Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/amanda.hobba.3
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/AmandaHobbaVU
Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/amandahobba/
Instagram:
https://instagram.com/amandahobbavu/
Scoop.it!:
http://www.scoop.it/u/amanda-hobba
Monday 9 November 2015
Libraries using Scoop.it!
Scoop.it is a social media tool which was completely off my radar
before I began the Social Media unit of the Library, Information and Cultural
services course at Victoria University.
In this modern world, Scoop.it is such a great curatorial tool for
libraries. The whole world has gone digital and everyone’s attention is online.
Now days if you want to do research or learn something new, you rarely turn to
a book but hit google instead.
Scoop.it is a great way for libraries to remain relevant to their
internet savvy users. If anything it is just another way of catering to patrons
needs for information and knowledge.
With Scoop.it you can collect and categorise articles from all over the
web. It is kind of like Pinterest, only you can read the full article from Scoop.it and the focus is on the information not on the image.
None of the libraries I use have a Scoop.it account, and now that I am
aware of the existence of Scoop.it I kind of wish they did. I would be very
interested to see what they would share, considering the interesting things
they post through their current social media accounts.
Thing 14:Curating with Pinterest, Tumblr, and Scoop.it provides some interesting insights into the different
social media curating tools used by libraries:
“Curatorial tools give users easy ways in which to gather their favourite
interests across the internet and host all the pictures, recipes,
conversations, news articles, links, videos in one place.”
“Scoop.It is a ‘create your own magazine’ service which allows you to
‘clip’ from websites, Twitter, RSS feeds, YouTube, Slideshare, Facebook,
and custom Google searches. It allows you to enter sources and it
then provides suggestions for you to Scoop It and add commentary for
customizable topics based magazines.”
The blog Personal Knowledge Management for Academia & Librarians
provides an interesting blog post called Content Curation Tools 1: ScoopIt!
The Daring Librarian also provides an
interesting blog post about curating using Scoop.it called DigitalCuration & Sweet Scoopage
Libraries using Instagram
I am relatively new to the world of Instagram. As
it requires the use of a smart phone and I only bought my first smart phone a
couple of months ago, I missed out on Instagram’s first few years of existence.
Now however I am definitely making up for lost time and it has now beaten Facebook
on my ladder of favourite social media platforms.
As an avid amateur photographer
and lover of witty one liners I am really enjoying gaining a following through
sharing my happy snaps. I learned very quickly the importance of hash-tagging.
Originally I despised hashtags – they don’t do a whole lot on Facebook and I’m
not really a fan of twitter. But on Instagram if you want people to see what
you post, then hashtags are the way to go.
My favourite library, the State Library
of Victoria (such an amazing historical building and such a rich supply of
resources) has an amazing Instagram account.
The state library has a great
collection of historical images – both old photographs and digitised art –
which can be viewed on Instagram. This is such a great way to view these images
from the comfort of your home or anywhere from your smart phone. These images
can also be viewed on their Flickr account.
Instagram can be a great way to
promote special events, as well as new collection items. All images can be
captioned and hashtags make it easy to find your image when they search for one
of the keywords.
Libraries using Pinterest
With Pinterest, libraries can promote books and
authors, and categorise these by genre or any variety of category they choose.
Pinterest is probably my most favourite social
media platform. It is such a great way to gather links and images in a visually
pleasing and easy to organise way.
My local library network has a great Pinterest
account. My two favourite pin boards of theirs are the “Library Fun” (I think
the librarians who pin to this board enjoy it as much as their followers do) and
the “For Writers” board, as a writer I really love that my local library
network supports local and upcoming writers, and provides inspiration through
their Pinterest board.
They also have a few boards dedicated to “Reading
Inspiration” which are categorised into children, youth and general.
Other great pin boards include, fun ideas for book
week, recommended reading, history and genealogy, fun ideas for children, and
GRLC library spaces (promoting the various Geelong Region libraries).
Check out Geelong Regional Libraries on Pinterest, and be sure to have a laugh at their Library Fun board!
Libraries using Twitter
Similar to Facebook, Twitter is great for building relationships with
library patrons and is not reliant on face to face interaction. It is also
great for monitoring and responding to
feedback and enquiries.
Although I personally do not use twitter, as Facebook is my preference,
it is very easy to see how effectively libraries can connect with their patrons
using Twitter.
With a 140 character word limit (nowhere near enough for what I like to
write) libraries can shoot off quick snippets of information to their followers
tweet feed. Also it is generally much more acceptable to post multiple tweets
in a day, where on Facebook, people tend to get annoyed if you post more than a
couple.
