2014 Charleston Library Conference

The way social media tools are selected and used in the library changes regularly in an evolving digital and social climate. The opportunities social media presents to the library community includes, but is not restricted to, user engagement, professional networking, informational exchange and increasing the discoverability of existing online resources at the library. With so many tools available, multiple uses and so many librarians making use of these tools in their library, Taylor & Francis is producing a White Paper that analyses the challenges and opportunities presented by social media as a communication tool in the library. The White Paper will consider its use in the library and how this differs by librarian job role. Our sample will be taken from academic librarians around the world, which may also allow us to examine differences by geographic location. The goal: to establish how librarians are currently using social media in their roles, the most useful social media tools and best applications for these tools in a library setting. The research paper will be based on findings from focus groups in the UK, US and India. In depth tele interviews with those who have researched the impact of social media tools in their library will also be conducted and tips and lessons learned from these detailed case studies will also feature to ensure this session is practical and informative for all attendees, with clear action points for implementation in their own library.

Following this, Maria Atilano from the Thomas G. Carpenter Library at University of North Florida will share a case study on creating a social media strategy that includes scheduling updates ahead of time to appeal to students throughout the semester, creating relationships with other on-campus clubs and organizations via social media, and using tools such as Hootsuite and TweetDeck to schedule posts and collect statistics. With clear action points for implementation in their own library, this will be a practical session for all attendees,. Finally results from an online survey that will be distributed globally will be shared to outline best positive outcomes of social media tools in the library, with a series of recommendations for maximum impact in the library. We would like to present the findings of this research at Charleston.