Instagram for Erics
I love an article about social media for the library! For context, I am the main staff member at my branch that handles the library’s social media. As part of our library system’s guidelines, we are only allowed Instagram and Facebook so I was a little disappointed to learn that we couldn’t have Tiktok when I first started (still a little disappointed) but a particular reading, Potter’s Instagram for Libraries, provided me comfort in that fact!
Recently, I sat down and identified some areas of focus for the remainder of the year. With school starting back up, I really wanted to prioritize outreach and as this has been something on my radar for quite some time, especially with so many libraries putting out amazing content, like the Vancouver Public Library, social media! As mentioned previously, my library system doesn’t utilize Tiktok and instead uses Instagram and Facebook. With Tiktok’s massive popularity I questioned this decision but after reading Potter’s article and reflecting on my current workload, I realize that it’s probably for the best. Specifically, Potter notes that TikTok is a platform that demands a lot of time and energy and as such is one to focus on if you’re other socials are squared away; additionally, from a library point of view Potter does not see how it can be useful without the need for a physical presence, or, a person in front of the camera (Potter, 2022-a). Recognizing that I can’t always dedicate myself to social media daily I realize that if my branch had a TikTok page, it would likely go weeks without content resulting in less of an impact. Further, staff aren’t always available to film or they might not be comfortable enough being on camera and that is 100% okay!
These two points have brought me comfort in not having Tiktok and have contributed to my current reworking of my social media workflow. Out of curiosity, I explored Potter’s Instahacks mini series which reaffirmed a few of my experiences on Instagram and has provided me useful tips! The first was that a nice picture of our library’s interior on a phone will do better than a perfect shot of a book on an expensive camera (2022-b). A few of my more “polished” posts received less interactions than pictures of our interior and exterior. Reels and stories are identified as great resources and I hope to cultivate a more active feed on Instagram, especially as I plan to form a little social media committee with the team! This way I can incorporate the ideas of everyone and what they would like to see as well as easing the workload a bit!
A quick note, I really want to try and drive more conversation with our community on social media, inspired by Beyond Buzzwords (Stephens, 2025), which will be a point I share with the LQ social media committee (Gambie’s Angels? Maybe! The Gambel Quail is our city’s bird and the mascot is named “Gambie”). Let’s make Tangulu? Let’s connect! Anyway, this image garnered quite a lot of interaction based on Meta insights and I was so shocked that I ran to tell my supervisor.
References
Potter, N. (July 21, 2022-a). Ideas about communication. Ned Potter. https://www.ned-potter.com/blog/tag/InstagramMiniSeries
Potter, N. (January 3, 2022-b). Instagram for libraries. Ned Potter. https://www.ned-potter.com/blog/instagram-for-libraries
Stephens, M. (2025) Beyond buzzwords: Ten invitations to build library connection and community. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/f05u6l0d50k8js28vgokz/Beyond-Buzzwords-Ten-Invitations-to-Build-Library-Connection-and-Community.pdf?rlkey=2i1b76g18h9t2qxmq3s1y7q90&st=t70l9v4y&dl=0