Until now, I haven't really entered much into MySpace because I saw it as part of the teen scene - never really thinking that MySpace was playing a part in drawing young people into the digital library.
However, browsing through some facts from a 2010 report on 'Social Media and Young Adults' from Pew Internet, states that "today's young people will leave a lasting contribution to the fields of information science and librarianship" and that "they are the first generation to spend their entire lives immersed in a technological culture revolving around internet connectivity". Although teens may know more about technology and can teach information professionals about communication and information provision in a digital environment, adults know more about life!
Libraries have had a strong history in providing an important role in educating patrons about the Internet and I found libraries are now playing a more valuable role in educating young people and their parents about online privacy.
The How2 of Web2 blog link called "How Libraries are using MySpace" was broken so I surfed around myself to find that some American libraries have made MySpace an extension of their web site like the Yarra Plenty Regional Library Youth Space had provided for their young patrons. These links give viewers an opportunity to find items in the catalog to books and movies, chat, locate future evens and research. The Brooklyn College Library links to loads of research tools and an 'Ask-a-Librarian' page. I found that the Morrisville College Library went another step and added a catalog link into their MySpace profile for students. Hennepin County Public Library links to the latest CDs, books and movies for their teen patrons.
So thanks for steering me in this direction! I now understand how valuable it can be to use the Library profile as a portal to provide a service to patrons at their point of need. All that happening in Library spaces!
That's great! Do you think you would ever use something like this? It's amazing how tools like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter are becoming so important to businesses as well as individuals and there are numerous technologies that allow you to link them all together. (Which really saves me a lot of time I can tell you) Great stuff!
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