Social Media and the Library

Social media is an important component of our information sharing culture. Librarians can harness the power of social media for the benefit of the library and the community it serves. In most cases, it's FREE to use.  Social media allows us to share information in an easy and efficient way.  The community members choose to follow you to stay current.  Give them what they want, information about the library.

How can a school library use social media?  Fellow Texas Librarian and 2017 School Library Journal’s Librarian of the Year, Tamiko Brown, shares ways librarians can use social media to promote the library.  She provides the following examples in her article 5 Reasons School Librarians Should Use Social Media: 

• Promote events 
• Share latest news
• Share new books 
• Share library displays
• Announce author visits 
• Promote maker space activities 
• Share collaborative efforts 
• Promote clubs 
• Promote reading incentives 
• Display students’ work 
• Promote book fairs or other fundraisers 
• Network with other libraries 
• Get feedback from the community 
• Post reminders 
• Seek volunteers 
• Library advocacy

When used properly, social media provides an outlet to advocate for the school library. When the school district budget gets tight, librarians may be asked to justify their value or that of the school library program.  Social media provides an outlet to share the educational impact the school library program has on student learning.  I think of it as a virtual scrap book of educational impact.  If you are ever asked: 

What do school librarians do?

Are school libraries necessary?

How does the school library contribute to student learning? 

Refer them to the school library’s virtual scrap book of educational impact, your social media.

Here are a few real examples of how libraries use Facebook to reach their community.

This elementary librarian posted a request for volunteers for an up coming “Maker Extravaganza” event.  Check it out, read the post. 

Did you notice what happened there?   

The librarian's post brought awareness to an event happening in the library.  The parent read the post and wanted to know more.  Although the post was intended to get volunteers, it also brought awareness to an event the library was hosting. 

Pro tip: Establish a closed Facebook group to control who views your posts.  When you set-up the group require administrator approval for group members.  This safeguard allows the librarian to control who is allowed to view posts. 

This middle school librarian shared this post about an author visit.

This is a great example of sharing a library event that provided educational value to the students.  Author visits take time, effort, and planning.  If the librarian did not arrange author visits, who would?  Librarians are dedicated hard working individuals.  Share this effort with your community.  Don’t keep it a secret, post it on social media.  

Facebook pros:

• It’s free 
• Instantly connect with your community 
• You control the content 
• You control who can follow your page 
• Spreads awareness of the school library program 
• Messenger allows you to direct message or video chat with your friends 
• Create and invite friends to library events

Facebook cons: 

•  It can be time consuming 
• You may become easily distracted
• Facebook only works if people are following.  Make sure your library community knows of your Facebook presence. 
• Be aware of scammers
• Student privacy is a concern. Think before posting. 
• Facebook is most popular among adults.  In order to reach the younger generations, the use of multiple social media platforms is necessary. 

What about Twitter?

Like Facebook, Twitter can be used to share information about your library with the community.  Twitter has also proved valuable in the area of professional development and networking.  According to Education World’s Associate Editor, Sarah Caron, “It’s like having a professional development seminar at your fingertips 24/7, ready to discuss the educational issue that matter to you most.” Click here to view the entire article. 

To get started on Twitter follow the colleagues you know, follow the leaders in education, search hashtags of interest to you, or start a conversation by asking a question.  You may be surprised by the information you will discover.   

Here are some tidbits I found during my Twitter exploration.

Kathy Schrock @kathyschrock tweets, January 2019: Using Listening to Develop H.O.T.S., an article she wrote for Discovery Education that explains how listening skill practice helps student develop higher order critical thinking skills.  Schrock explains that students who practice listening skills are better communicators and questioners, which is necessary for higher order critical thinking.  Teachers can guide improved listening skills through modeling appropriate listening skills, explicitly teaching listening skills, classroom activities, and incorporating teaching strategies that promote good listening behavior.  Schrock provides a variety listening activities for different age groups.

Click here to view tweet by @kathyschrock.  

Linda W. Braun @lbraun2000 retweeted an article posted by @TheCLAlliance titled Forget Screen Time Rules – Lean Into Parenting Your Connected Child, Author Says.  The article narrates an interview of Temple University professor, Jordan Shapiro by Anya Kamenetz.   Interestingly enough, Shapiro advocates for starting your child using social media at an earlier age as opposed to waiting until they are older.  The idea is that parents should be using the technology with their child, guiding them with ethical and responsible use, help them identify the dangers, and avoid the pitfalls that can come with technology.  Shapiro’s approach is to use the technology with your child and model proper use, which will scaffold children to successfully navigate technology on their own. 

 

Click here to view retweet by @lbraun2000. 

