Libraries and Social Networking Sites

Having read the articles linked to this exercise, I would have to say that there certainly seems to be some good arguments put forward for libraries using social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. While I admit that it is not my cup of tea, and suspect that most people of my age and older would feel the same, this method of communication is definitely very popular amongst those known as ‘Generation Y’. But … and it is a very big BUT … it would be unwise to leap into social networking without having staff with the necessary expertise in place to manage such a site. In order to encourage young people to use the library, such a site should be co-ordinated by similar-aged people who ‘speak the same language’ otherwise it could well miss the point entirely.