This document provides tips for libraries to effectively use social media platforms like Facebook, memes, Twitter, and Pinterest to engage patrons. It recommends that libraries use Facebook to share information about programs, resources, closings, and entertaining content like puzzles and humor. Memes are described as funny image macros that spread online and can be used on Facebook. Tips for using hashtags on Twitter to reach local patrons are also provided. Pinterest is suggested as a way to organize program ideas.

1. How to be hip online 101

2. THIS PRESENTATION WILL
COVER
1. Facebook
2. “Memes”
3. Twitter
4. Pinterest

4. WHY DOES YOUR LIBRARY NEED
TO BE ON FACEBOOK?
Patrons need to see how cool we are!
Updating patrons with important library
news
Building relationships
Staying relevant with the public

5. BRANDING
Would your patrons be able to pick
your Facebook page out of a line
up?

6. BE RECOGNIZABLE
Don’t change your profile photo
often. Choose something that library
patrons will associate with the
library.
This makes it easier for patrons to
notice your Facebook updates when
reading their news feed.

7. BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
Build a stronger relationship with your patrons
by starting a discussion. We want to show that
we’re interested in what they have to say!
•What’s everyone’s favorite winter book?
•What’s your favorite adaptation from book to
movie?
And don’t forget – ALWAYS reply to a patron’s
question on Facebook.

8. SO WHAT DO I POST?
Information about programs:
“Don’t forget to visit our gardening class this upcoming
Tuesday at 12:00pm. It’ll be bloomin’ good fun!”
Library resources:
“Did you know that you can request books online from
home? Use your library card number and four-digit PIN to
access your account online. Check it out!
www.lpregional.lib.ar.us “
Holiday and weather closings:
“The library will be closed today because of snow. Don’t
worry about fines for items due today. Those fines will be
waved.”
“There’s a 80% chance of snow next week! Don’t forget to
pick up, milk, bread, water, and an emergency library

9. ENTERTAINING
Don’t forget that Facebook
users enjoy entertaining
content.
Library related funny photos
or articles get a lot of
attention.

10. Guess the cover
Post a square of a book cover and let
patrons guess what book it belongs to.
At the end of the day, reply with the
correct answer.
The Great Gatsby
Read it before
you see it
Have you read
Catching Fire yet?
Read it before you
see it December
14th when it hits
theatres.
Post photos of current
library displays for a
personal touch.

11. Literature related news about
popular authors or series Humor

12. WHERE DO I FIND THIS
STUFF?
Spend a little time each week searching google for key phrases
like “funny library”, “library joke”, “book joke”, “librarian
humor”, etc.
“Read it before you see it” lists are easy to come by. Search for
“books into movies, 2015”
JOIN PINTEREST. You’ll find lots of great material to use.
For book news, try websites like NYTimes.com or
HuffingtonPost.com http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/index.html
Check out partners.overdrive.com for free Facebook graphics that go
along with our eBooks.

13. SAY IT WITH A SMILE
•Think about your
tone when updating
Facebook.
•Are your updates
putting patrons to
sleep?
•Try to make your
posts upbeat rather
than just giving the
facts.

14. FIND YOUR VOICE
Make sure that your posts
don’t lose their focus.
Always include who, what,
when, where, and why when
discussing programming.
TEENS: join us for
book club Monday,
December 8th at
12:00pm @ the
Lonoke Public
Library.

15. WHO ARE YOU POSTING
FOR?
Do you like
magic?! Kids and
parents come to
the library this
Saturday at
1:00p.m. for an
awesome show.
Different age groups respond
to different colors and photos.
Consider this when putting
together information for your
postings.

16. HELP PATRONS FIND YOUR
PAGE
Try printing Facebook
logos accented by your
library name.
Put them around your
patron computers for
easy recognition!
Des Arc Public Library

17. SCHEDULING POSTS
• Save time by scheduling your daily
posts in advance.
• Posts can be scheduled to appear
on a specific date and time rather
than instantly. Go to the usual
Facebook business page and click
the arrow next to “Post”. There
you’ll find the Schedule Post
button.
• Posts are most likely seen 1-6p.m.
on weekdays. Probably during a
lunch break or when patrons get
home from work.

18. ROUTINES
Get organized with a weekly posting
routine!
For example:
•Monday - staff picks
•Tuesday - great book quotes
•Wednesday post a movie based on a
book
•Thursday - resources at the library
that patrons might not know about
•Friday - book trivia for patron Q&A

19. BE COOL
Give them quality
information delivered in an
entertaining way.
Boring posts can put your
Facebook page in danger of
being “unliked” by patrons.
Impress them! People can tell
when you don’t make an
effort.

20. ([meems] noun.
“funny captions. usually
cats.”)

21. WHAT IS A MEME?

22. “A HUMOROUS IMAGE, VIDEO,
PIECE OF TEXT, ETC. THAT IS
COPIED (OFTEN WITH SLIGHT
VARIATIONS) AND SPREAD
RAPIDLY BY INTERNET USERS.”
In other words, a meme is a photo with
overlain text. The text is usually funny.
The photo is usually of a cat.

23. OR I G I N A L
actual movie
quote
MEME
actually hilarious
FOR EXAMPLE

24. Q: WHY DO I NEED TO KNOW
ABOUT MEMES?
A: Because your patrons think they’re HILARIOUS!
They’re everywhere!
They’re considered cool!
And libraries are cool, right?

25. Facebook users love
memes (especially
teens and young
adults).
Find all types of
memes by google
searching “library
meme”, “cat meme”,
“book meme”, etc.

26. Memes can be made by
anyone.
Google “meme maker” and
have fun writing your own!
They’re great material to
have on your Facebook.
EASY! Meagan made this
one.

27. #CABOT#CARLISLE#DESARC
#DEVALLSBLUFF#ENGLAND#HAZE
N
#LONOKE#WARD

28. TWITTER BASICS
•Twitter is very simple. If you had an entire website
that was just Facebook’s “news feed” you’d (basically)
have Twitter.
•“Tweets” or status updates can only contain 140
characters (letters, spaces, or numbers).
•Search for key words or #hashtags that are important
to a group of people.
(If this powerpoint had a hashtag it’d be
#TheInternetAndYou)

29. #HASHTAGS
“A hashtag allows grouping of similarly tagged
messages, and also allows an electronic search to return
all messages that contain it.”

30. Searching #LONOKE on
Twitter gives you results
on real-time traffic
updates, duck hunting,
and other local tweets.
Basically anything that
anyone has tweeted with
the word Lonoke in it.

31. Use hashtags to reach people in
your area.
For example, Ward patrons
could search for #WARD and
find a post about your library.
This is a great way to reach new
patrons.

33. TO PIN OR NOT TO PIN-Those
who use Pinterest love it and those who don’t
hate it.
Give Pinterest a try!
You’d be surprised how much comes up when you
search for “library program” (and they’re all DIY, too).
Pinterest is a great way to organize ideas for
programming. For example, I have a Pinterest board
for each month. This is a great way to get a head start
on programming.
You can find good Facebook material on Pinterest
as well.

34. QUESTIONS?
Contact Meagan Ashcraft at
mashcraft@lpregional.lib.ar.us
Meagan is the Project Manager
/ Technical Librarian for the
Lonoke/Prairie County
Regional Library System
located in Central Arkansas.