Social Media is now an established way of doing business and let’s face it we are in the business of enrolling clients in using our library services. Having an internet presence is no longer an “if” prospect. It is a must do.
After creating a Facebook page for my school library, I was plagued by doubts and emboldened by the possible outreach this page could create.
https://www.facebook.com/NewportElementarySchoolLibrary/
Therein lies the rub. I questioned how do I use this medium to its best advantage, protect the privacy of my students, and follow policy set down by my district. I also don’t want to create a monster. My schedule is so packed with student activities, curriculum, and collection management. I questioned whether I want to add more administration to my plate. Also, will increased scrutiny mean a loss in power in the projects and programs I want to pursue. I immediately ran into problems creating a page. I ended up deactivating my first attempt and added a page to my current account.
I began purusing other library sites and almost sank into the surfing worm hole that accompanies any internet search on a subject you like/love. I ran into sites that were dear to me as I raised my children in these libraries:
https://www.facebook.com/sewickleypl/
https://www.facebook.com/Moon-Township-Public-Library-139027627585/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/George-Memorial-Library/114864401865456?fref=ts
I loved how these sites gave me access to what their libraries were working on and the vision they are working toward. I got some great ideas from many sites about some great programs and what features they have in their Makerspaces. I loved being able to see what everyone is doing internationally. I am cautious about the fact that when you open a page on the internet, you also open a door to your facility. In this time of all access security is a fact of life and it must be handled responsibly. Many of the pages I looked through had few comments and some of the posts were not current. I wondered if the upkeep of these pages and their promotion fell by the wayside with the all the demands on the page managers duties. I believe there will be great advantages to using the facebook page I created because many of my co-workers and friends care about libraries and reading. This is also a great way to shine a window on sponsored activities and their donors. They can see the implementation of the programs they helped initiate and continue to support. Having direct contact to them is a great boon when organizing and showcasing events. It should be a great time saver.
I love Twitter for it’s brevity. I also like being able to scroll through my feed and get a glimpse of something I might find relevant to me and the library. Finally, I enjoy where the Tweets can take me. While following :
The Daring Librarian : https://twitter.com/GwynethJones ,
The Way of the Lego feat. FREE Printable #Makerspace Posters! http://goo.gl/bweiQh #Makered https://flic.kr/p/D5fiko
I found some great information on Lego’s in the Makerspace. I had just attended a district library meeting where we were stumped about what to buy and how to use them in our Makerspaces. Gwneth provided a great blog showcasing the evolution of Legos in her library. This was a great time savr for me. I enjoyed following Dr. Rosemary Chance because we share some tastes in literature while others are so different than mine.
https://twitter.com/texaspageturner .
Listening to Tammy Pierce talk about her remarkably inventive novels. She’s a champion of girls’ abilities! #SLJST
I went down several wormholes and made a list of books that I will request from my local public library.
Following John Schu through: https://twitter.com/MrSchuReads is a joy because he features books that target my grade levels. I enjoyed his featured authors as well as the information he passes along in his retweets. His blog post at http://mrschureads.blogspot.com/2016/01/caldecott-medalist-kevin-henkes.html featured one of my favorite authors, Kevin Henkes. I love finding out about books I might have missed for the library’s collection. These blog posts help me access new sources with reviews.
I’m reading…
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