Colleagues/ I'm pleased to announce that two of my presentations prepared for the American Chemical Society Spring Conference held in New Orleans earlier this month have been self-archived and are Now Available [1] Being There: Using Social Networking Services For Engaged Library Instruction At colleges and universities today, a significant portion of students are members of Facebook (http://www.facebook.com), the online social networking service. Beginning in Summer 2007, we initiated a series of outreach projects using Facebook to directly promote Library programs and services to select members of the ISU community. These initiatives sought to inform students and faculty not only about the availability of core services offered by the reference and instruction department (e.g., book and journal selection, library presentations, research assistance) but also about the general library services provided by the library (e.g., interlibrary loan, library collections, reserve and media services). This presentation will report on the results of these projects and describe future outreach plans. In addition, the general nature of Facebook, and its current and potential use by educators will be reviewed. The presentation will conclude with a brief overview of key readings and Web resources about online social networks. Link to PPT is available at [ http://onlinesocialnetworks.blogspot.com/2008/03/social-networking-services-... ] OR [ http://tinyurl.com/2w8uon ] [2] PAPER TITLE: "Online social networks: Swiss Army information tools" (final paper number: 7) NAME: Gerry McKiernan INSTITUTION: Iowa State University Library PAPER ID: 1163097 DIVISION: Division of Chemical Information SESSION: Transformation of Library Services in the Digital Age SESSION START TIME: Sunday, April 6, 2008, 8:30 AM PRESENTATION FORMAT: Oral DAY & TIME OF PRESENTATION: Sunday, April 6, 2008 from 11:15 AM to 11:40 AM LOCATION: Marriott Convention Center, Room: Blaine Kern C ABSTRACT: As of July 2007, Facebook [ http://www.facebook.com/ ] , a social networking service launched in February 2004, had the largest number of registered users among college-focused sites. There are now more than an estimated 40 million users, an increase of more than 30 million in just over a year. As characterized by Wikipedia, a *social network service focuses on the building * [of] communities of people who share interests and activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others ** [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_network_service ] We believe that social networking services, such as Facebook, are not only excellent environments to foster and facilitate contact and communication among members of a local community, but also prime venues in which library and librarian services can be more actively and visibly promoted. This presentation will provide an overview of Facebook features and describe local and national library outreach projects using Facebook functionalities Link to PPT is available at [ http://onlinesocialnetworks.blogspot.com/2008/02/acs-spring-2008-online-soci... ] OR [ http://tinyurl.com/2g6xmh ] Enjoy! /Gerry Gerry McKiernan Associate Professor Science and Technology Librarian Iowa State University Library Ames IA 50011 gerrymck@iastate.edu There is Nothing More Powerful Than An Idea Whose Time Has Come Victor Hugo [ http://www.blogger.com/profile/09093368136660604490 ] Iowa: Where the Tall Corn Flows and the (North)West Wind Blows [ http://alternativeenergyblogs.blogspot.com/ ]