Participatory service is about moving beyond simply providing resources. It’s about involving users, encouraging participation, and being open and transparent about the library process and services. Social media can be a tool for participatory service.
Social media has come a long way since 2011, yet Michael Casey’s commentary in “Revisiting Participatory Service in Trying Times” on the potential of social media as a vehicle for participatory service still rings true. In the article, he observes that most of the content on library Facebook pages are “one-way” posts.
At the time he wrote the article, Facebook had over 800 million active users. Now, according to Statista, Facebook and Instagram both have around 3 billion users and TikTok has around 2 billion users.
“So with this huge audience available to us, why haven’t we made greater use of the tools at hand? Why haven’t we moved beyond the idea of just talking to our community to actually engaging them?” – Michael Casey
My experience: Tips for building engagement
3 years ago, I was tasked with revamping the social media account for our community college library. I researched social media strategies and looked at popular library accounts, but ultimately, the only way to really learn how to create engaging content was to start posting.
*note: I have linked examples of the posts I talk about below. Unfortunately, most are on Instagram only and can’t be fully embedded into this post. They may require logging in to view them.
Show the resources
My first goal with social media was to create a place students could go for timely information about the library. (i.e. semester due dates, library hours, availability of Chromebooks, etc.) This set the foundation for being a trusted source for library information but very much exemplified the “one-way” content Casey observed.
Show the numbers
Sharing statistics is a great next step to providing transparent service and encouraging engagement. Piggybacking off of the popularity of Spotify Wrapped, I created a Library Wrapped. The post included stats such as the number of Chromebooks, calculators, and textbooks checked out, which textbook was the most popular, etc. People “liked” the post, shared it with others, and approached us about what we reported in the post. We now post a Library Wrapped at the end of each semester.
Show the space
Showing our space was essential to improving engagement. When I first started at the college, we were in a temporary location while our building underwent extensive renovation. Our first post to get over 1,000 views was a video set to Movin’ Out by Billy Joel. It started with our full, temporary shelves and then transitioned to empty shelves. Other posts featuring library spaces have also done well. Our most recent library tour video has over 20,000 views and 90+ comments between Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
People want to see the physical library space. While libraries are so much more than just books, people take comfort from being surrounded by books as explored by Saskia Leferink in “To Keep People Happy…Keep Some Books.” Showing these book-filled spaces on social media can help reassure potential users that the library is a place of comfort and familiarity which can lead to an increased willingness to participate in the library.
Show the people
What improved our engagement the most was showing the people behind the library. Last semester, we started Meet the Team Tuesday which involved posting a photo and short intro of each library worker. These were the posts that finally got people commenting.
“It is easier to relate to a group of people than it is to a building.” – Aaron Schmidt in Earning Trust
As users learn more about library workers, they begin to trust the library more. Our aforementioned Library Tour video features one of our library assistants running through the library and shouting out different spaces and resources. The engagement on this post far exceeds engagement on our other posts. Multiple people have even approached the worker in person and said you’re the library tour guy! They’re more comfortable approaching him and other workers because of that video. We’ve showed many of these spaces and resources on our account before. However, because there is a person on the screen showing them to the viewer, it feels more like a conversation and less like a PowerPoint presentation. People are more comfortable asking questions and participating when there is a human on the other side of the screen.
@shastacollegelibrary 200 building speed tour! Need help finding something? Ask one of our friendly library workers 🙂 Video description: a man runs through the library and tutoring center building, pointing out different services as he runs through. #shastacollegelibrary #shastacollege #collegelibrary #library #speedtour
At the end of the day, the library is about people. We provide books and resources, but those are pointless without people to use them. Social media can be a great way to engage people and help them feel more comfortable participating with the library and helping shape the services we provide them.