Seattle Public Library has exceeded the adage espoused by Andy Burkhardt’s Information Tyrannosaur Blog: Links are good. Use them generously. The Facebook site contains not just links but embedded content of many of the library’s other services.
When a user glances at the navigation list on the left-hand side of the site, he/she encounters links to online social services like Twitter, an RSS Feed and the library’s blog.
Clicking on the links does not open a separate window. Rather, the content appears within the Facebook page. The services are meshed together and communicate with each other enabling “one-stop shopping” for the user.
If the patron prefers immediate assistance from a librarian, links are provided to IM and chat services as well as a handy e-mail form. For all of these, new windows redirect the user to the appropriate page of the library’s website. It maybe that the technology does not allow it yet but I think it would be great if these services could added to the Facebook set-up.
