Social networks and Libraries

I have had a Facebook account for ....man Facebook needs an easy way to figure out when you signed up.

It looks like May 2007, but I am not sure. If it was then my first status was "Jared is thinking and consuming Java".

I have seen the University of Alberta's Facebook application, and various library "Fan pages".

I don't think many will use them as an ongoing method of communication with the libraries, but I also think we should still be there. New patrons will look where they normally look, and if that is Facebook or Twitter or MySpace or whatever, then so be it.

I don't think many students writing a paper will login to Facebook to add a catalogue search app to search the catalogue.

But they will download an app for their iPhone or Android phone, especially if it makes it easier. So we should make sure they find these tools, and that means having them in Facebook and MySpace, etc.