It’s hard to imagine the world before social media, a world where we didn’t know what Susie was making for dinner or where Tommy was going for his birthday party over the weekend. It seems like social media becomes a part of our daily routine more and more as time goes by. Rather than run from it, we should learn how to utilize social media as a tool for the benefit of our libraries instead. I did some research on the three main social media contenders and how librarians are using them in their libraries.
Libraries tend to set up a page for their libraries on Facebook. Pages are discoverable by the public and can be followed by liking the page, so the content is visible to anyone and everyone. Library pages may not be as student-centered due to student privacy issues. Some libraries instead create private groups for their school libraries instead of public pages. The benefit of this is that posts are private, so it’s more likely features containing students will be included. Library groups are typically used for the same purposes as library pages, but do tend to be more student-centered since privacy isn’t as much of a concern. Once the library makes a post on their page or in their group, their followers/group members will see the content in their Facebook feed. Thus, it is great for marketing to promote library programming.
In my research, both library pages and groups hosted a variety of content and with various levels of frequency. Some had daily posts while others had weekly or semi-weekly posts. Most featured content on new books, library events, book trailers, unboxing videos, contests, club information, Makerspace projects, and more. Some library pages were student-centered while others focused more on books. Followers of library pages are allowed to like and comment on posts, but all interactions are publicly visible. Likewise, members of library groups are able to do the same, but only other groups members can view these interactions. Both are great for encouraging interaction. The overall goal of library pages and groups seemed to be to promote library programming, encourage literacy, and interactions with students, parents, and community members.
Examples of Facebook Usage:
Facebook Pros:
~It’s great for marketing
~It’s free, so it will not take away from your library budget.
~You have the option to choose between a private group or a public page.
~It makes it easy to set up events and send invitations to followers/group members.
Facebook Cons:
~It’s not as relevant as it used to be.
~Students don’t tend to use this social media platform as often as others.
~Facebook’s algorithms may mean followers of your page or group members won’t always see your posts.
Twitter is vastly different as a social media tool for libraries. Twitter accounts can be set up as private or public. Posts, known as “tweets”, allow the user to communicate in real time. Twitter limits tweets to 280 characters and up to four pictures, so it’s not a platform to be used to share lengthy posts but rather short quips and bits of information. A Twitter timeline updates regularly in chronological order, so your followers will see the newest information from accounts they follow as the tweets come in. One unique aspect of Twitter is the use of hashtags. People use hashtags, so their tweet will come up in relation to those words together when someone searches for a topic. For example, you could use the hashtag #edtech when you want your tweet to be categorized as something in the ed tech arena. Is someone searched “#edtech”, then your tweet with that hashtag would come up as a search result. Hashtags allow users to find topics easily. Another unique aspect of Twitter is being able to retweet an account. Thus, as a librarian, I could retweet content from accounts I follow, such as book publishers, popular authors, professional library organizations, and more. Libraries use Twitter for a variety of reasons. I noticed some use it to send quick information about events, daily updates from the library (such as student projects), retweets of school information, retweets from authors or publishers, retweets on literacy, and more. Twitter is great for attaching articles and sites you want others to use as well.
As a librarian, Twitter is great for professional growth as well. Many leaders in ed tech have Twitter accounts where they regularly post relevant information as well. Since a librarian’s job role typically includes “media specialist” duties, it’s wise to follow these accounts and stay informed on trends and updates in the ed tech world. I did a little digging into some of the big names in the ed tech and library arena to see what types of tweets they send. I found that each individual had their own specialty or niche when it came to their craft. Each utilized their accounts for better engagement, promotion of ed tech, promotion of literacy, and more.
Kathy Schrock, @kathschrock, offers relevant advice and information on technology that can be incorporated in the library, in the classroom, and for personal use. Her tweets have valuable information to help librarians incorporate new tools into the library. The Daring Librarian, @GwynethJones, shares practical program ideas, uses for technology, and student driven tweets to name a few. She promotes literacy and the library and demonstrates how Twitter can be used as a promotional platform for librarians. All accounts I viewed not only tweeted viable information from their personal experience but also retweeted relevant information from other accounts in this arena. Overall, Twitter is a fantastic tool to use for timely communication, promoting library science, and gathering information
Examples of Ed Tech Tweets:
Twitter Pros:
~It makes it easy to send quick updates to followers.
~Tweets are typically short and sweet.
~It makes it easy to retweet relevant posts to the library, such as book trailers from publishers.
~It makes it easy to interact and stay up-to-date with authors and publishers.
~The use of hashtags make it easy to locate topics easily.
Twitter Cons:
~Twitter limits characters in a Tweet, so it may be difficult to stay within that limit.
~Twitter is not as widely used with students or parents, so it limits your audience.
~The content you can include is somewhat limited.
Instagram is a platform that operates on the idea of sharing pictures/text instantly, thus the name. This app is a social media tool that has grown in popularity and usage exponentially in the last few years. Everyone from young adults to professionals seem to have an account. It is by far the most popular social media platform among students. This tool is now being used to promote the great things happening in schools and classrooms. Classroom teachers can use it to feature student work or have students use it for class projects (i.e. post on Instagram as if you were King Henry VII). When you can't afford "publicists", this is an easy way to let parents, staff, and community members know what is going on in the library. It connects students to the classroom and library in a unique way. Libraries use it to post pictures from daily happenings in the library, book trailers, pictures of new books coming in, and more. It’s similar to Facebook in some ways but focuses almost solely on pictures. Thus, it limits the type of information you can share. In spite of this, it is perhaps the best chance a librarian would have to get students to engage with the library on social media. Personally, I use it the most as a tool to recommend books to students and build hype around new titles. I also have students post to the library Instagram under my supervision to share their own reading recommendations with their peers. Like Twitter, Instagram heavily incorporates hashtags in posts so people can easily find topics they’re searching for.
Click here to view my library Instagram page.
Instagram Pros:
~It’s the better bet for student engagement with the library on social media.
~Posts are short and sweet.
~Provides lots of visual interest.
~The use of hashtags make it easy to locate topics easily.
Instagram Cons:
~It’s mostly pictures
~It can be difficult to continue a conversation/interaction with students/followers because of the platform’s set up.
