Wednesday, February 27, 2008

social networking

I have done social networking before with Myspace and found that it was cool and interesting for a couple of months and, but quickly lost interest in it. I haven't even touched my account in probably a year. I don't really see the library being the place for social networking. In most cases the networks are heavily used by teens and I really don't see them using the networks to look at library events. I see them adding our website as a link so they can check in now and again. I think ultimately that youth are not into the libraries in the way that we think. They use us as a pit stop or a last minute place of information. Why can't we attract more of the teen to twenty somethings into just coming into the library to hang an relax like a book store. Go into any book store and you will find twenty to thirty years olds reading books, studying, or chatting quietly and using the space more like a library used to be rather than a retail outlet. Hardly anyone goes to a book store to just get in an out like they would a grocery store. Book stores offer what we used to offer and that is a place with the latest books, a quiet place to reflect, and read them. we should put more of our time and energy with finding ways of competing with the book stores and less time worrying about how to use the latest Internet tools. I don't see Powells and Barnes and Noble worrying about social networking to get people into their stores.

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