I am so glad that I chose this unit. I had seen it listed as an elective over the past 18 months and thought, “no way am I going to take that!” However, during my student placement in a high school library last November, I created a book display to support a specific unit of study. My supervisor casually took out her phone, filmed it and posted it on an Instagram library page. The ease in which she did this both impressed me and took me aback. Due to a bad experience, I have avoided all social media for years (except Whatsapp). I am reminded of a study by Choi et al. (2018, p. 154), where the researchers found that teacher’s personal experiences in social media often mirrored their confidence levels in digital citizenship. I feel strongly about teaching digital citizenship, but I didn’t know my way around the social media platforms well enough to talk to students about them. I realised it was time to start exploring it again, for professional reasons (I begin my first teacher-librarian job in August). The world seemed to have passed me by and in order to find my way back into social media again, I signed up for INF506 (Seewald, 2022a). The following paragraphs highlight a few of things I have learned and considered throughout the unit.
The number one ‘takeaway’ from the unit has been that I can control what I do, that the social media platforms do not have to control me. This may seem very trivial to others, but to me this was a very important realisation and really the only reason I screwed up the courage to create my new Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts. I was struck by a comment made by a peer, Alison O’Keefe (2022) on her blog that what we don’t post is also part of our identity. I responded with my concern that we post/tweet/blog too quickly due to the availability of our internet speed, and the expectation that if we don’t respond, the moment is lost (Seewald, 2022b). Then I realised that it is in my control to become a thoughtful poster, blogger and tweeter. I can use my hesitations to my advantage. I remember a point made by Di Gangi et al. (2018, p. 1101), that sometimes professional and personal accounts on social media blend together and this may provide additional challenges. I feel comfortable with my decision that my presence on social media will be solely professional, and in this manner, I was able to take my first steps down the social media road.
I am still mulling over the use of social media in libraries. INF506 opened up a world of resources and I discovered there are numerous professional blogs and publications that indicate that many librarians are very comfortable with using social media and recommend it for promoting and advocating for the library. For example, Farch uses Instagram as part of her goal to keep the school library “relevant” (Farch, 2022, p. 5). Finch-Stanford states that the use of social media platforms has made a very positive impact within her library and she “wouldn’t be without it now” (Finch-Stanford & Akter, 2021, p. 11). For small libraries she argues that social media offers opportunities that can’t be found elsewhere (Finch-Stanford & Akter, 2021, p. 11), and there is an assumption that social media use in small libraries is largely beneficial (Humphreys, 2019). Angela Hursch is a prolific disseminator of knowledge in regards to using social media in the library (Hursch, n.d.)
Then INF506 took me down a different path and I read about the ethical issues that may arise from using social media, such as privacy concerns and the protection of data (Olura et al., 2015, p. 335), the need for strong social media policies and processes (Liew, 2021, p. 376), and the concerns in regards to our general lack of understanding of intellectual property/digital copyrights (Meese & Hagedorn, 2019). This information was rather overwhelming. I discovered that one mis-step may have serious consequences, as highlighted in my blog (Seewald, 2022c) in regards to “The $12,000 Tweet” (Hickman, 2021, p. 3). The contradictory experiences of social media in libraries highlighted in the literature became concerning to me. I need to find my own way through and to continue to reflect on what I have read, and am still reading.
Considering my own future practice in social media, I realised that it takes skill and experience to engage with patrons, and to avoid social media being just another mode of one-way information. The research of Doney et al. (2020, p.12) suggests that in reflecting the community, a social media account will be more effective. For me, not only must I engage with the technology, I must get to know my school community well and then base my choice of my social media platform with them in consideration. Rather than being overwhelmed by the literature surrounding social media, I must educate myself without fear, develop professional learning networks that are supportive, reach out to ask for help (Seewald, 2022d) and experiment with the various platforms. A great start has been gathering resources from my peers within INF506 and offering my own (Seewald, 2022e). I am up for the challenge moving forward in my upcoming new career as a TL and credit much of what I have learned in INF506 for this rather significant change in my approach to social media.
One final thought I would like to highlight is the human in the midst of technology. As we move into Web 4.0, I find the technology both interesting and intimidating. For example, setting up an AR/VR in the library sounds amazing for students and overwhelming for the TL (Seewald, 2022f). However I need to explore any and all opportunities. I am heartened, however, that behind all the new technology, and the reliance of social media in society, students will still need a human (Ayinde & Kirkwood, 2020, p. 143). I intend to be there for them!
