I’m still learning about Twitter, so it has been interesting to compare and contrast the Twitter presence of the National Library of New Zealand (NLNZ) and UNESCO. I found myself really ‘looking’, rather than just scrolling quickly through tweets.
NLNZ (n.d) has had a Twitter presence since 2008, and is currently updated by mainly one person, a“Mary Hay” (she has a big job!) Thus far, NLNZ (n.d) has 16.2K tweets, whilst UNESCO (n.d) has put out 33.5K tweets since its joining in 2009. I would expect that UNESCO would have more staff updating its feed as it is a much larger organisation than the NLNZ. In light of this, I think that NLNZ is quite prolific, although both post very regularly, which is necessary to maintain an active presence (Hursh, 2022). NLNZ would cater to a more specific audience, those mostly in NZ who have personal and/or professional connection to libraries and who value their information disseminated via Twitter. Currently, NLNZ (n.d) has 15.5K followers. As a supranational organization, UNESCO has a much broader remit, which is to support education, science and culture worldwide. Thus, it is not surprising that it has 3.5 million Twitter followers (UNESCO, n.d).
NLNZ tweet about events they host, or are connected with. For example, highlighting an evening of poetry or a promotion of Comic Fest 2022 (see below).
They also post photographs of the historical resources they have and their tweets often promote the Māori language (see below). Retweets are from other information centres such as NLNZ’s sister site Libraries & Learning.
UNESCO has a much wider range of posts, appealing to anyone who is interested in the UN’s work in areas of culture, science and education. The posts are informative and educational. International Days are celebrated, for example, promoting Jazz Day (April 30th) and Girls in ICT Day (April 28th).
Pertinent information and new research is highlighted, for example, this retweet below in regards to the new Global Education Monitoring Report : Gender. Tweets may highlight a new UNESCO heritage site or draw attention to human rights abuses.
UNESCO’s Twitter feed feels more global and less focused than the NLNZ feed does. I would feel slightly overwhelmed if I did not know what I was specifically looking for. However, I would guess that UNESCO’s feed is very successful with 3.5 million followers, although I did notice that followers do not retweet UNESCO tweets in a large number.
References
Hursh, A. (2022). The 2022 guide to social media for libraries: Twitter. Super Library Marketing: Practical Tips and Ideas for Library Promotion. https://superlibrarymarketing.com/2021/12/20/twitterforlibraries2022/
Libraries & Learning, [@L2_S2S] (n.d.). Tweets [Twitter profile]. Retrieved May 4, 2022 from https://twitter.com/L2_S2S
National Library of New Zealand, [@NLNZ] (n.d). Tweets [Twitter profile]. Retrieved May 2, 2022 from https://twitter.com/NLNZ
National Library New Zealand [@NZNL]. (2022, April 25). Maori and Pacific and other Great War Stories. [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/NLNZ/status/1518439736674824198
National Library of New Zealand [@NLNZ]. (2022, May 2). Adventure! Mystery! Monsters! @MrJonathanKing chats about his first ever graphic novel The Inkberg Enigma. [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/NLNZ/status/1520916118713602048
UNESCO, [@UNESCO] (n.d). Tweets [Twitter profile]. Retrieved May 2, 2022 from https://twitter.com/UNESCO
UNESCO [@GEMReport]. (2022, April 27). Just released: Download and read the 2022 @GEMReport Gender Report: Deepening the debate on those still left behind. [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/GEMReport/status/1519265553478733824
Hi Angela,
Firstly – what a fantastic blog!
I chose two different feeds for my post in this task (ALA and ALIA) and I found similar comparisons. Although, like you I think comparative to our populations the Aus and NZ twitter accounts punch above their weight in engagement numbers compared to some of those bigger organisations!
I found, like you did, that it’s so important for information organisations to cross-promote and engage with similar institutions and initiatives. Isn’t it so refreshing to be involved in an industry that prioritises collaboration instead of competition?
All the best in your studies,
Tim