Social Networking with Margaret Chase Smith

Back in 2009, in the MCS Library newsletter (Vol. 25 #4 available online), a column entitled "MCS Comes Alive" announced the arrival of social networking at the library. Since then, it has grown to include what is described within this post.

Let's start with www.twitter.com/MCSmithLibrary where you can keep up with library events on any given day. It's not unusual for the library to have visiting school groups and news about these is tweeted on a regular basis.
As you can see from the above screen shot, I too have been tweeting my blog entries for this project. You can find me at https://twitter.com/RitaPare if you want to follow along.

The library is also active with Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MargaretChaseSmithLibrary)
often featuring recent school groups, queries, and research results.



The most recent addition to the social network is http://pinterest.com/mcslibrary/ where topics of interests related to the MCS Library are categorized and added to.




I created my own pinterest account at http://pinterest.com/ritajpare/margaret-chase-smith-books/ where I have "pinned" some of the available books on Margaret Chase Smith as you can see below.

 
Besides connecting online, the library is known for opening its doors to students of all ages. School groups are frequently onsite and these range anywhere from elementary school age to students working on their masters thesis or dissertations.

Senator Smith reportedly loved children and the books that she read to visiting groups of younger children are still onsite. One of her favorites was the classic, "The Little Engine that Could" by Watty Piper. This timeless tale is included in her collection.

Here she is reading to a group of children in 1940 (location unknown).

http://www.mainememory.net/artifact/25972

Next time we''ll reflect on our visit and address some of the technological challenges in a traditional research library.