Get @ Us! Using Social Media to Market Libraries, Assist Patrons and Revitalize Outreach Efforts

The rise of social media created a whole new world for libraries in terms of public relations, marketing, and outreach-and it has created a new world for library staff members as well. Social media, outreach, and marketing are integral parts of our day-to-day work at university libraries. Our duties include managing our libraries\u27 social media channel, through platforms that can reach thousands of people in an instant. These platforms provide jumping-off points for opportunities and challenges: keeping up with social media\u27s charge to be instantaneous, fresh, and innovative while maintaining libraries\u27 core values of helping users and facilitating knowledge. We took different paths to similar destinations, and, fortunately, both of those paths ran through Syracuse University\u27s iSchool. We\u27ll start this essay by each describing our backgrounds and current roles at the University of Dayton and Cornell University libraries