Facebook for the School Library

How are libraries using Facebook?

 

After doing a quick search on Facebook, I discovered MANY schools that had active Facebook pages.  Many of the schools had a large amount of followers with very high ratings.  I took some time to preview some of the posts from several different library pages. I noticed that there were several "likes" for many of the posts, but very few comments on the posts. I also noticed that most of the library pages had frequent and up to date posts.

 

WHAT are libraries posting?

*Book reviews
*Pictures and comments detailing what is happening in the library. (special guests, special events, classes)
*Links to other blogs or websites with important information on books and curriculum
*Updates on upcoming events (book fairs, parent involvement nights)
*Posting throughout the summer with summer reading book lists and activities
*Downloads of reading handouts


ADVANTAGES of having a library Facebook page:
*Facebook is EVERYWHERE! It's a familiar tool. Most parents and a lot of students are on Facebook.  Having a Facebook page for your library is a great way to get everyone more involved in what is happening in the library.  It is easy to get information out there in a quick and easy way. 
*Easily accessible and convenient for patrons to check daily
*Constant positive communication with parents and students
*Allows you to share new books and materials quickly
*Gets students excited about new book arrivals, or positive book reviews that interest them
*Students can get involved and write their own book reviews

DISADVANTAGES of having a library Facebook page:
*Monitoring the comments and possible other posts that could be tagged to the library could be daunting.  Making sure the comments are positive and appropriate is a must.
*Keeping up with the content you add, the need to post frequently
*Possibly limits face-to-face communication with students and parents
*Keeping up to date with security settings that change frequently
*Making sure when posting pictures and activities in the library that students are allowed to be photographed and parents are ok with adding the pictures to social media

My thoughts...
Having a Facebook page for your library might be a little daunting at times, but I think the rewards could also be amazing. I think keeping in touch with parents and students and sharing the positive things going on in the library is a great way to stay connected and get others more involved.