Using Social Networking Tools in

Library Marketing

LeAnn SuchyCollege of St. Benedict / St. John’s University

lsuchy@csbsju.eduFind me (and friend me!) on:

What I mean when I say“Social Networking”?

• Web-based virtual communities• Interaction with virtual friends• Contributing and sharing ideas, items,

etc.• Web-based interactive tools

Types of Social Networks

• Social Communities• Social Bookmarking / Citing• Social Sharing• Social Gaming

Social Communities

• Socializing is the key• For some - the more fun, the better

Social Bookmarking / Citing

• Storing and finding Web sites & citations

Social Sharing• Sharing photos, recipes, books, news,

videos, music, causes, etc.

Social Gaming

• Virtual avatar interaction

Me, as a Simpsons character!

Marketing in Social Communities

• Facebook Profiles– My Facebook profile– Other librarian profiles

• Facebook Applications: Books iRead, del.icio.us, Librarian, CDs, Movies, and library applications, like Hennepin County, and UIUC.

• Facebook Groups– CSB/SJU group, Pius XII Memorial Library,

Schurz Library

Marketing in Social Communities

• MySpace Profiles– Hennepin County, McNally Smith,

St. Paul Public Library

• Create your own social network in Ning, like Roselle Public Library

Marketing in Social Bookmarking/Citing Sites

• Del.icio.us– Library/Librarian accounts

• Iris Jastram, Carleton, Heather Tompkins, Carleton, DePauw University Reference

• More so for research purposes, but it can highlight what librarians can do

Marketing in Social Sharing Sites

• Flickr– Highlight collections

• CSB/SJU library, Westmont Public Library new DVDs, Books R Groovy new books, Dublin City Public Library historical postcards, NCSU Special Collections, ISU Reads posters

– Highlight events• ISU’s Edible Book Fest,

Live Oaks Public Library Star Wars program, Hennepin County Southdale Superhero contest, Buckham Memorial Library Somali Storytime, DiMenna-Nyselius Library baseball exhibit, Carlson study breaks

Marketing in Social Sharing Sites

• Flickr, cont.– Highlight the library and staff

• Carlson Library Staff activities, Hatcher Library celebrate banned books w/ staff

– Just have fun• Plymouth Libraries Bookstart Bear,

Hennepin Teen Trading cards

Marketing in Social Sharing Sites

• YouTube– Highlight the library and staff

• St. Joseph County “Ray of Light” day in the life at the library, Williams College Library welcome, Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center, CSB/SJU video

– Highlight library events and exhibits• McCracken County Library Dr. Duck storytime,

San Francisco Queer Youth Speak display

Marketing in Social Sharing Sites

• YouTube, cont.– Let library patrons shoot videos

• Common Misconceptions about the Eden Prairie Library - the winner in their YouTube Contest for Teens, Fairfield Library contest,

– Have fun• Markham Campus Seneca Library Holiday song,

Wizard of Oz library circulation

Marketing in Social Sharing Sites

• Blogs and wikis– News and events

• CSB/SJU blog– Book clubs

• WPL Book Club, Norwalk Public Laid Back Book Club, Los Gatos Children’s Book Club, Princeton Public Library Book Lovers Wiki

– Wikis for students• Mac Library Experience Wiki

Marketing in Social Sharing Sites

• Sites to keep your eye on:– Shelfari / LibraryThing /

What Should I Read Next – could highlight collections here, but currently it’s not the best

– Fleck, where you can Fleck the Web– LastFM, highlight music collections

Marketing in Social Gaming Sites

• Second Life– Second Life Library, LOC exhibit, Harvard

classes • Take cue from other marketing

campaigns:– Simpsons Movie marketing, including

Simpsonize Me, MySpace– Millsberry

Pros about social networking marketing

• Many patrons are there• New ways to market materials• Keeps us on the cutting edge of

new sites our upcoming patrons will be used to using

Cons about social networking marketing

• What about patrons not on these sites, are we forgetting them?

• How do we get them to go to the sites?

• Will these sites remain?• Does it make us look

unprofessional?

Doing this in your library

• First, figure out what to use– What would be best for your collections and

library?

• How to market these sites that market? How to get patrons there?– Use computers in the library, use due date slips,

market in book clubs, market in library instruction, market with other groups in the community, get a library blog on your site or a library wiki where patrons can contribute!

Doing this in your library?

• Make a plan for level of professionalism– How personal will staff profiles in

Facebook and MySpace be?– How will we interact with patrons?

• Make a plan and stick to it, but leave room for change, and have fun!

Thank you very much!

LeAnn SuchyCollege of St. Benedict / St. John’s University

lsuchy@csbsju.edu

Find me (and friend me!) on: