I'm inspired by the Facebook page "I'll Bet I Can Find 1,000,000 People Who Think Libraries Are Important" although its a shame only 314 of us have joined!
I'm all for libraries getting on board social media. These days, I don't think any business or organisation can afford not to use social media. Its where everybody else is hanging out, and if you want your organisation to thrive, be part of the community, and grow in general, you need to get in there, get amongst it.
Libraries can use social media to humanise themselves. Through it they can build and project their image, ideas, place in the community and accessibility. They can engage with every demographic of the community, and invite users to engage with them in return.
Suddenly, libraries aren't just a pile of bricks, quiet aisles of books and a membership card. They are an inviting, 24/7 accessible, living, breathing hub of the community where members can go to glean or share ideas with other members, access all manner of online information, or tune in to what's going on in their area.
Social Media is crucial to the future of public libraries. As the publishing world changes and the eBook industry flourishes, as information has become more accessible to individuals without the need to walk down to their local library, the focus of the public library has shifted. It has to offer more than books and audio-visual items in order to survive, otherwise it risks becoming redundant.
Hi Jane, although not a big user of social media myself, I have to say that I agree that it is important that libraries at least try to use social media to connect better with their customers. This is the society that we are living in, where everything needs to be accessible instantly or we risk losing our audience.
ReplyDeleteI also wholeheartedly agree with your statement that the publishing world is changing and the eBook industry is flourishing, prompting a need for libraries to expand on what they are offering in order to survive. This trend does not appear to be slowing down but rather gaining momentum, so I hope libraries are considering how to best overcome such a problem.