Libraries Take Part in World Series–Themed Twitter “Battle”

Kansas City, New York libraries use “book spine poetry” for playful ribbing

October 30, 2015

New York Public Library posted this image on Twitter on October 29 to signal comeback hopes for the New York Mets in the World Series. The friendly social media exchange among several New York and Kansas City libraries has caught the attention of several mainstream media outlets.
New York Public Library posted this image on Twitter on October 29 to signal comeback hopes for the New York Mets in the World Series. The friendly social media exchange among several New York and Kansas City libraries has caught the attention of several mainstream media outlets.

When the Kansas City Royals beat the Toronto Blue Jays 14–2 in Game 2 of Major League Baseball’s American League Championship Series, the Kansas City (Mo.) Public Library (KCPL) staff took the opportunity to do some friendly ribbing by using “book spine poetry.” The library tweeted to Toronto Public Library a picture of three stacked books, which all together read: “Canada.” “Sorry You Lost.” “What Bluebirds Do” (referring to Toronto’s mascot, the blue jay).

Toronto Public Library responded, saying, “Warning.” “Kansas City.” “It Ain’t Over till It’s Over.”

The humorous exchanges continued, gaining the attention of numerous news organizations, including NPR, The Huffington Post, and BuzzFeed. Liesl Christman, KCPL’s social media manager, has been the brain behind the Twitter “battle,” and the library’s Twitter account has gained at least 2,000 more followers since the battle began on October 20.

With the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals now facing off in the World Series, the Twitter library/baseball feud has continued, now featuring New York Public Library (NYPL), Queens (N.Y.) Library, Mid-Continent Public Library in Kansas City, Missouri, and LaGrange Library in Poughkeepsie, New York, among others. (Mid-Continent Library Director Steven Potter and NYPL President Tony Marx have also made a wager for bragging rights.)

RELATED ARTICLES:

Photo: Stokkete/Shutterstock

Solving the Self-Published Puzzle

As self-published books gain legitimacy, libraries develop ways to include local work in collections

David Gibson. (Photo: Geo. Willeman/Library of Congress)

Bookend: Game On

The Library of Congress scores big with videogames