This is the final post in the three part series (see also Part 1 and Part 2) on ARL Member Libraries and Twitter. The goal behind these awards is to give you all the opportunity to get ideas from each other about how to manage your Twitter accounts and to inspire those who are considering, but have not yet created accounts. Of course, this is a diverse group of libraries so what works for one may not work for another. There are many other metrics or criteria that I could have used for evaluation, but I wanted to focus on the basics. Enjoy!
The Bringing It All Together Award
With one click from the library homepage users can see the social media presence of these libraries across multiple branches or locations and across the web. This makes it easy for users to quickly discover all of your profiles.
Duke University Libraries – http://library.duke.edu/connect/index.php
Pennsylvania State University Libraries – http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/followtwitter.html
Most Creative Twitter Username Award
These two are short (gives users more characters to work with when mentioning or replying), sweet, and to the point (memorable).
Perkins Library at Duke University – @askref
Indiana University Libraries Bloomington – @libnlrn
Best Bio Awards
Contact Me
These bios do a great job explaining how to contact someone if you have a question. Sometimes it is not obvious if a library is willing and able to communicate via Twitter. If you cannot fit this information into your bio, you may want to consider changing your URL to a library page that explains how and when users can interact with you on Twitter.
Boston Public Library -@BPLBoston
New York Public Library – @nypl
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries – @UNL_Lib
Washington University in St. Louis Libraries – @WUSTLlibraries
Friendly
These bios are welcoming and fun.
Ohio State University Libraries – @OSULibrary
Pennsylvania State University Libraries – @psulibs
Tulane University Library – @howard_tilton
University of Houston Libraries – @DeweyUHLIB
University of Kansas Libraries – @kulibraries
University of Washington Libraries – @uwlibraries
Best Background Award
This is a subjective award and intended to showcase the different approaches to a Twitter background. I chose backgrounds that have one or more of the following characteristics: images that elicit an emotional response, images that convey a strong sense of place, images and colors that are consistently branded with the avatar (or the library website), backgrounds that contain additional information, or backgrounds that have a fresh modern feel. Take a look!
Auburn University Libraries – @aulibraries
Boston Public Library -@BPLBoston
Dartmouth College Library – @DartmouthLib
Macmaster University Libraries – @maclibraries
National Library of Medicine – @medlineplus4you
Ohio State University Libraries – @OSULibrary
Oklahoma State University Library – @OkStateLibrary
Pennsylvania State University Libraries – @psulibs
Smithsonian Instiution Libraries – @SILibraries
University of Louisville Libraries – @UofLlibraries
University of Oklahoma Libraries – @OULibrarian
University of Oregon Libraries – @UOregonLibNews
University of Utah Library – @MarriottLibrary
University of Washington Libraries – @uwlibraries
University of Western Ontario Libraries – @westernlibs
Best List
Lists are a great way to let people know about all of the Twitter accounts for your libraries, organization, library staff, faculty, subjects resources, or even students. Don’t forget to add a description!
Harvard University Libraries – @Harvard_Library
Indiana University Libraries Bloomington – @libnlrn
Michigan State University Libraries – @msulibraries
New York Public Library – @nypl
North Carolina State University Libraries – @dhhill_update
Ohio University Libraries – @AldenLibrary
Pennsylvania State University Libraries – @psulibs
Smithsonian Institution Libraries – @SILibraries
Syracuse University Library - @SULibraryLC
University of Louisville Libraries – @UofLlibraries
Washington University in St. Louis Libraries – @WUSTLlibraries
