Will you be my friend? Social networking in the workplace

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to provide an overview of the perceptions of librarians regarding the use of social networking in their professional lives.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was administered to a random sample of librarians at academic institutions.

Findings

Adoption rates for social networking were high, with 85 percent of the 765 respondents reporting an account in at least one social networking account. Responses reveal opinions about privacy, boundaries, and professional relationships within social networking, suggesting that it does influence relationships within the profession.

Research limitations/implications

The paper presents a snapshot of users' perceptions. Since social media changes rapidly, it is likely that perceptions will also likely change over time.

Practical implications

The paper presents a snapshot of the perceptions of librarians towards social media. This article could be useful to librarians who currently use or are considering creating a social media account.

Originality/value

This paper looks at social media and how it changes interactions between co-workers, which have been little studied in the past. This can be valuable to organizations who create policy and also to employees, who need to consider privacy issues as they become involved in social media.

Citation

Del Bosque, D. (2013), "Will you be my friend? Social networking in the workplace", New Library World, Vol. 114 No. 9/10, pp. 428-442. https://doi.org/10.1108/NLW-04-2013-0033