Thoughts about the school library's presence on social media:

Today, almost everyone has some sort of social media presence or utilizes social media in some way or another. Being able to connect with others from all around the world and share ideas is one of the best things about living in today's world. Social media is a great way to advocate for your library program.

There are many ways to do so:

Facebook allows you to create a page for your school library. You can make it public, private, or even create a facebook group to share ideas in. When searching for school library pages to gather ideas from, I found several that used their facebook page to share pictures of students using the library and working on assignments. Many were candid photos of students using the library's resources on their own time- which shows what a necessary resource school libraries still are today! Librarians would also share contest opportunities, student accomplishments, and post links to articles that students or parents might find helpful. Another way facebook is helpful for librarians is to collaborate with colleagues.One of my favorite facebook groups is called "The School Librarian's Workshop". You have to request to join, but it is comprised of school librarians (of all different age levels) from all over the U.S. It's a great place to collaborate, seek advice, get lesson ideas, and share resources. There are tons of wonderful facebook groups just like this- you just have to dig a little!One drawback to facebook is that it's popularity (especially amongst teens) has significantly declined. So you really have to consider your audience when deciding whether or not to create a facebook page/group. Also, with all the recent drama facebook has been in regarding privacy, many users are abandoning the platform for other forms of social media.

Twitter is a short and sweet way to update followers on the happenings in your library. It's quick and easy to tweet a photo, video, or short statement on what the library is focusing on that week or just whatever you want to share! You can follow, like, and retweet others' to your own followers if you want to share an idea or resource. Twitter used to be very popular, then it became less popular, but it seems to be on the up again. Many educational technology leaders share and review technology, articles, philosophies, and more on their twitter pages. Kathy Schrock (@kathyschrock) provides a way to collaborate with others with the tweet shown below:

Do you use Padlet in the classroom? Please share your ideas to Flipgrid here: https://t.co/Rv7ihIKe9I The password is P@dletrules

— Kathy Schrock (@kathyschrock) August 16, 2019

People like Alan November (@globalearner) share thoughtful advice and tips for teachers and librarians:

Teachers who Google the title of homework assignments will see the most common results their students will find. Assignment titles are not usually good search strategies. #webliteracy Students often need guidance in search strategy even though they do not ask for help.

— Alan November (@globalearner) August 29, 2019

Jim Lerman (@jimlerman) shares websites, apps, and resources for educators:

30+ EdTech Websites for Teachers and Educators - Educators Technology via @joevans https://t.co/3FKIT5s5O6 pic.twitter.com/zML2tGkDH0

— Jim Lerman (@jimlerman) September 5, 2019

 Instagram is by far the most popular social media app amongst teens and young adults today. Along with the traditional feed of shared pictures, it's Stories feature allows you to share quick video clips or pictures that appear for only 24 hours. Instagram is a great way to connect with students, since many of them already have instagram accounts. It's also perfect for idea sharing with colleagues, as you can show pictures and/or videos of your library displays, seating set up, connect links to videos/downloadable resources/websites/articles, and more! One drawback here is that parents or leaders in the community might not have an instagram account since it is primarily popular with teens. Also, Instagram tends to have a funky algorithm that is based on post engagement, so your posts/stories could get lost in people's feeds.