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Photo retrieved from http://tweepi.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/t12.jpg
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First, let me point out some interesting facts about Twitter:
- There were 3 million users in 2008 and that number sky-rocketed to approximately 225 million users as of March 2011. [1]
- On June 25, 2009, when Michael Jackson passed away, there were 456 tweets per second...a record in 2009. In 2011, there were 6,939 tweets per second [2]
- On March 12, 2011, there were 572,000 new accounts created on that day. [3]
- In 2010, there were 25 billion tweets sent on Twitter. [4]
- 300,000 new users sign up for Twitter every day. [5]
Why are these stats important? Because it shows how widely used Twitter is and why librarians can take advantage of this free service!
For the few of you who still do not know, Twitter, according to their “About Us” section on their website, is a “…a real-time information network that connects you to the latest stories, ideas, opinions and news about what you find interesting.” [6] Individuals can communicate with each other via “tweets” but are limited to only 140 characters per tweet. [7]
How can librarians use Twitter? Well, librarians can create a library Twitter account and have patrons follow them. Through the Twitter account, librarians can send short messages about the availability of services within the library or announcements such as new programs being offered or new book releases. For example, if computers are available in the library, the librarian could tweet “5 computers are available right now on the second floor.” [8] Librarians can also use twitter for reference, instruction and outreach. [9]
Not only is Twitter beneficial for the library, but this is a quick and simple way for librarians to network and stay updated about new information. [10] Librarians can also follow other librarians, other library twitter accounts or any other library related group in order to stay up to date with new information. For example, librarians can follow twitter accounts such as LISNews.org (which is a website for news for librarians), School Library Journal, ALA Booklist Pubs, American Library Association, Global Librarianship, ALA Job List (which is the number one website for posting Library and Information Science jobs within the US), among many more! [11].
To find which accounts to follow, a librarian can type in the search engine (after creating an account, of course) “librarianship” or “library’ and pick to see between tweets or people that are related to these words. Once you decided which person you want to follow, you just click the “Follow” button. [12]
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| *This is a print screen of my twitter account |
How else can a librarian use Twitter? Well take for example the Casa Grande Public Library in Arizona. They took the RSS Feeds (news regarding new books, programs or events available) and fed them through their “rss2twitter” account in order to automatically become transferred to the library’s twitter account. In other words, any news that’s generated through the RSS feed from the library’s website would be automatically transferred into the twitter account. [13] [14] Therefore, whoever did not sign up for the newsletter from the library’s website can enjoy the same updates and news by following the library’s twitter account. However, unless patrons have a good cell-phone plan with their carrier, getting twitter messages on one’s cellphone as SMS (text messages) can become quite costly. Therefore, for those who receive their twitter updates only through the twitter’s web page, then they are safe, but for those who receive messages via their cell-phones, not only can they incur extra charges, but they may also be annoyed if librarians post irrelevant tweets. [15]
That’s why I will suggest a “Best Practices” section for librarians when using Twitter. The Twitter website actually suggests a “best practices” section onto their website for businesses in order to build their reputation and customers’ trust. In the same way, a library can follow the same practises. [16]
Best Practises for Librarians when using Twitter:
- Share: share photos of behind the scenes library events or of future projects. For example, post pictures of Book Clubs or any shows and concerts the library may be associated with.
- Listen: Monitor the comments or questions that patron post onto the account
- Ask: Ask your patron followers questions as this will help one gain valuable insights about the community the library is serving and it also shows that the library is listening!
- Respond: Librarians should respond to any feedback or compliments that patrons post onto the twitter account. This will make them feel that they are listened and that their input matters.
- Reward: Notify the patrons of any upcoming free programs that can be beneficial to them.
- Demonstrate wider leadership and know-how: Reference any articles or links that discuss news or progress about the library. Reply publicly, or even re-twitt, to any great tweets posted by your patron followers or other libraries.
- Establish your voice in the community: Post comments that will place the library in a good light and that will send a positive image to the community. [17]
References:
[1] Bullas, J. “30 Terrific Twitter Facts and Figures.” JeffBullas.com, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.jeffbullas.com/2011/05/02/30-terrific-twitter-facts-and-figures/
[2] Bullas, J. (2011).
[3] Bullas, J. (2011).
[4] Bullas, J. (2011).
[5] Online Marketing Trends.com. “Twitter Statistics on its 5th Anniversary.” OnlineMarketingTrends.co,. 2011. Retrieved from http://www.onlinemarketing-trends.com/2011/03/twitter-statistics-on-its-5th.html
[6] http://twitter.com/about
[7] http://twitter.com/about
[8] Campion, S. (2008, January 13). Learn More: Twitter. Library Stream: Watching the Flow of the Participatory Library Blog. Retrieved from http://librarystream.wordpress.com/2008/01/14/learn-more-twitter/
[9] Murphy, Joe. “Twitter for Libraries: Best Practices and Advanced Uses of Micro-Blogs.” SlideShare.net, 2011 Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/joseph.murphy/twitter-for-libraries-acrl-2009
[10] https://twitter.com/#!/search/users/librarianship
[11] https://twitter.com/#!/search/users/librarianship
[12] https://twitter.com/#!/search/librarianship
[13] Froncoeur, S. Reference Services and Twitter. Teaching Librarian.org: Digital References, 2007, May 02. Retrieved from http://www.teachinglibrarian.org/weblog/2007/05/reference-services-and-twitter.html.
