TODAY’S ELECTRONIC SOCIAL

MEDIA TOOLS ALLOW FOR FAR

GREATER AND SWIFTER
ACCESS TO PEOPLE AND
RESOURCES THAN WAS
PREVIOUSLY POSSIBLE.

12 | SEPTEMBER 2010 » www.infotoday.com


BY MARIANNE LENOX AND MAURICE COLEMAN
egular readers of Computers in Libraries are aware
that social networks are forming increasingly im-
portant linkages to professional and personal devel-
opment in all libraries. Live and virtual social net-
works have become the new learning playground for
librarians and library staff. Social networks have the ability to
connect those who are passionate about sharing what they know
and helping library professionals remain relevant in both the
physical and digital worlds.
Public library trainers Marianne Lenox—staff training
and volunteer coordinator at the Huntsville-Madison County
Public Library (Ala.)—and Maurice Coleman—technical
trainer for the Harford County Public Library (Md.)—share
professional material, articles, and techniques benefiting
their own libraries and institutions with each new class, tu-
torial, or handout they deliver. They each use their own
COMPUTERS IN LIBRARIES
using social networks to create powerful learning communities
techniques and resources to create and nurture social net-
works as both formal and informal learning tools. Though
their methods differ, they achieve the similar result of in-
creasing information intake and resource redistribution.
Marianne’s Story: A Personal Learning Journey
It never fails. I meet someone new, and, as I tell them my
occupation, I’m asked a variation on the same question:
“Are you worried about your job? Aren’t libraries becom-
ing irrelevant because of Google?”
It’s a question asked more recently in the mainstream
media because library budget cuts are causing closures and
staff layoffs. I imagine most librarians and library profes-
sionals probably answer differently from me, but what I say
is this: “I find myself in a unique position, and as the staff
www.infotoday.com « SEPTEMBER 2010 | 13
 COMPUTERS IN LIBRARIES
using social networks to create powerful learning communities
Social networking in action at the 2009 Computers in Libraries conference in Washington,
D.C. Photo courtesy of Maurice Coleman
training coordinator for my library, I feel a personal re-
sponsibility toward that issue.” I then explain that yes, it is
possible for modern libraries to go the way of the rotary
phone. Students can most likely do their research papers by
using what’s freely available on the internet, and Google has
made that possible. But it’s the librarians who can be ar-
chitects of the internet. We’re the ones trained to categorize
and organize information. As long as we lead the digital rev-
olution, we won’t become redundant. We can find out how
to do that on social networks.
Many of us don’t have budgets that allow us to bring in
subject-matter experts or to attend major conferences. State
or regional conferences may be less expensive (and closer)
to attend, but they might lack the quality learning experi-
ences we require. So we’ve been relying on ourselves for
much of the information required to run the libraries and to
do our jobs.
Finding community. As social beings, those of us who are
interested in the same things will often find ourselves in the
same place at the same time. Those who are more passionate
about these subjects may become thought leaders in the field
and, hopefully, will be willing to share new information.
I had no idea how to do the actual day-to-day work re-
quired of me as the staff training coordinator for my library
when I first began 5 years ago. During my short tenure as
a stay-at-home mom, I’d taught myself computer skills by
searching for free online tutorials in the early days of the
internet. So I thought it might not be too hard to learn how
to be an effective staff trainer as long as I could find—and
learn from—others who did it well.
One of the first online communities I found was Web-
Junction (http://webjunction.org), which, in its original in-
ception, housed the Gates Training Center documentation.
When I worked in the library’s internet and technology ser-
14 | SEPTEMBER 2010 » www.infotoday.com
vices department, I’d relied heavily on many of the resources
found at the site. After a redesign, I created a couple of Power-
Point presentations to explain to staff how to use the site,
and I shared them with others in the staff training section
of the site. These presentations were well-received and
proved to me that I could not only learn from this commu-
nity but also get an amount of personal satisfaction there.
I networked and made friends, eventually sitting on panels
at conferences, doing webinars with the very smart people
there. They were library trainers teaching each other how
to be library trainers, and it was indeed exciting.
I found a community of library trainers at WebJunction.
I’d always been an early adopter, interested and excited
about technology as it became available. So when I heard
about a new social network called Twitter shortly after the
South by Southwest (SXSW) conference in 2007, I just had
to find out what it was all about. I created an account and
started following the people who were sending tweets about
new gadgets coming out or the latest trends in technology.
Finally, I found other library trainers at Twitter and began
to have real conversations with them, sharing items through
Google Reader, via FriendFeed. Early on, I began to docu-
ment what I was learning about library training trends on
my personal blog, and I realized that this type of personal
learning did have structure. Further research showed that
while personal learning is unique to each individual and
uses many formats, it should always be evolving. My own
learning has almost completely gone mobile since I got an
iPhone (and its required data plan).
Learning from others. I began to understand the real
power of using these people as guideposts for how I could
better do my job, and I realized that they could give me re-
sources that I could share with the staff at my own library.
Using our collaborative staff intranet, I’ll reblog items that
may be of interest; staff members may join the conversation
and provide comments of their own. Since I work in a 12-
branch library system, it’s important to reach staff in every
location. Webinars can help you do this, and they are often
 COMPUTERS IN LIBRARIES
using social networks to create powerful learning communities

