A recent article in American Libraries Online talks about NYPL and its use of social media as a tool for promoting the library. The associate director of marketing for NYPL, Johannes Neuer, touts Google Hangout as a site recently used to connect Stephen Chbosky, author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, with his readers. The added bonus is not having to arrange for a physical meeting @ the library. NYPL also uses Twitter to “get the word out”, with a following of 250,000 at its main handle. Following a monthly campaign utilizing celebrity quotes praising libraries, library card sign-ups increased by 35% last September.
The marketing dept. also uses Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Tumblr and e-newsletters as staples. But the main thrust is for librarians to blog their way into generating public interest and traffic to their posts. A recent Pew study found that 73% of patrons like to browse their library’s shelves, and Neuer feels that librarian recommendations are still an important service to their customers. The digital producer for NYPL’s Reference & Research Services, Lauren Lampasone, likes to check to see if blog posts prompt their readers to then search the online catalog or digital gallery. This brings to mind the last article I read about librarian recommendations — LibraryReads. Something to think about, at any rate…