Library 2.0: Social networking for libraries

From the A to Z list on the Social Networking for Libraries blog

A for Active
The library has a webpage that is not updated regularly. The library looks unprofessional and disorganised when it has old news on its homepage. To use social media the library needs to remain active with regular updates to keep people interested. Social media is a tool to connect to the staff and students of the school but to have continued followers the library needs to stay interesting with regular updates. The library also needs to stay active for teaching purposes, to create a learning environment with social media that students are engaged with.

B for Blog
The library could use a blog to communicate with its patrons and to allow patrons to communicate with the library and other patrons. Library news and information of interest could be posted on the blog and students and staff could post their reviews of books they have read. The blog could be used for teaching purposes with students posting their reflections on their learning. Also a professional blog for staff to use to post about articles, websites, web 2.0 tools, books that they would recommend to their colleagues and their applications in class.

C for Content
Using social network allows the library to connect with its patrons but the content of the social media has to be relevant to keep the students and staff interested. The content would need to cover the different interests of the users from top ten fiction books, to professional development resources. The library must know it’s cliental to cater for their needs and wants if using social media is to be successful.

D for Direction
The use of social networking for the library is to allow its users to communicate with the library and its other users to create a since of a school library community. Using social networks are to also attract potential users with platforms that they are familiar with and comfortable using to connect. The library can also use these platforms for classroom use, to engage the students and for students to use social media as a learning tool.

G for Good Reads
Good Reads is a social media site that allows the sharing of books. The social media site allows users to share what they are reading and create reading lists. The library could use this social network site to create reading lists for its patrons, for example genre lists, related texts, and specific topics. Good Reads can be a platform where the library users can interact with each other.