Thing 13: Facebook

I've been on Facebook for awhile now personally, and I think its a great social networking tool for those people that you don't keep in regular contact with (although the lack of privacy settings, or the unnotified changes to them can be very annoying). My grandfather used to say that his disappointment in life is that you never get to find out what happened to people you once knew but have lost contact with; unless you chance upon them one day. I think that Facebook goes a little way in filling in some of those blanks.

In terms of libraries, I think Facebook is a great way to target the audience. I know there has been some research suggesting that students don't want libraries in 'their' space. I think though that the students that do choose to 'like' a page are unlikely to have that opinion. It's a great way to get regular library updates delivered to something students check regularly. I've seen large numbers of students using Facebook in the library and I definitely think if we don't join them on Facebook we have lost our audience. There's a fascinating blog post about Facebook and libraries here

For me a good library Facebook page has important library news, but also offers some interesting articles or unusual facts about libraries. As fun as reading about database downtime on the library Facebook page is, I think students also need some interesting posts that make them think, allow for interactivity, offer interesting pictures or links to interesting new stories. Here are 10 Great Library Facebook Fan Pages that show that it is possible to really connect with patrons on Facebook.