Following on Social Media - Leading an Informed Life


My favorite organization I follow on social media is the American Library Association.  Although they have a social media presence on a few different platforms, I just follow them on LinkedIn.  LinkedIn is the social media platform that I have curated my feed to reflect my workplace, my alma maters, and just a handful of professional organizations.  I only picked out a few professional organizations, so that I can keep up on the news of ones I truly care about without feeling the overwhelm of a stream of notifications each day.  The American Library Association is at the top of my list of those organizations. I find that I repost their posts more often than any other organization that I follow.  My greatest motivation for following them is to lead an informed life in the profession of librarianship.

When I reviewed several of their LinkedIn posts before writing this blog entry, I happily determined that their social media on the LinkedIn platform checks off all the "boxes" in a list of what does the organization do well on social media.

Engaging posts - check.  Whether it is information about legal battles being fought for the Library of Congress employees or a new book the ALA has published to help librarians in the professional landscape, the posts have eye catching designs/photos and always have descriptions that can start a conversation or keep a conversation flowing.

Timely updates - check.  The ALA does not let the dust settle before the give updates on current events.

Consistent branding - check.  They do an amazing job with colors, fonts, and tone of voice.  I always know when a post is one of theirs as I scroll through my LinkedIn feed.

Useful resources - check.  Interested in special grant programs?  How about presentation contests connected with conferences?  Need the latest book about how to turn raw data into narratives that effectively advocate for libraries?  Wondering how to celebrate International Literacy Day at your library?  The answers/resources to these questions are just a sample of what the ALA offers in their LinkedIn posts. 

What could they do better with their LinkedIn social media account?  Absolutely nothing that I can think of - I just love their posts, and I am sure that they will evolve in whatever little ways are necessary to stay relevant and be genuine with their messaging. 

Who do you follow on social media that helps you to lead an informed life?

  

Comments

  1. Beth WolfSeptember 22, 2025 at 6:44 PM

    Hi Christina!
    I don't know why I never thought to follow the ALA on LinkedIn. I set up my LinkedIn when I was in undergrad (oh man, that was over 10 years ago now) and I was pursuing a completely different career at that point. At this point, I have different goals, different interests, and different aspirations. I hardly ever check my LinkedIn to be honest. It gives me anxiety for the most part. But, I do follow the ALA on Facebook and it sounds like they post some of their more general content there as well (such as the legal battles being fought and stuff about banned books week, etc). I frequently repost their posts on my Facebook because I know a lot of people that only think of libraries as buildings with books and getting rid of the stigma is important to me.

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    Replies
    1. Christina BeiderbeckeSeptember 23, 2025 at 7:43 PM

      Hi Beth! I feel the same way about educating people about libraries in today's society, so I also repost almost everything they post for others to see and think about. At the beginning of this year, I was working under a digital equity grant at the public library where I work. Each month we would need to check in with the leaders of the grant and other librarians who were also working under the grant. I absolutely loved what the leader would remind us - Libraries are the community hubs of knowledge and skill building activities. I believe in this class you and I will learn some great techniques for continuing to spread the word about what libraries have to offer!

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