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FACEBOOK FOR STUDENT ASSISTANTS

Susan Jennings and Ken Johnson

According to recent data from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 72 percent of online adults age 18–29 use social networking sites, and 71 percent of those use Facebook as their social network of choice. Furthermore, over 93 percent of young adults own a cell phone.¹ With these facts in mind, the Student Training Taskforce at Appalachian State University’s Belk Library and Information Commons decided to embrace the trend and use this technology as a practical means of communication with students.

Belk Library employs more than one hundred student assistants who work in various departments and on different shifts during the library’s 112 weekly service hours. Their physical and chronological dispersion makes it difficult for supervisors to communicate efficiently with them. In early 2008, the Student Training Taskforce created a Facebook group to address this problem. This case study explains how we implemented the group and lessons we learned from our experience.

WHY FACEBOOK?

Facebook allows communication via any Internet-ready device and through any computer platform. All that is needed is an Internet connection, whether through a handheld device or through traditional computer access. E-mail offers the same benefit, but research like the Pew study reflects, and our own internal polling suggests, that students often stay connected through Facebook while they do other things, making Facebook communication instantaneous. Thus, it just made sense for our library to try Facebook as a tool to communicate with our student workers.

PRELIMINARY USES

One of our service desk managers first adopted Facebook to communicate with her students. With Facebook, the desk manager experienced a faster response to open shifts, questions, and announcements than she had seen via the traditional e-mail communication methods. Coincidentally, technological problems hampered our campuswide e-mail system around that time, which delayed traditional communication efforts. Creating a private Facebook group as the primary means of supervisor-to-student communication simply worked better than e-mail, and the students really liked it. Students were now able to communicate with us on a traditional computer, cell phone, or other handheld device.

Building on the desk manager’s early success, the Student Training Taskforce conducted a poll of all library student assistants and supervisors to ascertain who might be using Facebook already. Student responses showed that around 70 percent already had a Facebook account and that most used Facebook daily. Our results are similar to the Pew study findings. In contrast, most supervisors did not have their own Facebook account but were open to the possibility.

Convinced by the apparent enthusiasm for the Facebook project, the Student Training Taskforce created a Facebook group titled the “ASU Student Training Page.” The taskforce sent e-mail invitations to all student assistants, and seventy-one students accepted the invitation to join. The taskforce was encouraged by the seventy-one members, though it fell short of 100 percent participation.

CREATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FACEBOOK GROUP LIBRARY-WIDE

Membership in the student training group was by invitation only, since some of the information posted might be of a private nature. We gave student supervisors administrative privileges to the site that enabled them to upload videos and pictures and post messages to members of the group. We granted students “wall” privileges in order to communicate with supervisors and each other. Although all supervisors who participated had administrative privileges to the group, in reality only a few supervisors posted new information on a regular basis.

Although the initial focus was to announce training opportunities and events, supervisors have used this site to advertise for student help among the already trained cadre of students, thereby further supporting a library-wide cross-training initiative. This opportunity provided variety for student assistants and gave them the chance to cultivate skills beyond those learned working in their primary department. With Facebook, our communications reached our students quickly and student response time improved.

OBSERVATIONS IN SUPPORT OF OUR EFFORTS

Use of the ASU Student Training Page has produced many positive outcomes. We have observed that the Facebook group has created

• opportunities for cross-training in other areas of the library, resulting in more well-rounded student assistants
• a sense of community and increased communication among student assistants and supervisors, lessening the sense of isolation felt in a facility so large
• one site for ongoing training through posts of tips and tricks from knowledgeable staff and librarians in various areas
• a demonstrated sense of ownership, pride, and commitment from the student assistants
• a ready-made focus group with which to vet new ideas and services

LESSONS LEARNED

We are pleased with the improvements in student communication using the ASU Student Training Group. For others interested in this type of initiative, here are some of the lessons we learned:

• Create buy-in from student supervisors and get them involved in the process early.
• Take the lead: Anyone with an Internet connection and a Facebook account can create a group. Leaders must dedicate the time, generate the buzz, and commit to the project for the duration.
• Calm fears about social networking in general, especially for those not accustomed to the technology. Educating students and supervisors about how Facebook works and how to set privacy settings allays most fears and preconceptions.
• Keep the group relevant. Many of our student assistants are eager to earn more money and learn new skills. By adopting the Facebook group as the primary means of communication, the students continue to find out about openings and the latest training opportunities available.
• Garner support from library administrators from the beginning. Early support from administrators helped us overcome initial resistance.
• Build a core group of dedicated super-users. Even one leader, no matter how dynamic, cannot manage the site alone. Enlist the assistance of others to post and provide feedback.
• Avoid competing avenues of communication to lessen confusion and information overload. We use Facebook as our official library communication tool for student assistants and send very little e-mail.
• Promote the group to new hires and use their enthusiasm to grow support.
• Monitor student assistant communication trends and do not be afraid to adopt a new technological tool. At some point, even Facebook may become obsolete.

After two years, Belk Library’s ASU Student Training group is still a successful yet simple portal for scheduling, networking, announcements, and training. As technology and students change, the Student Training Taskforce will continue to investigate new and better ways to foster communication with our student assistants. For now, through the use of Facebook, the student assistants and supervisors have come together and are truly on the same page.

Note

1. Amanda Lenhart, Kristen Purcell, Aaron Smith, and Kathryn Zickuhr, “Social Media and Mobile Internet Use among Teens and Young Adults,” Pew Internet and American Life Project, February 2010, http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1484/social-media-mobile-internet-use-teens-millennials-fewer-blog.