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Purpose – The current study aims to present an exploratory analysis of the use of Facebook in American public and academic libraries, with the purpose of understanding patterns of Facebook use in libraries. Design/methodology/approach – This study presents both a statistical descriptive analysis and a content analysis. Findings – The research findings show that both kinds of libraries use the information section and the wall and that there is a difference in the use of other Facebook sections, which was surprisingly limited in both kinds of libraries. In addition, public libraries use the wall and the photos section as major channels of information more than academic libraries. Concentrating on the content of the Facebook wall posts, it appears that there are some differences between the two sections (categories and sub-categories). However, it seems that both kinds of libraries use Facebook simply as a way to deliver information to users, rather than as a venue for discussion. Originality/value – Research findings enable librarians and information scientists to better understand the Facebook phenomenon in different kinds of libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]