[14] Scott, J. “How I found a good use for Twitter.” Gather No Dust: Libraries, Management & Technology, 2007, April 9. Retrieved from http://gathernodust.blogspot.com/2007/04/how-i-found-good-use-for-twitter.html
[15] Froncoeur, S. 2007, May 02.
[16] Twitter: Best Practices, 2012 https://business.twitter.com/en/basics/best-practices/
[17] Twitter: Best Practices, 2012
While those statistics show the wide use of twitter, and in theory your points are all valid, how would you get people interested in "following" your small public library? Also if you have an elderly population using social media would not benefit your library. Lastly, once it becomes popular, do you have a dedicated librarian responding to the tweets?
ReplyDeleteRachel Menezes
Hey Rachel, great questions! In terms of "following," I would have to say that perhaps librarians can have posters around the library that would say "You can now follow us on Twitter to get fast news about new programs and services!" or something along those lines. Or like Carla mentioned below, when people sign up for a library card, librarians can mention to those new patrons that the library can now be followed on Twitter. In terms of the elderly population, of course they will not be interested, because as most of us know, some elderly folks like things the way they've always been. The point of Twitter is to be used as a tool to advance the library itself and it's geared towards those who do use the social media to stay in touch and who do genuinely want more fast access to "what's new" or "what's next." In other words, people who would already have a Twitter account or who are open to try something new would be the people who would want to follow the library on twitter. To answer your third question, I believe one librarian could handle all the tweets back and forth. Perhaps every 2 hours or so, the librarian could post or respond to people's tweets. Hope that answers your questions!
DeleteDo libraries ask patrons if they would like to stay in touch with the library via social media such as twitter when they sign up for a library card? I just got my library card at the London Public Library and they didn't ask me any questions. It seems like this would be a good time to give patrons a brief overview of the library website and find out to what degree patrons want to stay connected with the library. This could help limit the possibility of people getting upset about how many tweets they receive from the library. Carla Reimer
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if they do or not, but they definitely should! That's a really good point Carla, thanks for mentioning it!
DeleteThis is a very interesting topic Alex. I like that you have addressed some of the pros and cons of librarians using twitter. I think there is a benefit to libraries having a twitter account especially for marketing purposes and so that patrons can give feedback to the library. As per Rachel's comment about the elderly population not using social media. I worked for a small heritage museum whose main clientele was above the age of 65. I tried to use social media to advertise events, but it didn't reach an audience. So, I gave up pretty quickly on using social media in this context, but maybe it would work better in a library setting.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment Erica! The elderly population is just one part of it. No tool will ever work for everybody. But given the fact that Twitter accounts are increasing so fast (300 000 accounts a day!) and because more and more new social technological tools are introduced, it doesn't make sense why librarians should't keep up. Just like a business, libraries in a way provide a service, and I think we should use any media outlet that's free and available to promote our events, programs and books. Even if the younger generation are the only ones who follow, Twitter still attracts a market.
DeleteGreat topic Alex. The only main concern I have in your best practices for librarians is the first point of "sharing." We have had many events at the branch I work at where we have taken pictures. However, policy states that we need to have photo release forms signed by everyone who might end up in a picture. It can be a very tedious and time consuming task, although not impossible.
ReplyDeleteI've also met quite a few technology savvy seniors. I think more older adults are becoming more comfortable and interested in the electronic resources the library can provide, so I wouldn't count them out completely. Although, I haven't had a senior inquire about LPL's twitter account yet.
I must admit, I don't normally include social media as part of my "speech" when signing up someone for a library card. After reading some of these comments, I think it would be beneficial to mention it.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog idea Alex. While I don't actually follow any specific libraries, I do follow some librarians, such as Bobbi Newman whose twitter name is @librarianbyday. She's very active and posts about a number of current concerns that the world of librarianship may be facing. As of recently she's been discussing the publishers who are no longer interested in providing e-books rights to libraries and provides petitions as well as responses to provide to patrons looking for ebooks. Additionally, I almost attended the iSchool at UofT and their program administrator maintains an active twitter account - in fact I'm surprised this department doesn't.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there are drawbacks and no library should "over-tweet", that is they should keep their tweets relevant and only tweet important issues rather than constant hourly tweets. Personally I always stop following anyone who fills my feed with too many tweets in a day. But I don't think the library should shy away from twitter just because there may be some patrons who are not familiar with twitter. That would be like saying, "well the library shouldn't have a website since not everyone knows how to use the internet". It's a great idea to make your library more accessible and to promote resources in a variety of formats in order to draw in a variety of patrons.
Great job and I can't wait to see the next few weeks of your blog!
