Stump the Librarian on Facebook
When librarians talk about the future of reference, much of the conversation seems to find its way to this idea of moving beyond the traditional reference desk and embedding (the embedded librarian!) ourselves where people are already spending time. Obviously, this can happen in both physical and online spaces. One of my favorite examples of the former is “librarian with a latte” by Eric Frierson, who is, btw, a fellow UMSI alum! Recently, Toby Greenwalt, a colleague from mpow, started what I think is a great example of the latter.
Each Wednesday, he posts a message on our library’s Facebook wall challenging people to send questions and “stump the librarian.” We have over 700 followers on our Facebook page and I’m guessing a lot of these followers see our wall posts on their news feeds. An invitation like this one gives people an opportunity to find answers to their questions and it gives us an opportunity to flex our information/reference muscles. Plus, it has a “game” feel to it, which makes it even better!
Check out today’s “Stump the Librarian”…
