Staying afloat, staying connected: Comparing small and rural public libraries’ Facebook use during Covid-19

This paper documents and compares how small and rural public libraries in four U.S. states (MI, NC, OK, VT) utilized the social media platform Facebook to disseminate information and to stay connected with their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The focus here is on health and wellness, as this study is part of a larger IMLS-funded research project on health and wellness programming in small and rural libraries. By examining three months in 2020 (March, July, December), trends emerge, including: The normality of the first half of March shifted to closures and cancellations in the second half; different strategies deployed during the summer; and a certain level of adaptation to the new normal in December. By highlighting how small and rural libraries stay afloat and stay connected with their communities, this paper highlights the continuing need to attend to the unique needs of small and rural librarianship in LIS curricula