freely available to anyone able to register and view the pre- sonal development. I found nothing out there. So on Aug.
sentations. I attend them virtually to preview the content, 12, 2008, I threw these words out to my social network:
to see that it’s applicable to what a department might need “Help create a podcast that speaks to you!” Those words gave
to know. On a local level, I’ve used LiveStream and YouTube birth to T is for Training.
to share knowledge on particular technical aspects of our
library work.
Like many of my peers in library training, I know that I
work locally with some very smart and resourceful people.
I see my role as just tossing out breadcrumbs in hopes of
sparking an idea or further research. Fortunately, I’m given
the time and autonomy to find these morsels and share them
with staff, but I still do most of my exploring on my own per-
sonal time. Using filters such as relevancy rankings and
peer recommendations helps in this area quite a bit—in fact,
there is no way I could read and absorb 1,300 feeds every
day without them.
I also realized that even though I follow more than 3,000
people on various social networks, I could group them to-
gether using whatever tools were available within that par-
ticular application. I could use the Twitter lists feature to
allow me to narrow down those I’m following to various sub-
jects and Facebook groups to separate my friends, co-work-
ers, and family. I can also sort my incoming Google Reader
shared items by specific groups of those I’m following. The
goal is to find smart people who are passionate about library
training and who will share how to best use the resources
needed to secure our place in the information age. I then fol-
low up by forwarding that information on to our own staff.
Most recently, I’ve been able to connect myself to a core
group of leading library trainers at both the T is for Train- T is for Training is now 2 years old.
ing podcasting group (http://tisfortraining.wordpress.com)
and through the ALA Learning Round Table blog T is for Training is based upon the simple idea that li-
(http://alalearning.org). These are the people who are not brary trainers and staff development specialists, who often
only discovering and sharing new trends in library training work alone in their system, should have a place to share sto-
but in all of librarianship as well. I’ve realized that my own ries, ideas, and resources and to have a voice in a virtual
answer to the “how can libraries stay relevant despite community of like-minded individuals. That simple idea, in-
Google” question is an easy one. Librarians have to stay on spired by the late Uncontrolled Vocabulary podcast, has just
top of technology so we can remain the pre-eminent infor- celebrated its second anniversary with more than 60 hours
mation resource for patrons. of vital training and staff development discussion created
I’ve learned to associate with some very smart people who by numerous professionals from all across the U.S.
help show their libraries what the next big thing is. We have So how did I create this network, and how can you do the
to be open, willing to catch information so that we can better same?
connect with and engage our staff and, ultimately, our patrons. Do your job. This is perhaps the most important and
the most overlooked item of social networking.
Performing your job well is how you build and develop
Maurice’s Story: The Creation of T Is for Training
your knowledge and skills so you can turn that capital into
T is for Training was born through the connections I effective social networking connections. Creating, research-
made with other trainers and staff development profes- ing, developing, delivering, and evaluating your projects will
sionals via social media networks and face-to-face conver- provide you with a personal knowledgebase that is the gold
sations at conferences and meetings. While connecting with standard of social networking currency.
these professionals, I started to seek out a podcast that fo- As an information professional (everyone reading Com-
cused on library training for my own professional and per- puters in Libraries is an information professional), you

