Nonfiction Book Reviews

Libraries are the place to go for both books and the latest technologies

Hey everyone! Today’s post is actually a guest post by Julie-Ann Amos, a freelance writer who covers topics such as online university ratings and reviews, elearning tools, and more. I figured since my day job is at a library, this was the perfect guest post. Enjoy!

Social media sites have become one of the hottest new forms of sharing specific types of information. Like most social networking systems, users all contribute, rate or evaluate information to help build a community base of high quality, relevant information. Librarians looking for the latest in news, book reviews, journal articles and general information can easily access social media sites from any computer with internet access.

In addition to just supplying information social media can allow off-campus students, teachers and community members with relevant, up-to-the-minute information. Some of essential social media sites that librarians should consider include:

1. Facebook – Facebook offers a very user friendly way to share information about the library and what is going on in the community. Special books, areas, programs or even multi-media presentations can be described, uploaded to the site or linked to the Facebook page to develop a greater understanding of the services the library can provide.

2. Twitter – Perhaps the most popular social media or social networking site, Twitter offers many opportunities for librarians. Short messages of 140 characters can be delivered to all subscribers to inform them of new additions, programs, events and services provided through the library itself.

3. Blogger – A free blogging tool developed by Google, this service provides a lot of flexibility for the author in creating the blog. Blogs can be about anything of interest and allow multi-media options within the blog.

4. Wordpress – A free web-based publishing platform that supports blogging and research. This site can be used to inform readers about the library, services offered and even make recommendations for specific projects or reading options.

5. Delicious – Social bookmarking allows multiple users to contribute to customized bookmarks or tagged categories. Through this option lists of relevant sites, chosen by real people that are researching, interested in or involved in the actual topic are available to anyone, greatly cutting down research time on search engines.

6. Squidoo – This site allows you to create your own web articles that can be categorized based on content. Book reviews, general information, tips on using the library, researching online or any other relevant information can be provided for students and faculty alike.

7. Flickr – A social media site dedicated to the sharing of pictures and videos. This site offers a wide range of visual representations that can be searched according to topics or tags.

8. Plaxo – A professional social media and networking site, Plaxo offers links or possible connections to other professionals that are also members. This is an excellent way to share resources and information through a web based format with other librarians around the world. The site is free to join and you can accept or decline offers to connect with other members.

9. Wikipedia – A reference tool that is generated by users, for users. It often provides simple, concise information about very detailed and complex topics and provides information on further references. It is also multilingual, making it more accessible than many online references.

10. YouTube – Video presentations developed by users on virtually any topic imaginable. Often virtual tours, news articles and even highlights of important commentaries can be found in easy-to-access format.

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I’ll be back again tomorrow with another review. Have a great evening, all!