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make the most of your library

Use social media to cast a wide net and watch it grow!

make the mostof your libraryUse social media to cast a wide net and watch itgrow!

Your library has a webpage or blog, but is that enough?

Not anymore. In today's world, if you want to go further, you have the potential to, literally only a fingertip away. We are now living in an education 3.0 world. Libraries can actively participate in this through a variety of ways. Here's a short compilation of the more popular ways we can embrace this new shift in education and technology.

Twitter

Create an account and give your library serious presence. Click here to see some interesting stats about Twitter in 2012

Think of the impact this would have on your library. With this one simple website, you can share, collaborate and learn from students, educators, colleagues and friends. Here are some tips:


Follow people with similar interests. Do a search of names and follow. Not only that, but look at the followers of the ones you follow. There's a wealth of information on colleagues in just that step alone


Use hashtags. Put these at the beginning or end of your tweet. Ones to use for libraries would include:

#tlchat (teacher librarian chat)

#edchat (education chat)

#yabooks (young adult books)

#childrenslit children's literature)

#aasl (American Association of School Librarians)


Join a tweetchat! Tweetchats set up a specific time and day where people join in using the preferred hashtag. Update the hashtag regularly to join in the conversation. See if your district does tweetchats. If not, find one and be part of a community.

Curation Tools

People are clamoring to sites that share favorite sites in categories. This is the simple definition of curation. It's similar to databases in that information is curated and shared under different headings, folders, or sections. Some of the most popular curation tools include Scoop.it, Pinterest, Livebinders, Delicious, and Diigo. You are part of a community sharing ideas and collaborating simply by creating an account. Use search words to find what you're interested in or upload ideas and images related to your library and begin saving links, scooping, or pinning. Yes...it's addictive!

Facebook

One of the most popular of social media, Facebook allows sharing and collaborating. In a constructive environment, you can unleash the talent and feedback from everyone to teens in your bookclub to adults who share your passions. Create a page, spread the word and watch it begin to flourish. Your target audience can be anyone. Use it as a professional learning network or a narrow as within your own district.

created by Naomi Bates

Email: nbates@nisdtx.org
Website: naomibates.blogspot.com
Twitter: @yabooksandmore