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Because you’re not getting much work done anyway (2024 edition)
In previous years, I’ve noted how much we need a distraction from our ongoing dumpster fires, and thus the need for this annual list. That statement still applies. …
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Usability
You are not a patron. So act like it.
As a staff person, your view (mental model) of the library's website is incredibly different from that of a patron. It's so very different, that you can't even pretend to be a patron user. It's vital that this is acknowledged.
Thoughts about social media
Libraries, it’s time to quit Twitter. For real.
I never imagined that I would be writing that headline. I have been on Twitter/X since 2007. I have used it not only regularly, but heavily. It has been instrumental for professional connections and communication for me. I’ve maintained accounts…
Social media: is it gone yet?
Very recently, I made the reluctant decision to stop doing webinars focused on tracking social media metrics. The topic was one that…
Eyeing Mastodon somewhat warily
Like many, I'm torn between moving to Mastodon for principled reasons and the need to maintain existing communities.
Your library’s online audience really isn’t everyone
Libraries can provide services to many different populations. As library staff, we often want to help as many people, in as many…
You’re being forced to abandon vanity metrics. That’s a good thing.
What we're seeing now, though represents a huge shift in how even the social media platforms themselves are viewing low-level (often referred…
Make your library’s social media posts better in 5 easy steps
For the past couple of months, I’ve had the pleasure of working with a small, selective cohort of library staff from public…
My relationship with Facebook: “It’s complicated”
It is part of the global Internet infrastructure now. Safiya Noble, a University of Southern California professor and author of Algorithms of Oppression: How…
Social media isn’t what it used to be…and it never will be again (Part II)
(Read Part I here) The decline of sharing In his 2015 book The Content Code, Mark W. Schaefer points out that even great content isn’t enough. “But epic content simply earns a seat at the table today. The real power…