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Facebook-Instagram-Twitter

Social media is something that I considered was for the young folks. Well, guess what, it’s the young ones that I serve in the library and it’s even the young ones that are their parents. I want their experience with the library to be amazing so social media, here I come.  

Facebook  

I’ve been a member of Facebook for %$ years. I don’t really know how long, but it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I realized how much it helped our school. The moms of my classroom of students had their own page-School Name and Class of 2029. While not every single parent had a Facebook account (or did they?), it was a terrific way to share photos and updates of what was going on at school. Not once did it cross my mind to look for libraries, library groups, and other librarians. Now that I am aware of what is out there that I can use as support, I am a much happier person. Here is what I found:  

School Library Media Specialist-I’ve just joined this group a couple of weeks ago but am already glad that I’m a member. They have just over 7,000 members. Lots of posts from librarians about shelving issues, specific book questions, what motivates students to read, etc.  

Future Ready Librarians-This is my favorite Facebook group. With over 28K members someone is sure to be able to answer your questions or share a wonderful idea with you about library issues. Book recommendations, Makerspace ideas, weeding and collection development, questions about presentations, book fairs, and so much more. I don’t feel alone anymore because I realize that someone else has the same query as me.  

There are going to be advantages and disadvantages to Facebook such as posting a question in a comment and then not being able to find out if someone answered me or not. Maybe I’m just not as Facebook savvy as I thought. Another disadvantage is that I do not really know how our libraries compare unless I specifically ask, or they give details about their school library. So the information is generally general in nature. The biggest advantage though still outweighs any of the disadvantages. For new librarians, it is a lifesaver knowing that other librarians have similar issues and questions. We may be spread out in the world but we are not alone in our quest to make readers.  

Instagram  

Wow, I am still a big newbie at this form of social media. I am learning to make posts and film a reel and can turn it into a highlight. Our school is on Instagram but our library has not been featured there—YET.  

Instagram is popular with parents right now and this is a great time to let them know what is going on in the library. They can see the fun things that we do and books that their children love to read. This is a wonderful place to post our reading programs with the lists of books that go along with the programs.  

Take a look at my Instagram video and pictures that I learned how to do just this week. The photos are of my new library helper that my assistant principal hired just this Friday. The video is of our newly redone and enlarged secondary campus library. Wow, that’s a story all unto itself for next time.  

Twitter 

My husband had me sign up for Twitter when it first came out. I had no idea what I was getting into, and the account stood dormant for years. Until now. I kick started that account and I’ll keep it, but I have also started @WOBLibrarian for my library ideas. I’ll need to practice with this to see what gets noticed. I have put on all 3 social media accounts my new part time helper and I am getting some feedback.  

I am now following John Schu. A librarian friend introduced me to him a while back, but I never even considered following him on any social media. I will investigate getting some of his books in my collection.  

Check out @MrSchuReads  

You can find me on Twitter @WOBLibrarian.  

I must admit that after creating these accounts and posting photos, videos, and information I am getting so much positive feedback. This is an exciting adventure and I look forward to posting a lot more.  

Blogs and blog readers. I never really paid much attention to these things until now and I feel like I’ve gone down a rabbit hole. The more I investigate what kinds of blogs I would like to follow the more blogs I find to add to my blog reader! I have limited myself right now, but I also know what I’ll be doing over holidays and breaks.  

Until last week I had not a clue what a blog reader was or why someone would need such a thing. Now that I’ve done some investigating and know a little more, I’m not sure why I didn’t investigate sooner. A blog reader can certainly keep you organized. I went to BloggingWizard to look at a few of the more popular blog readers and here is what I found.  

Good News is one that I tried first. It was easy to sign up and get things started. I created my own topic because the ones listed on the site did not fit my need. I added a few blogs and then proceeded to navigate the site. I was not particularly wild about how they are displayed. Once you have read an article it turns from black to gray and if not finished with an article you can mark as “unread.” This was my first try with a blog reader and I was pleased. 

Next, I tried out Feedreader. I liked this much better. It looked more like what my email looked like and so easy to navigate. I also liked the color scheme that they use. Who would have thought that using color for different things could make such an enormous difference, but it does. I like the fact that you can collapse or expand your messages.  

Newsblur was up next. Right away I was not a fan of this blog reader, but I’m sure it makes some happy. It is way too busy for my liking. Even after spending a while on the site there are some things that I still do not know what they are for. The small icons on the left for each of the sites make me “scratchy” because they are all so different. One thing I did like about this site and that it has so many distinctive styles in which you can display the articles in a blog. Not my favorite to look at though.  

Feedly was so stark! It is almost as if they forgot that they can add color. I was not sure how to navigate the feed and the boards. I’m sure with a little more study I would figure this out, but after having looked at other blog readers I knew that others were much easier to navigate and give me what I wanted so I gave up on this one.  

Feeder is where I finally landed. It is easy to add feeds and looks a lot like my email. I like the fact that I have added a blog/podcast and when I want I can listen to the podcast on Feeder and not have to open another tab. Am I the only one that opens a bajillion tabs and then get fussed at by my husband? I can collapse or expand the blogs to quickly find what I want to read or listen to. I do wish it had a bit more color to make it more inviting and interesting.  

Here is what I have added to Feeder to keep up with.  

No Shelf Required was one of the first blogs I added. This is an award-winning blog that deals with digital technology for higher education. After looking at the site a little more I don’t believe it is one that I will be visiting very often if at all. I’ll keep it on my feed for a while and then decide if I need to delete it.  

Learning by Inquiry is a site that I found a last year when learning more about inquiry learning. If you want to know anything about inquiry learning or find lessons and activity ideas this is the site to visit. So full of information that helps our kids learn and be ready for the 21^st century.  

To find out about outstanding librarians visit Elementary Librarian. You will also find so many great resources by grade level. I use only the free version and so far have been happy with what I am able to find. I can only imagine what I could do with a paid version of Elementary Librarian. This will need to be considered for a future budget item.  

John Spencer is the author of many books that explore creativity and wonder He is the creator of the John Spencer site that features links to his podcast, YouTube channel, blog, newsletter, Facebook, and Instagram. He will inspire you to be better at what you do.  

I saved what I think is the best for last. Cult of Pedagogy is a site where you have access to a blog, podcast, videos, and even a store. Run by editor in chief Jennifer Gonzalez, you can listen to or read about strategies to make your job as an educator go to the next level. She is very motivating and I always learn something from every podcast.  

I also did a thing. I started a Tumblr account. I have posted a couple of things and don’t quite have it down just yet, but you must start somewhere. I know someday I’ll figure out this hastag thing. I must talk to the teenager. You can find my Tumblr account here. Let’s grow and learn together.