at least five classmates, therefore gaining much practice in the skills of writing. ([|www.facultyfocus.com/articles/blogs-help-create]). //Cindy Smith//

Ning.com -[|www.ning.com]:

This social network is a great asset for any school library. It allows for multiple network administrators or just one. A group of school libraries could share at the district level (example:[|www.houstonasl.ning.com]) or an individual school library could have one for the student patrons (example:[|www.ortizlibrary.ning.com]). Some of the features on this social network include: //groups, blogs, picture uploads, forums, text boxes//. In a library setting, the //groups// could be for patrons by interest or genre (ie. YA group, Twilight fans, book clubs, etc.) //Blogs// could be incorporated for online journaling or book reviews. //Picture uploads// is favorable for featuring book covers, children’s illustrators, and library displays. //Forums// could open up discussions, such as “favorite reads,” and “literature circle discussions.” //Text boxes// allow for the librarian to add in resource links to other libraries, the classroom websites and the school community. The site also allows for restrictions, such as making the site “in house” or private, or to limit who may join. ~Barbara Rivas

Facebook -[|www.facebook.com]:

This social network is among the biggest out on the Internet today. This site allows for communication at many levels. This site would be appropriate at a high school (ie. [|Belmont HS Library]) or a college library. The library could draw in students who may already have active accounts. The library could set up groups by interest or need. Some group examples could include: Tayshas Books, Research, and Favorite Authors. Facebook allows for library event announcements. It could also be set up as a reference desk via messages and emails. Unfortunately, many school districts have Facebook blocked or filtered on the campus, but students could still have access off campus. ~Barbara Rivas

Twitter -[|www.twitter.com]:

This social network has apps that allow it to link with other social sites such as MySpace and Facebook. This becomes a benefit because users of those sites could get “tweets” or messages from the library and they could also send some back to the library. The network only allows for a 140 character message to be sent to anyone who is a subscriber to that library twitter account. This allows for short updates from the library such as: “The new library books are in.” or “The book you reserved is now available at the front desk.” [|SHS Library] has an example of messaging school closings due to bad weather. Tweets can be sent out to the collective whole or @someone specific. Twitter is very user-friendly in that it even allows for the apps to be run from a cell phone. So students could have faster access to the messages sent out by the library. Librarians could also send out useful links via Twitter on new book reviews, research links and student accounts when books are overdue. ~Barbara Rivas

Live Journal - [] - This journal website will give students the opportunity to write their journals online as a blog in the library. There are many classes that require the use of a journal and this would make that possible online. Students would be able to keep their friends and teachers up to date on what is happening. Specifically this could be incorporated in an English class as a writing activity that would be used through out the year. - Cherise Nichols

Blogger Spot - [] - This website is a place where a librarian can set up a free blog that can be seen by library patrons. The librarian can use this blog as an informational place to deliver information to patrons. It can be used to promote resources, answer questions, and interact with patrons. -Cherise Nichols

MySpace - [|www.my.space.com] - This website will be useful for librarians to reach out to its patrons and show them what the library has to offer. Pictures and videos can be uploaded to this site to show potential patrons what the library look like. Having a library page on this site would also make it possible to better gain the unbiased opinion of its patrons. Cherise Nichols

Wordpress-[|www.wordpress.com] - Librarians can share storytime ideas including the book titles, songs, rhymes, poems, and instructions for activites with other librarians. These blogs are a great resource for librarians, especially new librarians. Storytime blogs will help to get ideas started. --Emily Wilson--

Footnotes [] The use of this technology would be a reference tool for any library or school setting. A timeline that sits at the top of the site covers historical data from the 1700’s to the 2000’s with drop down menus for each time frame. Within these menus are individual links centering on a specific time in history. This site would be ideal for students to use for their history research needs in schools or libraries because of its ease of use for any student. It also gives students access to original historical documents and personal experiences which makes this site unique over current school books. This site is full of great historical facts that would appeal to anyone, of all ages, interested in history and a great tool for libraries to offer its users who do not want to search numerous materials for data. -Julie Easterly

PBwiki [] This site is the world’s largest provider of educational wikis and would be a great tool for libraries to offer to students. It is a place where students can show work and find needed information. It promotes student collaboration while reserving some of the editing privileges. While it allows only some to edit content due to controlled access, it still allows everyone to have reading access to the data. This would be ideal for use in a school setting where there is concern over editing mishaps by individual students but still allows for information to be sought and used by all. Julie Easterly

