Online Learning Journal Activity

Select three (3) libraries of your choice that use social networking to meet their goals.

Develop a comparative table which documents how each of the libraries use social networking tools to support information service provision, educational programs, conduct business etc.

Based on this comparison (and in no more than 350 words) develop your own list of “Reasons why libraries should be on social media”, and draw upon aspects of these three libraries to illustrate each point.

Library	Information Service Provision	Educational Programs	Conduct Business	Community
Clarence Regional Library	Embedded within the council website. Net library eAudio books.	Trove. Homework help. Interactive sites for children-Premier’s Reading Challenge. e-resources for HSC students. DataBase access from home. Access Encyclopedia Britannica from home.	Join online. Online catalogue. Online Reservations. SMS notification of availability of book in branch. Online interlibrary loan reservations. Online renewal. E –newsletter. Ask-a-Librarian. Free wireless Wi Fi.	Book reviews. Quick links for kids, teens and seniors. Links to newspapers. Family history. Local history. Web links to over 33 different areas of interest.
State Library of New South Wales	Blogs. 345 bookmarking sharing options. E-newsletter. Facebook. Flickr. RSS feeds. Twitter. Video and Podcasts. Vimmeo.	Discover Collections. E-Resources for students. E-Resources for teachers. E-Resources for academics.	Online catalogue. Online renewals. Computer bookings. Free wireless Wi Fi. Ask-a-Librarian. Digital downloads.	Links to: Indigenous community. Community languages. Services for Seniors. Family History. History of our Nation. Drug information. Legal information.
National Library of Australia	Blogs. Facebook. Pandora. Picture Australia. Podcasts. Twitter. YouTube.	Digital Collections. Trove. Online DataBases. Australian Newspapers. Music Australia. Australia Dancing.	Online catalogue. Online renewals. Computer bookings. Ask-a-Librarian. Electronic calendar.	Links to: Family History. History of our Nation.

Burkhardt(2009) suggested four reasons why libraries should be on social media. Using this as a starting point for my reasons I have also added a few more.

Communication and to engage – Only the State and National libraries offer Facebook, twitter, blogs, podcasts and a variety of other tools for engaging the community. These are important if the library wants to engage the younger members of society who are very comfortable using the different social media. The regional library uses SMS messaging to notify clients of the arrival of a book in the branch that they may have requested, while the other two libraries don’t seem to promote this method of communication.

Respond to Positive/Negative Feedback – Using social media like Facebook is very important as it encourages feedback and increases dialog between the user and the provider. Unfortunately the Regional library is lagging in this area and possibly should look into the viability of using social media to communicate with its patrons.

Marketing – It is important to attract potential users by illustrating the services provided by the library for all ages in the community. The Regional library does this via the website while the other two libraries rely more on RSS feeds, blogs, Facebook and Twitter.

Understanding the community it serves – The Regional library has quick links on the website divided according to the age of the user. The State library has a reputation earned over many years and a definite community that it is well aware of and serves well. Both it and the National library have embraced social media and the way that it can be utilized in the library to serve the community. These two libraries are also better funded than the regional library and possibly have experts of digital media on staff to ensure they stay up to date in this area.

Accessibility – All libraries allow the catalogue and DataBases and the opportunity to renew loans externally.

Partnerships with other libraries – All three libraries provide opportunities to borrow from a wider network of libraries, thus adding value to the services in the libraries.

References:

Andy Burkhardt’s post Four Reasons Libraries Should be on Social Media  (August 25, 2009).