Social Networking in libraries

Social Networking tools are great for public relation activities for any organization but for libraries they can be a free life line to their patrons.  I learned at a Computers and Libraries workshop that there are a number of Social Networking tools out in the ether but not all Social Networking tools are best for a library to use.  Each library is different even if you are comparing two public libraries.  Each library can have a different patron basis and each patron base uses or does not use specific tools. 

I personal believe that Social Networking tools are wonderful for promotion, communication, and marketing of any library but making sure a library is using the right tool is primarily decided by what Social Networking tools your patrons are using.  At the library I work at, Scarborough Library, the only Social Networking tool we use is Facebook.   Now Facebook is not the only tool we tried.  We tried Twitter and a Blog like we are doing in this class and neither worked out.  This is due partly because our patrons don’t use blogs or twitter much and that we did not have the staff to properly keep them up to date.

With Social Networking tools it is not just that your patrons use them but do you, the library, have something to say worth saying and does the library have the staff to say it on a somewhat regular basis.  For Scarborough Library Facebook covers all the bases.  Our patrons, mostly 18 to 24 year olds, use Facebook on an hourly base, we have the staff you can use Facebook to promote our activities, and what the library needs to say fits well with Facebook.