Libraries and Social Media: Connecting the Dots
Welcome to our Librarian Spotlight series! These exclusive Q & A’s will focus on librarians from all over the nation, giving us the inside scoop on how their social media platforms connect their patrons with not only their libraries, but with the communities they serve.
This week’s VIP librarian is Mrs. Patty Goonis, who hails from the Livonia Public Library, located in (yep, you guessed it), Livonia, Michigan.
The Interview
Q: What library are you a part of? Where is it located?
A: Livonia Public Library, Livonia Michigan
Q: What does customer service mean to you? Do you feel that your software system provides accessible resources and support for your patrons?
A: Good customer service means getting to yes, rather than starting at no. No software system can fulfill everyone’s needs but the variety of electronic resources available is great. If someone is slightly tech savvy I think the current software offered provides broad accessibility.
Q: How do you feel about social media?
A: Love it and hate it in equal parts.
Q: Do you think that platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, etc. help generate community outreach and engagement with your patrons?
A: Most definitely. Many of our programs, specifically for children, were made available during the pandemic exclusively on electronic platforms.
Q: Does your library use social media? If so, what platforms?
A: Yes, our library has a presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram.
Q: What management software do you use? Is there anything that is not provided that you wish your library had?
A: Management software to manage our social media? Not aware of one. Management software for managing people? We have the usual Microsoft offerings and an in-house HR program.
Q: In addition to social media, what other sorts of community outreach does your library conduct towards your patrons and other organizations?
A: We have a book delivery service; programs on our local cable show City Channel 8; our own in-house produced newsletter and a column in the citywide newsletter which is mailed out quarterly.
Q: Does your library partake in any sort of cross-promotion/outreach with other local businesses and/or organizations?
A: We have a collaborative relationship with the City of Livonia and its various departments as well as local businesses through the Chamber of Commerce.
Q: If you could be a character in any book, who would it be and why?
A: This is the hardest question yet! Maybe Albus Dumbledore, because, duh, Fawks. Or Minerva McGonagall because she’s a badass. Or Mother Abigail from Stephen King’s The Stand, or the archer in a wheelchair from Stephen King’s Gunslinger series or Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games or Laura Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie (mostly because she’s a writer) or Annabelle the fairy from No Flying in the House because I want to fly!
