Twitizens? Twittersphere? What IS all this twittering and twitterers ALL about? Twitter is described as a free social networking and micro-blogging service where users have up to 140 characters to "tweet" and get their message out, by simply answering "what are you doing?" Users sign up for a free account and can "follow" or have "followers" to their posts which can appear on the Twitter home page for all to see, or posts can also be private and only sent to groups of friends. Twitter is easy, fun, free to use and allows friends, family and co-workers to communicate and stay connected in a real-time broadcasting medium(Brown, 2009).
As a positive medium, twittering libraries are seen as forward-thinking and have the advantage of instant information. They have the ability to meet many of their patrons "where they're at" as another communication tool and connect with many others in their communities. They can network with other librarians and libraries and use of this tool allows for collaboration amongst staff for educational and professional development, and can easily be incorporated within their blogs and websites. It is an ideal marketing and public relations tool to advertise and promote library programs and services. Libraries can use Twitter for library announcements, to post news, update resources, as a reference service, for customer service, and even cataloging/tagging (Brown, 2009).
As a negative medium, some of the cons include its brevity, too intrusive and/or time-waster, or another thing to monitor and update. Because twitter only reaches a select audience of tech-savvy patrons, it limits the library's reach depending on its location. Lack of support or interest from colleagues contributes to fellow staff members hesitant to use it (Brown, 2009). Similarly, I found it difficult to keep my announcements brief and to fit my messages within the 140-character limit keystroke, especially when adding a link and/or hashtag! It took quite a bit of effort to master this skill to be brief and concise in order to communicate effectively. The best way to learn and become efficient is simply through doing via tweeting and through trial and error!
Twitter offers an inhuman amount of reading material...Although the quality of the words on Twitter is not a concern, the sheer voume is staggering! Almost fifty million tweets a day is equivalent to 1.15 billion words per day. Just this morning, I heard on the radio that according Stephen Blackwell of Death and Taxes, it would take one person about 10 years to read every tweet on twitter in a single day?!!
The Harris County Public Library system (HCPL) has an annual circulation of over 10 million items. Harris County, which encompasses Houston, Texas, is one of the largest urban counties in the U.S. The HCPL network of 26 community-focused branch libraries is committed to providing excellent customer service, strong collections, and cutting edge information technology for the 21st Century. Reference assistance is available in person, by phone, by email, and "virtually" through the HCPL eBranch website 24/7.
HCPL on the Web has a presence on a number of social networking sites. Veronica from the eBranch/Marketing departments keeps patrons up to date on all things HCPL on both the Harris County Public Library Facebook page with 1078 fans and harriscountypl Twitter profile with 2068 followers. Patrons are encouraged to "check us out and follow us" for upcoming programs, celebrations, library news, or to share opinions on their Wall. The facebook page includes an RSS/Blog to the main library website and upcoming library events and a My HCPL page to Search the Catalog via keywords or multi-media title browse. 
The site iHCPL: The Next Generation was created in 2008 as the next step in Harris County Public Library's iHCPL Learning 2.0 Program; a discovery learning program designed to encourage staff to explore new technologies. This blog has been set up to continue Harris County Public Library's iHCPL project to encourage staff and customers to experiment and learn about the new and emerging technologies that are reshaping the context of information on the Internet today. However, it appears that this site has not been updated since Monday, May 24, 2010
Stay connected and get so much more - with the Harris County Public Library Toolbar! Download the hcpl Community Toolbar via Conduit to get the freshest content delivered directly to your browser; search the Web and get a wide choice of useful search engines; add your favorite apps to your browser with Conduit Engine; receive the most important news and announcements instantly'; and check out all of HCPL favorite places on the Web.
Harriscountypubliclibrary profile on
