Thing 13: Facebook

Ah facebook, the procastinators heaven. There is no important deadline that cannot be ignored for an hour whilst you look through the photos of someone you haven't spoken to in nine years or send messages to someone in the next room, who you saw five minutes ago and will see again in another ten (you're all doing it, I'm just saying it!)

Of course it serves a further purpose beyond being a helpful tool for the seasoned stalker. 'Fan pages' and communities are a great way for places to advertise services or events. In the past I've been a 'fan' of a number of bars/societies and used facebook to keep upto date with their goings on.

The main problem people seem to have with libraries using facebook is the intrusion of 'work' into 'social'. Whilst I can understand this theory, and why people would thus chose not to follow a library facebook, I don't think that is a reason for not having one.

I am a forgetful, and frankly slightly dumb, person and I never think to check websites regularly for updates. Take for instance, the Sunday Times festival - the dates are marked in my diary, when I realised in December that I would want to go, but I'd completely forgotten that it was this month until a brochure turned up on my doorstep. At which point it all came flooding back and much excitement ensued. Same goes for Hay - I get very excited when I think of it occasionally, but if I wasn't on the mailing list I would never remember at the right time, and would miss the tickets for all the fun things.

Facebook is just another form of outreach, and one we *know* most students use. Whilst few libraries have enough news constantly occuring that something like a mailing list would be called for, I think alot - both academic and public - would have enough to make a facebook page worthwhile.

The EFL (of whom I am a fan) use facebook for advertising and I think that's great. Things like the Tolkien exhibition, which Jess will have mentioned and I will have promptly forgotten, are there on my facebook feed, waving at me, inviting me across and that sticks in my mind (not that I could go as they close before I finish work but the point stands.)

I, personally, would 'fan' any venue which regularly put events on that interested me, be it a club with theme nights or a society with events - even a public library which put on readings or something. And, to me, this suggests that facebook is a valuable library tool.

(okay, that was a bit ranty wasn't it?)