Using Social Media in Libraries: Best Practices

by Charles Harmon (Editor), Michael Messina (Editor)

Since there’s no point in Twittering if no one acts on your tweets and there’s no point in having a Facebook page with a million “likes” if library use doesn’t increase, you’ll welcome the eight best practices presented here because they will help your library both actually do social media in a way that matters and do it well.

The successful strategies presented here range from the Vancouver Public Library’s innovative use of Twitter to the United Nations Library’s adoption of a social media policy to the Farmington, Connecticut Public Library’s fantastic work using social media to reach teens who weren’t using the library. Other libraries highlight their ventures into media including blogs, Pinterest, and social catalogs.

Genres: Nonfiction, Adult, Library Science

114 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Ivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

As one of the "research experts" at our seminary library, I'm involved in using social media to get the word out to patrons about our services, events, and new books . Although I did pick up a few good ideas from this book, it was far from helpful.

[Christa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good reference tool for librarians getting involved with social media. This book gives current, real life examples of how various libraries, both public and academic dealt with social media effectively for their community.

[Amy Wainwright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book, even with a fairly decent preexisting knowledge of social media and libraries. Might buy to have on hand when needed.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting case studies, some more applicable than others, but all containing key social media techniques.