Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

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Ah, social media. It's such a big thing today, especially in this era of the digital age. Some people may argue that social media is annoying and that too many people are addicted to it. Yes, this is somewhat true; however, because of such popularity, social media can actually be useful among students and educators. In fact, it can be super useful for school librarians! Social media is an excellent way to advocate, share resources, and promote what's in the collection. The following popular social media apps are some of the few that can help with all of this:

Facebook

 School librarians can create Facebook pages for their library. Members of Facebook and can look up the library and "like" the page in order to follow along with posts/updates. I went ahead and looked at three different leveled school libraries and took notes on what they included:

High School Library
-Virtual reading challenge flyer
-Shared audiobook options
-Announced reading challenge winners
-Donors choose projects for library
-Shared library monthly newsletter

Middle School Library
-Shared flyers for book drop off dates
-"What am I reading?" posts
-Shared author book talks and interviews
-Virtual book club pictures
-Shared public library resources
-Shared audiobook options

Elementary School Library
-Shared flyers for book drop off dates
-Shared local public library's summer events
-Advertised free books
-Promoting library challenges (i.e. Bookface)
-Shared book talks

These different things that I noticed for each school library accurately represent the advantages of having a Facebook page! If kept up with, Facebook allows followers to be in the loop of what's going on in the library. These advertisements for events or posted resources can actually be shared so other people that aren't following the page can see as well. As for the disadvantages of Facebook, there weren't a high amount comments on the posts. This affects the different virtual challenges that the library has going because there probably won't be as much participation as desired. Also, even though Facebook is a popular social media app, most students find it "old" and don't have it. Because of this, the page's followers may just consist of parents and fellow educators.

Twitter

Twitter is also very popular today, especially with educators and those in the library science community. Resources can be shared, advocacy can increase, and promotions can be displayed. A disadvantage is that you need to be 13 to have a Twitter, which means only older students will access Twitter content. From my experience, Twitter only consists of educators, so it may not be the best option to use for advertisement when it comes to reaching students. Instead, it can be used as a learning network among educators. With my Twitter, I went ahead and followed several educational technology leaders and took a look at what their profiles consisted of. Check out some of these examples:

Kathy Schrock: @kathyschrock 
What stood out to me in this Twitter profile was the wonderful use of bitmojis! Kathy Schrock posts multiple tweets about available technology devices and tools educators can use in the classroom. She also has her many credentials (i.e. Google Certified Innovator and Apple Teacher) in her bio and pinned her other websites followers can check out.





Linda Braun: @lbraun2000
This Twitter consists of many retweets from organizations/associations such as ALA, YALA, AMLE, and MindShift. These retweets are usually helpful articles for followers. Her bio says "learning consultant", so these retweets make sense.











Alan November: @globalearner
This Twitter consists of tweets and retweets webinars, podcasts, TED Talks, and videos regarding educational leadership roles, digital literacy, and technology.












The Daring Librarian: @GwynethJones
If you read my previous blog post, I have recently started following The Daring Librarian Blog. This Twitter mirrors the excellent content that's available on the blog! She does a great job of promoting and advocating for her school library by tweeting and retweeting about technology tools, read aloud, book talks, and useful technology resources.












Jim Lerman: @jimlerman
This Twitter consists of everything about technology in education! He does not retweet but instead tweets out a lot of beneficial resources, such as ones about G-Suite apps, virtual communication options, and other digital tools. He also promotes some webinars and podcasts he is a presenter of! In addition to this, every tweet is linked to his scoop.it website.






Instagram

 Instagram is probably the most popular app among students. Users are able to upload pictures, videos, and stories for followers. With these features, educators can actually use Instagram to promote different content. It's like a mini blog when you think about it, except it's more visual and with many more hashtags! School librarians can actually advocate for their library and promote upcoming events, recent events, book reviews, and recognitions. For example, I've recently made an Instagram to document my library journey. I plan on showing off events and sharing what I'm currently reading to encourage my followers to do the same. In my stories, I would like to do mini book talks and save them to my "highlights". Instagram also has a sharing feature, which means followers can add my posts to their stories or send them individually to people to help get the word out. The only thing I'm concerned about is making sure it is continuously updated. If it's not updated regularly, then it just becomes a regular page and doesn't serve its initial purposes.

Check out some things I've already put on my Instagram! More content coming soon! :)

Instagram: @thenewlibrarian_

New Post Here
My First Story!




Comments

  1. Karen AnthonyJune 18, 2020 at 10:45 AM

    Thank you for your post. I enjoyed reading the tweets that included in your post. In my search of Facebook I found it to be a great place to advertise and promote library events with older adults , but like you, I am not sure that this platform will be the best for reaching a younger audience. In order reach everyone, I think librarians need to use all of the social media platforms.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Leslie PerezJuly 15, 2020 at 11:42 AM

    I believe social media plays a big role in advocating for the school library program. It is important to have different social media platforms in order to reach out to parents, students, and staff. Just like you stated, not everyone has a Facebook, therefore other options should be available for the school patrons. Social media is a way to keep individuals informed of what is happening in the school library.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Amparo's Book ReviewsJuly 17, 2020 at 10:43 AM

    Hi Ione, I dislike having social media as a personal account but I love having social media for school purposes. As an educator/librarian it is crucial to be up to date with the latest trends, including social media. Most of our students communicate with each other via social media and obtain information/news from social media as well. I teach at the high school level so Twitter is huge, therefore I had to create a teacher Twitter account a few years back to communicate with my students. The great thing that our school is actually very Twitter friendly overall and everyone uses it for school communication.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ashley SaenzJuly 23, 2020 at 8:52 PM

    Lone, thank you for sharing the different ways librarians can use social media. It was nice to see the ideas organized by campus grade level. I took interest in the Elementary ideas. You mentioned library challenges such as book face. I don't know what this is, so I jotted it down so that I could look into it later!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Concepcion GonzalezJuly 24, 2020 at 3:05 PM

    Ione, I really like your introduction. It is true that although some claim that it can be an addiction, it is also an opportunity for us to promote the library and resources. I like how you nicely placed what you found on the three levels of schools and your description of the schools you followed is exactly the opportunity you speak of. Although, I have an Instagram, I had failed the see how popular it is among our youth. I use Facebook and Twitter often, but now I will include Instagram to that list. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Christina CrabtreeJuly 29, 2020 at 11:58 AM

    I really loved your ideas on how to use Facebook in each of the different levels of schooling from elementary, middle, and highschool. It is amazing to see what social media can do and how much easier it can actually make our lives in the long run. I know it is all about maintaining it throughout the year however I feel as though the benefits outweigh the time it takes to keep up with them.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Bearded LibrarianJuly 29, 2020 at 5:22 PM

    I agree that Instagram is the best option if looking for a way to reach more students using social media. While some may have a Twitter (and even less a Facebook) they rarely use these platforms and tend to prefer the image or video heavy platforms like Snapchat, Tik Tok, and Instagram. I like how professional your own Instagram looks. I've been hesitant to create a school account for years simply because I do not care for the platform itself, but seeing yours has made me rethink that stance.

    ReplyDelete

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