Thing #35: Twitter

Hi

My introduction to microblogging was through Twitter. I can see the value in joining Twitter if you have a group of friends who all have Twitter accounts but I could think of no people among my acquaintance that would twitter so didn't go down the "find a friend to follow" path. Alternatively, if all library staff had accounts, we could use Twitter as a means of communication - unlike email, you could access Twitter with your mobile phone.

While I was looking at Twitter, I did read Christina Laun's Twitter for librarians: the ultimate guide. She gives the following reasons in favour of libraries setting up a Twitter account:

• Keeping in touch with librarian friends and colleagues. Twitter makes it easier to keep up with what others are up to and to share and collaborate on projects.

• Stay on top of the latest technologies. Even if you don’t think Twitter has any applications that will work for you at the moment that doesn’t mean it won’t in the future. Staying on top of the latest technologies will give you a leg up and may make it easier in the long run to adapt them to your own purposes.

• Read the latest news. Many major news sites, like CNN and the BBC, have Twitter feeds. This makes it easy to just quickly check to keep up with news and find the latest information, a particularly relevant application for libraries.

• Get information on conferences. Some geekier conferences of interest to librarians have Twitter feeds that will allow you to keep up with registration deadlines, speakers and accommodations without having to visit the site itself all the time.

• Have Q and A sessions. Thinking of making some changes to your library website or changing policies? You can get suggestions and opinions from patrons quickly and easily through Twitter. This can work with any kind of question and answer type situation and the possible uses are quite broad.

• Learn more about colleagues. Not sure about the new guy? See if he has a Twitter feed and read more about his life. Who knows, maybe you have more in common than you think. You could also do the same thing for authors, artists and writers you like as well if they have Twitter accounts.

• Use it as a notepad. Jot down great ideas anywhere through your Twitter account. If you’re on your computer you can use it there, but Twitter is also accessible via a mobile device, making it easy to transfer the name of a book you saw on TV and to-dos for work to yourself.

• Share references. Library patrons can get online help from librarians through a Twitter account. Patrons can send messages asking about specific materials and staff can get back to them when they have information. You could also use if for your own personal information sharing with friends and colleagues.

• Announce library programs. Launching a new children’s reading program or having a book sale? Let the community know about it through your Twitter feed. It’s a simple and easy way to get information out about any library.

• Update patrons on new materials. Got exciting new resources? Let those in your area know about them through a Twitter feed. Some libraries already using Twitter send out updates when they get in new books, though for larger libraries this might be impractical.

• Send alerts about requested materials. Patrons who have a Twitter account could opt to receive notices that their materials have arrived at the library via Twitter rather than on the phone or in the mail. Some people may prefer this method and it’s one simple way Twitter can be used in place of existing technologies.

I'm not convinced by all her arguments and Twitter would not be the only means of achieving these aims but Christina's blog article does provide some food for thought. See http://www.collegeathome.com/blog/2008/05/27/twitter-for-librarians-the-ultimate-guide/ for Christina's blog.