When WebJunction turned its spotlight on “online community” last month, we aimed to bring it into focus for libraries and how it applies to their communities. Our live online panel discussion, which took place last week, was designed to make the “social software” tools for building online community real and relevant.

The great thing about a live event is just that –it’s live with all the attendant real-time glories and glitches. The guest panel members all did a fabulous job of spontaneous adaptation to various unanticipated circumstances, while successfully conveying specific information about implementing social software in libraries. I like that this blog gives me the opportunity to thank them publicly:

Regan Robinson (Stevens County Rural Library District, WA) talked about the value of online community in a rural, thinly-populated library district and the relatively simple tools that enable connections between staff and patrons, as well as meeting challenges to the very existence of the library system. Her wise words resonated with those in the audience who are still trying to convince peers and powers-that-be that this stuff matters.

Aaron Schmidt (Thomas Ford Memorial Library, IL) shared his insights into the value of blogs in the library, with the wonderful examples of contributions from the community to his library’s local history digital project.

Andrea Mercado (Reading Public Library, MA) communicated her enthusiasm for creating a photo-sharing feature for her library website using Flickr, demonstrating the effect on the site, the ease of use, and the lively participation in the project by her colleagues.

The personalities of the presenters and the questions from the audience brought this topic to life and augmented the articles collected for the focus. You can still relive the event on a computer near you with this downloadable archived recording.