Twitter for Libraries (and Librarians)
For
many people, the word “twitter” brings to mind birds rather than humans. But
information professionals know that Twitter (www.twitter.com) is a fast-growing, free messaging service for people, and it’s one
that libraries (and librarians) can make good use of—without spending much time
or effort.
Twitter lets people send and receive short
messages (called Tweets) via the web or via SMS using a mobile phone. Messages
on Twitter are limited to a maximum of 140 characters, including spaces, and
they’re generally public. Because each message is just a sentence or two, a
carefully crafted post can convey a good deal of information without taking a
lot of time to read or write. In addition, because Twitter has millions of
users, it’s a good place to find and connect with people interested in your
institution and your areas of expertise.
To automatically see what someone else is
saying, you “follow” them. Those who regularly receive your posts are your
“followers.” You don’t need to give each other permission to follow, and you
can view Tweets without signing into Twitter, but you must sign in to follow
someone.
Thanks to the brevity of messages on Twitter,
people often refer to the medium as “microblogging.” Like full-sized blogging,
the pint-sized version is useful for exchanging many different kinds of
information. Although Twitter users initially shared just personal updates
(“Eating kale for lunch” or “Watching the Giants game on our new TV”), it’s
become common for people and organizations to Twitter about professional ideas
and information too. Yes, organizations have now begun to use Twitter as a
communications medium.
For example, a library could share all kinds
of news that patrons want. Short messages can tell people about events such as
readings, lectures, and book sales; newly available resources; or changes in
the building hours. One message a day or one a week could share a tip on
finding or accessing information online or in the building. Twitter posts can
link to interesting news stories about literacy or about libraries. When
appropriate, the posts can link to a library’s own website and blog for more
in-depth information.
LIBRARIES ON TWITTER
Libraries of all kinds are already using
Twitter to good effect. Public libraries such as Ada Library in Boise, Idaho (http://twitter.com/adalib),
and the Cleveland Public Library (http://twitter.com/Cleveland_PL)
use Twitter to point out highlights on their websites—everything from exhibit
announcements, to links for nominating “your favorite librarian,” to holiday
hours. The Missouri River Regional Library (http://twitter.com/mrrl)
posts information about teen events and recently linked to research about the
value of libraries in lean economic times. The Glendale (Ariz.) Public Library
(http://twitter.com/GlendaleLibrary)
Tweets about its programs.
University libraries have a somewhat
different focus. The Undergraduate Library at the University of
Illinois–Urbana-Champaign (http://twitter.com/askundergrad),
for example, lets students know about upcoming deadlines (“5 days left to
return ALL media items”), service issues (“Access to EBSCO through wireless is
down. You can still access EBSCO through desktop PCs”), and other topics of
interest to its audience (“UGL is hiring for Spring 09! Applications @ the
front desk”). The Yale University Science Libraries (http://twitter.com/yalescilib)
announce workshops on library resources, provide links to online archives, and
give tips on sending text messages to a librarian. North Carolina State
University Engineering Library (http://twitter.com/NCSUEngLibrary)
links to both university and external blog posts.
Twitter gives special libraries a new
opportunity to share information not just with their internal clients but also
with people outside the institution who are interested in their topics. The
Lunar and Planetary Institute Library (http://twitter.com/LPI_Library),
for instance, has linked to the Carnival of Space blog, the International Year
of Astronomy Discovery Guide, and a report on the National Science Digital
Library (NSDL) meeting. Sun Microsystems’ library (http://twitter.com/libraryresearch)
Tweets about additions to its collection. The National Press Club (http://twitter.com/NPCLibrary)
does a nice job of combining announcements of coming events with URLs and some
personal observations (“Luncheon with Paul Krugman, http://tinyurl.com/5rqckl,”
“3 great book events at the club next week!” and “Thoroughly enjoyed the Billy
Joel luncheon. Was a bit surprised when he walked by my office in the library
beforehand”).
