Week 4: Social Media Policies and Instagram

 I could see the necessity of having a social media policy if you worked in an environment where multiple staff posted on behalf of the library on social media accounts.  I also think it would be a good idea for schools to have a social media policy discussing what type of posts employees should refrain from making on their personal accounts.  I have heard of teachers losing their positions because of inappropriate posts on their personal Facebook pages.  Right now, I am the only person who posts to social media sites on behalf of the library.  At some point, if we have multiple staff posting, we would probably need to develop a social media policy.

Now, on to the homework -- posting the URLs of two libraries who using Instagram for marketing and giving examples of how they specifically use it.

Since I am an alumni of the University of Tennessee, here's the URL of their Instagram account for the Hodges Library.  http://instagram.com/utklibraries.  Some of the photos promoted artwork of students displayed within the library.  Recent photos contained photos of students de-stressing by petting therapy dogs during finals time.  So, this library is using Instagram to promote its exhibits and programs.  However, I can't help but wonder how many people are actually reached with Instagram.  Is it really effective at marketing?  Most of the photos I looked at on their account had less than 5 folks liking it.  Five folks at a school with over 27,000 students does not seem like a lot to me. 

I decided to look at the Instagram account of the public library of our largest U. S. city, New York.  Here's the URL:  http://instagram.com/nypl.  One of the things they are currently using their account to market is the opening of their new branch, Mariners Harbor.  Many of their photos have over 300 likes, though I didn't see any with 400.  But, when you think about it -- even 400 likes in a city of 8.3 million is a very low percentage (less than .005%).  So, once again, I'm not sure it's all that effective as a marketing strategy. 

Week 3 -- YouTube

Here's a video that teaches one how to use Learning Express Library:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MnGAp6Wuw4

So, I've checked out a few videos posted by others.  Some cute and informative; others just informative.  It would be nice to have a video that showed our patrons exactly how to set up accounts on Destiny and use Destiny Quest at our library.  But, I don't understand how to make one of these videos.  Does anyone know how you make a video that shows you guiding someone through the pages on the computer screen?  It's not like they are just holding a camera.  There must be some way to ask your computer to record the processes you are going through.

Week 2 Assignment

Week 2 Assignment:  Find 2 library pinterest boards and tell us why you would use them at your library? Start a new post on your blog to complete this assignment.
1. Post URL's of the 2 boards.
2. Read and comment on one of your classmate's posts on this question

One of the library Pinterest boards that I liked can be found at the following URL: 
http://www.pinterest.com/momason54/library-ideas/.  This particular board will come in handy for me because it has many pins that show picture books that fit various themes, such as "19 Books about Bugs" or "19 Monster Books for Kids."  Sometimes, I just have trouble coming up with a theme for story-time, so I can use this Board to give me some ideas and book recommendations.  I already follow several boards that help me to come up with craft ideas once I have a theme in mind. 

I recently began looking on the internet for book reviews of some of our new arrivals and pinning them to a "Book Review" board on Pinterest.  I thought I would look to see what other book review boards were out there and save myself a little time by just pinning the pins of others.  Surprisingly,  none of the book review boards I have found contained a lot of the books/authors popular at our library.  Some were too heavy to romance, others to paranormal.  I'd like to find one that covers the authors popular here like David Baldacci, James Patterson, Harlan Coben, John Sandford, Craig Johnson, C. J. Box, etc...  I guess I'll just have to snag a review here or there from the different boards.  I didn't like any of the book review boards enough to post as my second URL.  So, I searched some more.

I like the board found at the following URL:  http://www.pinterest.com/tiffums4/the-library/.  It has pins like "32 Popular Book Club Novels," "What Should I Read Next," and "Books Every Geek Should Read to Their Kids."  So, I think I will follow this board.  It could come in handy for helping with readers' advisory requests and planning book discussions. 

I'd like to take more time to research, but I'll let my classmates do it for me and wait to see what sites they found to be interesting. 

Week 1 -- Facebook Assignment 1

What are four kinds of things libraries are doing with Facebook?

