I will be reflecting on the New
York Public Library’s use of social media including Facebook, Google Plus,
Tumblr, Pinterest, and Instagram. A quick Google search of the phrase “NYPL” will
link a user first to the organization’s own website, with the Google plus page
sitting predictably parallel, and then the official Twitter, the Wikipedia
article on the NYPL, the Tumblr, and then the Pinterest. The list continues on
the second page of search results with a Flickr, Facebook, and Instagram.
Considering that Google is the most popular search engine in the world, I think
these results are significant. Obviously the NYPL would prefer for a user to
visit their home page, as it is the most comprehensive source of information on
the organization, and the NYPL has the most control over its format and
content. The Google plus page, which reports having the most followers, is
allowed to sit parallel to the official website because it is a Google service,
but it is also obviously one of their more popular media outlets. What I find
most interesting and successful about this preliminary search is that NYPL has
managed to create accounts in every social media venue that I know of, whereas
some other institutions, like the MFA Boston or the Boston Public Library, have
neglected certain sites, or they are more difficult to find using a quick
Google search.
The
NYPL is generally considered one of the most successful users of social media
in the library world because they have managed to innovate and create an online
presence that is cohesive, useful, and interesting. Because the organization is
so large, and contains many different, independently functioning sections, it
needed a way to allow each department to get out their own news and information. To do
this, the library had 100 of their curators and employees started their own blogs
to highlight their collections and experience (Madrigal). This allowed the
Public relations team to use the library’s personnel as assets to the
digitization of their collections and the proliferation of their social media
presence. The NYPL website describes the purpose of these blogs best:
"Our aim is to develop the blog into the latest
in a long tradition of librarian-generated genres designed to publish staff
expertise and help users navigate the library's breathtaking array of
collections and services. Like finding aids, recommended reading, or research guides, NYPL blogs will be another
powerful tool in our information arsenal.
Over time, the blog archive will grow into an
enduring knowledge base, which we'll use to enhance and enrich the digital
experience of the library. You'll find posts not only in Blogs, Videos &
Publications (browseable by subject and channel),
but peppered throughout the Library's website — supplementing search results
and tied to relevant location pages, topics and events. The goal? Having the wisdom
and expertise of NYPL librarians at your fingertips as you explore the site" (NYPL
Blogs).
Another
aspect of the NYPL’s success in social media is their inclusion of crowdsourcing.
One of the most popular uses of crowdsourcing at NYPL is the project in which
the user transcribes scanned print menus from the collection that the computer
finds difficult to translate to text due to changing fonts and formats. This
project connects to the library’s overall goal of connecting the average user
to the collection, because the NYPL believes that the inclusion of user-created
data enhances the collection’s public value. On the subject of crowdsourcing
and how it fits in with the library’s goals, Doug Reside, Digital Curator of Performing
Arts, states, "The public library can be used to organize people to
organize information." And director of strategy, Micah May says "A
library is not just a place that collects information and processes
information, [ . . . ] We create the tools and structure the information so that
others can enhance the collections" (Madrigal). Interestingly, the menu
tagging project and other blogs have a small banner across the top of the page
that will direct a user back to the main website or other resources. I think
this small thing is key for keeping an interested user of crowdsourcing
connected with the institution.
Reviewing some of
the separate social media platforms, excluding the blogs I mentioned above,
there is a clear continuity of content. The facebook and Google plus accounts have
almost exactly the same information and news stories, which can also be easily
found on the NYPL website. The Pinterest and instagram seem to focus on staff
and official photos as well as some photos from the collection, while the
Flickr appears to be solely images from the archives collection (though to be
fair, these are platforms I am not familiar with). My favorite social media
platform managed by the NYPL is the official Tumblr. This is the first
organization that I have come across to have a Tumblr, and in terms of
tailoring to fit the intended audience of a specific social media platform, the
NYPL Tumblr is on point.
This website would have been a flop if the PR
department had maintained the strategy they use for the facebook and Google
plus pages, but instead they added unique content and a more conversational
tone that would appeal to a Tumblr user more than the press release style of
the other websites. As you can see from the screen shot left, the NYPL Tumblr
has “mustache Mondays” where they post a picture of a person with a mustache
found in the collection, and “caturdays” where they post a different cat from
the collection every Saturday. Also pictured is part of a post specifically for
Veterans Day, and though you can’t see the full photo or list of tags, a Tumblr
user would come across this image not only by seeking out the NYPL, but also by
searching tags for veterans and Veteran’s Day, and in this way the library is
able to share their collection with minimal effort on their parts.
Overall,
the NYPL’s ability to adapt their social media strategy for the digital age,
for new users, and for each digital platform, is what makes them so successful.
The library’s goals to enhance user generated content and allow the different
niches of the library their own ways to reach the public have, in my opinion,
greatly enhanced the user experience.
Bibliography
Madrigal, Alexis C. “What Big Media Can Learn From the New York
Public Library,” The Atlantic (June
20, 2011). Retrieved from: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/06/what-big-media-can-learn-from-the-new-york-public-library/240565/
"NYPL
Blogs." Nypl.org. New York Public Library, n.d. Web. Accessed 11
Nov. 2013. <http://www.nypl.org/voices/blogs/about-nypl-blogs>.
http://menus.nypl.org/
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