Social Networking in the Library Media Center

Using social networking tools such as Twitter, Nings, Delicious, and LibraryThing make the life of the library media specialist easier and enhances student learning. Twitter allows library media specialists to communicate with other library media specialists, experts, and teachers for valuable resources and advice. Nings also allow library media specialists to network with others by offering specific social networks that suit the same professional interests and goals. These two social networking sites allow us to develop our knowledge and skills so we can then pass this information onto our students.

Delicious is a unique tool because not only is it a social network, but it also bookmarks websites. No longer do students, teachers, or library media specialists have to worry about using a network of computers and not being able to save websites to your favorites. Here, websites are saved, tagged, and shared so that it's easier for the user and others to find useful websites.

LibraryThing allows a user to catalog their own collection and share it online. LibraryThing can be used to advertise new materials in a library media center collection to parents, students, and teachers. Like the other social networking tools, LibraryThing makes the library media center more efficient.