www.infotoday.com « SEPTEMBER 2010 | 15

 COMPUTERS IN LIBRARIES
using social networks to create powerful learning communities
should keep as current as you can with print and electronic
media, conference attendance, and other forms of traditional,
professional, continuing education. Keeping abreast of any
improvements, changes, or new thinking in your general and
specific areas of expertise will help you perform your job well,
add to your knowledge and skills, and help carve a place for
you that you can share with others as needed. In addition, if
your organization is not already putting its collective toe into
the social media waters, you can show your staff and ad-
ministration practical ways to enlighten your constituent
group without interfering with your job duties.
Start small. So how do you do this without impacting
your job? If you are comfortable, ask some friends and co-
workers what they use to communicate with other profes-
sionals. Start with finding one person or group on one social
media platform (Facebook, Twitter, FriendFeed, blogs, or
listservs) and engage that person or group. Uncover and dis-
cover people or groups to follow/subscribe to/friend on that
platform. Start building your network by serendipitous dis-
covery. If you hear, see, or read a presentation or a book by
someone who is active in social media, ask that person for
recommendations. Before you know it, you will have an ef-
fective network that suits your needs.
I started using new social media heavily by subscribing
to blogs discovered during Maryland’s statewide 23 Things
program in 2007. Trying out new things for the 23 Things
program, in addition to co-creating our Technology Petting
Zoo that year, led me to try out different blogs; that, in turn,
led me to different social networking tools, some of which
are still around, such as Twitter and FriendFeed. And that
led to the creation of my own personal network, which I con-
tinue to rely upon for T is for Training.
Start smart. Your ability to manage your online persona
will greatly impact your virtual and electronic “street cred.” Your
“nom de web” is your face and reputation in the online mar-
ketplace of ideas. Do your best to create something professional,
easy to remember, catchy, and unique while giving away as lit-
tle personal information as possible. Use a name-checker site
(http://checkusernames.com or http://namechk.com) to see if
your preferred username is available on the social media net-
works you will likely choose to use. My nom de web is baldgeek
inmd and Marianne’s is MLx. If you find those usernames on
key social media sites, you will usually find us lurking behind
the name. You should always make sure that the people you are
communicating with are really those people you believe them
to be. To many people you get to know on the web, this may be
the only way they will know who you are.
Get dirty. The only way to truly understand most forms
of social media is to give them a good spin. You cannot know
which tool works for you until you try it. Give the tool time
to work for you and your learning and networking needs.
Experimentation will help you refine your message and your
16 | SEPTEMBER 2010 » www.infotoday.com
delivery system with the added bonus of helping you figure
out what social media outlets work for both you and your
community. I find Twitter invaluable both to my growth as
a trainer and speaker and as a platform to promote T is for
Training. Others find Facebook valuable for their learning
and social networking needs. Try many, but use the few that
give you the largest return on your invested time.
Question strangers. You should feel free to ask anyone
anywhere how they do what they do. That rule doubly ap-
plies for anyone working in any type of library and for both
in-person and virtual contact. Casual impromptu questions
and conversations can lead to valuable professional rela-
tionships. I first met many of my closest professional col-
leagues via an email, instant message, blog comment, or a
random question at a conference. I have even met a few of
them face to face. Take advantage of any and every confer-
ence you attend to start or extend your social network. Ask
follow-up questions after a presentation and exchange a
business card for the answer to a question, as a request for
information, and to keep in contact after a conference.
Answer questions and provide resources. Responding
to questions and providing resources is the best way to build
your professional network. Also, sharing information and knowl-
edge gained by doing your job well increases your value to your
community. If you choose to lurk on a social network but do not
engage your colleagues and friends, you will more than likely
find little to no value on that network and lose chances to do
some valuable collaboration and information sharing.
Your ability and desire to answer questions returns to you
many fold when you pose a question or request to your social
circle in turn. The method you choose to answer questions and
provide resources is not important. It does not matter if you use
a listserv, Twitter, a blog post, or a social bookmarking site; the
important thing to remember is to provide answers and re-
sources to your network and the library community. I make sure
that resources discussed during T is for Training make their
way onto Delicious and Diigo (two social bookmarking sites).
It is not what you know; it is what you share. Share
yourself and your knowledge freely. Don’t give away everything
I use the bookmarking site Diigo to broadcast the resources discussed during T is for Training.
 COMPUTERS IN LIBRARIES
using social networks to create powerful learning communities

that you know, but feel free to provide general assistance, to an-
swer questions, and to share resources with your social circle.
The more correct and valuable the information that you share,
the more currency and positive impact you will generate. Being
known as a go-to person is one of the highest compliments you
can receive within any social resource-sharing network.
Put friends together. I find that putting great people in
contact with other great people is the most satisfying thing you
can do within your professional social circle. Connecting people
to other people is one of the most rewarding products of social
networking. Helping people make valuable connections is at the
heart of my work as a training professional. Watching two col-
leagues who previously did not know each other make a trans-
formative connection is a personally invigorating process.
What Does It All Mean?
Social networking is not a new concept. Today’s electronic
social media tools allow for far greater and swifter access to
people and resources than was previously possible. You
should take advantage of this increased ease of access to
information and resources by developing a social network
using your preferred social media tool or tools that meet your
individual and organizational needs.
Today’s library trainers who are involved in social media have
the benefit of crowd sourcing the most relevant articles and find-
ing the top resources. Then, we collaborate about how best to de-
liver the information, train the staff on using the tools, and de-
velop strategies that help shape the future of our libraries.
Marianne Lenox is the staff training and volunteer coordi-
nator at the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library in north-
ern Alabama. She is known as the Gadabout Library Trainer at
many social networking sites across the internet. Feel free to con-
tact her at marianne@mariannelenox.com or @MLx on Twitter.
Maurice Coleman is the technical trainer at the Harford
County Public Library in Maryland. He is the host of the podcast
T is for Training. You can find T is for Training at http://tisfor
training.wordpress.com, and you can contact Maurice at bald
geekinmd@gmail.com or find him on Twitter @baldgeekinmd.

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