Social media is the devil… AND libraries are brilliantly leveraging that evil for good.
Inspired by this week’s readings, I want to highlight a few library accounts and reels that are keeping libraries relevant, approachable, and accessible across platforms.
[reel]
Library social media teams are quick, creative, and clearly paying attention. When the “I’m coming to the cottage” earworm from Heated Rivalry went viral, the Guilderland Public Library in New York was one of many libraries to jump on the trend with this reel.
And for the Bad Bunny concert—I mean, the Super Bowl—this past February, the Los Angeles Public Library fully met the moment. Its reel showcased the power of reference librarians and received more than 234,000 likes.
Librarians are finding ways to navigate the chaos and turn it into community connection. They are meeting people where they already are, using the language and formats people understand and prefer, and showing that libraries are not stuffy boring institutions waiting for people to walk through the doors. Libraries are active participants in culture, and libraries are for everyone.
Social media is also a phenomenal storytelling canvas. So much of what libraries can offer hyperlinked communities is the opportunity to tell and amplify the story of the community.
The Milwaukee Public Library social media team did exactly that when it publicized the grand opening of its Martin Luther King Jr. Branch. The reel, created by a local producer, features Milwaukee choreographer and dancer Christopher Gilbert dancing across the street and into the library’s newly renovated building to music by Milwaukee musician Big Frank. It is so fun and creative.
The library is telling a story about its community through local artists, local music, movement, and a new public space. It has more than 734,000 views. One year later the library hosted a concert in its main branch where Big Frank performed the song featured in the MLK Branch reel, and also put that in Instagram [reel].
I live nowhere near Milwaukee and have never considered visiting it, but this post helped me learn something about the city and its culture. I showed it to my kids, and now they are begging me to plan a family vacation to Milwaukee so they can visit the MLK branch.
Hyperlinked librarianship uses technology to connect people not only to library services, but also to place, culture, creativity, and one another across platforms, physically and virtually. Truly hyperlinked communities.
[reel]