1. Posting upcoming events.  Anne does a great job of posting about upcoming programs for the kids on the Facebook Page for Lead Library -- Phoebe Apperson Hearst Library.

2.  Posting new arrivals to your library's collection.  I do this on the Custer County Library Facebook page, but all I do is post book covers.  Bert Upton at the Hermosa Library posts not only the covers of her new books, but sometimes gives a little summary or personal thoughts to increase interest in some of her new books.  It's kind of used as a reader's advisory tool.

3.  Inviting public participation.  For example, the Yankton Community Library has a picture book contest going on right now which invites folks to vote on their favorite between two picture books.  The winners face off later, until a final winner is crowned.

4.  Posting photos and info. about events/programs you have hosted.  Posting pictures of folks having fun at Story-time or Book Discussions might entice other folks to come to your next event.  I think Platte Public Library's Facebook page makes good use of this venue.

5.  Posting book reviews by video or book trailers.  The only book trailer I have ever posted is the one I made for Cinder, but I would like to have more posted.  I would like to incorporate it into a teen program for Summer Reading next year.  I would teach the interested teens how to make book trailers.  Each time they make a book trailer, they could send it to me to post on the library's Facebook page, thus increasing interest in the book.  Each time they create a trailer, their name will be entered in a drawing for a Kindle Fire XD (or something).  A few teens may not enjoy it, but I think others will like the opportunity to create book trailers for their friends to enjoy.  And I will like the fact that they are helping increase interest in the library's Facebook page and in the books they have read.

I'll do assignment 2 of the homework later when I check back in and see what my classmates have posted.  UPDATE:  Assignment 2 complete.  I visited the blogs of several of my classmates to see what they had learned about the uses of Facebook, then commented on a few of the blog posts.  By reading their posts, I learned of some uses of Facebook that had never crossed my mind such as posting local job openings, having patrons request new materials via Facebook, etc...

"Meet Me" Post for Institute -- Doris Ann Mertz

I guess I have almost forgotten how to blog since I haven't done this since the Electronic Resources Challenge ended.  Hopefully, this shows up, and I can say "mission accomplished."

Here goes with the "a little about myself" part (o.k., maybe it turned out to be a lot).  I am the Library Director at Custer County Library.  I am a 43-year-old mother of two and wife of one.  My kids are Sam, 16, and Liz, 14.  Today is my anniversary, and I have been married to Dave for 19 years.  We met on a Hotshot Crew in my pre-motherhood career with the Forest Service.

I have a Forestry degree from the University of Tennessee and worked for the Forest Service for 9 years.  (Before Institute, I had no formal training in library sciences.)  After my second child was born, I became a stay-at-home mom. We lived in Tennessee for a while, then Mt. Sterling, KY and Williams, AZ before landing in Custer, SD.

While living in Williams, AZ , I somehow lucked into the Library Manager/Accelerated Reader Coordinator at the school my kids attended.  I ended up loving my work in the library.  When my husband got a job in Custer, the library director position here happened to be open.  So, I applied and was blessed to be offered the job.

I love my job, and I love living in Custer.  I can't think of any other job I'd rather have.  I still have that pull to the outdoors that got me into forestry back in the day.  So, I satisfy that desire by hiking in the Black Hills with my family and serving on the Custer County Search and Rescue crew.  Which brings me to my newest hobby.  Several of us on the crew are trying to train search dogs.  My future search dog is a 9-month-old border collie named Roscoe.  The training is pretty fun and gets Roscoe and me out in the woods a lot. 

My other hobbies include making quilts, weaving baskets, knotting rugs, and, of course, reading.  I must say that all of my homemaker hobbies have been put on the back burner for a while.  Between a more than full-time job, going to the high school events my kids participate in, spending time with my husband, and training my dog, I have a little time for reading, but not much else.  I plan on pulling those skills back out when I have an empty nest in a few years.  Right now, I'm just enjoying the last few years that my kids will be around. 

I'm looking forward to learning more about my fellow students -- if I can remember how to go read other folks' blogs.  I'm also looking forward to learning more about the various forms of social media.  Just please don't make us take "selfies" or any of that nonsense.