Facebook Welcomes the OPE Library!
Watch out, Facebook, here I come!
I'll be totally honest, the idea of creating and keeping up with my own social media account for the library seemed daunting at first. I am a first-year librarian and already feel like my plate is overflowing. However, getting my page set up was easy, and I am starting to get excited about being able to share library goodies without feeling like I am hogging our school page! My school utilizes Facebook over other platforms because it is the best fit for our community. At one point we had Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts, but they've slowly been eliminated due to the lack of interaction until only Facebook remains. Since Facebook is our most used platform, and since I am already an administrator for our school page, I felt that using it to create my library page made the most sense. Additionally, as I am getting started it is easy to share between pages and let our community know about the presence of this new page.
Supporting instruction is a facet of my social media presence that I had to put some thought and reflection into before coming up with a solid foundation. First, it was important to determine which parts of instruction I would be willing to share. Like the post mentioned above, I think sharing lesson summaries, supporting activities and ideas, choice boards, storytime topics, our favorite storytime songs, student-led activities, or makerspace challenges are all well within my realm to share. I could also use it as a teaser or foreshadowing tool hinting at upcoming activities. However, I feel that any classroom lessons that don't happen in collaboration with the library should be reserved for our school page. I want to keep the identity of the library page authentic, and not create a replica of the school page. I could also use it as a collaboration tool by asking or sharing ways that the community can help or be involved with things happening in the library.
Communication follows a similar route. I will keep parents updated and involved in what we are doing in the library. I am on a fixed schedule, and see every class PIP through 5th grade once a week. With this schedule, I have the opportunity to work with every student which will make my posts relatable to all who know a student at our school. This follows closely with our readings this week that focused on making the library visible, and not just for the community. I think there are many who don't understand the purpose of media specialist. I vividly remember explaining my fixed schedule to my husband and going over some of my ideas for how we would spend that time and he, quite seriously, looked me in the face and said, "I didn't realize you would do so much. I thought you would just shelve books and shush kids." 
Pair that with the number of times I've heard, "Why aren't you a teacher anymore?" or, "Oh, you couldn't handle teaching?" and I am more than ready to make my job description known. Taking the time to make our library visible will showcase the importance of having that space, as well as reinforce the importance of my position. There are many, even in my building, who think libraries are on the brink of becoming obsolete. No one who has ever seen kids in a library would agree with that thought, so social media is a great way to show them the importance of having a library.
Pair that with the number of times I've heard, "Why aren't you a teacher anymore?" or, "Oh, you couldn't handle teaching?" and I am more than ready to make my job description known. Taking the time to make our library visible will showcase the importance of having that space, as well as reinforce the importance of my position. There are many, even in my building, who think libraries are on the brink of becoming obsolete. No one who has ever seen kids in a library would agree with that thought, so social media is a great way to show them the importance of having a library.
Advocacy is something I am struggling with. I am still learning the ropes of my job, our library space, our collection, circulation, students, and needs. As a result of this, I had a hard time brainstorming things that I might need to advocate for. If it is something that can be covered by Title 1 funds, I usually run an elevator pitch by my administrators walking down the hallway and receive an answer fairly quickly. These pitches have covered everything from eliminating Accelerated Reader, genrefying the library, creating a makerspace area, and purchasing technology programs. These pitches are usually well-recevied and have not yet required me to go further than administration for support or funding. I know that eventually I will have to engage in public advocacy, so I hope to keep that in the back of mind throughout the year so I can easily identify areas or topics that may be important enough to go to bat over.
I am looking forward to growing our library's social media presence and connecting with the community!
Josie,
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to read that your community chose Facebook as the preferred social media platform but it makes sense as most elementary students (probably) don't have their own devices to follow Instagram or Twitter. You made a good point about not "creating a replica" of your school page. I hadn't thought of this and it is important to advocate for your program by sharing ideas that only you can contribute as the school librarian.
- Taylor Pineiro
I really enjoyed your post! I am also intimidated by the idea of maintaining a social media space for a library but am excited about the journey. Facebook seems like a natural fit for your school, and maybe many elementary schools since parents tend to use Facebook. I especially love your idea of hinting at upcoming events. Hopefully that will spark interest in your community. I wish you the best of luck on using Facebook to promote and advocate for your library! -Tiffany Forrest
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