Friday, February 27, 2015

Employee Appreciation Day is March 6th

Friday, March 6th is Employee Appreciation Day, which brings up the question, what do libraries do to show appreciation to their employees? A great conversation was started on ALA Think Tank that I thought is worth compiling here. Whether you want to acknowledge one person or the whole staff, lots of original ideas were shared!


Recognition

* At my school during faculty meetings, we recognize people with "a Coke and a smile." While describing something nice, we hand them a coke with a smiley face taped on the bottle or can.

* Make sure to include it in the yearly evaluation.

* We put a sign on the staff door with their photo and some fun graphics.

* Just say Thank You.

* Write a warm fuzzies [or, if you don't have such a website, somewhere visible to the public].

* Don't forget to tell your supervisor when she/he does something you appreciate, too!

Voting Awards

* We have a Kudos contest and give out awards like this every month. Staff members nominate other staff members, with a brief note about their exceptional effort/kindness/professionalism/general awesomeness. Each month, there is a drawing. Both the nominator and the nominee for the instance drawn receive a $5.00 gift card (usually for a bookstore or coffee shop.) All of the nominations are shared in a systemwide email, so everybody gets a few minutes of fame.

* We have a recognition program where the thankful party fills out a little two part card. One part has To: / From: / Thank you for: lines. The other part has To: & From: only. The second part gets dropped in a mason jar on the admin desk. A card is drawn at each staff meeting for a gift basket prize. (That way everyone gets thanked, but you don't have to spend a lot of money.)

* We give "You Make a Difference" awards- any staff member can give them to any other staff member for anything they did that was especially kind, helpful, or "above & beyond the call of duty." ...[T]here is a tear-off section at the bottom. When you collect 5, you can hand in the bottoms to your supervisor for 1/2 hour off with pay.

* At my library, we have a Kudos Board. Co-workers can recognize and thank someone who went above and beyond. At our in-service twice a year, they are read out loud for everyone and then the staff member gets to keep theirs.

* A plastic crown/tiara coupled with a chocolate bar was enough to get my staff motivated enough to move us up ten spots in the circulation rankings. We turned one bookcase into a staff picks shelf. Everyone had half a shelf and at the end of the day one of the pages would record how many books of each staff member had been checked out that day. At the end of the month the top book selector got a chocolate bar and plastic crown or tiara. It made it so that EVERYBODY at the branch was hand selling books and circulation shot up. I think it cost me a grand total of $5 a month to run.

Time

* Give them 5-10 extra minutes on break.

* Let them go home an hour early.

* Give them a longer lunch hour.

* Give them an hour or two uninterrupted to work on something they enjoy doing or a special project.

Small and Big Gifts

* $5.00 gift cards to Dunkin Donuts and leave them in their mailboxes.

* Redbox coupon + bag of popcorn. Hip2Save has some good coupons.

* Mug + bag of coffee or tea; Hot cocoa in a jar.

* Cupcakes and/or boxes of chocolates to thank staff for exceptional work.

* Coupons worth $3 in books from the book sale.

* Free lunch for everyone.

* I've also given gift certificates, for local and in-house purchases, teas, etc. People seem to like gift bags of anything especially if they are geared towards their interests.

Free Ideas

* Jeans day.

* Employee of the Week parking space close to the entrance.

* Formal letter in their file.

* I have made certificates for the best poster or most creative exhibit.

* Coupons for a free soda or snack from the vending machine.

* Handwritten notes of appreciation.

Crafty Ideas

* If you are crafty, you could make them something out of their favorite book(s)--bookmarks, jewelry, keychains, etc. I taught myself how to make bracelets out of recycled used books from DIY bead rolling videos on Youtube. Very easy to learn!

* A couple years ago I made a "you rock" rock.....big rock with those words in it. I gave it out the first year and then that person gave it to someone else the next year. Then I felt bad that only one person got the rock so I gave out little rocks to everyone with the letter "u" on it. Which is funny because several people asked "what's an "n" rock?"

* Thank you note wrapped around a candy bar.  [A Girl and a Glue Gun has good printables.]


