#HUMANSOFMILIBRARIES SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT

Social Media Strategy, Storytelling, Public Relations

During the Fall 2022 Academic Semester, I took on the role of Social Media Strategist Intern at the Michigan Library Association. For my semester project, I aimed to enhance the user experience by sharing a more intimate and personalized view of Michigan libraries on social media. Drawing inspiration from Brandon Stanton's renowned Humans of New York photoblog, I developed a spotlight series to highlight the diverse stories and experiences of librarians throughout Michigan.

Role: Social Media Strategist Intern

Platforms: Facebook & Instagram

Michigan libraries have been grappling with a significant increase in book challenges in recent years. This surge has sparked a political rift between libraries and communities, garnering coverage on both local and national news outlets. As a Social Media Strategist, I aimed to leverage social media to better promote MLA's mission statement of advancing all Michigan libraries through advocacy, education, and engagement.

Inspired by the popular Humans of New York project, I proposed the creation of #HumansofMILibraries. The series dedicated to shining a spotlight on the stories of librarians in Michigan. These narratives aim to showcase the human side of librarianship, especially during a challenging time marked by an increase in book challenges and censorship issues. By sharing the personal stories of Michigan librarians, we hope to provide a more intimate look at the individuals behind the controversies. Through this project, my goal is to educate the MLA audience and communities at large, highlighting that these librarians are dedicated to serving their communities with good intentions, rather than being perceived as harmful or spreading misinformation.

CREATE SOMETHING UPLIFTING AND NEUTRAL

The stories shared are not directly related to recent book challenges. They are feel good stories about librarianship during a time of book challenges.

"GET TO THE HEART OF IT"

While developing questions to gather stories from people within the Michigan library community, I read the article 3 Interview Lessons from Humans of New York. It stated that in order to record truly human moments in an interview, you must "get to the heart of it." Instead of asking, "What is your favorite part of being a Librarian?" I opted to ask questions such as, "Is there a specific moment you have had with a library patron that has made an impact on you?"

PUBLISH TO STORYTELLING PLATFORMS

To ensure the ability to tell share stories in their entirety using platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram, which are capable of supporting text heavy content, was important.

‍"A few years ago, when I was working in Durango, CO, a man came in around 4 pm, and I said hello. He stopped and said that I was the first person who had spoken to him that day. He was unhoused, and he had a rough day. He said he was grateful for libraries because we were a place he could come in, sit down, use a computer, read a magazine, and be treated like a human. That has always made me think about those we serve. We never know what is happening with someone or where their life has taken them. It isn’t our place to judge a person, but it is our place to provide them with resources or even just a place to be."

"I have been in and around libraries all of my life. My mother went from being the Friend of the Library president of our local library to working in libraries for over 20 years. I assisted in setting up book sales, programs, wearing a Corduroy costume, being a teen hero, signing people up for the Summer Reading Program, to running a library eBay and Amazon account for fundraising.Working in libraries professionally was not something I had considered until I was looking for a Master's Degree in History program. The school I planned to attend offered a dual enrollment program in history and library science. Upon completion and after working in academic and public libraries, I applied for and was hired as the library director of the Fruitport District Library."

I found inspiration in Humans of New York for this project because of the inherent vulnerability of sharing personal stories with strangers on the internet. The featured stories serve as a way for libraries to show their true intentions and passion for librarianship in a way that is not defensive or offensive.

The #HumansofMILibraries posts were the highest performing social media posts from the duration of my internship according to HootSuite analytics. With the popularity of this spotlight series on the MLA social media platforms, the series continues to be shared on the MLA Instagram and Facebook pages.

Made with ♡ by Hannah O’Malley