Be Interesting, Be Interested

In May of 2012, the Montana State University Library revamped its social media program by creating a Social Media Group (SMG) to guide social media activity. Scott Young and Doralyn Rossman (2015) conducted a study to measure the effectiveness of implementing this social media plan. Prior to the formation of the SMG, the Library's Twitter feed was less than spectacular, which "lacked a sense of presence and personality" (p.23). The Montana State University Library modeled their social media plan around Harry Glazer's approach: "Be interesting, be interested" (2012, p.20). The SMG focused on improving the Twitter platform by targeting the undergraduate and graduate students by posting daily energetic tweets that focused on social interaction and information sharing. The Library wanted to connect with their students and build a sense of community. As result of the study, the student community increase by 366 percent and the rate of interaction among the community increased by  275 percent (p. 32).

What Montana State University Library did to improve student connection in its university community can also work in the public library community, too. Being a public librarian in a very rural area, I am always trying to find new ways to reach my potential patrons and keep my regulars coming back for more. We recently launched a Facebook page. With Glazer's recommendations, I hope to improve our library by connecting to our community through social media.

Glazer, H. (2012). Likes' are lovely, but do they lead to more logins? Developing metrics for academic libraries' Facebook pages. College & Research Libraries News, 73(1), 18-21.

Twitter.com. Twitter [Image]. Retrieved from https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/615680132565504000/EIpgSD2K.png

Young, S. H., & Rossmann, D. (2015). Building library community through social media.
Information Technology & Libraries, 34(1), 20-37.