Learn how teens use social networking technologies and how these same technologies can be used to engage them in library services. Teens and Social Networking Now: What Librarians Need to Know is organized around ten major topics, including using social networking sites to connect teens to young adult literature, social networking and legislative issues, social networking and safety/privacy issues, and the social and educational benefits of social networking. Expert practitioners explain how such issues can and should impact library services to young adults, focusing on concrete suggestions and specific steps for best practices and program designs that will help librarians utilize social networking tools to enhance library services to teens, both online and in the library. As background, the book explores the reasons so many teens use these sites. It also shares a profile of an award-winning public library's use of social networking to engage teen library users and a national survey of the ways YA librarians are using social networking to deliver public library services.

From a team of experts who have researched the information habits and preferences of urban teens to build better and more effective school and public library programs.

Since there's no point in Twittering if no one acts on your tweets and there's no point in having a Facebook page with a million "likes" if library use doesn't increase, you'll welcome the eight best practices presented here because they will help your library both actually do social media in a way that matters and do it well. The successful strategies presented here range from the Vancouver Public Library's innovative use of Twitter to the United Nations Library's adoption of a social media policy to the Farmington, Connecticut Public Library's fantastic work using social media to reach teens who weren't using the library. Other libraries highlight their ventures into media including blogs, Pinterest, and social catalogs.

Using Social Media to Build Library Communities: A LITA Guide is a community-building action manual for practitioners across the profession. By bringing together an array of perspectives to explore community building through social media, this book serves as the go-to resource for professionals who want to take social media beyond marketing and promotion to build an inclusive and engaged community of library users. Each chapter contains clear explanations of important topics for building communities through social media, and readers will come away with cohesive approaches for their own libraries. Using Social Media to Build Library Communities demonstrates that an energetic and committed community exists to help and guide fellow community builders.

"This book provides an overview of the major questions that researchers and practitioners in this area are addressing at this time and by outlining the possible future directions for theory development and empirical research on social networking and eDating"--Provided by publisher.

In this practical guidebook, experienced librarians—a public librarian and a school librarian—share advice and ideas for extending resources, containing costs, and leveraging capabilities between school and public libraries, offering insights and strategies to overcome today's economic challenges. The current economic crisis has had a drastic impact on both public and school libraries. As budgets shrink, resources become scarcer, and the job of the librarian becomes harder. The conundrum of doing more with less challenges even the most seasoned professionals whose institutions face service cutbacks, disappointed patrons, and possible job eliminations or closures. This book asserts that a collaboration between school and public libraries can effectively serve the needs of two populations—teens and the community at large—while minimizing the cost to do so. Better Serving Teens through School Library–Public Library Collaborations offers thought-provoking advice and ideas for practical use in real-world libraries. The authors provide step-by-step guidance for those who wish to start, strengthen, or extend a partnership with colleagues at a sister library, covering topics ranging from teen advisory boards and collaborative programs to homework help and professional development. Veterans in the field, as well as beginners, can utilize the wealth of tools within—including worksheets, timelines, and checklists—to leverage the capabilities of other agencies tp fortify both their own and their institutions' value.

The vast array of social media options present a challenge: it’s tough to keep current, let alone formulate a plan for using these tools effectively. Solomon, a librarian with extensive experience in web development, design, and technology, cuts to the chase with this invaluable guide to using social media in any kind of library. With a straightforward and pragmatic approach, she broadens her best-selling ALA Editions Special Report on the topic and Presents an overview of the social media world, providing context for services like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and analyzes how adults’ and teens’ use of social media impacts the library Offers advice on easy ways to use these tools on a daily basis, with planning strategies for posting and scheduling Addresses the fine points of Facebook, comparing the various types of profiles and accounts Guides readers in the basics of crafting eye-catching status updates, and other social media best practices Shows how to manage and monitor accounts, including pointers on dealing with negative feedback Including a bibliography of additional resources, Solomon’s guide will empower libraries to use social media as a powerful tool for marketing, outreach, and advocacy.