MySpace...Oh, Yeah!

Watch for the unveiling of EVPL's teen MySpace page--comin' at ya soon! Charles and I (with Marina as overseer) have been working with Kendra (circ manager at CE) to get our very own MySpace page created. Kendra has plenty of experience with MS, and she's also got the creative background to do some great things with the page. (Just wait 'til you see it!) And not a moment too soon. Today I attended various sessions where the same message was repeated over and over: Social Networking Sites or Services (SNS) are the place for libraries to be. It's where our readers/users are, so it's where we need to be. Having a MySpace page will make us approachable. It will allow us to offer teens access (in a way they might not otherwise see) to the various services and programs that EVPL offers teens. We will be referring teens to our databases, our catalog and our teen events--just to name a few of the offerings. We'll be able to do online book discussions via user comments and feedback. Teens can send pictures and even video that we'll be able to post. In other words, libraries who have a MySpace page allow teens (well, usually it's teens using these pages) to have input in the library. It gives the teens a sense of ownership in the library, which most often ensures that the teens will remain library users into their adult years.