Since people often look to see who a
Twittering person or institution is following, libraries can add resources to
the list of accounts they follow. The local newspaper, national and international
news sources such as NPR (http://twitter.com/NPR) and
BBC (http://twitter.com/BBC), and
professional information sources (http://twitter.com/LibraryJournal)
are all good candidates to follow. However, you can only easily see 36 accounts
being followed, ranked according to when they joined Twitter. Libraries that
find the list of their followed Twitterers is not terribly useful can create a
background image that lists resources on Twitter.
There are, of course, many individual
librarians who are on Twitter, combining personal posts with professional ones.
In fact, if you plan to establish a library presence for your institution, you
need to decide whether to include an employee’s name on the account. Most
Twittering libraries don’t (Illinois’ Undergraduate Library didn’t even fill in
the bio field), but library users want to know who’s behind the Twitter
account. The bio field has 160 characters available, and libraries should take
advantage of the opportunity to explain their mission and highlight people.
EFFECTIVE USE OF THE TWITTERVERSE
The essence of Twitter is conversation.
Libraries, however, tend to use it as a broadcast mechanism. Libraries on
Twitter should encourage followers to interact with the library—ask questions,
share links, re-Tweet interesting posts from others, and reply when people
message you (those are prefaced with @ your account name). For professional
development, look for conference coverage on Twitter.
Given the many potential uses of Twitter for
libraries—not to mention the likelihood that your patrons are already on
it—it’s a great medium to embrace. And at just a few sentences a day, the
lightweight format doesn’t require much time to make a big impact. The accounts
above will give you a feel for library Twittering (for more libraries that
Twitter, check out www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Twitter).
Bear in mind that the medium is new, and
libraries have only begun to skim the surface of Twittering. But as a service
designed for exchanging information, Twitter holds great promise for libraries
of all kinds, and your creativity will expand its utility.
Twittiquette for Institutions
Before you do anything else on Twitter, sign
up for an account at Twitter.com (it takes just a few minutes), and then spend
5 or 10 minutes a day clicking around and learning how people use the service.
Make it a point to follow at least a few interesting people and institutions.
(On Twitter, you can get a feed of somebody else’s messages by “following” that
person; unlike on other social networks, there’s no need to get permission from
them.) After a week or so, you’ll be familiar enough to start
posting—particularly if you keep the following guidelines in mind:
Do fill in your account’s Settings with the
name of your institution and its URL. Then use the 160-character Bio field to
give the name and title of the employee or employees who post to the account.
Don’t assume that people won’t care who’s behind the account.
Do treat Twitter as a conversation rather
than a broadcast medium. Don’t simply post information without also replying to
people who send you messages in the system. How do you know they’re talking to
you? They’ll start their message with the @ symbol, followed by your account
name. For instance, “@Cleveland_PL: Where can I find a podcast of Sarah
Vowell’s recent reading?” Replies show up in a tab on your Twitter page.
Although conversational Twittering is not yet the norm among libraries, it is
common for other institutions on the service to interact with followers. Thus
it’s expected by many Twitter users, and it’s a great way to connect with
patrons.
Do search Twitter daily for mentions of your
institution, using both Twitter Search (formerly Summize; http://search.twitter.com)
and the Find People function on the main Twitter site, which actually will find
institutions as well as individuals. Don’t ignore the conversations that are
happening about your library or your community. Reputation management is not
just for businesses.
Do follow everyone who follows you. When
somebody follows you, it’s a sign that they’re interested in talking to you;
when you follow them back, you’re signaling mutual interest and providing an
important connection for many of your constituents. An additional benefit is
that people who follow each other on Twitter can send “direct messages,” which
are private messages between two parties and can be good for customer service
and other exchanges that may be specific to an individual patron.
Do post approximately once a day, or up to as
many as five or six times a day. Don’t let the account go inexplicably quiet
for extended periods, and don’t overwhelm people with too many posts.
Do
sometimes ask questions and solicit feedback. Don’t forget to follow up with a
post on the results.
Regards
Pralhad
Jadhav
Senior
Manager @ Library
Khaitan & Co
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