I was most excited to try out Twitter, since I had heard so much buzz about it around the library system. It was very simple to set up, easy to use and, once I found some helpful directions, easy to add the widget to my blog. It was truly amazing how easy it was to merge the two tools!
That said, I now must admit that of all of the tools I have explored, I am having the hardest time wrapping my brain around why libraries should use Twitter. I think it is a great way for staff to stay connected when working at remote locations, but feel that it better serves a social purpose. I have to admit that after using it a bit, it is kind of growing on me. But I'm not sure that I can find a good library use for it.
The main reason I can see to use Twitter in the library with patrons is for marketing. And I think the group to target would be teens and younger adults. I know that some libraries are successfully doing this. We could use it to advertise programming, notifiy patrons of overdues and holds, highlight new databases, announce changes to the web site, share information about branch closings... OK...that list was longer than I thought. Because it is so informal, it may be getting outside of our comfort zone, I suppose, but I think we can maintain our standards and just be concise, brief and to the point.
So since it's so simple, why not?
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