Libraries using Facebook

Facebook is very popular with libraries. Facebook is great for communicating with patrons, and for organising and maintaining contacts.

Facebook is ideal for connecting with the local community. Libraries can promote programs as well as post links to interesting articles for followers to read.

With Facebook we are able to get in touch with people from all over the world, including people we have known in the past and would have great difficulty ever being able to contact again.

Through Facebook I am able to get a glimpse of what is happening back in the small town school library where I grew up. A couple of months ago, I discovered that one of the teacher librarians I knew from the school library is now a bestselling author. As a writer, I have gained a huge amount of encouragement and inspiration from this knowledge, and all because I have access to Facebook.

Facebook is really great for displaying information such as the location of the library – with a map and address in the “about” section of the profile. Also in the “about” section, libraries often display their opening hours, a link to their website, membership information and a brief description of the services available. They may even include a phone number, and some agree to respond to Facebook private messages within a reasonable amount of time.

For those already familiar with Facebook, a library’s Facebook profile may be easier to navigate than their website. Particularly if you only need basic information such as opening times or a contact number.

Library Facebook pages often post interesting status updates, from upcoming events to new book titles and motivational messages relating to the enjoyment of reading.

If the library is having a special closure day, any library patrons who follow the library’s Facebook page will receive a notification directly to their news feed.

It is of course very important for libraries to not post too many Facebook statuses in a short time period, or they may find themselves losing followers. No one likes having their Facebook news feed flooded.

Have a look at Moonta Community LIbrary's Facebook page for some inspiration from a small town library which really is the heart of the community.