Blog Post #6 - Feet First into Social Media!

 I am only now getting used to the idea of how powerful a social media presence can be for a school library!  I read other librarians' blogs and Twitter and Instagram pages, but it never really occurred to me to use it for my own library.  I am looking forward to growing it and seeing all the possibilities it has to offer!

I chose to create a Twitter account for my library.  I decided on Twitter because my school district supports Twitter and my school, our PTO and many of our teachers already have Twitter accounts so Twitter made the most sense for the library!  It was very easy to create the page!  Twitter makes it so easy and walks you right through the process.  My handle is @DBESlibrary.  I chose to use a dragon reading in the banner since we are the Doby's Bridge Dragons.  



Initially, I have posted about our upcoming Book Fair and my thoughts are to do several book reviews about some of the books that are being offered at the book fair.  I also have lots of pictures that I have taken in the library that I have shared with teachers and parents but that I can now share on Twitter!

In terms of instruction and collaboration, I am thinking of sharing learning that happens when collaborating with teachers on various projects.  I am getting ready to begin a unit with the third-grade teachers on non-fiction writing that I look forward to sharing on my Twitter account.  I am also working on a unit about our United States symbols with a 2nd-grade teacher that I can share as well.  I think the possibilities are endless.  

Communication with parents and teachers is my top priority so I will use Twitter to do that.  My first post is about our upcoming Book Fair, but I'm interested in posting about collaboration opportunities with teachers in the hopes that other teachers will see things that they like and decide they, too, would like to do some co-teaching with me.  

Advocacy is an area I'm not as familiar with or as comfortable with.  I know that in many areas school libraries are being budgeted out, but thankfully, I am not faced with that in my district.  However, what I do need to advocate for is a flex schedule that allows for more collaboration with teachers.  I feel like Twitter will be a great platform for this.  

I really like the ideas in the Instagram Now article by Molly Wetta.  Even though it is discussing Instagram ideas, they could easily be used with a Twitter account as well.  I like the ideas about promoting and showing off our collection in the library. (Wetta, 2016).  I also love the idea of taking pictures of new books as they come in or books that I am reading so that I can share them with teachers and parents. (Wetta, 2016).

I am looking forward to using Twitter to promote my library, communicate with parents and teachers and advocate for a flex schedule.  

References

Wetta, M. (2016). Instagram Now. School Library Journal, 30–32.







Comments

  1. Susanne ClarkOctober 9, 2021 at 3:49 PM

    I was very resistant to adding yet another social media account to my already overstretched device usage. But I have really found have having a library focused twitter account the last couple of months has offered so many new resources and generated new ideas. I have tried to see it as tool for growing my personal learning network instead of just another thing to do. I love all the collaboration ideas you have for implementing in your school. I think that is where it can start to be impactful when people are truly using it for connection and growth. I agree the IG ideas work across platforms and can also be use to target specific audiences. I think for advocacy even promoting the impact and positive outcomes with your library initiatives can help bring awareness and support for your program.
    Susanne Clark

    ReplyDelete
  2. Josie PriceOctober 9, 2021 at 5:48 PM

    Thank you for sharing your ideas for promoting your library on Twitter! With this week's blog I was really interested to see what other elementary librarians chose as their platform. Your ideas for sharing book fair ideas, collection details, and collaboration projects sounds like something that will give your followers insight into your library and the things that are happening. Good luck with your social media adventure!

    ReplyDelete
  3. DeAnna OwensOctober 10, 2021 at 2:06 PM

    Twitter sounds like the perfect choice for your library! There are so many different options it feels overwhelming at times but I think that once the learning curve is traversed, social media is the way to go in terms of promoting one's library. I really enjoyed Molly Wetta's article too. Her tips and encouragement are just what I needed this week. Good job on this assignment and thanks for sharing!

    ~DeAnna

    ReplyDelete
  4. ForrestsOctober 10, 2021 at 8:26 PM

    I loved seeing your thoughts on Twitter for your library. It sounds like a great fit for your school! Your ideas for connecting with teachers are very insightful. It seems like collaboration is especially a challenge in the elementary setting and I had not thought about using Twitter to make some of those connections. Great ideas! -Tiffany Forrest

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