See Also: the
University of British Columbia iSchool Student Journal
Vol. 3
(Spring 2017)
Pinterest
in Academic Libraries: Social Media Policy on Visual Social
Networks
Logan Bingle
Keywords: Social
Media, Pinterest, Academic
Library, Planning
Social media has come to
dominate the
world of online communication. As a result, the social media ecosystem
has come
to support a diversity of social media platforms to meet various user
needs. A
unique user need that has recently emerged is the desire for visual
communication, which is typified by social media platforms, such as
Pinterest.
This briefing examines the emergence of Pinterest as a specific example
of a
visual social network and proposes a framework to develop a social
media plan
for Pinterest from literature on the use of Pinterest in academic
libraries.
It has been over ten years since the launch of Facebook in 2004. In the intervening decade, a whole ecosystem of social media platforms has developed and transformed the way that people communicate. Of particular interest, there has been a transition from the written word to a system of visual communication, which is typified by social media platforms such as Pinterest (Baggett & Gibbs, 2014).
Pinterest offers several
opportunities
to make the library a fun experience and eases patrons’
information seeking
challenges. Pinterest’s visual format allows patrons to
quickly scan book
covers as part of their browsing activities. Librarians can share their
passion
with a wider audience. Patrons can take a more active role by
commenting on
library posts and sharing content with librarians to include on the
library
Pinterest board.
Pinterest is a visual book marking service. Using a Pinterest account, users can book mark webpages of interest and associate each webpage with an image; these images are pins. Users can also organize pins into broad categories called boards (Thornton, 2012).
What makes Pinterest unique for users is the ability to search and follow boards that the users find interesting. This allows organizations and individuals to develop an audience around specific topics. Retailers have already used Pinterest to rapidly increase traffic to their stores and drive sales. Libraries can use the same tools to grow and enhance patron engagement with their collections and services (Thornton, 2012).
When implementing a new social media account, the critical first step is to develop a plan for its use and growth. A Pinterest plan should layout several key points (Thornton, 2012):
·
Content
·
Keywords
·
Boards
·
Tone
·
Editorial
Schedule
·
Assessment
·
Copyright
Account managers should decide
on what
content to share with users. This might include:
·
Recommended books
·
Study suggestions
·
Images from
digital collections
·
Inspiration
quotes or images appropriate for the library
Multiple content types are also encouraged (Thornton, 2012).
Once the content for the
account is
selected, it is necessary to consider the keywords that will be used to
describe the content. These keywords will help patrons find the content
on
Pinterest and guide the titles and descriptions of the images.
Account managers should avoid keywords that are too general or too specific. Instead, words or phrases that patrons commonly use to ask for help in the library’s physical space and online presence should be used. The library you are working with should also be consulted to see if they have a set of standard keywords for the organization, but you should also be receptive to adding keywords, as deemed appropriate by library personnel (Hansen, Nowlan, & Winter, 2012).
Account managers should decide on the boards that will be used to organize the content, as it is often simplest to organize boards by the content types. Keywords should also be considered when deciding on boards and board titles (Thornton, 2012).
Deciding on a tone for social media is critical to engaging with patrons. Consult with the library and see if they have a style guide or social media plan that outlines the tone of the library. Generally, writing in a casual tone and using a second person voice will work best online because the dialogue will sound more conversational and will draw more users in (Redish, 2012).
Regular posting on the account is critical to engaging with an audience, and a publishing schedule will help keep the social media plan on track (Thornton, 2012). A publishing schedule should detail:
·
The types of pins
that will be published
·
The audience the
pin is directed towards
·
The publishing
date of the pin
·
The individual(s)
responsible for publishing the pins
Account managers should develop
a
system for tracking the account’s activity and reach. Some
basic metrics to
track include:
·
followers
·
re-pins
·
likes
·
pin views
·
board views
Time should also be set aside to evaluate these metrics and consider changes to the plan (Baggett & Gibbs, 2014).
When an image is pined on Pinterest, a copy of the image is created. When selecting and pinning images, special consideration should be given to copyright and licensing restrictions, and a list of image sources for the library should be developed to assist in identifying sources and avoiding copyright infringement (Hansen et al., 2012).
There are several sources and practices that are best to avoid when looking for images to pin (Hansen et al., 2012):
·
Do not find
images to pin using google images search;
·
Do not pin images
from external websites that do not give permission for third parties to
pin the
website’s content;
·
If there is ever
doubt about an image’s copyright status, do not include it on
the account.
As part of the plan, identify
several
image sources, which allow pinning and are easily accessible by your
team
members. Some places to look for images to pin include:
·
Images created by
library staff;
·
Librarything.com;
·
Images created by
partner organizations that grant permission for the library to pin
their
content;
·
Wikimedia (be
sure to read copyright documentation beneath images on this site).
Once the plan is brought
forward, it
is time for the plan to be implemented. It is good to keep some
suggestions in
mind as the agreed upon account managers carry out the plan.
Automated posting allows staff
to set
aside a single time during the week to post the majority of the
library’s
Pinterest content. Some automated Pinterest services include:
·
Viralwoot (free)
·
Buffer
·
Viraltag
·
Curalate
Be sure to stay engaged with patrons by setting aside several 10-15 minute time slots throughout the week, as this will allow account managers to check on comments and re-pin content from people who follow the library (Redish, 2012).
When posting images, be sure to include a unique image description that will help readers understand the image and the resource it points to. Use the keywords from the plan to focus these descriptions (Hansen et al., 2012).
Include a link back to the webpage with the image’s location so that patrons do not have to search through an entire website. For books and cataloged resources, this can be particularly important so patrons can easily find the resource in the library (Hansen et al., 2012).
The library’s work
flow should be used
as a source of content for Pinterest. If the library has a blog, or is
bringing
in new materials, account managers can post these items as pins.
This usually limits the amount of copyright issues since the content is internal to the library and photos of these items can be taken by library staff members. Pinning content that is internal to the library also allows the account managers to reuse existing content instead of continually creating new content (Hansen et al., 2012).
Library patrons and partners
should be
included on the Pinterest account. Account managers should develop and
follow a
list of partner websites and re-pin content that is relevant to the
library’s
boards and patrons.
Encourage patrons to share content with the library as well; if the content fits within a category type and meets with the library’s copyright policy, re-pin the content and let the patron know the library has used their content. This helps patrons become active members of the library (Hansen et al., 2012).
Pinterest is a fun way to
actively
engage with the library community. Pinterest allows librarians to share
their
interest and collections with a global audience, enhances engagement
with
library partners and the community at large, and allows library patrons
to grow
their active participation in the library and explore the library in
new ways.
Hansen, K.,
Nowlan, G., & Winter, C. (2012). Pinterest as a tool:
Applications in
academic libraries and higher education. The Canadian Journal
of Library and
Information Practice and Research, 7(2),
1–11.
http://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.21083/partnership.v7i2.2011
Redish, J.
(2012). Letting go of the words (2nd ed.). Morgan
Kaufmann.
Thornton, E. (2012).
Is your academic library pinning? Academic libraries and Pinterest. Journal
of Web Librarianship, 6(3),
164–175.
http://doi.org/10.1080/19322909.2012.702006
Logan Bingle is
a student at the School of Library, Information, and Archival Studies
(SLAIS)
at the University of British Columbia (UBC). His primary focus is the
design of
information systems to bridge the gap between people, organizations,
and
information. Logan expects to graduate in August 2017 with a Masters of
Library
and Information Studies (MLIS).
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