WebJunction

With all of the excitement about blogs, wikis and other tools for sharing and building online communities it is easy to lose site of some very basic steps to a successful online community for your library. The first step is to have a library website. This doesn't have to be expensive or elaborate to be good. A simple site that reflects your library's mission, staff, and place in the community, and is easy for you to update, is a great start.

For some ideas on how to get started, look over the documents in Web Site Development topic area of Webjunction, and check out the Web Design & Development courses in WebJunction's Course Catalog.

The next step is to have a website where there is always something new going on. Give your patrons a reason to keep checking back. If nothing ever changes on your website some people may stop visiting. There's a lot going on at your library and your website should reflect that.

Once you've taken care of the basics, consider blogs and other tools as ways to make it easy keep your website fresh, involve others, and begin to foster the engagement and interactivity essential to a true online community.

Keep it up to date
Programs, new books, new recordings, new videos, community events, fundraisers, volunteer opportunities, book clubs--whatever is happening at your library should be on your website. Try to update the events and activities going on in your library and community at least once a week. Some libraries incorporate calendars into their site-but it could be as simple as a page listing events. Fresh is better than fancy!

The Danbury (CT) Public Library  highlights "Hot new arrivals" as well as library events.

The Musser Public Library in Muscatine, Iowa  incorporates a community calendar, as well as listing new materials.

The Rye (NH) Public Library posts information about current happenings, new materials, and library services right on the home page, using a blog to make it easy to keep it fresh.

Focus on your community, your partners, your library, your staff
The more you can share about your library's staff, patrons, and local community the more appeal your website will have. What's going on around town? What are your favorite books? What are local community organizations up to?

The Pleasant Hill (IA) Public Library puts information about current happenings in the community right on the home page, along with a link to their Community Bulletin Board.

This can also be a great way to celebrate accomplishments of staff and patrons. Did one of your staff or volunteers recently grow prize-winning roses? Did one of your patrons publish an article about local history in the town newspaper? Let folks know-and let them know about library resources connected to their interests.

The Aldrich Public Library in Barre, Vermont highlights local authors , and the Newport (OR) Public Library  keeps an up-to-date set of links to news stories about the library.

For a great example of how you can use a blog to do this take a look at Aaron Schmidt's article, "Blogs Can Create Community". Andrea Mercado shares how some libraries are using online photo-sharing tools to keep their website fresh and highlight programs in "Get Flickr-tastic!".

Get everyone involved
The more folks you get involved in contributing to your library's website, the easier is will be to keep it fresh and interesting. And the more different people in your community are involved, the more your website will reflect that community. This is one area where blogs, wikis, and other social software tools can be especially useful.

Make it easy
If it is difficult and time-consuming to update or add things to your website, you may want to look into alternative ways to manage your site. This is another reason to explore blogs and wikis. Both can be ways to make it easy to keep your website fresh and involve others. Take a look at the resources in WebJunction's Social Software area for some ideas and tips on getting started.

Make it a scheduled task
Keeping your website fresh and up-to-date is probably not something that will just happen. Find a regular weekly time when you, or whoever else you can get to help, can post new events and remove outdated info.

Allow spontaneity and interactivity
Although you'll need to make it a regular, scheduled task to keep your site up-to-date, don't let that prevent you from being spontaneous. This is another area where blogs and wikis are especially useful, because they are so quick and easy to use.

And adding interactivity with your patrons to your online presence doesn't have to be expensive. In "U R the Best ," Sarah Houghton explains how communicating with your patrons through online chat can be a poweful, not to mention cheap and easy, way to foster your local online library community.