Social networking websites have been steadily gaining popularity over the last few years. A recent OFCOM report (OFCOM, 2008) demonstrated that 22% of adults in the UK had registered with a social networking site (the figure is highest for 16-24 year olds and decreases with age). Facebook is, at present, the most visited social networking site and has over 130 million active users (Facebook, 2008a). This article shares the experiences of University of Wolverhampton’s pilot project into the use of Facebook pages for academic libraries.

During 2007, we noticed that many of our students using PCs in the University of Wolverhampton Learning Centres were regular visitors of Facebook. Each member of the University is given a University e-mail address as well as access to our VLE, but from talking to students, I found that some were choosing to use Facebook as the platform to communicate with their cohort and organise group work.

Academic staff had also started to use Facebook, mainly as a forum for social interaction within their classes but also as a way for students to communicate with them. Some libraries had been using Facebook to set up a profile for the library. However, Facebook regulations permitted this (profiles should be for individuals only) and many were closed. In November 2007, Facebook began Facebook Pages which is designed for businesses and organisations (including libraries) to create a presence. By creating a Facebook page rather than a profile, other Facebook members can become a “fan” and be sent updates via Facebook. This is one way of reaching users where they already are so we began to investigate creating a Facebook page for our Learning Centres.

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