Check out ALA Think Tank for the original conversation:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/ALAthinkTANK/permalink/800204260052396/

Friday, February 20, 2015

Ready to Go Book Display: Superheroes

Welcome to our series, "Ready to Go!" Book Display. Once a month, we'll highlight the latest or greatest for every age group (Adults, Teens and Children) that you can promote within your library or order for your collection. 

It's that time of year! Time to start planning for summer reading 2015! This month I will be focusing on Superheroes but stay tuned for Every Day Heroes in March and Villains in April.

Recommendations for Adults:
 League of Regrettable Superheroes by Jon Morris (June 2015)
For every superhero hitting the big time with a blockbuster movie, there are countless failures, also-rans, and D-listers. This book affectionately presents one hundred of the strangest superheroes ever in print.

Marvel Encyclopedia by Matt Forbeck (March 2014)
The newest edition for of the bestselling encyclopedia is now fully revised, extended and updated.

The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore (Oct 2014)
A cultural history of Wonder Woman traces the character's creation and enduring popularity, drawing on interviews and archival research to reveal the pivotal role of feminism in shaping her seven-decade story.

Superheroes! by Laurence Maslon (Oct 2013)
A tie-in to a PBS documentary series explores the 70-year history of the superheroes who have engaged fans for generations.

75 Years of Marvel Comics by Roy Thomas (Nov 2014)
In celebration of Marvel's 75th anniversary, TASCHEN presents a magnum opus of the most influential comic book publisher today, with a look inside at its celebrated characters and more.


Recommendations for Teens:

The Adventures of Superhero Girl by Faith Erin Hicks (Feb 2013)
Presents the adventures of Superhero Girl, who struggles with her everyday life, battling monsters and aliens, and snarky comments from Skeptical Guy.

The Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang and Sonny Liew (July 2014)
Collects new stories of the Green Turtle, a masked hero in the 1940s whose alter-ego is Chinese-American.

Ms. Marvel Vol. 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson (Oct 2014)
Kamala Khan is an ordinary girl from Jersey City - until she's suddenly empowered with extraordinary gifts. But who truly is the new Ms. Marvel? Teenager? Muslim? Inhuman?

Who is AC? by Hope Larson (April 2013)
When Lin, a teenage girl who is zapped with magical powers through her cell phone, starts to get a handle on her power she realizes she has to go head to head with a villain who spreads his influence through binary code.

Hero by Perry Moore (May 2007)
Thom Creed, son of a disowned superhero, finds that he, too, has special powers and is asked to join the very League that rejected his father, and it is there that Thom finds other misfits whom he can finally trust.

 Recommendations for Children:


Ten Rules of Being a Superhero by Deb Pilutti (Oct 2014)
An instruction manual for aspiring superheroes that follows the adventures of action-figure Captain Magma and his sidekick/owner Lava Boy as they outsmart a villainous dinosaur, evade a bee, and save a worm from certain destruction.

Public School Superhero by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts (March 2015)
Kenny Wright is a kid with a secret identity. In his mind, he's Stainlezz Steel, super-powered defender of the weak. In reality, he's a chess club devotee known as a "Grandma's Boy," a label that makes him an easy target for bullies.

The Story of the Avengers by Thomas Macri (Oct 2013)
Describes how a group of super heroes became the Avengers team.

Superfab Saves the Day by Berengere Delaporte and Jean Leroy (Aug 2014)
With a large superhero costume collection, Superfab is the best-dressed superhero around, but his frequent costume changes often stop him for arriving in time to help people in trouble, until one day, his style sense may just save the day.

A Superhero Cookbook by Sarah L. Schuette (July 2011)
Provides instructions and step-by-step photos for making a variety of simple snacks and drinks with a superhero theme.

The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale & Dale Hale (Oct 2014)
Hiding her secret identity as a monster-fighting superhero, Princess Magnolia interrupts her fancy tea with the unsuspecting Duchess Wigtower to stop a big blue monster from endangering her kingdom's goats.

Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (July 2009)
 The school lunch lady is a secret crime fighter who uncovers an evil plot to replace all the popular teachers with robots.

Friday, February 13, 2015

10 Instagram Tips for Instasuccess

Thinking about making a library Instagram account? If you want to reach your teens, research and even many teen librarians will tell you that Instagram (IG) is the place to be. I talked with Garrett Pinder from Jones Library and an avid Instagram user, and we collaborated to come up with a top 10 list for all libraries getting started:

1) Hashtags are IT 

Hashtags are so important for people to find your content and very integrated into the way people use Instagram. Make sure to use a hashtag for your library and use it consistently. Also, look up hashtags of your city/town and see what’s most popular. Check out the users and see if there are any that you could follow/like.

