Social Media For Media Specialists Librarians

Facebook, Twitter & Instagram

Social media is so prevalent in our daily lives and including it in our professional lives is a given.  I believe that using social media for our benefit is a great way to grow our PLN (Professional Learning Network).  Many times a campus only has one librarian, and while there are other librarians in the district they work in to work with, at times turning to a virtual PLN is very beneficial.  I know that for myself, I have been able to make connections on social media beyond my campus and district to learn from and share information and ideas with. Not only have I been able to get help and ideas from others, but I have been able to share ideas with others & help them.  

Facebook

Facebook is a platform that allows users to share images and text with others. This is available as an iOS app, Android app, and can also be used on the web.  There are a lot of library and librarian pages on Facebook, some are listed as “Pages” & some as “Groups,” I have been selective with the ones that I actually follow or belong to as there are times that people on the pages may be negative and may use the platform to vent.  I prefer to keep things pretty positive and even when I may have a problem, I may ask for help to keep myself positive and move past the issue not necessarily dwell on it. Those that tend to focus on the negative or only want to vent, make the experience not very pleasurable.  My favorite part is that Facebook has really allowed me to have interaction with other librarians.  

In regards to my library having a Facebook account, I do not have one. Our school district is being aware of all of the social media accounts to ensure that the things being shared are appropriate and not used in ways that do not line up with the district vision. My campus has decided to create a Facebook account (https://www.facebook.com/carverelementarystars/) for the whole campus and has actually had a great response from the families. My principal has made me a collaborator on this page which allows me to share things that I do in the library with our students. I do like that the one account allows for the families to see all the things happening in our campus, and believe that if the library had a separate account, they may not follow it. 

Twitter

Twitter is a type of micro-blog that allows users to share tiny bits of written information with others.  Users are limited to 280 characters and up to 4 images to share with their followers/readers. I believe that the character limit really allows the users to share ideas in a quick concise matter, “quick and to the point.”  There are so many professionals, authors, publishers, and corporations on this social media site. I enjoy sharing pictures of things that I do in the library with my student and with teachers and tagging those in the picture, and also tagging any authors, illustrators, companies and corporations whose products I am using is a great way to appreciate them & share with them how you are using their products.  I have had some “big names” like, comment, and even share (“retweet”) my tweets when I have tagged them on posts. In my exploration of ed tech leaders on Twitter, I found that they truly care for the profession of teaching and technology in the classroom. They share a variety of things with their followers from sharing their thoughts, sharing comics, teaching about tools, to sharing short tips!  

My Twitter handle is @MrsAEMartindale. https://twitter.com/mrsaemartindale I have had my Twitter account for about 5 years, and rarely used it when I was a classroom teacher. When I became a media specialist librarian 2 years ago, I began to use it a lot more as I learned that many other librarians use it to grow their PLN.  I do not share my Twitter handle with parents or families, as many families of elementary students do not use Twitter as it tends to be more “business” ideas shared. Do you have a Twitter account/handle that you have used to grow your PLN on Twitter?

Instagram

Instagram is another social media site that is available as an iOS app, Android app, and can be used on a browser.  Instagram allows users to share images and short videos with others, the images can have short captions or descriptions with the post.  Recently they started a “Stories” add on to the user pages. This allows a user to share a video or image that stays on the site for 24 hrs.  If the user chooses, they may save the feed from their “Stories” to be curated into “Highlights.” I like using this site as it has allowed me to follow other librarians/libraries and get ideas from them. Instagram is not necessarily used for interaction, it's more for sharing. I have gotten lesson ideas, read book reviews/talks, and even display ideas from others.  I like that Instagram is QUICK, I can scroll and literally see the things that others are doing. Instagram also has a “Save to collection” button that allows users to curate posts from others to use at a later time or to have for reference.  

My Instagram handle is @AdrianaEM1  https://www.instagram.com/adrianaem1/ Mainly what I share on Instagram is pictures of me and the things that I do in the library, while collaborating with teachers, and while working with students.  I do share a tiny bit of my personal life here, because I want my followers to know that I am human and have a life outside of being a media specialist librarian. Do you have an Instagram account where you share things you do in your library?