My brand monitoring research flattered the Arlington Heights Memorial Library (AHML). Regarding blogs, the comments concerning AHML were positive. To illustrate, Morgan Mandel’s “Double M’s Take on Books, Blogs, Dogs, Networking, & Life”  blog commented on AHML’s film program “In The Libary, No One Can Hear You Scream” as a great way to spend a Thursday night. I found a blog in German that when translated found the video AHML made about new possiblities with catalogs and Library Thing as useful and informative. The “Minds Wide Open” blog was ga ga over AHML’s unique graphic mission statement shaped as three overlapping leaves with “personal  service” in the intersecting middle and “information,” “reader,” and “community” on the outside of the leaves. The blog felt that the organic feel of the graphic mission statement supported the idea of AHML as the lifeblood of its community. Moreover another blog, “My Library Ideas,” was excited (me too) about AHML’s ability to put a hard number on the library’s worth for the fiscal year 2008 to its community. The figure was $59,551,714 and you could link to see how they arrived at this number. One blog was also impressed with a YouTube video AHML made about the work cycle of the technical services department made in terms of an episode of ER.

Some of the blog posts that mentioned AHML were promotional in nature. For instance, Waltzing Australia author Cynthia Clampitt in her blog promoted her visit to AHML. She hoped to sell some books.

In looking at the tweets on Twitter, they were used primarily to orientate the reader as to where the tweeter was, is, or would be, in relation to the Arlington Heights Memorial Library.

The MySpace page for AHML, a 36 year-old single male, was quite accomplished. Geared to a younger audience, the profile was complete and current. The admiring Friends Comments about AHML were mostly from other libraries, and appreciative authors and muscians. They were grateful over being added to the library’s collection or MySpace page and its hospitality.  AHML had a simpler presence on Facebook with fewer Friends and no comments. Finally, AHML did  have an official Flickr page with 10 sets of photo streams, but with few if any illuminating user comments. Additionally, “miriella” and “anthonylibrarian” posted three pages of pictures that honored the library.

Overall, the brand monitoring experience was noteworthy in two respects. I became much more aware of how libraries can research themselves through all the library 2.0 technologies and social networking communities. What an invaluable insight that can be for a librarian. By eavesdropping on all the different venues creating an online presence, you can certainly get a sense of how patrons view your library.

Lastly, brand monitoring reiterated just how commercialized all the Library 2.0 technologies and social networks have become. Blogs and Twitter are used by authors and musicians to promote their books and music. The AHML MySpace Friends lists were dominated by authors and musicians populated throughout the library’s collection. Advertisers are ubiquitous throughout most everything Library 2.0. Nevertheless, it becomes imperative that libraries use 2.0 tools just to keep up with the accelerating pace of people’s desire to network online and through technology – plus, the 2.0 tools are fun!