2) Hashtag in Comments for Searchability Benefits

Put most of your hashtags in your comments AFTER you post so it disappears when people respond, but are still searchable for people to find you.

3) Engage with your Followers 

You don’t have to follow your patrons back, but try to like some of their photos!

4) Yes, You Can Instagram from Your Computer

You cannot switch between accounts easily, but you can download an app for your desktop so that you can upload images directly from your computer to IG. We use Gramblr.

5) You Can Also Repost on IG

Follow people who post about generic literature content and repost their beautiful images on your account for more content with little work on your part! Apps like Iconosquare Websta and squarelovin will let you do this [Update: Starting April 28, 2015, Iconosquare began charging expensive fees to access their special features like reposting and statistics. I'm thoroughly disappointed with this change and have deleted my account.]

6) Learn from Your Statistics 

Pay attention to your Instagram Statistics to see what resonates well with your followers. Iconosquare mentioned in #5 will tell you what times of day people responded, your filter impact, and the top tags on IG.

7) Location, Location, Location

Always use your library as a location (Place on Map) so people can find you.

8) You Cannot Schedule Posts to Go Live

Due to IG’s API, you are NOT allowed to have an app schedule posts for you (though there are programs out there who will do it but they caution you of the risk upfront…) however, you can use apps like Latergramme which you can put your posts into a queue to later post yourself. (It only sets up a reminder, it does not publish.)

9) IG Plays Well With Facebook

Connect your account to your Facebook Page. It’ll create a new tab (next to pictures) so they can see all of your photos. Do you want to see your Instagram Feed on the menu WITHOUT clicking on the “More” button?  When you click the “more” button, you’ll see the option “Manage Tabs” and you can rearrange their order. (Who needs the review tab on the visual menu?)

10) IG Is All About That Image, 'bout That Image

People go on Instagram because they want to see beautiful pictures. It is better to not post at all than to post a lousy image. Please pay attention to that. The good news with Instagram, you don't have to post often to get attention, so make your images count.

Bonus Tip: Andriod and iOS are Not Equal

If you can choose between Android or iOS, go with the later for posting on IG. According to a conversation on Reddit, there's a noticeable difference in image quality between Andriod and iOS. However, if you only have an Android, don't let that stop you from posting on IG. There are many users with Andriods, and we're all hopeful IG will eventually fix this problem.


GARRETT PINDER is the Young Adult Services Coordinator at the Jones Library in Amherst, MA. You can follow Jones Library's Teen Department on all of the social media via @JonesLibTeens handle. You are also welcome to follow Garrett on his personal blog, http://www.booksick.com, where he writes about books, and his personal opinions and reviews.

Friday, February 6, 2015

From ALA to Zuckerberg: Librarian Facebook Groups

Are you on Facebook? Do you know of all of the library Facebook Groups that you can join and instantly connect with hundreds, in some cases thousands (and in one particular group over 10,000) other librarians?

No? Well, have no fear! The 5 Minute Librarian has compiled some of the top groups in many different areas of public librarianship. This list is no where complete (it is really hard to find these groups without knowing someone who is in them), so please post in the comments any additional groups to be included on this list!

Also note that I did not include any regional groups since they would only apply to a small number of readers, but local groups are out there! Look up your colleagues and see what groups they are part of - that may be the easiest way to find them.

ALA Graphic Novels & Comics in Libraries MIG

https://www.facebook.com/groups/284091538417404/
American Library Association's Group dedicated to Graphic Novels & Comic Books! Also find us on ALA Connect: http://connect.ala.org/graphicnovels
2,197 members


ALA Think Tank Library Think Tank - #ALATT

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ALAthinkTANK/
Librarians and library workers! Social media's space for them! We #makeithappen and #partyhard TOGETHER! We>Me
DISCLAIMER: WHILE we love the American Library Association, we are IN NO WAY affiliated with them.
33,202 members


