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Community Corner

Social Studies: How Social Networking Thrives at Baldwin Public Library

Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare is a winning combination for an institution known for ink and paper.

There's a new mayor in town—book lover Maureen Francis. OK, she's not, of course, the elected mayor—the one who has the proverbial key to the city. She's the new  "mayor" of the , at least for now.

"I was ousted a few days ago, but am back as mayor today," said Francis, a realtor for in Birmingham.

Francis, an avid Foursquare user in the social media world, became mayor after several visits to the library. She earned her title because she "checks in" at the library more than any other Foursquare user.

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Not up on your social media apps? In a nutshell, Foursquare is a downloadable phone application that allows users to earn points and badges when exploring different places. The more you visit various establishments, the more points you get. A growing number of businesses and organizations are using Foursquare as part of their customer-loyalty program.

"We're going to give our mayors complimentary gifts," said Matt Church, associate director of the library. He and colleague Kathryn Bergeron, a systems librarian, are thoroughly enjoying the library's Foursquare activity. "We've had 132 check-ins thus far," Church said.

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"One was ousted and another becomes mayor and they often send out a Twitter message," Bergeron said. "A lot of people will link their Twitter account to Foursquare."

Foursquare is just one of several social media programs with which the progressive library is involved. 

A quick look at the library's technical history reveals that it jumped on the social-media bandwagon after initially creating a website.

First, library staff hired Core3 Solutions, a web development firm in Birmingham, to design a site that was appealing and user-friendly.

"We now do most of the graphics and content here at the library," said Church, who's been with the library for three years.

Then came Facebook, a free service that allows users to stay connected to friends, users and places they enjoy.

"There's a group of us here who post information and questions to the Facebook page," said Bergeron, who not only manages the library's social networking and online videos (there are 30 YouTube videos to date), but also is an adult services librarian and runs a book club.

 "We try to post things we think are interesting, like an event in town or a local shop in town … we don't just post about library-related things."

The staff uses Facebook, which has about 300 "likes," as a focus group of sorts. "We post questions and get feedback from patrons," said Church. "It's helpful. Like we'll ask, 'What movies should we add to the collection?' It gives us a new perspective on what people want."

Bergeron likes to ask: "What are you reading right now?" And we'll say things like, 'We thought this was cool and thought you should see it' kind of thing."

The two agree that Facebook can be mysterious and be a hit-or-miss sometimes. "It's finicky," Church said. "What shows up in people's feeds is not always known," he added. "Like do we rise and fall in their feeds? Often, we won't 'see' anyone for a while, and then all of the sudden we do."

Church and Bergeron say using social media is a must for libraries that want to interact with today's tech-savvy customers.

"Our Facebook reminds people on a regular basis that the library is here," said Church, who ensures that the page is updated a couple times a day. When other businesses and organizations in Birmingham are on Facebook, it allows the library to connect with them.

Currently, the library is running its 'Check It Out' campaign, which allows patrons to get discounts at various businesses when they show their library card.

"We can write those offers on Facebook, and tag the store that's offering the incentive and it will then show up on that business' Facebook." Church said only selected businesses are part of the program and are approved first by the library team.  

Late last year Church contacted Zuma Coffee House with a proposal to have them host a new book club for "young professionals" in the 20- to 30-year- old range. They felt the setting might attract greater participation.  

"Since we had partnered previously with Baldwin (promotions for National Library Week, etc.), we were pleased they thought of Zuma as the best location for their book group," said Lisa Spicko, Zuma's owner and a degreed librarian herself.        

"It has been great fun cross-promoting the book group on our Facebook pages," Zuma said. "It helps us show the type of activity taking place at our shop and underscores our partnership with the library."

Spicko, who grew up in Birmingham, typically promotes the group three to four times per month, varying the messages based on proximity to the next meeting.  

"I will often include a link to the book cover and bibliographic listing in Baldwin's online catalog," Spicko said.         

The library started using Twitter about six to eight months ago. "We do a lot with Twitter that we don't do with Facebook," Church said, adding that the library has about 140 followers. 

Some (467) of the library's 30,904 registered cardholders like getting information through an e-newsletter. And, although not technically social networking, Freegal is another program that Church likes to tell patrons about.

"You log in to our online service page with your library card and download music (three songs per week) from a Sony Music catalog for free, yours to keep," he said. Church and his team had been studying this program at other libraries for a while and decided to subscribe.

"What sets us apart from other libraries is that we have that older-library feel—we're not all brand-new. Yet we offer a lot of cutting-edge online things and social media," Church said. "It's a nice mix that comes through and I think our patrons really like it."

Library patron and "mayor" Maureen Francis concurs with Church.

"The library is important," she said. "I don't really get anything out of being 'mayor' of the library," she added, joking about mayoral duties. "But I have a lot of followers in Twitter, like a couple thousand, and I like people to know what I support in the community and help promote things."

One of Francis' favorite programs is the Friend of the Library book sales, which run twice per year. She and her 7-year-old daughter fill bags with used books every year.

"My daughter plows through books, and she also loves Foursquare. We'll come to the library and she's like, 'Did you check in? Did you check in?'"

A little "mayor" in the making?

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