Ning [|http://ning.com] This networking tool allows connections between students by sharing information with more than one person at a time. It helps students keep in touch with others that share similar interest through social networking. This would also be great for libraries to use to get the word out about new library books or programs taking place at their library that may not be reaching a wide range of patrons. It allows for patrons of similar interest to set up book talks or blogs about authors they enjoy. Schools could set up their own network between its student body where students can visit and seek help with other students at the same school concerning projects and assignments. Julie Easterly

I Know That-- http://www.iknowthat.com --Under the Social learning section, there is a link to "Quizzes Worldwide" where students can create their own quizzes and challenge friends (online and in real-life). Quizzes can be completed in the worksheet or Gameshow format. Quizzes range from Hannah Montana to Food webs to vocabulary. Students could create a quiz at the end of a unit, submit and see how well other kids like them will do. There is also a place to rate the quizzes and provide constructive feedback. With monitoring, this would be a fun site for elementary-aged kids to explore. Allison Peterson

Vox-- http://www.vox.com-- is a personal blogging service. A vox blog could be set up by the librarian, or a teacher to allow the class a place to post book reviews, assignments, and discussions. Vox is compatible with YouTube and Flickr so the students could easily add video and audio. Allison Peterson

Bebo -- [|www.bebo.com] Bebo is a social networking site similar to Facebook and MySpace. As with the others, a school could create a page for the library with several applications that students are interested in being used. For example, the library could post updates on what is happening in the library or upcoming events. A blog can used to keep the school aware of new books. This site can be access via mobile phones and can receive updates from Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and more. Connections could be made with other schools in other areas of the world, too. ~ Sofia Darcy

Goodreads -- [|www.goodreads.com] This is a social networking site for readers. Members can recommend books. This site keeps track of what the member is reading, what others who have read the same book are reading or recommend reading. Members can join groups based on similar interests. Book clubs can be created. And members can also post their own writing. This would be a good site for a library to advertise what students think about books and what they recommend. The creation of a book club could allow those who don't want to hang out in the library the opportunity to get involved. Since authors can be contacted through this site, students could have questions answered about the authors books. The site allows a virtual shelf to be created which can be published on a website, so any student wanting to have their current read be known could have it on the virtual shelf. And, it's free! Sofia Darcy

Shelfari -- [|www.shelfari.com] This social networking site is like Goodreads. It is free and members can publish their virtual shelves on other sites. If a library were a member, it could keep the school informed of what the members (librarians, teachers, students, etc...) have read, are reading, and are going to read. Friends can join to create a network, so students could create their own shelves and can see each others shelves. There are groups that can be joined and other members can ask for recommendations. It's a great way to create interest for books and get closet readers involved. Again, this is a free site. Sofia Darcy

Social Networking and DOPA http://www.leonline.com/yalsa/positive_uses.pdf 30 positive reasons why we should be social networking in the library plus many links! PDF by ALA's YALSA division. Harrigan

Jessamyn West’s blog - Why librarians should be social networking http://www.librarian.net/stax/2266/why-should-libraries-be-socially-networking/ Reasons why librarians should use social networks and links to various social networking sites. Harrigan

Social Networks – a wiki about them http://webtools4u2use.wikispaces.com/Social+Networks Not only how to use them in libraries but many sites to explore, some specific to libraries, some that are a bit different, tutorials, and links to get more information. Since this is a wiki, librarians are encouraged to add to it. Harrigan

Using Web2.0 to Lure Middle School Students to the Library []

This is nice site to inform Librarians about all the aspects of using Web 2.0 in their library. These are all fun things that Middle School kids will enjoy doing. It explains about Podcasting, Google Earth, Wikis, Blogs and gives links to some of the popular sites such as Blog Spot. There are also links to courses to help you learn how to do all of these exciting things in your library. - Kelly Alipour

How to Make Flickr Work for Your Library - 50 + ideas []

This is a neat site that gives you many ideas on how to get you inspired to use Flickr in your library. It shows examples of how to use Flickr to give virtual tours of the library, share new cool items, share events, plus much more. - Kelly Alipour