Successful Social Networking in Public Libraries

Most commentaries to date on library use of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter have focused on a handful of well-funded public libraries with high-profile employees.  Now Crawford’s Successful Social Networking in Public Libraries fills in the rest of the picture, offering for the first time an in-depth look at how a large variety of public libraries are using social networks. Examining nearly 6,000 libraries across the US, Crawford

• Analyzes social network usage by libraries of many different sizes and funding levels, showing how many of them are active and effective in quite different ways
• Offers many examples that will help other libraries establish or refine their own social networking activities
• Lays out several key questions that libraries should ask themselves, such as “Who do we want to reach?” and “What’s the best way to interact with communities?”
• Gives libraries guidelines for setting social networking goals and conducting ongoing evaluation
• Includes illuminating comments from numerous librarians on the front lines of communication

Based on broad research, Crawford draws a vivid portrait that shows how a wide range of public libraries is conducting digital outreach and marketing through social networking.