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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Bobbi L. Newman writes: “This week, an article from the BBC caught my attention: ‘Without support, many menopausal workers are quitting their jobs.’ Supporting employees going through menopause is important for those experiencing it and for everyone’s wellbeing. It reflects a commitment to employee wellbeing and a strategic approach to workforce management. Libraries can adopt strategies to support employees experiencing menopause, enhancing their wellbeing and workplace productivity. Remember, with all wellbeing, the goal is to support and empower staff to make the choices that best improve their health. Here are some practical approaches.”

Librarian by Day, Apr. 19; BBC, Apr. 9
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Libraries have a long history of helping to deliver on a wide variety of development goals, from literacy and school readiness to research productivity and urban cohesion. Their unique potential has been recognized not just by the governments or others that traditionally fund them, but also by a range of other funders, private and public alike. The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions has created a dataset to help librarians easily discover examples of private philanthropic grants, as well as other funding sources, that other libraries have been able to leverage.”

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, Apr. 22
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Jackie Jennings writes: “It feels like the debate over whether #BookTok is bad has been raging since the moment the term was first coined. I’m starting off with a strong stance: BookTok is indeed bad. However, the problem with BookTok is not crappy books or bogus influencers. The problem with BookTok is TikTok itself. BookTok isn’t actually a community driven by fans, writers, influencers, or even publishers: it’s part of a social media corporation, controlled by the most mysterious, fickle god of all, the algorithm.” Not surprisingly, librarian recommendations can overcome some of BookTok’s limitations.

Jezebel, Apr. 18; Book Riot, Apr. 22
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ALA announced the launch of its state Intellectual Freedom Helpline grant program April 22. Over the next two years, 10 pilot program sites will operate a confidential reporting system that will help connect those experiencing censorship attempts with professional support, in-state peers, or referral to ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, as appropriate. State or school library associations or agencies wishing to either establish an Intellectual Freedom Helpline in their state or expand existing efforts may apply for $10,000 grants through July 14.

ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, Apr. 22
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In celebration of the release of his latest nonfiction title, The Secret Lives of Booksellers & Librarians, bestselling author James Patterson is honoring select American Bookseller Association and American Library Association members with bonuses. He announced plans April 11 to give $200 each to 250 library workers across the country. The deadline for ALA members may nominate members to receive bonuses through April 30. Winners will be announced at ALA’s 2024 Annual Conference in San Diego.
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Catherine Hollerbach writes: “In early 2020, when the world shut down for COVID, many people got interested in houseplants. Anne Arundel County (Md.) Public Library’s Crofton Library embraced this trend and then some!” While preparing to reopen after the COVID shutdown, the library installed plants at the information desk to discourage patrons from sticking their heads through gaps in newly installed acrylic shields. They were well received and cared for, and the library gradually added more plants and built educational tools, programming, and partnerships around the plants.

Public Libraries Online, Apr. 18
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Rodney Freeman writes: “I am proud to be a librarian—and rare. Less than 7% of librarians in the US are Black. Libraries symbolize the literacy that was denied to so many of our ancestors. For our enslaved forebears, something as fundamental as learning to read was illegal and dangerous, but they did it anyway. Separate but ‘equal’ schools and ‘colored’ libraries filled with cast-offs from white libraries were key features of the Jim Crow era. Today we are seeing the same impulse to distort access to information into a tool to suppress and control, and to make some people ‘other.’”

Newsweek, Apr. 16