The social media landscape is complex and continually-evolving, and increasingly involves hundreds if not thousands of tools on the web. Libraries have been using social media as a way to connect with patrons; at the Irving K Barber Learning Centre, we have followed this trend by using social media to engage with our user groups and our community beyond the University. The following is a report of tools that the IKBLC has been using since 2008, and as well, some of the assessment methods we have utilized to date.
Twitter is a platform for communication and information dissemination as well as social networking in real-time thus bearing similarity to status updates in Facebook. Using Hootsuite, a social media aggregator, IKBLC has integrated its social media tools into one platform.
- Public relations & promotion of IKBLC-related events and programming
- Conversation and engagement with patrons and online audience on UBC and off-campus
The use of Facebook at IKBLC contributes to our overall outreach and engagement with online audiences some of whom include off-campus users.
- Events and space updates & announcements Visual photos of programs and art exhibits
- Engagement with online audience and patrons; and UBC campus units and students
QR Codes
The IKBLC Art Exhibitions is planning to experiment with a “Virtual Guestbook” which will award a prize to those who sign into the online guest book and leave their thoughts and comments about the current exhibition at IKBLC.
- Visitors leaving comments regarding art exhibitions
- A survey is an indication of the strengths and weaknesses of the art exhibitions
- Could it be used for other types of user feedback about IKBLC?
- QR codes link to online user survey using Survey Monkey (http://www.surveymonkey.com/)
- User and patron feedback has been important in determining quality of art exhibitions
Google Picasa
Google’s Picasa is an image organizer and viewer for organizing and editing digital photos. It is also an integrated photo-sharing website and used to embed images on the carousel slide viewer for the IKBLC homepage. Users have also been able to leave comments, share their own photos, and be a follower of IKBLC’s Picasa albums.
YouTube
By recording UBC and IKBLC-based lectures, seminars, conferences, and performances, the Learning Centre selects programs to be recorded which communicates and promotes UBC-based lectures and events as part of the IKBLC and UBC Library’s outreach activities. As an upgrade to the previous ContentDM platform, YouTube has allowed us to keep track of important metrics on usage, where users are located geographically, key word points of access and demographic statistics
- The ubiquitous nature of YouTube has promoted the lecture programming of both IKBLC-hosted events and IKBLC-sponsored events
- UBC Place of Mind and also UBC YouTube has promoted these webcast lecture series
UBC WordPress Blog
The WordPress blog has been used as a social media channel to promote timely news & events, encourage dialogue with users, and also to share UBC Library/IKBLC resources (such as the latest webcasts).
- Updated on a continuous basis for the latest information regarding IKBLC
- Streaming IKBLC “Tweets” directly to IKBLC blog for social media integration
Location-based Media (Foursquare)
Foursquare is a combination of Twitter, gaming, and Yelp. When a user “check-ins” to a location, options include pushing the checkin to Twitter, Facebook, or keeping it just for foursquare users. With the checkin, users have been leaving interesting updates and comments about IKBLC space features.
- Using one the applications you can see other foursquare users who are in the same location or close vicinity so you could connect physically with the others if desired.
- There is some level of serendipity to using the application because patrons could meet new people or leave messages for others who checkin to the same location.
Augmented Reality
In 2010’s Horizon Report, “Simple Augmented Reality” is forecasted as an important technology for the future (2-3 years). While delivering augmented reality experiences is not new, it is only recently that AR has become simple to achieve, and portable. Advances in mobile devices and technologies used to combine real world with the virtual have led to AR applications that are as near to hand as any other application on a laptop or a smart phone.
After selecting a “layer” to launch on the application, one can see the digital information displayed on top of the camera view simply by holding the phone over a specific area. By turning around, a user can point his or her phone toward the various “Points of Interest” (POI).
- This is currently in an experimental phase in which CTLT is working with IKBLC in establishing a pilot project to showcase the IKBLC spaces using digital collections of the old UBC Main Library.
- The “points of interest” will highlight IKBLC spaces such as the Learning Commons, IKBLC Foyer
Event Brite
Eventbrite provides an effective suite of smart technological fixes for the issue of event management.
- Facilitates dissemination of information via a custom event webpage with unique URL
- Increasing IKBLC visibility via Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels
- Allowing IKBLC to handle ticket sales more autonomously using a freely accessible tool
- Permits non-UBC users to register events on a web-based platform
For more information, please contact Allan Cho
