"Balancing outreach and privacy in Facebook: five guiding decisions points" by Peter Fernandez

Three things that I'd like to point out in this article:

* Right from the start, the author repeats the argument that "Facebook and other social networking sites are new spaces where library patrons are, and therefore provides opportunities for libraries to reach out to them" ... However, the question is whether or not patrons actually want to "meet" librarians in these types of spaces; social networking sites are for (believe it or not) socializing and having fun, not necessarily research and studying.

I wish I could remember which of our previous readings had this quote, but someone compared libraries on social networking sites to the "parents at the party syndrome," whereby authority figures (like librarians) are trying to "hang out" with all of the "cool kids" but they just wind up embarrassing themselves ... If patrons do not show any interest in interacting with librarians in these social spaces, then librarians are fighting a losing battle if they try to "force" themselves into the equation.

* The author does echo some of my concerns from the data-mining article discussed on Sakai, as he states that "the library has an ethical obligation to be aware of potential abuses" when patrons contribute to any part of the library's Facebook page, and "determine how [the library] wants to regulate the interactions that occur on its site." Again, librarian have to determine whether or not it is their responsibility to educate their patrons on the privacy concerns/issues that come with adopting social-networking tools into their online presence.

* One statement by the author that I find troubling is when he states that "libraries do not always have the technical expertise to ensure that any information conveyed through Facebook remains secure"; this is something that the profession as a whole should work on. Since the world of information retrieval is becoming much more technologically-driven than it has been in the past, librarians should familiarize themselves with these aspects and become more "technologically aware" (as I've said before, there need to be more geeks in the library profession!).

EDIT: I found the "parents at the party syndrome" quote ... It was from Dempsey's "Always On" article. Thanks Google!