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Using Facebook to Promote Your Library

By on August 3, 2011

I still find it crazy (!)  that the OCLC 2010 Perceptions of Libraries found that only 11% of larger libraries had Facebook pages. That can’t be true today. There are so many ways to effectively push content on Facebook… not just listing events… that are meaningful to our users.

For example. I received a Google alert about a blog posting because it referenced my library’s Facebook page and how we integrated offline with on line. But the cool part is how the post pulled together what other libraries are doing. Read the whole post, but here are a few examples.

Willard Library has a tab that allows customers to sign up for genre-specific news feeds.

williard library 296x300 Using Facebook to Promote Your Library

Nyack Library uses Library Thing to showcase books and allow customers to comment titles.

library thing 300x246 Using Facebook to Promote Your Library

And New York Public Library has a landing page that is clickable to connect FB users with their website –  it is really sweet!

nypl1 296x300 Using Facebook to Promote Your Library

There’s so much opportunity! What are you doing that you’d like to share?

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Filed Under: Alison Circle: Bubble Room
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Alison Circle About Alison Circle

Alison Circle is director of marketing communications for Columbus Metropolitan Library. Previously she was an Account Director at Jack Morton Worldwide, a global branding agency, and her primary client was Target Stores. Prior to that she was the National Marketing Director for Minnesota Public Radio and "A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor." She has advanced degrees in English and Fine Arts, and is a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts grant.

Comments

  1. Ford Simmons says:
    August 3, 2011 at 2:28 pm

    I am from the Sumter County Library in Sumter, South Carolina. We have used social media since 2009 to reach our patrons. For being a library in a rural county, we have over 500 Facebook friends at this point. Our Facebook page is a big success. We use Facebook to ask patrons what they are reading. Patrons can also search our catalog from our Facebook page, as well as sign up for newsletters.

    http://www.facebook.com/sumtercountylibrary

  2. Natalee R. says:
    August 3, 2011 at 2:56 pm

    I’m having trouble adding tabs… Can anyone provide some insight on this? I’ve been combing the Help sections on Facbeook, to no avail…. ??

    • Alison Circle says:
      August 10, 2011 at 4:09 pm

      Hi, Natalee. I’ll ask my staff person to get in touch with you to help. I’m guessing he can answer your question.

  3. Steven V. Kaszynski says:
    August 9, 2011 at 9:54 am

    Are those OCLC numbers actually 2008? Library Research Service (LRS) of the Colorado State Library just tweeted me this pdf. Have a look. It claims public libraries used Facebook in 2008 to the tune of 11%, while 80% were on Facebook in 2010. In any case, that would seem a more likely number.

  4. Steven V. Kaszynski says:
    August 9, 2011 at 9:55 am

    Are those OCLC numbers actually 2008? Library Research Service (LRS) of the Colorado State Library just tweeted me this pdf. http://t.co/jkvuy4S?type=js Have a look. It claims public libraries used Facebook in 2008 to the tune of 11%, while 80% were on Facebook in 2010. In any case, that would seem a more likely number.