A post from our class discussions regarding a reply to our “Top 100 Ways Librarians Use Social Media” really got me thinking about our current usage of social media in libraries. Are we really using social media to our full advantage or are we just using too much social media. As information professionals we want to use the tools available to us for the greater benefit to our libraries. We want to advocate for our libraries, draw in patrons and fulfill their needs. Is our usage of social media really doing this? Is our usage more of an advantage or disadvantage?
Currently, who are we targeting? Is it a small portion of our library patrons, the whole or none? Does it matter? I think before taking this class my answer would have been no it does not matter who we are reaching and how many of them there are. It matters more that we are reaching some users rather than none. However, now that I am aware of the affordances of a tool and how we should take advantage of those affordances, I think that maybe we need to spend more of our time wisely and find ways to target everyone effectively rather than randomly. There is no point in using a tool that is not helping.
The reply to our “Top 100 Ways Librarians Use Social Media” suggested that possibly libraries are creating information overload with their social media usage and we should focus our energy into promoting the excellent resources we do have at our libraries. Most patrons do not even know what libraries are offering. Perhaps more traditional ways of promotion, such as in person and advertising should be used to get the word out about libraries especially during this transitional time.
Having reflected on this view point I feel that these are all valid points and should be considered. Anything that we can do to promote our services and engage patrons should be used. If social media can do this for us then perhaps that is the way to go.Wisely is the key here. We should use the tools that are helping and advancing our services; hence, the affordances and constraints of a tool need to be outlined critically. Will this work for our library? Will it be advantageous to our patrons? Are we adding to information overload? Would patrons find this of value? These are all questions to consider, otherwise we are just adding to the other detritus of the web.