Thing 4: Maps and checking in

Foursquare is probably the one social media tool I haven’t really gotten to grips with yet. However at the Robinson Library we've had a Foursquare page for a while now and it seems to be popular with students.
Initially when my colleagues set it up, they added useful tips and created lists. This information highlights the best cultural venues, shopping areas, parks and Libraries in the city. A Campus tour list has tips and information about various locations around campus. All this information is handy for prospective and current students.

We’ve also had few Specials and competitions.  I think this is a good way to encourage readers into the Library, especially if there is a prize!  The prize is usually a Library bag and photocopying credit or a selection of library goodies such pens, pencils, postcards, pads, bookmarks and chocolate! I think Foursquare is fun for students as they can compete against friends to become ‘Mayor, but also it’s a good way of getting feedback and letting staff engage with readers in an informal environment.  

I had a quick play with Google maps and was a little bit frustrated that there were no public transport directions from my home to work, but that could be down to where I live rather than a fault with the app. I love the examples of indoor maps and as we have been considering doing a video guide to the library, maybe this is something we could incorporate in the future.

I think the geocaching idea is interesting, although I wonder how time consuming it would be to set up. We are planning to do a scavenger hunt for induction, so this perhaps something we could do in the future. However I think some colleagues are concerned about excluding library users who don’t have access to a mobile device. Nevertheless I think I would still like to investigate all these tools further, it's just a case of having the time!