Bossy Librarians

https://www.facebook.com/groups/208893832596915
This group came out of an ALA 2013 presentation on NextGen library leadership. We decided more needs to be done for NextGen library managers. This will be a closed group, but keep staff privacy issues in mind. Post your management successes and troubles so we all can learn!
1,265 members


Business Librarians

https://www.facebook.com/groups/buslib/
This group is dedicated to informing librarians with reference and research specialties in all aspects of business and finance of new developments and trends in business librarianship. We welcome business librarians (academic, public, corporate, etc), adjunct members like vendors of business-related research materials, and librarians of all sorts who just want to learn a little more about business research.
437 members


Collection Development Support

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CollectionDevelopmentSupport/
A place to ask for collection development suggestions and support.
469 members

Creative Librarians

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CreativeLibrarians/
This site is for all to share your ideas for crafts, programs, and activities that are a success at your libraries. Please share.
177 members


Digital Librarians & Developers In the Stacks

https://www.facebook.com/groups/763880967005882/
A lab for digital librarian developers—a place where new tech products and services for libraries and communities, media and publishing, are created and innovated—and a space for discussion. PLEASE NOTE: We must be able to verify you are a librarian and/or library-affiliated from your FB profile to approve your request to join. This is also our informal pool of librarian developer contractors we will go to when we need to hire for short-term, freelance, mostly virtual contract work.
479 members



Deeper Library Think Tank

https://www.facebook.com/groups/deepalatt/
Like #alatt, but deeper, and closed.
3,476 members


eLearning in Libraries

https://www.facebook.com/groups/459190367552515/
This is a group for anyone who is interested in developing e-learning for library purposes. We will share ideas and engage in discussion about e-learning. Public, academic, school, and special library staff are all encouraged to join. E-learning can include screencasts, tutorials, videos, and any other training delivered in an online format, and may be for library staff or patrons.
1,329 members

Elementary Librarian Exchange

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1726469570900005/
Please share but keep it elementary library oriented!
-ideas you use in your library
-issues you need help with concerning your library
-elementary book reviews
-your library's website/Facebook page/blog/Pinterest/social media/TPT page
-products you love for your library
-contests/grants related to libraries
-lesson plan links to help with library lessons
-technology ideas
-classroom collaboration ideas
3,681 members

Flannel Friday

https://www.facebook.com/groups/flannelfridayfun
Welcome to Flannel Friday's Facebook page! FF is a non-profit* international group of librarians and educators working together to share quality beyond-the-book experiences for children.
3,168 members

The Grown-up Table: Library Programs and Services for Adults

https://www.facebook.com/groups/grownuptable
Welcome! This is an open forum for discussion about anything that falls (or might fall) under the banner of library programs and services for adults. Questions can be submitted anonymously.
432 members


IFLA - LSN, Library Services to People with Special Needs

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ifla.lsn/
The Section for Library Services to People with Special Needs provides an international forum for the discussion of ideas, sharing of experiences and development of tools designed to promote and improve the effectiveness of library and information services to special needs groups, and the promotion of national and international cooperation at all levels.
2,276 members

ILLers; a FB Group For Interlibrary Loan Librarians

https://www.facebook.com/groups/172179662942180/
This is a place where you can post anything related to the libraries' resource sharing activities.
888 members

Intellectual Freedom Fighters

https://www.facebook.com/groups/456760254514041/
The Intellectual Freedom Fighters (IFF) want to get Intellectual Freedom issues on the minds, hearts, and tongues of the wider library community. We want to inform you about these issues and provoke tough conversations. We intend to create change in the wider library world. The IFF is an outgrowth of the ever-vigilant ALA Intellectual Freedom Round Table (IFRT), which has been protecting your freedoms since 1973. [...] The IFF Group is here to get the whole library community thinking about Intellectual Freedom questions. We all face difficult issues and scary situations sometime, let's face them together. Comments are eagerly solicited, although uncivil or off topic posts may be deleted.
383 members


International Public Library Think Tank

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1954456498104274/
This is a think tank created especially for library staff in public libraries. Library ideas, concepts and trends will be discussed in a professional, respectful manner with an emphasis on advancing public librarianship.
62 members

League of Librarian Gamers - for Librarians who Play

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeagueOfLibrarianGamers/
A group for librarians who play games of all kinds - board games, card games, RPGs, video games, tabletop games, Magic: the Gathering, miniatures, dice games, classic games. If you're a Librarian, and you play games, join this group!
2,376 members

