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Social Media for Libraries: Building a Collaborative Marketing Culture

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How can libraries create a workplace culture that supports strong, consistent, and meaningful marketing? Marketing success rarely depends on one staff member alone. Effective communication requires input from every department. Adult services, youth services, circulation, administration, and technical services all contribute unique knowledge about programs, spaces, and community needs. A collaborative culture ensures that these perspectives flow toward a shared goal: clear, welcoming, mission-aligned communication. A collaborative marketing culture begins with internal transparency. Staff need access to information early enough to promote programs, services, and changes in a timely way. Clear workflows support this goal. Workflows outline who submits information, who reviews it, and who prepares final materials for posting. Staff also need clear expectations regarding deadlines, tone, and approval processes. These elements reduce confusion, improve efficiency, and create space for crea...
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Social Media for Libraries: Training for Library Marketing

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How can libraries prepare staff to communicate effectively in a fast-paced digital environment? Library marketing requires a broad skill set. Staff need to possess strategic thinking, visual communication skills, community awareness, and a strong foundation in professional ethics. Training builds these capacities. Training also strengthens confidence, improves consistency, and supports a unified message across all platforms. Effective marketing development begins with purpose. Staff must understand how outreach supports library goals. Staff must also grasp how promotion reflects library values such as intellectual freedom, equity of access, and community service. Workshops on tone, accessibility, privacy, and message clarity help create shared expectations. The American Library Association provides guidance on accessibility   through its Code of Ethics . Libraries benefit from structured learning in practical skills. Tools such as Canva ,  LibraryAware ,  and Meta Busine...
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Are Social Media Platforms Really Inclusive? A Look at TikTok’s DEI Claims

 After reading TikTok’s article “Our ongoing commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion,” I was interested to see how the platform talks about its DEI work. They describe having a dedicated DEI team, employee groups, diverse creator councils, and partnerships with organizations focused on anti-hate and representation. On the surface, it sounds like TikTok is trying to take inclusion seriously. But once you look a little closer, you start to see the bigger picture, and some of the common barriers to equity and inclusion on social media . A lot of the challenges are structural: who gets hired, whose voices shape policies, and how algorithms decide what content gets pushed out. And even when a company makes strong DEI statements, marginalized creators can still be overlooked if the algorithm doesn’t favor their content or if moderation affects them more harshly. That’s why it’s important to think about how we evaluate whether a platform is truly addressing DEI . For me, the ke...
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Standing up for DEI - Beth Wolf Blog Post #11

I don't really love to get political, especially when it creates a divide between myself and the people that I am trying to have a conversation with. However, when it comes to the issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, getting political not only is necessary in this day and age, but it makes me angry. I will explain, so stick with me for a moment. Earlier this year, DEI became very taboo. The federal government put into place several executive orders that wanted every instance of DEI removed from official social media accounts, they terminated DEI programs, and placed employees in DEI roles on administrative leave with no end in sight. Not only is removing all of these instances of DEI a huge waste of time, in my opinion, other people's livelihoods are at stake and they may not have known where else to go after that. Furthermore, the effects spread into the corporate world. Many companies started walking back their DEI policies due to fear of getting punished by the federa...
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Where is the Focus When Incorporating DEI into Social Media?

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Are you afraid to communicate directly with someone because you are worried about saying the wrong thing - something that offends instead of creating a feeling of being included in the conversation?  Rachel Latsko from Carnegie Mellon University touches on those types of feelings in her video presentation, "Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Social Media."  She suggests that those types of feelings need some consideration as to the why, and she also suggests many actions to take to move past those feelings.  Her entire presentation was jammed packed with so many helpful suggestions, but in this blog post I am going to focus on just one.  Asset Framing. She introduced the idea of Asset Framing and played a video clip from the person who started the conversation using this term - Trabian Shorters. It was so enlightening for me.  I had not heard of the term before or the concept.  The more I thought about it, the more it made sense to first define people by...
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Social Media for Libraries: What Makes a Good Candidate for a Marketing Librarian?

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In a world where libraries connect with their communities both online and in person, what does it take to be a truly effective marketing librarian? Marketing in libraries has progressed far beyond traditional methods, such as poster design and event blurbs. The role now centers on shaping how the community perceives the library—both physically and digitally. A marketing librarian functions as a storyteller, strategist, and connector. Their work transforms the library from a quiet building into a visible, dynamic presence within daily community life. A practical marketing librarian blends creativity with strategy. They craft visually engaging content while understanding how each post aligns with the library’s broader mission. They analyze which platforms reach specific audiences, using data to inform direction rather than intuition. Writing skill, design sense, adaptability, and curiosity all matter. Social media platforms evolve rapidly; the most effective professionals stay alert to ...
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Mods, Librarians, and the Art of Keeping the Internet Civil (Lauren Fowler Week 10)

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If you’ve ever watched a comment section implode, you know that “community” online doesn’t happen by accident. It takes guidance, boundaries, and people who care enough to keep things from turning toxic.Information professionals already know how to create spaces that balance openness with respect. We’ve been doing it in reading rooms and reference desks long before Discord servers and Facebook groups existed. The same principles apply online: clear policies, active listening, and a genuine commitment to inclusion. But “moderation” isn’t the only role we play. Lovejoy and Saxton’s Information–Community–Action model shows that successful organizations don’t just post updates—they build relationships and invite participation. Librarians can do that too: spotlight underrepresented voices, host virtual programs where people feel safe sharing their stories, or simply model empathy in replies and comments.  The trick is sustainability. Online communities often burn bright and fizzle fast...
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