How libraries are using social media

How are libraries using social media? What challenges and opportunities does social media present to librarians, and how does your library’s social media strategy compare with others? Our white paper provides a global overview of library social media use, against which individual institutions can be benchmark their own, and be inspired to try new approaches.

Taylor & Francis carried out numerous case studies using 3 focus groups in the UK, US and India to find out their approaches to social media, including how it is being used in their institutions. Here is a short overview of some of our discoveries:

Click to enlarge infographic:

Frequency of use

Social media is becoming increasingly popular amongst librarians, with a majority who feel that it is an important communication tool and have been using it for 3 years or longer.

Which channels are most used?

Facebook is the most popular network amongst librarians, followed by Twitter and blogs.

Opportunities & challenges

Many challenges and opportunities are raised when it comes to social media, including most librarians wanting to connect with users regularly, but not having enough time and staff resources.

Planning and policies

Social media policies are rising, with over half of libraries who have already implemented a policy, or planning on doing so in the future.

To find out more about how libraries are using social media, download our infographic, or get the full picture by downloading free white paper on use of social media by the library.

See also:

How libraries are applying social media

How libraries are measuring the effectiveness of social media