Tools of Engagement

Social media plays a huge part in how libraries connect to and facilitate communications within their communities. Whether you’re looking to market your programs and services, provide guidance to patrons new to social media platforms, or better understand the effects the technology has on the world at large, these titles provide valuable advice and insights.

Marketing with Social Media: A LITA Guide, 2nd edition
Edited by Beth C. Thomsett-Scott
Updated and extensive, this guide offers useful information on the finer points of using social media to market services and build community. Readers at all stages of their careers and at any experience level will find solid advice on choosing the most appropriate platforms for their library, tips on how to best communicate with various audiences, and hands-on technical information for optimal results. Covering Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and other channels, this accessible volume offers perspectives from seasoned library workers in many types of libraries, making it a must-have for anyone involved with a library’s social media presence. ALA Neal-Schuman and Core, 2020. 192 p. $67. PBK. 978-0-8389-1631-5.

Marketing and Social Media: A Guide for Libraries, Archives, and Museums, 2nd edition
By Lorri Mon and Christie Koontz
This comprehensive handbook is geared toward helping libraries, archives, and museums use social media to market programs and services. The chapters contain pointers on evaluating marketing needs, including a breakdown of SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis, as well as real-world case studies to help shed light on effectively using social media for community engagement. This second edition includes an extensive bibliography for further reading as well as a step-by-step outline for those newer to social media marketing. A great reference for libraries of all types. Rowman and Littlefield, 2020. 322 p. $52. PBK. 978-1-5381-4295-0. (Also available as an ebook.)

Mastering Mobile through Social Media: Creating Engaging Content on Instagram and Snapchat
By Paige Alfonzo
Instagram and Snapchat are the focus of this Library Technology Reports issue. Highlighting many aspects of both of these apps, the author pays special attention to the transitory nature of both Instagram and Snapchat stories, providing case studies and advice on posting content to best engage with patrons. Practical through and through, this is a handy guide for any library focused on reaching populations that heavily use these platforms. The case studies are especially helpful in offering insight and ideas. ALA TechSource, 2019. 44 p. $43. PBK. 978-0-8389-1815-9.

A Social Media Survival Guide: How to Use the Most Popular Platforms and Protect Your Privacy
By Melody Karle
This step-by-step introduction to social media is an approachable guide for anyone—especially patrons—navigating their way through social media platforms. Written for “regular users who just want to understand how things work,” the text delves into the why and how of various apps. Each chapter focuses on a different platform (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and others); a brief profile of the platform is followed by a rundown of its features and an illustrated guide on how to post, share, and search on the site. This is a great book to recommend to new users of social media and an essential guide to the basics. Rowman and Littlefield, 2022. 184 p. $19. PBK. 978-1-5381-7114-1. (Also available as an ebook.)

TikTok for Dummies
By Jesse Stay
Like it or not, TikTok is a platform that has taken over attention spans worldwide, and libraries are increasingly using it to their benefit. This book shows how to create content for the platform and how to understand and navigate through its often confusing formats and algorithms. In classic For Dummies format, it is written for beginners and explains not only how to grow a marketing following but also the etiquette of the platform, as well as offering information on safety. Though not aimed specifically at libraries, there is plenty of information here that library marketers can put into practice. Wiley, 2021. 208 p. $18.99. PBK. 978-1-119-80341-6. (Also available as an ebook.)

Books and Social Media: How the Digital Age Is Shaping the Printed Word
By Miriam J. Johnson
Libraries always benefit from keeping up with what’s going on in publishing and the book world in general. The topic at hand here should be of interest to librarians everywhere. Exploring the rapidly changing landscape of publishing in the age of social media, the author has a special interest in how writers who “just want to share their work with readers and make a connection” use social media to do that, frequently drifting away from traditional publishing models. Through interviews and surveys of authors and publishers, Johnson takes a close look at the new ways in which writers are working and what that could mean for the future of book publishing. Routledge, 2021. 172 p. $44.95. PBK. 978-1-03-200135-7. (Also available as an ebook.)

Latest Library Links

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Katie Gaddini writes: “Book bans may have mushroomed in the Trump era of reactionary politics, but they have a well-established history in America. One woman in particular, Norma Gabler, redefined the current strategy and logic behind modern book bans. Called ‘education’s public enemy number one,’ by critics in 1980, Gabler led the crusade against the so-called secular trend in school textbooks throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Even though Norma and her husband Mel worked together, Norma was the public face of their efforts for decades.”

Time: Made By History, Nov. 13
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Many members know Bill Ladewski as executive director of the Reference and User Services Association, an ALA position he has held since 2019. In early September, Ladewski added another title to his CV: director of Member Relations and Services. In this role, he and his team are charged with providing service and information to the Association’s nearly 50,000 members. Ladewski answered our 11 Questions to reintroduce himself to the ALA community.

AL: The Scoop, Nov. 19
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John Warner writes: “I understand what people mean when they invoke the term ‘institutional neutrality,’ but I don’t know how it’s workable in today’s world. Higher education institutions are built upon a foundation of actual values, values that are, by definition, not neutral. The Kalven report, the Rosetta Stone of institutional neutrality produced by a faculty committee at the University of Chicago in 1967, is not a call to make all work emanating from an institution ‘neutral,’ but is instead a call to make the atmosphere for scholarly inquiry and debate as free as possible.”

Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 15
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Angela Hursh writes: “Ever wondered how your library’s email performance compares to others? Benchmarks help you understand how well your emails perform in key areas and identify opportunities for improvement. They also allow you to compare your email marketing performance, set goals, and stay on top of trends. However, the lack of industry benchmarks for email marketing metrics specific to libraries has been bugging me. Metrics from similar industries don’t fully capture the unique aspects of promoting a library. To help libraries accurately measure their email effectiveness, we’ve created the first-ever library email benchmark report.”

NoveList, Oct. 22
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Rachel Hendrick writes: “Students and library vendors are pushing artificial intelligence (AI) adoption in higher education, but there are very few resources that help librarians and scholars separate the wheat from the chaff. Luckily, we here at Choice love a good assessment rubric. (In fact, we made a PDF of our assessment rubric.) Even the least tech-savvy of us can use a very simple AI literacy framework to think critically about whether an AI application is worth your time.”

Choice 360 LibTech Insights, Nov. 13
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Rowana Miller writes: “In my experience, many young library-goers identify as storytellers but not writers. These are the kids who draw Captain-Underpants-style cartoons, who craft meticulous Minecraft universes, and who plot elaborate Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, but who believe that ‘writing’ is limited to five-paragraph essays. But when children draw the connections between their natural storytelling proclivities and the written word, they can become self-motivated to develop the communication skills that will help them for the rest of their lives. Libraries, I believe, are uniquely positioned to help children make this connection.”

ALSC Blog, Nov. 15
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ALA has reopened its search for an executive director in partnership with executive search firm Isaacson, Miller. A committee of ALA member leaders will oversee the search. The selected candidate will succeed Interim Executive Director Leslie Burger, who was appointed in November 2023. “We are excited to embark on our search for a new executive director,” said ALA President Cindy Hohl. “This leadership position is critical as we navigate the years ahead. We seek candidates who have knowledge of the library community and the urgent issues we face.”

ALA Communications, Marketing, and Media Relations Office, Nov. 14