This piece is the second installment of a multi-part series called “Libraries get Social” See links to the previous Part 1 below, at the base of this post.

In our previous Libraries get Social post, we explored how librarians can use Twitter as a platform to interact with patrons, network with colleagues, and learn the latest library news. Twitter is a fantastic platform for sharing images, but other social media platforms created specifically for sharing images may be a better fit to help libraries more easily connect with target audiences. This post will explore a different question: how are librarians using Instagram? Instagram, a popular image-based social media platform, can be used to improve engagement with teen and young adult patrons.

What is Instagram?

Instagram can be used to share videos and images with over 400 million users, and the platform uses hashtags (#) to tag posts on specific topics and @ symbol for mentioning other users (similar to Twitter). Instagram accounts can be easily linked to other social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, etc.) in order to cross-post to multiple social media platforms at once. To learn more about the basics of using Instagram, a good place to start is “How to use Instagram” by Gannon Burgett on Digital Trends.

A recent study from Pew Research Center indicated that Instagram was one of the top three social media platforms used by US teens (the other two being YouTube and Snapchat), with 72% of teens saying that they use Instagram.

Sharing “Shelfies” Through Instagram

Many libraries use Instagram to connect with teen and young adult users and pique their interest in library services and resources. “12 Insta Easy Instagram Library & Literacy Promotion Ideas” by Gwyneth A. Jones on the YALSA Blog suggests creative ideas for engaging with young patrons, such as asking users to share “shelfies” (“like a selfie, but with a book”), book promotions through short videos and intriguing images (either created by library staff or by the patrons), videos or images of library programs in action, book quotes as images, mini virtual tours of the library, contests asking users to create and share original content (like shelfies or book reviews), and more.

Here are a few examples of public, academic, and federal library Instagram accounts, where you can find additional inspiration for engaging posts:

• New York Public Library (nypl): Find historical images, photos of book collection on specific topics, users interacting with book covers (through #BookFaceFriday), caption contests, and use of Instagram Stories to create Insta Novels.
• Georgetown University Library (gtownlibrary): Find images of book covers and historical images, photos of library programs and staff, and announcements for upcoming library events and contests.
• Library of Congress (librarycongress): Find photos of events and speakers organized by the Library of Congress, views of architecture within and around the library building, historical images and documents, and photos of library staff doing archival work.

Other Ways to Share Images

Besides Twitter and Instagram, there are many other social media platforms where librarians may choose to share images and engage with library patrons. For example:

• Snapchat (an app for sharing “disappearing” multimedia messages) can be used to interact with teens and millennials by providing reader advisory, promoting library programs, providing “behind the scenes” look at library work, and creating Geofilters for the library. Read “Snapchat in the Library” by Paige Alfonzo at American Libraries Magazine to learn more.
• Pinterest can be used to organize images into digital bulletin boards, and “5 Ideas for Your Library’s Pinterest Account” by Ginny Mies at Techsoup for Libraries suggests creating a library Pinterest account to share boards on library programs, creation of location-specific boards, creation of boards for staff/volunteer appreciation, and creating group boards where library patrons can share library images and ideas.
• Tumblr is a blogging platform that allows for easy sharing of images, and “Tumblr Talk” by Jennifer Petti in American Libraries Magazine describes how Tumblr can be used to “promote collections, perform readers’ advisory, and start conversations about our profession.”

Each social media platform has its own strengths and weaknesses, and library staff should evaluate their target audience, potential content, and engagement strategy ideas before deciding upon any social media platform for the library.

If you need assistance with deciding upon a social media strategy for your library, learn more at the Library Management and Research page from Cadence Group.

This piece is the Second installment of a multi-part series “Libraries get Social”
See part 1 of this series: How are Librarians Using Twitter?

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