Boyd Readings

It appears the popularity of social networking sites is not just a passing fad.  Boyd recounts the origin of these networks from the very beginning in her first article.  I found it extremely interesting to learn that many of these sites started as a way for individuals of the same culture and language to connect with others within the same culture and language.  As a nation who has just elected its first African American president, are we fooling ourselves?  Why did small groups of individuals with similar backgrounds feel the need to develop a way to stay connected when we are all supposed to be inclusive and all-encompassing?  Perhaps there are more stereotypical images smoldering in the aftermath of the civil rights movement than we know.

The second Boyd article, further supports the segregation theory.  Boyd contends that there is a separation of class between myspace and facebook users by ethnicity and socioeconomic status.  Before reading the article, I was aware of the age delineation, but I never suspected that data could support a college versus non-college profile, especially since there are so many ways for underprivileged students to afford higher education.

Clearly, Boyd's work in this area leaves us with much to reflect upon and much to build upon.  Public libraries are beginning to come into the 21st century and are using web 2.0 technologies to reach out to their young patrons.   The theory is libraries must go to where the population resides and must perform outreach services.  What this means is that public libraries are beginning to set up and maintain facebook and other social network accounts.   In many respects, this type of outreach is a great strategy.  Student patrons who are less apt to enter the public library doors may just do that if they begin to develop a good relationship and feel their needs are being met by the public library.

In some ways, the library facebook account may duplicate information already posted on the public library site, however, young patrons will be more familiar and comfortable with the facebook account navigation and are more likely to explore the programs designed for their age group.

One last lesson, libraries can take from Boyd is that all librarians must be current on the web 2.0 technologies in order to effectively market their programs and perform the proper outreach services.  In our current economical climate, public and no-cost facilities such as public libraries must transform themsevles into "must have" institutions and not "nice to have" facilities, which will fall victim to the budget ax.