ISCI 761: School Libraries and Social Media (week 8)

    Over the years, social media platforms have become powerful tools for connecting with others in a digital space, sharing information, and promoting organizations. All the major social media platforms could be used effectively as an extension of the school library setting in one way or another. However, based on my intended audience, I believe Facebook would be the best platform for me to start with. In an elementary school library setting, most of the students are too young to use many of the popular social media platforms, therefore, this Facebook page would be utilized more to connect with families, members of the community, and other educators. This platform is ideal for sharing photographs of activities taking place in the library, promoting upcoming events, providing details about professional development opportunities for teachers, and sharing information about current trends and the latest technology (Davis, 2018). In the 10 Minute Teacher podcast on social media use in the library, the guest speaker discussed how her busy schedule often prevents her from being able to see many of the teachers throughout her school, so she uses her social media platforms to share information with them (Davis, 2018). Through this page, I can also create groups for each grade level to share content pertaining to specific standards and current areas of study to promote instructional support.  


    Dr. Green’s presentation on social media discussed the importance of frontline advocacy and how this can be done informally through the sharing of success stories and fostering personal interactions, and formally by incorporating ties with national events and the support of an advocacy team (2020). Utilizing these strategies, I will advocate for the importance of our library by using the Facebook page to share the success we have had regarding student involvement and reading achievements. I also plan to incorporate many national events such as banned books week, poetry month, and many more to showcase the significance of not only our school library but the offerings of school libraries throughout the country. Additionally, I plan to use this Facebook page to communicate with the families of my students and members of the surrounding community. By sharing posts and photos of activities taking place in the library, upcoming events, and requests for support or volunteers, I can open up a line of communication beyond the confines of the school which can ultimately increase engagement and outside involvement with the school library (Wilson, 2017). The use of this social media platform will be a very useful tool for promoting the school library and all that it has to offer our students, families, school staff, and the greater community.  


    Below you will find screenshots of the Facebook page that I have created for our school library.       

                                  


References: 

Davis, V. (Host). (2018, August 17). 5 ideas to tap social media to enhance pd and student learning. [Audio podcast episode] In 10 Minute Teacher. Blogger. http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2018/08/5-ideas-to-tap-social-media-to-enhance.html  

Green. (2020). Harnessing the power of social media to advocate for your school library! [Google slides]. Google Docs. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1rswnwL_QA16SjO3gE5KzLH26OeReTFxdJkJ3_xz8uYk/edit#slide=id.g35ed75ccf_0134 

Wilson, J. (2017). Make your library more visible. School Library Journal, 16–17. 





Comments

  1. Christine DonaldsonOctober 16, 2022 at 5:35 AM

    Christina,

    I really like the graphics you have chosen for your Facebook post. They are eye catching and simple. Good Job. Listening and reading to some of the required information this week reinforced both my understanding of how time-consuming social media can be for librarians and the many rewards. Social media is a promotional tool as well as another way to love our students and show them that we want to be involved and create relationships with them. We should not follow them back, but we can emphasize the success they experience in the library for our followers to see. Social media is another tool to be utilized to be current with technology, the relationships we want to create, and the world around us.



    Christine Donaldson

    ReplyDelete
  2. Callie GrahamOctober 16, 2022 at 1:04 PM

    Hi Christina, I really enjoyed reading your post! I think your explanation for using Facebook makes a lot of sense. Facebook is probably one of the best choices in terms of fostering community. The layout and design are better suited for discussion than platforms like Twitter and Instagram. Also, I really like the designs for your library page! Your logo and banner are so inviting and fun. You make a good point that using social media to show off your students and your library not only advocates for your program but library programs all over the country. As librarians, we can use the widespread availability of social media to advocate for libraries everywhere. I’ll keep this perspective in mind as I engage more with using social media. Thanks for sharing!

    — Callie Graham

    ReplyDelete
  3. Karen MetcalfOctober 16, 2022 at 1:23 PM

    Christina, I enjoyed reading your post. Your creativity is superb. I love how you plan to utilize your social media account to promote your library's activities and events.

    ReplyDelete

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