SOCIAL MEDIA: WHAT IS IT AND WHAT’S IN IT
FOR MY LIBRARY?
Presentation to Vermont Trustees and Friends
Annual statewide conference for Trustees and Librarians sponsored by
Vermont Department of Libraries (VTLIB) and the Trustees Section of the
Vermont Library Association (VLA)
Saturday November 2, 2013
9:00 am-3:00 pm
Vermont Statehouse

VERMONT DIGITAL
ECONOMY PROJECT
Created by the Vermont
Council on Rural
Development, with the goal of
constructing more resilient
communities after the 2011
floods, the Vermont Digital
Economy Project is a
continuation and expansion of
the work performed by eVermont. This Project will offer
free support that will speed
flood recovery, spur economic
development and job growth,
and improve community
resilience to disasters.
•
Nonprofits Advising
•
Small Business
Workshops
•
Farm and Forest
Workshops
•
Downtown Wi-Fi Zones
•
Town Websites
•
Library interns
•
Community Forum and
Calendar
http://vtrural.org/
http://vtdigitaleconomy.org/
Funding and support:
VDEP is funded by a grant from the federal Economic Development Administration, with
substantial in-kind support from IBM, Microsoft and each of the partners.

ABOUT US
• Rob Fish has over fifteen years of community outreach experience with various
community development and advocacy projects in Maine, Vermont, and Michigan. He has
also managed the web and social media presence for several groups and taught digital
literacy in a small village in western Ghana. Rob has a Masters in Public Administration
from the University of Vermont. Rob now advises nonprofits in the effective use of online
tools on behalf of the Vermont Digital Economy Project. In his capacity as Non Profit
Advisor, he has worked with historical societies and museums in Bethel, Plymouth,
Rochester, Bridgewater and Ludlow.
•
Rob Fish, Non Profit Advisor
Vermont Digital Economy Project
802-488-5143
rob@vtrural.org

WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA?
Social media is the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn
communication into interactive dialogue.
BUT, Social Media is JUST a tool
Success comes from
integrating social media
into an advocacy
strategy. Use it as
another means to tell
your story
―Sitting at home and just following us on news or
Facebook leads to our humiliation, if you have honor
and dignity as a man, come. Go down to the street,
send SMS’s, post it on the net, make people
aware. You know your own social circle, your
building, your family, your friends, tell them to come
with us.‖ –Asmaa Mahfouz

WHY INVEST IN SOCIAL MEDIA?
• Are you a building or a resource?
• Does your community know what your library has to offer? Do
people take the library for granted? How often do they interact with
the library?
• Who funds the library? How do you currently cultivate a relationship
with your funders?
• Where do your patrons spend time online?
"Social networking is used to publicize library events such as gaming nights; to alert users to
additions to collections; to provide links to articles, videos, or Web content that might prove relevant
or helpful to patrons; and to provide a conduit for community information. Social media also play
an important role in fostering relationships with the community by allowing patrons to ask
questions or provide feedback about library services.“ – American Library Association.
http://www.ala.org/news/mediapresscenter/americaslibraries/soal201

Adults Visiting the Library
Sixty-five percent of those polled said they
had visited the library in the past year.
(Harris Interactive Poll, January 2011)
Adults Using Social Media
February 2005, just 8% of internet users—or
5% of all adults
May 2013, 72% of online adults use social
networking sites.
(Source: Pew Research, 2013)
)

WHO IS USING SOCIAL MEDIA

COMPONENTS OF A SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY
Planning is
the key to
success
Don’t try to do
everything
• IDENTITY: Define who you are, what you stand for, and what you do best.
• VALUES and MISSION: Communicate your values in a way that is meaningful and
relevant to your audience.
• AUDIENCE: Identify your audience(s).
• SOCIAL MEDIA OBJECTIVES: What do they gain from engaging with you? What
do you have to gain from engaging with them?
• CONTENT and PLATFORMS: Choose the content and the platform best suited to
reach your audience(s) and achieve your goal(s).

CONTENT
• Remember it is not all about you.
• How does your audience benefit from engaging with you on social media?
• Entertained.
• Educated, informed or alerted.
• Become a part of something bigger
• A change to have their voice heard.
• Offline how do you make friends? Stories!
• Social media isn’t a bulletin board – You are talking with not talking at your
patrons.
• With permission, share examples of how patrons are using the library.
• How has the library helped someone over a challenge? Why is it important to the
community?
• Humor! Heart-felt stories! Become a trusted source! Find your voice.

IDEAS FOR CAMPAIGNS? SOCIAL MEDIA
CONTENT?
• Banned books week
• New additions to the library’s collection
• Promote Events
• Contests – ―name that quote‖
WHAT ELSE?
• Testimonials
• Public Issues/Controversies – Privacy
• Book reviews
• History of the library
• Interaction – ―Libraries are important because ____________.‖
• Ask a librarian – Interaction is key

Facebook
Events
Crowdsourcing
information
Share info from
other sources

Funny and
Thematic
Schedule Posts

Twitter is a Micro-Blogging Platform
messages limited to 140 characters
Why they did it : Over
375 libraries in the UK
threatened with
closure due to budget
cuts
http://musingsaboutlibrarianship.blogspot.com/2011/01/4successful-social-media-campaigns-

“Pinterest lets you organize and share all the
beautiful things you find on the web.”
•
•
•
•
•
A new audience
User generated content and increased engagement
A hobby!
Share books and make collections
Links with Facebook and your website

20-WAYS-LIBRARIES-ARE-USINGPINTEREST
1. Pinning book covers
2. Showcasing historic archives.
3. Creating reading lists.
4. Sharing new acquisitions
5. Promoting library activities.
6. Research.
7. Learning-related infographics
8. Encouraging kids and teens to read
9. Collecting ideas for library displays
10. Getting inspired for library programs
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Collecting learning materials for parents.
Highlighting library staff members.
Offering up access to digital collections.
Running reading programs.
Showing off things in the local community
Showing pictures of the library.
Sharing craft projects.
Helping patrons start book clubs.
Building a community of libraries online.
Creating collaborative boards with patrons.
http://www.edudemic.com/20-ways-libraries-are-using-pinterest-right-now/

PEER LEARNING

LOCAL LIBRARY EXAMPLE

Think of it as a visual bookmarking system.
HOW ITEach "pin" or image is linked to the site in which it was
WORKS
pinned from
This drives content to your site
Integrating Pinterest invites
and reminds people to
share the image -- more
online attention and
reaches more people
TIP: Create Very Specific Boards. Creating
a too general of a pinboard, like "Genealogy"
will quickly fill up and become unmanageable
to search and locate specific pins.
Sample Ideas: Genealogy Toolkit,
Plymouth Vermont Families, Bennington
Battle, Tropical Storm Irene – Wilmington
http://familycherished.blogspot.com/2012/10/top-12-tips-for-using-pinterest-for.html

Inspired by the 1978 disco hit "I Will Survive", the lyrics
were rewritten to proclaim support for libraries, particularly
under the stress of tight budgets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8QjjKrEK7Y

The Poultney Public Library in Poultney, VT is proposing
an expansion to their 1,660 square foot building.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=by9yq3hW8FI

• Contact information
• Hours
• Signup Forms
• Donate Button
• Keep navigation simple
• Social Media
• Images
• Responsive – works on
smartphones and desktop
web browsers
• Be able to manage it yourself
WEBSITE ESSENTIALS

QUESTIONS?
Rob Fish, Non Profit Advisor
Vermont Digital Economy Project
802-488-5143
rob@vtrural.org