Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Using Social Media to Build Library Communities: A LITA Guide is a community-building action manual for practitioners across the profession. By bringing together an array of perspectives to explore community building through social media, this book serves as the go-to resource for professionals who want to take social media beyond marketing and promotion to build an inclusive and engaged community of library users.



Each chapter contains clear explanations of important topics for building communities through social media, and readers will come away with cohesive approaches for their own libraries. Using Social Media to Build Library Communities demonstrates that an energetic and committed community exists to help and guide fellow community builders.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Figures (p. ix)
• Tables (p. xi)
• Acknowledgments (p. xiii)
• Preface (p. xv)
• Part I Building Communities of Library Users
• 1 Picking a Platform and Finding a Voice (p. 3)
• Overview (p. 3)
• A Case Study in Growing Community Online (p. 3)
• Picking a Platform (p. 5)
• Audience, Medium, and Message (p. 8)
• So Which Social Media Platform(s) Should We Choose? (p. 18)
• Final Thoughts and Recommendations (p. 19)
• Notes (p. 24)
• Bibliography (p. 26)
• 2 From Broadcast to Conversation in an. Academic Library (p. 29)
• Overview (p. 29)
• Early Days: Getting Together, Breaching Silos (p. 30)
• Getting Organized, Getting Professional: Creating a Social Media Guide (p. 31)
• Growing Pains (p. 31)
• Successes and Failures (p. 36)
• Looking Ahead: Final Thoughts and Recommendations (p. 43)
• Notes (p. 45)
• Bibliography (p. 45)
• 3 Find Us on Facebook: The Evolution of Social Media at a Community College Library
• Overview (p. 47)
• Social Media Beginnings (p. 48)
• Experimenting with Social Media (p. 49)
• Legacy Social Media Efforts, Revisited (p. 55)
• Building Collaborations and Capacity (p. 59)
• Final Thoughts and Recommendations (p. 61)
• Notes (p. 62)
• Bibliography (p. 63)
• 4 Social Media and Health Care: Building and Sustaining Communities for Patients and Providers (p. 65)
• Overview (p. 65)
• Use of Social Media for Health-Related Purposes: Patient Communities (p. 66)
• Use of Social Media for Health Professions: Practitioner Communities (p. 68)
• Barriers and Privacy Concerns (p. 71)
• Role of Librarians (p. 72)
• Conclusion (p. 73)
• Notes (p. 73)
• Bibliography (p. 75)
• 5 Adding Value with Advertising: Using Paid Promotions to Build Your Online Community (p. 77)
• Overview (p. 77)
• Facebook Advertising: A Beginner's Guide (p. 78)
• Facebook Advert Examples (p. 85)
• Student Attitudes toward Library Use of Facebook Advertising (p. 90)
• Conclusion (p. 92)
• Notes (p. 92)
• Bibliography (p. 93)
• Part II Building Communities of Library Professionals
• 6 Building Communities of Practice in the Library Profession (p. 97)
• Overview (p. 97)
• The Beginnings of Online Communities of Practice (p. 97)
• The History of Communities of Practice (p. 99)
• Libraries Fostering Communities of Practice (p. 102)
• Professional Communities of Practice (p. 103)
• Creating, Nurturing, Educating: Librarians and Communities of Practice (p. 107)
• Notes (p. 108)
• Bibliography (p. 109)
• 7 Building a Personal Learning Network (p. 111)
• Overview (p. 111)
• Personal Learning Network: Tools (p. 111)
• Personal Learning Network: Culture (p. 115)
• Next Steps (p. 120)
• Notes (p. 120)
• Part III Transforming Community into Action-Social Media and Social Justice
• 8 The Urgency and Agency of #OccupyNassau: Actively Archiving Anti-Racism at Princeton (p. 123)
• Overview (p. 123)
• Documenting #OccupyNassau (p. 125)
• Notes (p. 133)
• Bibliography (p. 134)
• 9 Cultivaring Critical Dialogue on Twitter (p. 137)
• Social Responsibility and Social Media in Librarianship (p. 137)
• Connecting with Each Other: #critlib and #libleadgender (p. 138)
• Connecting with Our Communities (p. 143)
• From Conversation to Action (p. 146)
• Notes (p. 146)
• Bibliography (p. 149)
• Index (p. 151)
• Abour the Editors and Contributors (p. 155)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Titles on social media and libraries are abundant, but most focus on marketing and outreach. Young (digital initiatives librarian, Montana State Univ. Lib.) and Rossman (administrative director of data infrastructure & scholarly communication, head of collection development, Montana State Univ.) take a slightly different approach-using social media to foster conversations and build communities. In three distinct sections (developing communities of users, creating communities of professionals, and transforming communities into action for social justice), the editors highlight voices from a range of library types-public, four- and two-year college, health sciences, and school libraries, as well as archives. While each chapter presents valuable information, this book makes its mark with its final section. Here, Jarrett M. Drake examines how Princeton University documented its students' #OccupyNassau movement, and April M. Hathcock discusses relying on Twitter to spark discussions of critical librarianship. The volume ends abruptly; a conclusion that ties the content together or compares it to existing literature would have been beneficial. VERDICT This selection will be helpful to librarians and staff considering delving into social media, as well as those looking to harness it in new ways.-Amanda Folk, Ohio State Univ. Libs. © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Social media provide effective ways to communicate and build community, and librarians are taking advantage of this. Editors Young and Rossmann, both academic librarians at Montana State University, have compiled a diverse collection of library experiences with social media. Chapter contributors represent all types of libraries, from around the U.S. and Hong Kong. The nine chapters are clustered into three themes: library users, the librarian community, and social justice. Chapters range from 10 to 20 pages long, and most include tables or images and an extensive bibliography. All of the contributors discuss their process of using social media to build community, and share lessons learned. The first chapter serves as a useful foundation, providing criteria for choosing a social-media platform and identifying different types of online communities. Other highlights of the collection include using social media to feature users who have leveraged library resources and services; to build a community among health professionals and individuals seeking health information; to use clever advertising to build library community; to develop librarian communities of practice; and to connect library and community groups to foster social justice. A short index concludes the volume. This practical and thoughtful book includes a surprising amount of valuable and timely information.--Farmer, Lesley Copyright 2018 Booklist

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Scott W. H. Young is assistant professor and digital initiatives librarian at Montana State University Library. He has published and presented on user experience, participatory design, social media, and web privacy.
Doralyn Rossmann is associate professor, administrative director of data infrastructure and scholarly communication, and head of collection development at Montana State University Library. Her recent presentations and publications include public budgeting, library-vendor relations, and social media, including ethics, optimization, and community building.