Kira Library and Social Media Blog

  Social media can be intimidating. It has so many good and bad uses. I do not think its large scope should intimate people learning to use it as an educational tool. As a librarian I want to make sure that young and old library users have the knowledge they need to successfully navigate social media. One way to do this is through library programs and clubs. But if minors will be using social media in a library sponsored events parental (or from here on referred to as guardian) permission. Making sure that guardians not only give consent to use these tools but they understand the purpose behind programing like this is vital. In this sample guardian consent letter I am running a fictitious youth creators club. If I were to pitch this club to my library director I would describe how this would increase library engagement while also teaching valuable skills. This letter is specific for Youtube.  See below:   (Image by author) Now there are a few things I want to point o...

Hello! As I've been thinking about social media, and the internet I started to get curious about about algorithms. This word pops up often in discussions about the internet. Personally, I do not think I had the strongest understanding of what "the algorithm" is at the beginning of this exploration. Before I started to explore what algorithms are I would describe them as sites recording patterns to better tailor ads and content to the user. This has helpful, benign, and also sinister implications. My understanding is that companies can very easily justify tracking data and activity for the algorithm because they can claim it enhances users' experiences. I started my research with this article . It is very interesting because it looks at the basics of algorithms and also how to manipulate it for yourself. (Photo Credit: Invisibly ) Now, I think it would be helpful to point out some other articles that discuss this topic. I read an article called " Everything you ne...

Hello! This week I've been thinking about professional learning networks (PLNs) and how I engage with them. Collaboration with people in your field is such an important part of professional development. If you are curious about PLNs I recommend this website it has great advice and even includes a handbook to engage with PLNs,  https://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/pln-define/ . Thinking about PLNs I have experience with I think about my library support Facebook groups. I like how members are from all around the world and work in different communities and settings. It is interesting to see what solutions to problems work for one library but may not work for another. It is a really broad network and it is a good way to see different points of view.  Another PLN I have not used but I am curious about is Reddit. I know Reddit has many different members and categories. The main drawback of using Reddit is it is so big and anonymous it might not have the same community feel as other...

Hello! My name is Kira Hyde and this is (hopefully) my last semester at Dominican University. I am graduating with my Master's of Library and Information Sciences. I currently live in Upstate New York so may be on a different time schedule than you.  I find that I probably spend too much time on my personal social media, so I am interested in how I can translate those skills to a work environment. