Transcript

NICK:

Social media is a great way to shout about your school library and its services, but it can't always be accessed in schools. And you need to make sure that anything you do fits in with your school's policy. You also need to be aware of safeguarding issues before posting any pictures online.

Students over 13 can use Instagram. And this can be a great way to promote books and reading to them. If your school has an Instagram or Twitter feed, then you can ask them to repost about the library. And there are popular hashtags, like #bookstagram. It works best if you can post regularly as well.

You can also do things like link the Twitter feed for the Carnegie Medal on your library management home page. Twitter tends to be used more by parents. So again, it's a great way to promote the library to them.

Social media is also a great way to build up contacts and learn from other librarians. Librarians love to share ideas. So by following organisations like CILIP, SLG, or individual librarians, you'll get loads of good advice. There's also an online network of school librarians and many great blogs, such as CILIP Connect.

Writing a blog is also a great way to give back to the library community and evidence your own professional development. You might find it a good idea to use a different account to promote your school library and another one for your own professional development or, for example, use Instagram to post about books and reading and to use Twitter to follow other librarians. Whatever you decide to do, social media is a great source of help, ideas, and support.