Paul Signorelli

On May 30, staff from libraries in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties gathered to learn how to use social media to engage with the communities they serve.

Paul Signorelli, principal of Paul Signorelli & Associates, led the Multi-District Staff Development Workshop.

Signorelli began the workshop by discussing the most popular social media platforms and by informing attendees that social media is a tool and that it alone cannot drive connections. Social media is good for communications and for creating virtual/blended third places. For instance, when using tools such as Google Hangouts and Skype, users can “forget” that they are not all together in the same room. Conversely, anyone who is connected to a library on social media is “in the room with us.”

Libraries that use multiple social media accounts should make them consistent. This does not mean posting the same information across social media, but instead making sure to use identifiable branding on all accounts.

The key to using social media, said Signorelli, is for libraries to be where their users and potential users are and to be engaging. Don’t be boring. Signorelli provided examples of libraries that were successful in engaging their users on social media.

To avoid pitfalls, libraries should create a social media strategy and remember that they do not need to be “first” in posting something on social media. Listen, understand, and then act.

For the second part of the workshop, attendees broke into groups for discussions on topics ranging from creating a social media policy to building an audience, to assessing and evaluating social media usefulness.

Signorelli also provided a list of publications and websites where attendees could learn more about the topics discussed during the workshop.

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submitted by:
Regina Fried,
Marketing and Public Relations Specialist
Bucks County Free Library