Content area
Full Text
1. Introduction
Libraries have a well-established tradition of going where users are. Since social media has introduced substantial and pervasive changes to communication between organizations, communities, and individuals in recent years, libraries are increasingly embracing it to strengthen their connections with the user community. Defined as "a group of internet-based applications that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content" ([11] Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010, p. 61), social media technologies take on many different forms such as blogs, microblogs, wikis, social networking sites, social bookmarking sites, photo and video sharing sites. According to the Pew Internet and American Life project, in 2011, 65 percent of adult internet users used a social networking site like MySpace, Facebook or LinkedIn, and 71 percent of online Americans used video-sharing sites such as YouTube and Vimeo ([16] Moore, 2011).
Given the popularity of social media, libraries have been actively establishing presence on its various outlets. A survey conducted by EBSCO among European libraries suggested that primary goals of libraries' social media involvement are maximizing library exposure, modernizing the library image and e-reputation, promote specific content offers, build discussion groups and collaborative work, reach new audience of potential users and publish library news and press releases ([7] Harnesk and Salmon, 2010). Another survey targeting American Libraries reported similar findings, where more than half of the respondents indicated that their libraries use social media to promote general library services, market specific adult/youth/children programs and services, provide quick updates and attract new users ([19] Rogers, 2009).
It is clear from both survey studies that marketing is a key function of social media. American Marketing Association defines marketing as "the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large" ([1] AMA, 2004). In a rapidly expanding digital environment, marketing has become increasingly important in promoting libraries and their services to users ([5] Cole et al. , 2010). Fulfilling the role of the library requires librarians to learn and apply marketing skills, understand user and stakeholder needs, create awareness, stimulate interest, build loyalty and demonstrate value; and technologies such as social media can be used to support marketing, to increase visibility, to raise levels of information literacy and...