I am sure everyone gets the urge from time to time to hide out from people and the world in general. Sometimes I get the urge to do the same, but with the online world. Checking my inbox seems like a never ending task, and updated information on sites like Facebook and Twitter never stops. Lately I have just had to take a step back from my computer and reconnect with the real world outside of my broadband connection.

This ‘information overload‘, as coined by Alvin Toffler, is contributing to the sense of fatigue and burnout that I think causes many people to start with a social media tool and then abandon it shortly after.  There are so many blogs, websites, Twiteer feeds, Facebook profiles, and RSS feeds it is dizzying. There is information coming at you from all different sources, how could a person not feel overwhelmed!?

In the workplace, we as librarians have a choice as to what social media tools we choose to use, and our choice will likely depend on our needs. Tools that support collaboration, input, and participation are all likely to be valued. However, with the rapidly changing face of technology, it is difficult to predict what tools will be viewed as valuable down the road.

So as I was thinking about being exhausted from staring at my computer non-stop lately, I began thinking, how could we in libraries, not get too overwhelmed with these technologies, and yet still participate with the ones we love? And what I have come up with is the concept of sharing, or partnering with other service providers or institutions. In recent LIBR 559M discussions we have been talking about the relationship between libraries and archives, and libraries and museums. Maybe libraries and archives want to create partnerships in order to promote their services. For example, if a local museum has a show coming up, they may want to use their blog and Facebook page as promotional tools. If there is a partnership between the museum and the local library, the library may pick up on the theme of the show at the museum, and create a display with items in the library to promote the museum’s show, while also promoting what materials the library has to offer. The library may then use their Twitter feed to notify patrons of this new display and how it ties in with the show put on by the museum. Not only does this take the pressure off of the museum to feel the need to promote their show with every social media tool out there, but it also encourages customers using one service, to utilize the service of another institution. If the library and museum were to share the promotion of events with these tools, it means the museum may not have to update their Facebook page every day, as the library may have already done enough promotion to last for another few days.

Of course, sharing the use of these tools and partnering between organizations is assuming the users of both organizations are the same. However, hopefully those that are not users of one institutions or another, will see the promotion of other organizations through the ones they do use, and they will then be inclined to join and utilize other organizations.

I am sure there are other ways partnering between institutions and service providers could make social media tools less daunting. But by sharing these tools, and delegating the task of sharing and participating in the spread of information, the task that may seem overwhelming to some may become more manageable.