About

As part of LIS 674 - Issues in Virtual Communities, I examined a number of social media platforms and considered how libraries could best use these platforms to build a virtual community that would benefit the library, but more importantly, would provide a benefit to the members of that community.

In this resource I will discuss some general trends around libraries and social media, including a link to a longer paper on the topic. I will also describe my experiences with these virtual communities, along with my experiences as a member of one of the Internet's older discussion forum, which I have been a member of for nearly 20 years.

I will also lay out a concept for a future type of virtual community that does not rely on private corporations, but rather leverages the strengths of libraries as community hubs and brings that expertise into the virtual realm.