Librarian Memes

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1709521932616653/
NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH LIBERTARIAN MEMES This is a group for sharing all your library, school, and learning memes! Invite your friends!
4,610 members

Librarians in the Northwest

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LibrariansNW/
A virtual meeting ground for librarians and library professionals in the Pacific Northwest interested in talking about how to #makeithappen in their library spaces.
1,444 members


Libraries & Information Technology: Making FarmVille Work Better

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1411955635742429/
A place for those who work in public & academic library IT departments to network & share advice. This is a closed group, so feel free to be candid.
213 members


Libraries and the Opioid Crisis

https://www.facebook.com/groups/librariesopioidcrisis/about/
As library staff see the opioid crisis impacting patrons and communities, this group provides a way to share research, news, and strategies to respond.
295 members


Librarians For Social Justice

https://www.facebook.com/groups/libs.social.justice/about/
Our Mission Statement: Through volunteering and fundraising projects, Librarians for Social Justice works toward creating a more equitable and just society.  We actively engage with our community, on a local and global scale, in order to turn information into action.
99 members

Libraries & Social Media

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LibrarySocial/
This is a group for anyone working professionally in social media for their library, or those curious about what it's like.
8,561 members

Libraries Step Up (in times of crisis)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/libcrisis
Our mission is to kick ass and save the day, library-style. We're a centralized location for collecting and disseminating information about urgent political or natural disasters' effects on libraries and library services.
1,051 members


Library Cons and Fests

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LibraryConsAndFests/
A group for libraries and librarians to share information related to holding conventions and festivals of all kinds, from book fairs to comic cons.
701 members

Library Coffee Shop Talk

https://www.facebook.com/groups/188470881170938/
Enjoy your hot beverage and enjoy a light virtual conversation with other library minded folks.
795 members


Library Employee Support Network

https://www.facebook.com/groups/toxic.libraries
A place where librarians can gather and talk about abusive workplaces anonymously and safely and also get support and advice from colleagues. Email LESN.share and admin will post your comments anonymously. *OR* You can post from our anonymous Facebook account (ask one of the admins for the password).
5,563 members


Library Entrepreneurship & Maker Services

https://www.facebook.com/groups/startup.library/
More and more, libraries are becoming places of active, connected learning. We have also stepped up to the plate to help the jobless and career-changers in our communities rejoin the workforce. This group is where we will be discussing new ways that libraries can support makers, job hunters, the business-curious, freelancers, career changers, builders, startups, entrepreneurs, and existing businesses. Let's make business and maker support as visible as storytime. Library Entrepreneurship & Maker Services is an official Member Interest Group of the American Library Association: http://www.ala.org/groups/mcoms/migs Visual resources are being collected here: http://www.pinterest.com/libent/
1,652 members

Library Marketing and Communications Conference (LMCC Discussion Group)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LMCC.Discussion.Group/
Library Marketing and Communications Conference Group - join in the conversation about issues related to library marketing and communications. The Library Marketing and Communications Conference connects marketing, public relations, special events, fundraising, outreach, and program development professionals for public and academic libraries.
967 members


Library Marketing and Outreach

https://www.facebook.com/groups/740944219278343/
Library Marketing and Outreach is an Interest Group of the Association of College & Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association. Please share ideas and events from your libraries! This group is for:
- Sharing ideas, resources, websites, software, etc. to help us market our libraries and their services. Emphasis on FREE or low cost resources!
- Show off the work you do: your success stories and your failures, ask for help from others, and plan for local meet ups in your state to exchange ideas!
3,874 members


Library Management Group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1524906657799350/
This group is for topics related to library management- supervising, programming, budgets, advocacy, outreach, etc. Feel free to ask for advice, start a conversation, or rant. Though this is intended to be a safe environment, please be careful when discussing sensitive personnel matters. No sales pitches, advertising, bullying, harassment, or any other obnoxious behaviors will be tolerated.
3,376 members


Library Pokémon GO Support #PokeLibrary

https://www.facebook.com/groups/pokelibrary/
Support for libraries who are experimenting with Pokémon GO programming and outreach. What to share here: your program ideas, your publicity samples, your event photos, news and commentary, funny memes appropriate for use on social media, research and analysis, trends you notice,and anything else you think might be helpful.
878 members