I agree with you that Twitter is becoming a much bigger deal! Twitter has played a significant role in world events, particularly people using tweets to get news out there during conflicts, such as what was/is happening in Egypt and Yemen.
ReplyDeleteSo I agree that Librarians should pay attention to Twitter and learn how to use and adapt to their/our own purposes. I liked that you actually listed ways in which Twitter can be used by librarians, such as letting patrons know which services are available and when.
Brittany Cormier
Great topic Alex! In reference to the other comments, although I understand the points about senior patrons, I think an important point to note is that using media such as Twitter won't replace forms of communication used now, it will just be used in addition to them. Patrons who do not use social media will receive communication as they have always done. More importantly, using Twitter makes library more accessible to the younger demographic, creating a new generation of library users. As we have learned about libraries being a crisis culture, using social media is a way for libraries to stay relevant in the current technological climate. Social media is becoming a very powerful tool, as information can be spread very widely very quickly (which can be both a blessing and a curse). Because of the increasing use of this method of information transmission, it benefits a library to be actively involved in it. As for how to promote library twitter feeds, one can always advertise on a library's homepage, as patrons using social media are also more likely to be accessing the library's website.
ReplyDeleteAli Emery
Hey Alex! I think twitter and all social media is a very interesting topic to think about in relation to libraries. You raised some really good points about how twitter is so effective in spreading news and why it is so popular. I know some libraries have attempted to use Facebook to do exactly as you're suggesting, but perhaps because Facebook is a little more labour intensive than twitter, those pages tend to not get updated and fall into disuse. Perhaps using twitter would be a lot easier than Facebook and also more successful.
ReplyDeleteGreat job Alex. I myself am not on Twitter, but after reading your blog, I think I may finally take the plunge. I just wanted to touch on what Carla said in that when patrons sign up for new library cards (or even when they sign out materials) there really should be an attempt to make them aware of their ability to connect to the library via social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.). I know back home in Saskatoon there is growing support for the SPL's Facebook page. It is great. It keeps you updated on various events, programs, and news at all the city's branches and extends your library experience onto your digital devices (smartphone, tablet, computer). I know that not everyone has access to these devices (for personal use), but as you can clearly see through this blog, this is how everyone is connected nowadays and I don't see that changing. Libraries need to move (with technology) into the future, and it starts with promoting themselves on social media.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I have tried Twitter and although many things you point out show how beneficial social media can be for libraries, I think that there is still quite a ways to go before it is embraced by more libraries. Back home in the Fraser Valley in BC, I know that the library I worked for had Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube - but looking at how many followers they had was pretty sad. The Twitter page had barely any people following it and the Facebook page's followers consisted of mainly staff. Barely anything was uploaded to YouTube and the videos barely had any views either. Even though it's supposed to keep the community updated on events, programs, etc. I think there is not enough promotion of the options there are to view what is going on in the library through social media. The library website only had tiny little icons linking to the social media sites. As some other people have commented on - I think it would be a great idea for libraries to mention the social media sites when patrons sign up for a new library card.
ReplyDeleteA great start to the topic, Alex. I started using Twitter around the time I made the decision to return to school and used it as an opportunity to follow libraries, librarian and library association users.
ReplyDeleteIt is certainly a great way to keep up-to-date on what is happening in your areas of interest.
This is obviously another means in which libraries can advise patrons of library events, library news and announcements. But I am more interested in seeing what libraries can do with this particular medium beyond that, because quite frankly, many of the tweeted items would be of limited or no use to many followers...events of which you have no interest...branch closures of a branch you don't use, etc.
I found the Ottawa Public Library to be quite innovative in their use of Twitter. I am sure many other libraries do the same, but in the case of OPL, they often tweeted about specific authors on the date of their birth as a means of promoting their works and by extension reading...or when a movie came out based on a book, did something similar.
Using Twitter as an announcement service isn't enough. Libraries need to be innovative, captivating and informative in order to successfully use this medium and be well followed.
Peter
Hi Alex,
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this post I intitally got really interested in the idea of tweeting about computer availability as this is something we are constantly dealing with at work. The public use computers are a highly used library resource and there is often a line-up of people waiting to use them. And then I realized, for people to actually see this information on twitter, they have to already have access to a platform that is internet enabled. So really, posting these stats on twitter would hardly make them useful at all.
I also agree with Sarah's point about not over-tweeting as a public institution. This can make using twitter a hard sell for major libraries as if LPL were to tweet about every event going on every day at each branch, no one would want to follow them. For a smaller library, or a single academic library, it may be a better option.
I always imagine a form of social media that connects what is going on at the library with the public transit system. A lot of our users take the bus here to use the computers, so if there was some form of data available on public transit they would know if it was worth to come use the library, or if the book they were seeking was in. I feel that other community resources could be added to this so that this information is available on the go for users. Probably crazy, but I just see that as being a way social media could really benefit our user groups.
-Jessie
Following people or groups on Twitter is a great way to know about what is happening. I followed the Toronto Public Library strike updates by following the Union president on Twitter.
ReplyDeleteMariam