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I thought I’d take a couple screenshots of the University of Alberta Libraries Facebook application that I mentioned a couple weeks ago. I really like how it displays its catalog results within Facebook – down to the item level. The app on the profile page is unremarkable – it provides a link to the application page. However, the application provides quite a bit of functionality.
Here is the catalog search in the application:
Here is the results page after doing a search in the catalog:
And here is a catalog record page:
Nice! Clicking on New Search, Reserve Desk, and My Account all keep you within the Facebook application as well. There are more features to this application, so it is worth checking out. Also, this app has over 500 users!
Graham McCarthy has created a tutorial that walks you through the steps of creating a library Facebook application based on the Ryerson University Library app. I reviewed the application a few weeks ago. You can download a shell program based on the Ryerson library app to work with as well.
The University of Alberta Libraries has released a Facebook application. You can search the library catalog, get research help, access RefWorks, and use a citation linker form. The catalog search results display within Facebook, which I thought was nice. You can read the announcement from their news blog.
I’ve been using Facebook for the past two months or so. I like it. Several libraries have developed applications that work within Facebook. I installed the ones that show up in the Facebook application directory. Here’s a brief overview of their features.
Notre Dame Library Search
Inserts a single search box on the profile page for finding books and articles. As you can see from the screenshot, the search only works for valid Notre Dame users. There are links to the library’s home page and its Ask A Librarian service above the search box as well. The application page (when selected from your Application links on the left) provides the same interface.
Hennepin County Library Catalog Search
Inserts a single search box on the profile page for searching their catalog. A drop down box allows you to select Title, Author, Subject, or Keyword. The application page looks the same. Unique: A link below the search box lets you add this application to your profile by clicking on it.
UM Library Search (University of Michigan)
Inserts a single search box on the profile page that lets you do a keyword search in the library catalog. Logo on the left links to the library’s home page. The application page provides the same interface.
UIUC Library Search (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Inserts a single search box on the profile page that does a search for both books and articles. Also provides a link to the Ask A Librarian service above the search box. The application page looks the same.
Update: Code for the UIUC Library Search: https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/dh-ward/www/facebook_search_widget.zip
Ryerson U Library
The Ryerson University Library application is very different from the others. The screenshot above shows what it looks like on your profile page. It inserts a single search box on your profile that searches the library catalog. A drop down box allows you to select Keywords, Title, Author, Subject, Journal Title, Course, or Prof/TA. The “click here for more content” link beneath the search box provides links to Ryerson Library App main page (see below), the Catalogue search page (part of the app), the News page (part of the app), and the library’s website.
The Ryerson Library app provides a significant amount of information on the main application page. I’ve included a screenshot of it above. There is a catalog search box, an article search box, links to the five most recent news items, as well as links to many library services and guides. The “News” tab (at the top) provides links to the top 15 news items, the “Search Catalogue” tab provides another location to search the catalog (I don’t see anything different about this search than the one on the main app page), and the “View New Titles” tab provides links to view new audiovisual items, new books, and new e-books (which then all display within Facebook).
Overall, the Ryerson U Library application provides a significant library presence in Facebook. None of the applications address the social nature of Facebook and any potential that may have. Although, the Hennepin application does take advantage of the viral nature of Facebook by including a quick link to add the application to your profile.
