I saw someone online, I can’t remember where ask this question and I thought it was a good one so I thought I would comment on it. Too often as librarians and as people we get carried away with the idea of using social networking sites and applications. However are they always the best tools or resources for our patrons and to accomplish the library’s mission?
The reality is that in some cases, they may just become fun gadgets and time wasters and may actually distract from our goals instead of adding to them.

So how do you decide if a given social networking tool is a good idea for your library?

Here are a few guidelines, I have come up with:

1. Does the application really benefit our patrons?
2. How complicated is it to use?
3. Is there a way we can try it first and see how it goes?
4. What are the goals of this particular site or gadget and do they align with our library’s goals?
5. Are we already using something similar?

Answer these questions and you should be able to determine if using a given site or social networking application is worth the effort and time spent by your library.