Library and Information Professionals

https://www.facebook.com/groups/457656001020762/
A forum for sharing ideas and information around the future of libraries around the world.
3,092 members

Library Related People

https://www.facebook.com/groups/libraryrelatedpeeps/
This is a Facebook group that welcomes all library related people. If you work in any library related capacity, intend to do so, or are plain interested we want you!
3,235 members


LibraryAware Lab

https://www.facebook.com/groups/lalab/
Let's talk and share the library advocacy and marketing challenges and successes. Here we can ask each other questions and get a little more information so we can get to better solutions. LibraryAware Lab is a place to discuss, share, collaborate, and learn about what works and what doesn't work.
1,257 members


MakerSpaces and the Participatory Library

https://www.facebook.com/groups/librarymaker
An open space for collaboration and sharing about MakerSpaces, digital media labs, and participatory/community spaces in libraries. Let's share ideas, failures, successes, and resources!
4,663 members


Millennial Programming Ideas

https://www.facebook.com/groups/millennialprogramming/
Share ideas on programs you have created for 18-30 somethings or ask if you have any questions!
441 members


Minecraft in Libraries

https://www.facebook.com/groups/minecraftinlibraries/
The purpose of this group is to share thoughts, ideas and tips about hosting a Minecraft server in a public library setting. One of the biggest tricks is to have a great group of administrators who are dedicated to making sure that the server remains a positive community that is welcoming to one and all.
636 members

Museums + Libraries

https://www.facebook.com/groups/878024828888385/
A forum for library & museum professionals to exchange ideas & be all up in each other's business. John Cotton Dana is our mascot. Cross-pollination is our jam.
740 members


Music Librarians

https://www.facebook.com/groups/157147244323011/
569 members


Outside the Lines

https://www.facebook.com/groups/getoutsidethelines/
Outside the Lines is a weeklong celebration – Sept. 13-19, 2015 – demonstrating the creativity and innovation happening in libraries. Participating in Outside the Lines? This is a place to share ideas for events, campaigns and guerrilla marketing tactics for this fall's celebration of libraries. Inspiration, suggestions and questions welcome! Find out more at http://getoutsidethelines.org/
1,200 members


Paging America: Advocate for Your Public Library!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/113676302125880/
How do you support your public library? Let us count the ways! Share your advocacy tips, tools and genius ideas with library advocates and patrons around the world.
568 members


Programming Librarian Interest Group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/698178656926704
To bring together all types of librarians interested in public programming for their patrons. Programming is an intrinsically essential library service. The Programming Librarian Interest Group helps librarians advocate for programming at their own institutions, share program ideas and successful strategies, and provides a space for professional development by librarians who do programming officially and unofficially as part of their job duties. The group is also be a vehicle for ALA members to connect more dynamically with ALA’s Public Programming Office.
9,286 members


R-Squared Risktakers

https://www.facebook.com/groups/rsquaredconf/
The R-Squared Risktakers group is a place to share how you've put your ideas from #rsq12 into practice. Share risks, challenges, triumphs and creative ideas. Whether you were at the conference or just love disrupting conventions, this is a place for free exchange.
302 members


RDA Cafe

https://www.facebook.com/groups/RDACafe/
RDA Cafe is a group for library and information science students, and professional librarians and catalogers, as well as, anyone interested in and working with Resource Description and Access (RDA). It’s a place to discuss RDA and topics of current interest pertaining to cataloging and description of bibliographic data, as well as, to share resources, and get the latest news. This is an unofficial group, and it is not owned by JSC for Development of RDA.
1,799 members


Readers' Advisory for Library Staff


https://www.facebook.com/groups/ReadersAdvisory/
For when someone asks you about a book they can't remember the title of, you're trying to find a read-a-like of something of which you've never heard, or you just want a recommendation for what to read next. Questions about other forms of media are also welcome!
1,029 members

REFORMA Think Tank

https://www.facebook.com/groups/Reformathinktank/
Welcome to the REFORMA Think Tank. REFORMA is the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking. In this space, librarians, community members, and activists who serve the Latino and Spanish speaking communities in the United States and beyond will be able to share ideas, recommendations, and benchmarks to support each other in providing better services to our communities.
665 members


