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.

What is content marketing? Simply put, it's the most effective way to increase your value to customers. When you deliver content that library users find useful and relevant, you give a compelling answer to their question, "What's in it for me?" Author of the best-selling book The Librarian's Nitty-Gritty Guide to Social Media, Solomon speaks directly to public relations personnel, web librarians, and other staff responsible for the library's online presence. Filled with nuts-and-bolts advice on how to increase the library's value to its users, her guide: defines the essential characteristics of effective content marketing; explores methods of audience assessment; demonstrates how to optimize content for sharing; explains the elements of an editorial calendar for sustainable content, and shows how to create once and re-purpose many times; describes meaningful metrics for the library context; points out 5 common mistakes and how to avoid them; provides a template for creating personas; and includes first-hand accounts from library marketers. Making content marketing concepts bite-sized and easily digestible, this guide shows libraries how to market effectively by focusing on what library users find useful and relevant.

Putting library management into the unique context of the not-for-profit world, this work offers you invaluable guidance on how to manage your library effectively. Managing a library presents a significantly different challenge than managing a small business, a corporation, or even a school or charity organization. To be effective managers and excel in their careers, librarians must understand their unique position in the social landscape and leverage that role to become influential leaders. This guide shows librarians how to make the most of their inherent skills and develop new leadership strengths in order to become better library managers, advance their careers, and sustain their libraries—in spite of changing environments and shrinking budgets. The book examines many facets of managerial leadership, defines what managerial leadership is, and describes how to assess and increase leadership skills. The chapters also identify the constraints unique to libraries and explain how you can develop positive relationships with government boards, turn a vision into a practical strategic plan, and exercise fiscal control. You will gain invaluable knowledge about fund raising, developing political skills, advocacy and lobbying, and legal and ethical concerns, specifically in the library environment. The final section of the book is devoted to people skills—understanding yourself and others, developing staff, collaboration, negotiation, meetings and presentations, and creating future success.

Snapchat, a new photo and video sharing mobile app logs over 400 million messages every day. Instagram, a similar mobile app boasts over 130 million users. And the 6-second video-making app Vine has skyrocketed to 40 million users within its first year. Discover how you can leverage the popularity of these new mobile social applications for your library by joining these social networks and creating engaging content. Learn how to encourage library patrons to create their own content and tag it with the library’s location. Mobile Social Marketing in Libraries walks you through the process of planning, creating, and sharing mobile social marketing content for your library. This practical handbook leads readers through the process of planning, creating, and sharing mobile social marketing content for their library, offering insight into the essentials of using mobile social marketing apps in the context of library engagement. Successfully advertise a new series of programs, promote traditional resources, and place a hand on the pulse of the library’s service community with steps included in this book including: How to Create a Teen Library Tumblr How to Use Snapchat for Library Social Media Marketing How to Provide Reader’s Advisory Through Instagram How to Use Instagram for Library Marketing How to Use Vine for Library Instruction How to Host a Library Contest for Twitter How to Create a Facebook Group for a Library Book Club

Growing Your Career with Social Media presents social media tools, current trends and professional development strategies to help busy librarians remain up-to-date. This title offers advice from librarians on how to use social media for career development and continuing education. Advice is based on accumulated experience from professionals who have incorporated social media into their professional lives. The book includes interviews and suggests ways librarians can use social media as a tool for self-promotion. It includes tables of social media tools and their potential uses, and also provides resources, lists, organizations and information on librarians currently active in social media. Gives strategies, resources, and social media tools for career advancement in librarianship Presents interviews from experienced librarians on how best to use social media Offers real-world experience of great use to practicing librarians Incorporates original research unique to this book, which librarians can use Includes practical resources so librarians can start using social media tools immediately

Branding provides a unique way for a library to distinguish itself: its identity, personality, and image. Drawing on five vividly unique case studies from libraries across the country, Breakthrough Branding: Positioning Your Library to Survive and Thrive shows how to mesh your library’s brand deeply and seamlessly within your internal culture, to leverage and better position your brand for the audiences you serve, and develop and implement promotional strategies and tactics consistent with your objectives. Experienced marketers and branding consultants Suzanne Walters and Kent Jackson offer clear advice regarding the art and science of library branding, advocacy, ethical considerations, marketing management and evaluation throughout the book’s three sections: “Branding” explains what a brand is and how to assess, develop and utilize your brand as an important institutional asset, with insider tips on environmental scanning, market research, and situation analysis; “Positioning” leads you through the process of effectively addressing your target audiences; “Promotion” helps you develop an integrated marketing communication strategy, including how to craft on-target messages, leverage your online presence to inform and engage with community members, and capitalize on traditional marketing channels, with guidance on public relations, event strategies, email, websites, and more.

The rise of social media technologies has created new ways to seek and share information for millions of users worldwide, but also has presented new challenges for libraries in meeting users where they are within social spaces. From social networking sites such as Facebook and Google+, and microblogging platforms such as Twitter and Tumblr to the image and video sites of YouTube, Flickr, Instagram, and to geotagging sites such as Foursquare, libraries have responded by establishing footholds within a variety of social media platforms and seeking new ways of engaging with online users in social spaces. Libraries are also responding to new social review sites such as Yelp and Tripadvisor, awareness sites including StumbleUpon, Pinterest, Goodreads, and Reddit, and social question-and-answer (Q&A) sites such as Yahoo! Answers—sites which engage social media users in functions similar to traditional library content curation, readers' advisory, information and referral, and reference services. Establishing a social media presence extends the library's physical manifestation into virtual space and increases the library's visibility, reach, and impact. However, beyond simply establishing a social presence for the library, a greater challenge is building effective and engaging social media sites that successfully adapt a library's visibility, voice, and presence to the unique contexts, audiences, and cultures within diverse social media sites. This lecture examines the research and theory on social media and libraries, providing an overview of what is known and what is not yet known about libraries and social media. Chapter 1 focuses on the social media environments within which libraries are establishing a presence, including how social media sites differ from each other, yet work together within a social ecosphere. Chapter 2 examines how libraries are engaging with users across a variety of social media platforms and the extent to which libraries are involved in using these different social media platforms, as well as the activities of libraries in presenting a social "self," sharing information, and interacting with users via social media. Chapter 3 explores metrics and measures for assessing the impact of the library's activity in social media sites. The book concludes with Chapter 4 on evolving directions for libraries and social media, including potential implications of new and emerging technologies for libraries in social spaces. Table of Contents: Preface / The Social Media Environment / Libraries and Social Media / Assessing Social Media Sites and Services / Evolving Directions in Social Libraries / Bibliography / Author Biography