Facebook
I recently searched Facebook to see how school libraries are being promoted. Some of the things I saw that were being posted were images of books, news about the library, reading events at the school or in the community, book fairs, pictures and videos of the library and events, and the services the library has to offer. I did notice that many of the post were not current or there were very few posts being made. Makes me wonder if these libraries are using other social networks to promote their services. There are many advantages to using Facebook has your social network platform by being able to connect with patrons of all ages, provide discussions, image tagging and commenting, patrons can leave feedback or offer suggestions through the 'reviews' tab, and find information. Of course there are disadvantages that come with Facebook like the appeal to younger demographics, library filters can block users, patrons will be resistant in 'friending' the library, and not everyone is connected to this social network.
Twitter
After exploring some ed tech leaders on twitter, I found some things that I thought were important for librarians on how to promote literacy and our library programs. School librarians play a key role in creating readers and to do so, we must show us as readers by promoting what we are reading in our personal lives, at school, or for further learning. I also find it valuable that we interact with the patrons coming in or even during their lunch by asking them about their books they read, interest, dislikes, and even to get their feedback or suggestions on books, environment, how to improve the library program, etc.
Using social media is a great way to promote resources like eBooks or digital discussion tools to reach a variety of audiences in your network. I think it is important to keep in mind our audience and making the access to the resources user friendly. On Jim Lerman's tweet about digital discussion tools, I had a hard time figuring out how to access the article. First, you had to click on the link at the end of the tweet which brought you to his scoop.it page. From there, you had to click on the image to access the article. Too many clicks can lead to frustration, getting lost, and lead the users down a rabbit hole of other things. If it is challenging for adults to navigate, imagine how a kid would feel.
I enjoyed navigating through Kathy Schrock's tweets due to the many tweets promoting technology and how it can empower students. I think it is important for educators and librarians to be up to date with the latest technology that can engage, empower, and increase student learning. I look forward to going back and exploring the podcasts tweets because this is something I want to incorporate in the library next year.
Twitter has become a popular social network and offers many benefits which it comes to reaching your audience. Twitter is fairly easy to use and using hashtags becomes key in communicating directly, address concerns, or draw attention to specific subject matter. With twitter, you must be concise and impactful with your message with its 140 character limit which can be an advantage or disadvantage. Twitter is also great to connect with your younger audiences.
Instagram offers many teacher accounts and educational accounts that provide ideas from bulletin boards to curriculum ideas. This social network platform is a great way to show case student work and capture memories from day to day. One way teachers and librarians can work together is allowing students to use literary characters and create the character's Instagram feed. Teachers can post homework and project reminders as well as tutorials. Teachers and students can use the comments section to encourage discussion or ask for help if needed.
Just like any other social network, Instagram has its advantages and disadvantages. Some pros of using Instagram to promote your library is it being very visual with a more appealing interface, an effective marketing strategy to showcase the program as well as create a fan base, add highlights that stay underneath your profile, and the ability change privacy settings. Some of the cons are being bombarded with sponsored posts, the web version lacks many features that the mobile app has to offer, and of course just like any other social media platform, it can become addictive.
Check out what is happening at the Oak Park Elementary @onenerdylibrarian
Resources
Hudson, H. (2016, August 7). 10 Surprising Ways to Use Instagram in the Classroom -
We Are Teachers. WeAreTeachers. Retrieved February 4, 2022, from https://www.weareteachers.com/10-surprising-ways-to-use-instagram-in-the-classroom-2/
Thapliyal, A. (2021, July 2). Pros And Cons Of Instagram To Know In 2022.
TechUntold. Retrieved February 4, 2022, from https://www.techuntold.com/instagram-pros-cons/
