Social Library, Volume 90
Jennifer Peterson
/
29 August 2017
We continue our Social Library series with this latest edition featuring dogs and dinosaurs, a mobile kitchen, and some of the innovative ways libraries are using Facebook features. Thank you to all these libraries for their great work and if you'd like to see your library featured in a Social Library edition, please let us know via [email protected] or find us on Facebook. Also, WebJunction and TechSoup for Libraries are collaborating on a series of free webinars focused on "Libraries and Social Media." We’d like to understand more about how your library uses social media and your learning needs on this topic as we plan these fall 2017 sessions. Take the Social Media and Libraries Survey today.
- Davenport Public Library in Iowa posted this photo of Decoding Your Dog, doggy-damaged edition, with a question: "What's the worst thing your new puppy or pet has destroyed?" What a fun way to engage with your patrons, and to share a behind-the-scene look at circulation.
- Gail Borden Public Library in Illinois posted an intriguing video promoting their Little Dinos 2 Library Hunt. In conjunction with this summer's interactive Dinosaur Giants exhibit, the library has hosted two Little Dinos scavenger hunts. Earlier this summer, 30 Little Dinos were hidden throughout the community in restaurants, cultural institutions and other businesses, and patrons were invited to visit 10 locations, write down a secret dino password found on each of the Little Dinos and then return to the library for a prize, or if they found all 30 Dinos, be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a tablet. And now in the second hunt, there are 20 new Little Dinos visiting all three Gail Borden Library locations, waiting to be found. Patrons are to find and list 13 secret passwords on their scavenger hunt expedition map for a prize, or "fill out all 20 secret passwords, as well as a special back-to-school secret password, and submit your entry at any location for a chance to win a dinosaur backpack and a one-year family membership for DuPage Children’s Museum." We aren't sure who made the Little Dinos, but they are amazing. Watch the video to see for yourself!
- We learned about the innovative Biblio Bistro (at right) when San Francisco Public Library invited teens to a Tomato Party to learn about the canning process. This mobile, librarian-staffed cooking cart, equipped with burners, an oven and utensils, connects people to locally grown foods through classes at the library and at the local farmer's market. Lia Kharis Hillman, recipient of the prestigious 2016 I Love My Librarian Award, is the heart and brains behind this impactful project.
- We were intrigued by Altadena Library District's use of the Services feature on Facebook. This California library lists six services, including: Borrowing Services, Passport Application Processing, Community Room & Art Displays, Computers, Printing From Your Device(s), and Teacher Services.
- And the Facebook Notes feature appears to have undergone some improvements. Portland Public Library in Maine utilizes the Notes feature to share news and resources, in the same way a blog might be used. Recently they shared a post, Resources for Responding to Hate, and another, more like a press release, PPL Installs Roof-Top Solar Array at Main Library. Staying on top of all the options Facebook provides for engaging with your community can be a challenge, so it's helpful to see how other libraries are using this social media platform!