Twitter is great for communicating opening hours, special closures, and
upcoming events.
Twitter can be used well for promoting new books, authors and spreading
news about important library related events such as Cooking for Copyright.
Libraries can easily post photos and videos, provide links, and promote
new items in their collection.
My local library network, the Geelong Regional Libraries, have tweeted
many updates on the new Geelong Library. I am very much looking forward to the
opening in a couple of weeks.
Libraries using Facebook
Facebook is very popular with libraries. Facebook is great for
communicating with patrons, and for organising and maintaining contacts.
Facebook is ideal for connecting with the local community. Libraries can
promote programs as well as post links to interesting articles for followers to
read.
With Facebook we are able to get in touch with people from all over the
world, including people we have known in the past and would have great
difficulty ever being able to contact again.
Through Facebook I am able to get a glimpse of what is happening back in
the small town school library where I grew up. A couple of months ago, I
discovered that one of the teacher librarians I knew from the school library is
now a bestselling author. As a writer, I have gained a huge amount of
encouragement and inspiration from this knowledge, and all because I have
access to Facebook.
Facebook is really great for displaying information such as the location
of the library – with a map and address in the “about” section of the profile.
Also in the “about” section, libraries often display their opening hours, a
link to their website, membership information and a brief description of the services
available. They may even include a phone number, and some agree to respond to
Facebook private messages within a reasonable amount of time.
For those already familiar with Facebook, a library’s Facebook profile may
be easier to navigate than their website. Particularly if you only need basic
information such as opening times or a contact number.
Library Facebook pages often post interesting status updates, from
upcoming events to new book titles and motivational messages relating to the
enjoyment of reading.
If the library is having a special closure day, any library patrons who
follow the library’s Facebook page will receive a notification directly to
their news feed.
It is of course very important for libraries to not post too many
Facebook statuses in a short time period, or they may find themselves losing
followers. No one likes having their Facebook news feed flooded.
Have a look at Moonta Community LIbrary's Facebook page for some inspiration from a small town library which really is the heart of the community.
Friday 6 November 2015
Libraries using Social Media
Social media is a
great way for libraries to connect with their patrons, as they can post updates
on a regular basis, and interact with people on a more personal level. It is very
easy to post something in social media and get patrons attention to information
delivered right to their news feed. Social media also offers a great place for
discussion and for promotion of library services – especially upcoming events.
National Library of Australia
The NLA uses
the following social media platforms to engage with their users:
Twitter: for
notifying users about news, collection items, and upcoming events.
Facebook: for
notifying users about major events, activities and new collection items.
Information about the library is also posted through photos videos and resource
links.
Instagram: for
sharing photos of collection highlights, as well as promoting special events,
exhibitions and other interesting activities.
Flickr: The
national library is a member of The Commons on Flickr.
Geelong Regional Libraries
GRLC uses social media
in the following ways:
Facebook: they use
fun content to engage with their users on a regular basis, and occasionally
posts reminders of library news and events.
Pinterest: they
share new collection items, promote their library spaces (particularly the new
Geelong Library), and offer staff picks for the savvy reader.
Twitter: they offer
short bursts of information relating to news, events and new collection items.
Occasionally they will ask for feedback from their followers.
Instagram: they
share photos of library activities and compete in photography competitions.
Flickr: they use
this similarly to their Instagram account.
Google+: they
occasionally post images from their Picassa account.
Youtube: they upload
videos from special events and author talks, as well as instructional videos.
State Library of Victoria
The SLV is probably
my favourite library, and as I only rarely get a chance to visit, it is great
to have access to their social media profiles online.
Facebook: their
news feed is usually full of digitised images of local historial art,
photography and newspaper clippings. They also use facebook to notify their
followers of current and upcoming events, and enable people an easy way to
contact them.
Twitter: mostly the
same content as their Facebook feed, they also use it to promote current and
upcoming events, and remind patrons of information such as the library opening
hours.
Youtube: The State
Library has a long list of videos covering many topics. These topics include:
100 Readers, Discover the Library, Library Life, and Visitors to the Library
among others.
https://www.youtube.com/user/statelibraryvictoria
https://www.youtube.com/user/statelibraryvictoria
Instagram: With
simlar content to their Facebook and Twitter accounts, Instagram focuses more
on the images. The State library has a great collection of historical images –
both digitised art work and old photography. Instagram is a great way to see
some of their collection in an easy to navigate online environment.
Flickr: their
flickr account has a similar purpose as their Instagram account, and is a great
place to see their collection of historical photography.
Blog: The State
library even has a blog which is located on their website. The blog covers many
different library related topics and has an archive going back 5 years.
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