Libraries & Social Networking: Like, Follow, Subscribe
The New York Public Library has an Instagram.
Boston Public Library? Twenty-five thousand followers on Twitter.
Did you know the Library of Congress has a YouTube channel with over thirty curated playlists containing hundreds of videos ranging from concerts and early films to book festivals and history projects?
And, if you’re someone who uses Facebook, you can engage with the Los Angeles Public Library’s very own Facebook page.
The reality is many of us are on some sort of social media platform, and our libraries are no different. Whether they are the well-known gatekeepers or local facilities, the siren call to social network could not and should not be ignored.
By engaging in more than one way, libraries ensure they meet the needs of their patrons as well as those of their communities—near and far.
Take the New York Public Library’s librarian bloggers for example. As author Terra Dankowski discusses in the article “How Libraries Are Using Social Media” for American Libraries Magazine’s website, the team of bloggers are given “as much latitude as they want to write about what interests them,” which then translates to “librarians acting as internal advocates and most of the [website’s] traffic coming from Google searches” (Dankowski, 2013). The idea that someone somewhere is looking for information about new release or suggested titles and can connect with library staff almost instantly not only supports the need for libraries, but strengthens the ties that connect them to communities.
April 19, 2018, from https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2013/07/16/how-libraries-
are-using-social-media/
Boston Public Library? Twenty-five thousand followers on Twitter.
Did you know the Library of Congress has a YouTube channel with over thirty curated playlists containing hundreds of videos ranging from concerts and early films to book festivals and history projects?
And, if you’re someone who uses Facebook, you can engage with the Los Angeles Public Library’s very own Facebook page.
The reality is many of us are on some sort of social media platform, and our libraries are no different. Whether they are the well-known gatekeepers or local facilities, the siren call to social network could not and should not be ignored.
By engaging in more than one way, libraries ensure they meet the needs of their patrons as well as those of their communities—near and far.
Take the New York Public Library’s librarian bloggers for example. As author Terra Dankowski discusses in the article “How Libraries Are Using Social Media” for American Libraries Magazine’s website, the team of bloggers are given “as much latitude as they want to write about what interests them,” which then translates to “librarians acting as internal advocates and most of the [website’s] traffic coming from Google searches” (Dankowski, 2013). The idea that someone somewhere is looking for information about new release or suggested titles and can connect with library staff almost instantly not only supports the need for libraries, but strengthens the ties that connect them to communities.
The digital age we find ourselves in also means social media and network engagement provides access to resources some patrons may not have otherwise. From book readings to book festivals, the use of social media and networking allows for potential and current patrons to “attend” events they may not be able to see in person, furthering ensuring libraries remain a vital third place--social spaces that are accessible, free or require minimal fees, neutral, and welcoming--for individuals regardless of age, location, or socioeconomic standing.
And, if nothing else, maintaining libraries as community resources and third places makes the investment of time and engagement worth working for every like, follow, and subscribe.
-- Nicole
Dankowski, T. (2013, July 16). How libraries are using social media. [Web article]. RetrievedAnd, if nothing else, maintaining libraries as community resources and third places makes the investment of time and engagement worth working for every like, follow, and subscribe.
-- Nicole
Works Cited
April 19, 2018, from https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2013/07/16/how-libraries-
are-using-social-media/
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