User driven teenage library services in West

Lothian Hayley Rowlands

20th May 2010

• An estimated 1.67 billion people online

• Web 2.0 » User centred» Collaborative» Information sharing

• Social networking

myspace

• myspace music

• America biggest user

• Most popular social networking site until April 2008

Twitter

• only 11% users are aged 12-17

• Microblogging – express yourself in 140 characters

Facebook• 400 million users worldwide

• Applications such as weRead

• Includes text, photos and favourite links

Bebo

• ‘Blog early, blog often’

• 22 millions users

• Most popular with teens

• Personalisation

• Users can create own ‘skin’

Security

• Report abuse to Bebo/CEOP

• Profiles of anyone under 16 can only be viewed if logged into Bebo

A note about Bebo

• AOL currently own Bebo

• Plans to sell or shut down

• Move to another site such as Facebook

• Blog – sites such as wordpress.com or blogger.com

• Constantly changing environment

• Users become co-creator

• Teens have grown up in this culture

• Libraries can interact with teens in a way they understand

Web 2.0 in West Lothian

• B-Teens reading group

• Bebo page to enhance group» Easier communication» Informal » Blog of meetings

• B-Teens advertised on West Lothian website

B-Teens Bebo page

• Book covers of each book read

• Videos can be loaded onto page

• Skin used for B-Teens

• Blog reviewing what we discuss at each meeting

• Keep it light, friendly and fun

• Comments from members of the group

• Each comment is approved by me before being posted on the site

• Currently 9 teens in reading group“I go on Bebo nearly every day but check the teen group page maybe once a week. It gives easy access to information about the group and saves me wasting credits on phone calls”

“I check the Bebo a couple of days before the meetings and a couple of days after cause I like reading the blog”

If we didn’t have a Bebo page, would it affect the

group?“It wouldn’t make the group worse cause it’d still be fun, but it does make it easier for contacting folk and finding out days of meetings”

“Yeah, it makes the group better cause you can read about what’s going on even if you miss a meeting”

Effect of Bebo and B-Teens

• Library a “cool” place

• Re-spark interest in reading

• More approachable and less formal

Fauldhouse Library

• Teen book group every second Saturday 12-1pm

• Came to a halt as teens couldn’t remember which day to come, wanted to go shopping etc

• Social networking site could help

• Online book group as an option

Lanthorn Library

• ‘Noisy Night’

• Very popular – now a first come first served basis

• Opportunity to create virtual social space for teens

Effect on users and service

• Teens have different impression of the library

• Teens more comfortable vocalising their thoughts

• If managed well, and updated regularly, sites shouldn’t be too time consuming

• Best of all…they’re free to use!

hayley.rowlands@westlothian.gov.uk

www.bebo.com/B_Teens

http://delicious.com/hayleyrowlands