2008 WAPL - MySpace Presentation
Mandy Tuthill, Young Adult and Children's Librarian at the Milwaukee Public Library
Loved that she introduced herself as not a technical guru. Made the entire project more approachable for all of us.
13 months of prepping policy and discovery, starting in fall of 2006. Addressed safety concerns in formal proposal.
Lots of input from local teens. Contacted YA authors to be friends. Contacted other libraries with MySpace pages to see how they handled everything.
Whoa! Lots and lots of prep! Glad to be at a library where such convoluted approval paths are not necessary. I love to say YES to such great ideas. We might worry about safety and such, but it wouldn't slow the process down to that extent.
Very simple page. Blue links are links to the library's site. Links to lots and lots of authors of books for teens.
Phase 2 of the project: trying to get more teen-generated content on the page. Teen book reviews, poetry contest, etc.
Have a clear purpose in mind. Don't do it because everyone else is doing it. Make sure it serves the teens themselves. They are your audience.
MySpace Editor. Copy and paste the settings you want onto your page. Let teens help you design the page! Great idea!
Image is everything. Who wants to be friends with a 100 year old building? Denver Public Library created own avatar.
List local high schools on the page.
Get comfortable with any social networking program you use. Create a personal page before you do one for your library.