Jim Lerman @jimlerman tweeted an article that sheds light on virtual reality in the world of education.  The article explains what is virtual reality, why it’s important, and virtual reality applications for use in the classroom. 

Click here to view tweet by @jimlerman

 

Gwenyth Jones @GwynethJones tweets simple makerspace ideas.  Not only are the suggestions simple to start, but also very affordable.  These are great ideas for makerspace on a budget.  Students will enjoy having these options.

Click here to view tweet by @GwynethJones. 

Twitter pros:

• It's free
• Instantly connect with your community
• You control the content
• Great for professional development & networking
• Great for sharing and advocating for the library
• You can retweet others post, so your content does not always need to be original

Twitter cons:

• It can be time consuming
• You may become easily distracted
• Reading is not the same as doing.  To improve you must put what you learn into action
• Be aware of scammers

And Instagram…

Instagram functions much like Facebook.  You can post photos, videos, text, and hashtags.  I mentioned earlier the need to post on multiple social media platforms to reach all ages.  Enter Instagram, which your students are more likely to use than Facebook.  Lucas Maxwell gave a great tip in his article, Instagramming Tips for Librarians.  Maxwell suggests creating a hashtag for your library to attach to each Instagram photo.  For example #YourLibraryNameHereReads.  Your students can easily follow all posts related to that hashtag and post their own. 

Use Instagram in the library to post:

• New books added to the collection 
• Your current read 
• Student book recommendations 
• Students’ makerspace creations 
• Students’ hard at work in the library
• Photos from library events 
• Photos of students helping others 
• Photos of library volunteers with a short thank you message 
• Announcements about upcoming events, changes, or anything new and noteworthy

Instagram pros:

• It’s free 
• Instantly connect with your community 
• You control the content  
• Great for posting pictures with little or no text 
• Able to utilize your school hashtag 
• Great for casual sharing of photos of general library happenings

Instagram cons:

• Amount of text is limited 
• Many features that can be overwhelming and will take time to learn
• May become distracted and spend too much time on the app

Check out my Instagram feed here.

In my opinion, two of the most important benefits of social media for the school library program are: 

1. Professional development and networking opportunities

2. An outlet to share information and advocate for the library

Many people shy away from social media because it can be intimidating.  Social media can be beneficial, but only if you utilize it.  Here are 10 Tips to Master Social Media at Your Library, provide by EBSCO.   

Until next time,
Borrow Read Repeat

Resources: 

Crown, T. (2017, November 14). 5 reasons school librarians should use social media. Retrieved from Scholastic website http://edublog.scholastic.com/post/5-reasons-school-librarians-should-use-social-media#  

Caron, S. (2017, February 3). Using Twitter for professional development. Retrieved from Education World website https://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/using-twitter-for-professional-development.shtml  

Cawley, C. (2018, June 7). 4 reasons Facebook has lost young people forever. Retrieved from Tech.Co website https://tech.co/news/facebook-lost-young-people-forever-2018-06  

EBSCO. (2017, December 18). Ten tips to master social media at your library. Retrieved from EBSCO website. https://www.ebsco.com/blog/article/ten-tips-to-master-social-media-at-your-library  

Groenewald, R. (2019, January 14). Top 18 virtual reality apps that are changing how kids learn. Retrieved from Fractus Learning website https://www.fractuslearning.com/virtual-reality-apps-learning/.  

Hudson, H. (2016, August 7). 10 surprising ways to use Instagram in the classroom. Retrieved from We Are Teachers website https://www.weareteachers.com/10-surprising-ways-to-use-instagram-in-the-classroom-2/

 

Kamenetz, A. (2019, January 15). Forget screen time rules – Lean  in to parenting your wired child, author says. Retrieved from NPR website https://www.npr.org/2019/01/15/679304393/forget-screen-time-rules-lean-in-to-parenting-your-wired-child  

Maxwell, L. (2018, August 28). Instagramming tips for librarians. Retrieved from Book Riot website https://bookriot.com/2018/08/28/instagram-tips-for-librarians/

 

Schrock, K. (2019, January 1). January 2019: Using listening to develop H.O.T.S.  Retrieved from Discovery Education website http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/blog/2019/01/01/listening/

 

Singer, T.W. (2015, July 22). The pros and cons of Twitter for professional learning. Retrieved from SAGE Connection website https://connection.sagepub.com/blog/sage-connection/2015/07/22/the-pros-and-cons-of-twitter-for-professional-learning/

Sp, V. (2018, December 1). 15 major advantages & disadvantages of Facebook. Retrieved from Pro Blog Booster https://www.problogbooster.com/2011/09/advantages-disadvantages-of-facebook-drawbacks-benefits-of-social-media.html