Word count: 1009
References
Ayinde, L., & Kirkwood, H. (2020). Rethinking the roles and skills of information professionals in the 4th industrial revolution. Business Information Review, 37(4), 142-153. https://doi.org/10.1177/0266382120968057
Choi, M., Cristol, D., & Gimbert, B. (2018). Teachers as digital citizens: The influence of individual backgrounds, internet use and psychological characteristics on teachers’ levels of digital citizenship. Computers & Education, 121, 143-161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.03.005
Di Gangi, P. M., Johnston, A. C., Worrell, J. L., & Thompson, S. C. (2016). What could possibly go wrong? A multi-panel delphi study of organizational social media risk. Information Systems Frontiers, 20(5), 1097-1116. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-016-9714-2
Doney, J., Wikle, O., & Martinez, J. (2020). Likes, comments, views. Information Technology and Libraries, 39(3), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v39i3.12211
Farch, H. (2022). Why do I use Instagram to promote my school library? Connections, 120(1), 5-7.
Finch-Stanford, C., & Aktar, R. (2021). Tweeting from the shelves of the school library. School Librarian, 69(2), 10-11.
Hickman, B. (2020). The $12,000 tweet: A collision at the intersection of social media and copyright law. Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, 24(2), 3-16. https://doi.org/10.1177/1555458920964851
Humphreys, S. (2019). Tweeting into the void?: Creating a UK library twitter list and analyzing best practice – successes and myths. UKSG Insights. https://insights.uksg.org/articles/10.1629/uksg.471/?utm_source=TrendMD&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Insights_TrendMD_0
Hursh, A. (n.d.). Who is Angela Hursh? Super Library Marketing: Practical Tips and Ideas for Library Promotion. https://superlibrarymarketing.com/aboutangelahursh/
Liew, C. L. (2021). Let’s talk about risks: A pillar framework for social media risk management in memory institutions. Online Information Review, 46(2), 375-390. https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-08-2020-0380
Meese, J., & Hagedorn, J. (2019). Mundane content on social media: Creation, circulation, and the copyright problem. Social Media + Society, 5(2), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305119839190
O’Keefe, A. (2022, May 3). OLJ task 15 (Module 5) managing your digital identity. Reflections: My Teacher Librarian Journey. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/aok1/2022/05/03/olj-task-15-module-5-managing-your-digital-identity/
Olura, S. P., Soluoku, T., & Akolade, Y. L. (2015). Ethical issues arising from social media use in libraries. In A. Tella (Ed.), Social media strategies for dynamic library service development (pp. 331-350). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-7415-8
Seewald, A. (2022a, March 4). I also chose this unit to push myself – I have been without social media for years but need to. [Comment]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/groups/263092359252292
Seewald, A. (2022b, May 19). Hi Alison “Choosing when to post and not to post is also an element that can shape one’s digital identity.” I [Comment on the blog post “OLJ task 14: Areas of concern (Module 5)”]. Reflections: My teacher librarian journey. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/aok1/2022/05/03/olj-task-15-module-5-managing-your-digital-identity/
Seewald, A. (2022c, May 4). OLJ task 14: Areas of concern (Module 5). Seoul Learning: My Journey Towards Teacher-Librarianship. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/angseewald/2022/05/04/olj-task-14-areas-of-concern-module-5/
Seewald, A. (2022d, May 5). Hi Kendall, TTGL sounds like it is doing a great job! I read in your bio that you have moved [Comment on the blog post “OLJ task 4: Reflections on the impact of change”]. Journaling Through My Masters of Education. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/kendall/2022/03/25/olj-task-4-reflections-on-the-impact-of-change/comment-page-1/?unapproved=6&moderation-hash=e989effc662781e248e9d2d3e9324728#comment-6
Seewald, A. (2022e, May 15). Dear Jenny Thank you for the thoughts. At your recommendation (in a FB post to our group) I have bookmarked [Comment on the blog post “OLJ task 14 (Module 5)”]. Open Book: Defining Contexts of the Teacher Librarian. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/jsimon/2022/05/10/olj-task-15-module-5/#comments
Seewald, A. (2022f, May 5). Daniel, I read your experiences with VR/AR on our group Facebook page with interest. I’ve not experienced VR, but I would [Comment on the blog post “OLJ 12: Virtual and augmented reality”]. Daniel Jones: Information Specialist. https://thinkspace.csu.edu.au/jonesthinksaloud/2022/04/22/olj-12-virtual-and-augmented-reality/#comments
