LibraryScienceList.com recently ranked the South Carolina State Library second on their list of social media friendliness for 2013.
Do libraries need social media? According to the American Library Association's 2013 State of America's Libraries Report, the answer is a resounding yes. Libraries have made many changes over the years as technology has evolved, and they continue to embrace new technologies that improve their ability to provide resources to the community, including social media.
Librarians and staff members often have limited time and resources, so they must choose the social media platforms that will best serve the needs of their staff, patrons, and the community. Large platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are popular because they allow staff to get the word out about upcoming events quickly while reaching a wide audience. A newer platform that is gaining popularity is Pinterest. This photo-sharing site allows users to create multiple boards for different types of content, so many libraries have separate boards for new books, library events, films, and even book-themed art.
To determine which state libraries are doing the best job of managing their social media presence, LibraryScienceList.com gathered usage stats for each of the 50 libraries on the top social media platforms. The top five state libraries were Virginia, South Carolina, Texas, Connecticut, and Maine.
