Tag Archives: Social Media

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Social Media: History Lesson

Image by Jason A. Howie. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons' licensing.
Image by Jason A. Howie. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.

Do you consider yourself to be a history buff? Would SixDegrees, Friendster and MySpace come to mind when you think about social media? In Trivial Pursuit, the 20th Anniversary Edition, it would probably fall under the category for  “Innovations.”

Take a moment and breeze through Matt Smith’s quick history lesson about start-ups that built the foundation to what we refer to today as “social media.” In his article, October 2013, Smith gives a nod to early innovations such as the BBS (Bulletin Board System) and IRC (Internet Relay Chat.)  These technologies predated the World Wide Web in the mid-90’s; opening a market for other platforms which ultimately bolstering sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest.  Smith predicts, “While Facebook is king, there’s still room for niche alternatives, particularly those that emphasis images or video rather than an infinitely updating news feed.” Click here to read the full article, Social Media: Did it really start with Facebook? [Geek History Lesson], MakeUseof.

Tip: CMLE often highlights ways teacher librarians can incorporate forms of social media into classroom and instructional processes. Here are two additional free resources for you to consider;

  1. Facebook Guide for Educators: A tool for teaching and learning, made available online by The Education Foundation 2013. Click here to download the pdf.
  2. 15 Cool Ways Libraries Can Use Vine to Create Social Videos by OEDb (July 2013.)
Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Tumblr as a Library Resource?

Image by Jessaaz. Retrieved from FlickR. Used under Creative Commons licensing.
Image by Jessaaz. Retrieved from FlickR. Used under Creative Commons licensing.

An article in Brain Hive placed by a high school librarian refers to the impact Tumblr had on her teen patrons. Robin Brenner professes that using this form of social media is even more affluent than Facebook or Twitter. Robin goes on to list essential tips (8) on how she  successfully marketed library resources, to teens, with Tumblr.  She also shares her top picks for current sites categorized by Teen Lit Tumblrs, Tumblarians, Teen Authors who Tumble, etc. Click here to read, Power Tumbl’ng: Why Tumblr Is a Great Way to Reach Teen Patrons (September 2013.)

In a related post, The Library Is Open: A Look at Librarians and Tumblr (June 2013), Molly Mcardle talks about how librarians have and can incorporate Tumblr in their work.  Molly quotes other types of librarians targeting a wide range of patrons who also use Tumblr.

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Young Adults Seeking Books!

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Photo by mkh marketing and retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons license.
Photo by mkh marketing and retrieved from Flickr.                     Used under Creative Commons license.

Publisher Weekly posted an article titled Teenage Tweetland, YA authors and publishers reach out to young readers where they live: online and on their smartphones which discusses the use of social media in relation to the publishing industry. What makes this post so interesting are the multiple perspectives/voices being projected; the young adult, the author, the publisher, etc.

A large sector of young adults use social media such as Twitter (20+ million), Goodreads (8+ million users under 30), Tumblr (22+ million users under 18), blogs, etc. to identify titles to add to their reading lists.  Publishers themselves are posting upcoming book lists and must reads derived from data collected from sites “liked” or reviewed by their target audience.  In addition, authors are engaging their readers by sending tweets not just about the finished publication but during the characters development process to heighten anticipation and ultimately entice continued readership.  Simone Elkeles, author of Perfect Chemistry, states that she spends about 25% of her time writing and 75% of her time directly interacting with her fans. Authors like Sundee Frazier find it daunting to engage in social media platforms stating, “I’m not the sort of person who can just fire off tweets. My first priority is writing my stories.”

This highly personalized and direct marketing creates a digital dialog with readers-especially young readers who are confident and enthusiastic about technology.  It also creates a feeling of being connected, albeit virtually, using a system that has been known to inversely foster physical isolation.  This type of connection between writer and reader is becoming a growing expectation opposed to a preference.  I suspect the key is finding a medium that works.  As Patricia Post indicted in her editorial, From the Director,  CMLE has recently begun to engage in various forms of social marketing (this blog) with our target audiences (libraries and library professionals) to acknowledge that libraries are key stakeholders in the ever present cycle of information development, access and sharing. Click here to read the full article (May 2013).

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Connect, Converse, Engage!

We want to hear from you! And, we want to make it easier for you to engage with one another as well! We all have something to offer, and although many of our CMLE members come from different library types, we all really do have a lot in common! Let’s learn from each other. Let’s talk. Let’s get this 12-county region of library staff communicating, sharing, and learning from one another!

“How?” you ask?

Well, as you may have noticed, here at CMLE, we have been hard at work rethinking and retooling to better facilitate conversation and sharing across the region. We have a new Facebook page which we’ve connected with our Twitter account and blog, and we’re sending out the “CMLE Weekly Review” via email to all our members.

Our new Facebook page is located at http://www.facebook.com/CentralMinnesotaLibrariesExchange We hope you’ll “like” CMLE on the Facebook page itself — or, on the upper right side of this page, you’ll notice that you can click the “Like” button for the CMLE Facebook account. We will use the Facebook page to connect with those that have “liked” us in an informal yet useful way. We also hope that you will use the comment area on the CMLE Facebook page to talk with other library personnel!

The CMLE Twitter account handle is @CMLEMN! Here, you’ll see updates, reminders, useful links, etc… from CMLE on a regular basis. “Follow” us on Twitter and we’ll be sure to “follow” you right back! That’s the name of the game, and we know you’re sharing useful stuff on Twitter, too! Like Facebook, this is an informal space that we’re hoping to keep fresh, light, energizing, and most of all — helpful!

Additionally, don’t forget you can comment on our blog posts as well in the “Leave a Reply” box!

We know your time is valuable, and hope that these new social media options will make it easier for you to connect with CMLE and other libraries around the region. Please remember that Patricia and Kate are always interested in hearing directly from you, too! Send an email, give us a ring, talk with us face-to-face at an event or conference… whatever is comfortable for you! Hope to hear from you soon!