I would argue that Blacktown City Libraries could make more effective use of 2.0 technologies by first establishing independent Twitter, Flickr and YouTube accounts, rather than sharing the Blacktown City Council platforms. At the moment, the library’s content gets a bit lost, and having their own platforms would give them more chance of tailoring their communication to library patrons.
The addition of a Pinterest page may also be useful in showcasing what the library has to offer (including resources and events) and making a relevant connection with library users. However, it is vital that the page is updated frequently, well-organised and includes relevant material. A good example is the Sutherland Shire Libraries Pinterest page.
Children's
The Children’s service area could potentially make use of a Pinterest account to share relevant online resources with children and parents (eg. a board for recommended/popular children’s books, a board for useful homework websites, a board for craft activities or games).
Local Studies
Local Studies could benefit hugely from using either Flickr or Pinterest to upload historical photographs and other visual material that may be of interest to locals. People find it easy to engage with such material, and may not be aware that the library holds these resources. Digitising them would improve access, educate people about the role of Local Studies and perhaps generate further interest in what Local Studies has to offer.
Examples of this kind of use include the State Library of NSW Flickr account or, on a smaller scale, Holroyd City Library's Flickr page.
Adult Fiction
The establishment of independent Twitter, Flickr and YouTube accounts for the library would help in promoting Adult Fiction resources and activities.
While podcasts of some author talks have been posted on the library website, it would be even better if they could be filmed and uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo, as Sutherland Shire Libraries do. This would raise awareness of the types of events the library organizes and would also allow for responses and interaction from members of the public in the comments section.
While the library catalogue does currently provide readers reviews for items via LibraryThing, it would be good to see an option for viewing all reviews, rather than only seeing a review once you have entered an item’s catalogue record. This has been done by Clarence Regional Library, and I think could potentially increase circulation statistics by encouraging people to borrow books they might not otherwise consider.