The Shareable Clique

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ShareableClique
A Facebook Group for libraries and book lovers to share their viral content that can be reshared on other Facebook accounts. What works well at your library that may work well at other libraries? Share your successes, increase your outreach, and help other libraries build their audiences!
2,515 members


Solo Librarians Network

https://www.facebook.com/groups/739055509526456/
Solo librarians (and librarians who work in small libraries) can come here to share ideas and engage in discussion. Librarians in any sort of institution (public, academic, school, corporate) are welcome!
503 members

STEM in Libraries

https://www.facebook.com/groups/STEMinLibraries/
For library professionals interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programming in libraries; a place to connect and share ideas.
1,690 members


Storytime Underground

https://www.facebook.com/groups/storytimeunderground/
Storytime Underground is a collective of youth services librarians and professionals who firmly believe literacy is not a luxury. Our mission is threefold: We support each other; we promote each other; and we train each other.
10,526 members


Storytimes And More on the Go

https://www.facebook.com/groups/storytimesandmoreonthego/
A place for Children's librarians and staff who conduct outreach to come together and share ideas. Outreach is and has become so much more than just storytime for many libraries. Reaching out into our communities and letting them know what's available to them is such a valuable tool for all libraries. We are on Pinterest ~ http://pinterest.com/storytimesa/ ~ and on Twitter ~ https://twitter.com/StorytimesToGo ~ Please follow us!
1,724 members


Tattooed Librarians

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2431775521/
For librarians with tattoos!
1,891 members


Technology Training and Libraries

https://www.facebook.com/groups/215892381802232/
A resource for technology training for staff and the public. This is a place where ideas and resources can be shared.
2,770 members


Teen Librarians

https://www.facebook.com/groups/618059348208569
Welcome! This is a space for library workers to share ideas about serving the teens in their community.
3,018 members


Teen Services Underground

https://www.facebook.com/groups/407834692712782/
Our mission is to support, promote, advocate, and build a community space to highlight the importance of teen services in minding the gap. We know how hard teen services can be and we want to help!
4,285 members


Teen Think Tank

https://www.facebook.com/groups/192137410961794
Teen Think Tank all started with three teen librarians who like to collaborate. Rikki Unterbrink (Amos Memorial Library), Erin Gillespie (Findlay-Hancock County Public Library), and Steve Moser (Dayton Metro Library) would share ideas and help brainstorm on a regular basis. One day we realized that it would be great to get even more people sharing ideas and helping to brainstorm when needed. Teen Think Tank is what became of that conversation.
1,079 members


Tiny Library Think Tank

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1547323442210920/
Welcome to the Tiny Library Think Tank!... Please feel free to ask questions about anything related to issues that affect those of us working in very small library systems - collection development, programming, policy creation, community outreach, retroactive automation, book repair, building maintenance, and more. Members of this group understand that tiny libraries do not often have HR departments, retained lawyers, multiple MLS-degreed librarians, or many other resources that are available to employees of larger library systems, even systems that may technically be considered "small" or "rural".
242 members


Troublesome Catalogers and Magical Metadata Fairies

https://www.facebook.com/groups/161813927168408/
A place for catalogers, metadata librarians, and those who admire them. Grab your wands and raise some Hell. ;c)
4,233 members


WordPress and Librarians

https://www.facebook.com/groups/wordpress.librarians/
This group is for librarians using WordPress.
1,475 members


Zine Librarians

https://www.facebook.com/groups/zinelibrarians/
A group to talk about zine librarianship! How to build a collection, how to catalogue zines, how to organize zine events, and more! All zine librarians and archivists are welcome: academic, digital, DIY, public, school, volunteer, etc.
444 members

Special thanks to Patrick Sweeney, Laura Hollister, and Austin Stroud for their help in compiling the original list! Additional groups have been added as we find them. (There was also a repost of this article in MakingItHappen.)

Note: Member numbers have been updated to February 16, 2018. Please check back later for any updates! Inactive groups will be removed yearly.

Remember -- sharing is caring! If you join a new group due to this list, please tweet, email, or post about this blog post. It'll warm my little librarian heart that the hours I spent on this list were indeed helpful!