Archival information services based on social networking services in a mobile environment A case study of South Korea

Purpose - Social networking services (SNS) sites such as Facebook and Twitter have increasingly established themselves as a new paradigm of communication. Due to the rapid popularization of mobile devices, mobile SNS are creating a particularly significant change in the way in which information is distributed. The purpose of this paper is to propose a mobile SNS system tailored for archival information services (AIS) in South Korea. Design/methodology/approach - In order to find an appropriate service structure for the proposed AIS system, the authors conduct a case study of the existing mobile SNS sites. In addition to this, the authors investigate how mobile SNS are currently used in libraries and archives. Based on the results, they propose a mobile SNS structure suitable for the MS system, for which a user interface and database is designed and implemented. Findings - The proposed system can leverage mobile SNS to expand the accessibility of MS and encourage active participation and cooperation from users. Originality/value - The proposed system can improve the security vulnerabilities inherent in Facebook and Twitter; further, it can induce active user participation through two-way communication channels with users and also produce high-quality information by providing a communication space between the archiving experts.