Investigative Exercise 11 Recommendations

In my last post I talked about how Sutherland Shire Library service currently uses web 2.0 technologies. In this post I am going to discuss some of the recommendations I would make to improve the usage of these technologies by examining other libraries and what they use and where these libraries could set the example for Sutherland shire libraries to follow.

St. Joseph County Public Library in the United States is a great example of a library that is maximising its use of web 2.0 tools to promote the libraries services to children and get them involved in the library and in reading. The library has an extensive YouTube channel which they use to post content ranging from story time sessions to promotion material as well as training materials. Copying this model for the Sutherland Shire service is one recommendation I would make as it involves children in reading and also allows them to comment on the videos saying what they liked and what they would like to see in future, data which the library can use to plan and organise their sessions for what the children want. The St Joseph County library site also runs a program for children to read more, where they create a log on the site saying what they have read and how long they have spent reading, with prizes based on their results. This is another fantastic way to engage children with reading from a young age.

St. Joseph County Public Library YouTube

St. Joseph County Public Library Homepage

St. Joseph County Public Library reading program for kids

For teenage and young adult members of the library, St Joseph County also uses a recommendation section where teens can list the recent books they have read and share their interests in book topics and general topics with others. There is also a section on the page for reviewing books so that teens can let others know what they thought of the book. The page works as its own form of social media with teens able to make a profile page, follow others, and message others all with the aim of sharing interests in reading and use of other library resources. The Hennepin county library in the United States also does a similar system however they use established social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to share and connect with their patrons, providing a space for them to share their reviews of books, films etc with others.

Hennepin County Library 

St. Joseph County Public Library teen reviews

The Kansas City Library makes great use of web 2.0 in its promotion of it local studies areas on their website. The library uses a weekly RSS feed to update patrons with new information each week and which also serves as historical tool as it gives information and resources as to what was happening that particular week throughout the history of Kansas City. The library also makes use of a program called history pin, a variation of google maps which has ‘pins’ with various iconic buildings and their history. Similar to what Sutherland library already does, the Kansas City library interviews local community members for their records.

Kansas City Library “This week in history RSS” 

Kansas City Library HistoryPin

By implementing these various tools into their web 2.0 then Sutherland library will be able to vastly improve its digital presence.