"Tu be or not Tu be"

Social media tools are becoming increasingly mainstream as they are adopted by individuals and organizations alike to connect with others across the internet. Though the numbers and types of these websites increase daily, YouTube  and Facebook are standouts as practical, usable, and recognizable tools that could be effective as library “assistants”. 

YouTube is as much a location as it is a social network tool. It could be compared to a database that stores a Wikipedia-type volume of user-added videos accessible from anywhere on the internet, free of charge. For libraries, this could mean a source of videos that it does not need to house, which could be shared without boundaries to other libraries and patrons alike. Instructions on how to repair a book or use a new technology, introduction to a new concept or library issue, invitations to and marketing of upcoming events, could all be stored or accessed on YouTube where a simple link would direct the searcher to what he or she is looking for. 

Facebook, on the other hand, is a “live” link to a vast sea of online individuals who are there for the very purpose of connecting with others. Libraries could connect with book and library lovers, who so profess on their Facebook pages, and reach them where no other means would. Library groups could be formed, even for a specific or regional library, and, as one patron finds and joins the group, the message would be broadcast to all of that person’s friends, who may also be interested. This vast expression of information to a targeted audience could be a vital tool in library fundraising, communicating new acquisitions, informing on pertinent political issues, and even connecting to other social media tools such as Twitter, Flickr, related blogs, and other websites of interest. 

On the downside, just like Wikipedia, the content and direction of data flow through these tools is uncontrolled and potentially overwhelming to sort through. The usefulness of these tools may be dependent upon the stamina and persistence of the user to overcome the “junk mail” and “spam” all over the net. Like the “MySpace” of earlier internet years, irritation and boredom may cause these venues to be replaced by the latest new technological fad. The challenge of the future will be much like that of all good Librarians, which appears unlikely to ever change: to remove from the patron the tedious sorting of the “gold” from the “garbage” of information.