Now I Know My A B Cs ... of Social Networking for Libraries

In her blog, Social Networking Librarian, AnnaLaura Brown discusses a range of relevant topics relating to how libraries can embrace, or have embraced, social media. One post, A to Z of Social Networking for Librarians (2010a), presents a list of 26 ideas for libraries to engage their patrons through social networking. Five of her suggestions in particular raised relevant issues for me:

“B- Blog, does your library have a blog. This is a great way for you to offer value and content for your library and it has become the standard for libraries to have one.” Newsletters, posters and emails still work as marketing tools, but a blog provides a continuous presence to a wider audience and allows the library to showcase its programs, services and strengths to a wider audience of current users and potential users.

“F-Facebook, having a presence on Facebook with a fan page or a group is a must. Facebook is so popular now that it is expected.” I agree that a Facebook is essential for a library. However, it is not enough to have a presence; the page must be updated, monitored and maintained regularly. The State Library of New South Wales, for example, has a Facebook page, but it uses the events tab to manage only some library events when it should in fact be scheduling and managing all of its events this way; it's all or nothing. A library's use of Facebook should be consistent and complete in order to gain its users' confidence and support and to benefit fully from this powerful social networking tool.

“H-Help- relying on only one or two people to build your library’s social networking presence will not work. It needs to be a whole team effort on behalf of your entire library staff.” Facebook and Twitter, among other social networking sites, and blogs, are important ways of communicating with library users in 2011. However, it is vital to spread the workload amongst staff so that the updating of these sites does not fall to one person who might switch jobs, fall ill or lose interest. Social networking sites must be updated consistently in order to create and maintain a strong relationship with the library’s users.

“T-Text messaging- Is your library using it yet?”
As I discussed in an earlier post entitled Yes, I Know 4.0!, mobile phones will become the main way for people to connect to the internet by 2020. Libraries could potentially use text messaging to answer reference questions and notify patrons about library fines and holds (Brown, 2010b).

Y- Youth- using social networking allows you to connect on a deeper level with young people. One fascinating real-life example of this relationship is the Eye4You Alliance on the Teen Grid within Second Life (Frank, 2008). The Teen Grid provides a virtual space for 13- to 17-year-olds, and Eye4You is a group of librarians which assists these teens in orchestrating events such as the “Festival of Authors” at which well-known authors made a personal, albeit virtual, appearance (Frank, 2008).

References
Brown, A. (2010a, January 22). A to Z of Social Networking for Librarians. Retrieved from
http://socialnetworkinglibrarian.com/2010/01/22/a-to-z-of-social-networking-for-libraries/

Brown, A. (2010b, September 20). Text a Librarian. Retrieved from
http://socialnetworkinglibrarian.com/2010/09/20/text-a-librarian/

Frank, I. (2008, August 4). Librarians in virtual worlds: Why get a second life? First Monday,
13(8). Retrieved from http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/viewArticle/2222/2010

McLeod, S., Fisch, K., & Bestler, L. (2009). Did You Know 4.0. Viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILQrUrEWe8