Best Uses of Instagram by Libraries

Instagram may not be an obvious choice for institutions such as libraries, merely because it is largely only usable via the mobile application. Another downside to Instagram is that links to other websites and resources are not clickable when in a comment or post caption. As such Instagram has a limited ability to lead users to other sources of information, unlike Twitter or Pinterest.

A successful, useful Instagram account needs to be creating it's own content regularly. Original photos and videos with informative captions and helpful and/or fun hashtags are a must. Instagram may not be a tool for sharing large amounts of information, sharing links, or creating photo albums, but it does have some unique uses and a large user base.

Here are some way libraries can use Instagram:

• Posting photos and videos that reflect what is currently happening in the library, engaging customers, and showcasing and celebrating events. For example, the Australian Museum advertised their "#FreeMuseumWeekend" on their Instagram.
• Share collections and new acquisitions like the Fisher Rare Book Library.
• Reveal some of the behind-the-scenes of what goes on in libraries - as the State Library of Victoria does here.
• Interact with customers via comments and hashtags.

Best Uses of Scoop.it by Libraries

On the surface, Scoop.it appears to be a lot like Pinterest. You can take content from anywhere on the web and make it into a "Scoop". You can choose a picture from your source, as well as some text. A user (or rather, a curator) puts these Scoops under certain "Topics", which work much like Boards on Pinterest. Even the layout has it's similarities, but overall Scoop.it seems to serve a different purpose to Pinterest, or at least a different purpose than most people use Pinterest for.

Scoop.it works best when used to create a wealth of links and resources on a certain topic. It is a way for people knowledgeable in a certain field to share not only their own work from various places on the internet, but any articles, blog posts, websites, or reviews that they believe may be relevant or useful.

As such, libraries can use Scoop.it to cultivate an extensive point of reference and research tool for its customers. In addition:

• Libraries can use their own tagging system for all their Scoops. Users can then search within a Topic for Scoops more specific to their needs.
• Topic names are key to letting people know whether their Scoops will be relevant to them.
• Libraries can follow other curators' Topics, whether as a resource for employees on library related information (for example), or to find other Scoops that may be relevant to their own Topics (which they can then re-scoop).
• Scoop.it makes it easy to share anything you Scoop to other social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, so it can save time making multiple posts/links to a certain interesting link.
• To keep a Topic from appearing like a messy bunch of random links, it's important for libraries to add their own "insight" on their Scoops, explaining why the link is relevant and interesting. Here is a good example of how someone might add insights to their Scoops.

Scoop.it will not work for every library. The Topics created must be relevant and useful. Specialist libraries, high school libraries, and any other higher education libraries can curate Topics and Scoops that could potentially be an invaluable resource for its users. This teacher librarian's Scoop.it is a good example of this, with topics that cater to students like their "Middle School Science Resources" Topic.

Best Uses of Twitter by Libraries

Twitter is one of the most fast paced social media tools out there. With a 140 character restriction any tweets must deliver their message quickly and clearly. Twitter may be used to promote upcoming events, but Twitter is also often the go-to tool to share with followers what a user is doing right now, as they are typing out the tweet. Twitter takes the "new" in "news" down the the second, allowing events to be documented and shared simultaneously. It allows people to be up to date throughout the day (and night).

This of course affects the ways libraries use Twitter.

Here are some of the best ways libraries can use Twitter:

• Short messages and announcements, like this tweet from Moonee Valley Libraries regarding opening hours.
• Favourites, replies, and direct messages can all be used to get feedback from the community.
• Replies and direct messages can be used to answer any queries a Twitter user might send to the library, helping the library be accessible and engaged with its customers.
• Links, images, and videos can all be shared on Twitter, and can act as a way of letting people know about new blog posts or things that are currently happening at the library. The Victoria State Library often uses both images and links in their tweets.
• Join in on relevant hashtags (#) to allow users interested in the topic find their tweets, or even come up with their own hashtag to engage other users and get people talking about the library.
• Retweet relevant information from other Twitter accounts.

Twitter is popular and easy to use, but often needs to be supplemented with links to sites that allow more extensive information to be shared and explained. It works best when use in tandem with other social media, such as a blog or Facebook.

Best Uses of Pinterest by Libraries

In general, Pinterest acts as place to collate bookmarks in a visual manner. A pin is an image, but also a link to a website. This means libraries can use Pinterest to visually engage people and capture their interest with an image, and supplement it with a description and a link, allowing people to investigate further or pin it to one of their own boards for sharing or bookmarking.

More specifically, libraries can use Pinterest to:

• Create boards for book reviews and recommendations, as does Moonee Valley Libraries with their Staff Favourites and Reviews. Here, the pin includes the book cover, the description acting as a short review, and the link taking the user to the library's catalog, so customers can take actions towards borrowing a book.
• Showcase activities, collections, and displays, letting people know what is happening at their local library.
• Create reading lists (i.e. a board the recommends books to read over summer, or books for certain age groups).
• Organise resources into different boards and make them available to the public. For example Hume Libraries' Pinterest and their Hume Communtiy board, which is a "collection of community resources", including many videos and information on what is happening in the area. Their Study Resources board fills a similar role, sometimes linking out to other sites with study tips and information.

There is a commenting system, but Pinterest seems to prioritise the pin's image and its source rather than any further discussion, the comment section often forgotten and neglected at the bottom of a pin.

Individual librarians can also use Pinterest in similar ways, and there are many boards dedicated to creative spaces and book displays for libraries. Pinterest can be a great source of inspiration. It can be a fun way to share ideas and find out what libraries all over the world are doing.

Best Uses of Facebook for Libraries

Like blogs, Facebook can be used to share text, images, links, and videos. Links on Facebook often come with an automatic blurb about the link and an image from the source. In addition to this, most Facebook users have a high number of friends and pages they follow, meaning posts made or shared on Facebook will be seen amongst a high volume of other posts and information. As such Facebook tends to be less about creating original content and more about spreading news and engaging audiences with short and attention-grabbing posts.

Facebook can be used by libraries in the following ways:

• Advertise events.
• Create specific pages for events - a page that journalists and interested people can refer to for all information and updates on the event, for example the Library Lover's Day Facebook.
• Let people know about things happening in the library and the wider community - linking to other pages and sites with more extensive information. Moonee Valley Libaries use their Facebook page in this way.
• Notify followers of new books and acquisitions.
• Share relevant links, images, and videos.
• Reach a large audience on a regular basis - a lot of people will see status updates and things shared by the library's page. This audience is also likely to be of an adult age group, so content can be tailored to this specific user base.
• Gather feed back and suggestions via comments and "Likes".

Best Uses of Blogs for Libraries

There are many different ways  libraries can use blogs. Here's why I think blogs are good tools for libraries to use.


Blogs allow libraries to create their own space that is widely accessible to their community. Anyone with internet access can view and interact with a blog.

Their is very little restriction on the possible content of blogs. Posts can be long or short and have links, images, or videos embedded in them. They are versatile, opening them up to be used for a wide range of purposes. For example:

• Some libraries use blogs to store and share information that can be searched for and found by their users. The Yarra Plenty Regional Library does this with multiple blogs on certain topics that have archives going back to 2010 - all of which are available online. The National Library of Australia also has a variety of blogs that follow projects the library is undertaking. As such blogs provide a way for libraries to expand their user-base as well as create new content to be shared and archived.
• (Similarly, labels and tags on blog posts mean that people can easily find all posts relating to a particular tag, so even if a blog has a lot of varying posts and information, users can still find what is relevant to them.)
• Many blogs are used to update people on current and upcoming events, notifying users when new acquisitions are made and keeping people informed on what is happening at the library and the in the community. The Frankston City Libraries' blog The Blogalogue is an example of this.
• Users can comment on blog posts, meaning the people visiting the blog can share their thoughts and even ask questions, getting involved with the library when they previously may not have.
• Blogs may also provide simple information like opening hours and borrowing.
• Blogs often provide links for relevant services like e-libraries or ways to renew loans online.
• Blogs may also be a place for the discussion of library services by people working in the field and a way to share readings on the topic of libraries. An example of a blog being used in this way is the Boroondara Libraries blog, I Read This Thing.

[Edited 10/03/15]