After reading several of the articles that we have been assigned for this module I noticed that making content fun and informative was something almost all of the authors mentioned. Though they are not necessarily mutually exclusive. As a whole social media, in my opinion, seems to be a less formal way of connecting with user, with libraries working to balance between tossing out fluff posts and content that could be considered more serious like instructional information.
Facebook and Twitter are two of the more popular or at least well known social media sites that libraries are using. But even just a 5 year difference between now and when the article was written makes it seem "old" when it comes to technology. Several still mentioned MySpace which hasn't quite made it back into the spotlight.
I see Tumblr or another micro blogging site (maybe xKit guy will make his own platform) beginning to make inroads sooner rather than later. I personally follow several library related blogs, one of which is the University of Iowa's Special Collection department. It is a great way to share pictures, opinion pieces, etc.
Vine has some huge potential for folks of all ages. Think about having to summarize a book in 6 seconds. What would you choose for A Tale of Two Cities or Macbeth or Ready Player One? It is also a great way to deliver humor (check out Thomas Sanders) and libraries could do fun little snippets of what's going on that people may not realize behind the scenes.
With just how easy it is to connect with people all over the country or even the world, it makes you wonder what the library scene will be like in another 5 years. This post will be "old" and the technology that we think is bleeding edge now may have disappeared by then.
What would you like to see being implemented in your local library? Or just in libraries in general?
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.
~Groucho Marx
Personally, I'd like to see libraries branching out to use more than just Twitter and Facebook. These are great resources, but your idea with vine, for instance, would be a fantastic way to promote super quick book trailers for young adults. Tumblr is another site that I follow numerous libraries on, but I only saw it mentioned briefly in the literature we were reading this week. Perhaps that is just an example of the literature on technology becoming outdated so quickly in this day and age.
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking about tumblr as well Danielle! I might have to go digging to see if the academic world has caught on to it yet for articles, I'm interested to see what they might think. But as far as I can see several libraries have been using the platform to great effect, NY Public Library and National Archives just to name two.
DeleteI personally love Tumblr for library purposes because it allows such a diverse range of content material. Also, unlike with Facebook, and more so than on Twitter, each account can be made personal visually down to the last detail. Having a specific "look" can give a library an interesting edge.
DeleteYou know I'm biased Jessie but I think most libraries can add tumblr to their repertoire of social media to great effect. 1.) Its a popular site. 2.) Its easy to use and learn. 3.) It allows for a variety of media to be displayed from words to pictures to sound to video. 4.) It has a native metadata scheme can serve both as an archival and access tool 5.) It costs nothing to use
ReplyDeleteYoutube is another site that I believe libraries should take advantage of. Like you mentioned book summaries can be used for Vines but longer more involved ones can be put on youtube. Instructional playlists, video versions of pathfinders, could be curated by the library as well, thus helping patrons to weed out which instructional videos across the vastness of Youtube to watch.
At our library (an academic library) someone proposed using Vines to help users navigate the website. For example, there could be a six second Vine showing users how to access the database list, or a Vine showing users how to find the Interlibrary Loan request form. These could be implanted into LibGuides and make the information easier to digest than a long 5 minute video that is (let's be honest) poorly produced.
ReplyDeleteI had never considered using vine in an academic library, but your suggestion makes a lot of sense. I know I rarely take the time to watch a tutorial video, primarily for the sake of time. However, 6 seconds is hardly anything to worry over, and I'm sure students would be curious, like myself, to see what the college had created when they notice the "vine" logo.
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