Facebook as a Social Search Engine and the Implications for Libraries in the 21st Century

an article by Mr Mark-Shane Everett Scale in Library Hi Tech Volume 26 Issue 4 (2008)

Abstract
Purpose
The primary objectives of this research paper are to:
1. explore the concept of social search,
2. evaluate the performance of Facebook as a social search engine and
3. to understand the relationship between Social Networking Sites (SNS) and social search.
The author's intention is to examine the possibility that Facebook presents as the future of on-line search and the implications for libraries. The findings are relevant for library and information science academics and professional practitioners.
Design/methodology/approach
This study reviews the literature on SNSs, Facebook studies, and the concept of social search. It then explores Facebook as a social search engine through participant observation, personal experience and experiment. The experiment is based on two identified search queries. Both queries are performed, wherein the results retrieved are displayed using tables and evaluated.
Findings
Facebook as a people search engine, yields irrelevant results in response to search queries for unknown persons or groups. Facebook may also fail to provide timely and relevant results when attempting to get information from persons with whom the user has a weak relationship. Findings also indicate the limitations of users functioning as quasi-librarians as it relates to the quality of information retrieval.
Originality/value
The author provides an approach for evaluating the quality of information retrieval in social search using traditional information retrieval evaluation methods developed by library and information scientists. He also revisits old arguments on the importance of the profession to Web information in light of new trends and data.

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