Libraries and Facebook

Several libraries are present in Facebook but what have they to offer? Do the Facebook users expect to find library resources in Facebook? This is a question that probably quite a few "tech-librarians" have asked themselves. When potential library user never use our regular library site/homepage the challenge is to meet the user on their homeground. Norway is the country in the world most active on Facebook, almost 1,2 million users and only 4 million inhabitants. That's amazing.
When presenting library resources in Facebook the clue is probably to keep it simple and clean like for instance the Google search. Facebook's main focus is without doubt the social aspect, meeting friends, have fun and share items. You could choose between 20 600 applications in Facebook, most of them built just for the purpose of having fun.
Why should the users choose library applications?
I think the answer is to be found in the word "quality". A lot a people have already had enough of crappy apps, it's even led to the creation of a Facebook group called:
"Putting the app in crap". My colleague Rurik Greenall has created a nice and clean looking Facebook app making it possible to search in BIBSYS Ask (the norwegian library catalogue) and also to log onto their personalized "my page" function inside BIBSYS Ask and manage their book orders, book renewals.

Let Facebook become more than just a continuation of puberty.
"Putting the quality back in apps".
Here is a taste of the BIBSYS Ask search made by Rurik Greenall.