Give Your Library a Twitter Makeover for #followalibrary Day

Friday, October 1, 2010 is #Followalibrary Day on Twitter.  I’m excited about all of the libraries that are going to be gaining new followers as a result of this cool initiative.  Therefore, I want to help ensure that your library’s Twitter page is looking spiffy for the big day.  Here are some ideas to get you started on your Twitter page makeover!

Profile

Having a complete profile (Location, Web, Bio) is important for two reasons.  One, the text in these fields in keyword searchable, so it will help people find you if the information is complete and relevant.  Two, people use the profile information as a contextual way of understanding who you are and the purpose of your Twitter account.  Can they ask you a question via Twitter or do you only use the account to push news stories and other content?

Adding the name of the person responsible for tweeting in the Bio is a great way to add a human element to the account.  It also lets people know who to contact if they need further assistance.  You can change your Bio as often as you’d like.  If you don’t want to include real names then simply let people know if the name of the department responsible for the tweets, for example, reference, public relations, etc.  Check out these profiles for some great ideas!

Boston Public Library -@BPLBoston

New York Public Library – @nypl

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries – @UNL_Lib

Washington University in St. Louis Libraries – @WUSTLlibraries

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

Finally, 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.  See this awesome example from the Grand Rapids Public Library – @grpl.

Background, Colors, and Avatar (Picture)

Twitter is in the process of rolling out #NewTwitter to all of it’s account holders.  This will require many of you (myself included!) to create new backgrounds, as you will have a much smaller space on either side of your Twitter pane than you currently have.  The best strategy for your design (avatar, background, and colors) is to ensure that it is consistent with the branding on your library’s website.  This helps followers easily see that they have found your official “home” on Twitter.

Lists

Lists are a great way to let people know about all of the Twitter accounts for your libraries, organization, library staff, faculty, subject resources, community organizations, local government resources, etc.  You don’t have to follow an account to add them to a list, although I would recommend that you do, so that you can keep up with what’s going on in your community.  Don’t forget to add a description!  Here are some nice examples:

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

What else would you suggest to libraries on Twitter? Do you have a great library Twitter page to share? Let us know your thoughts!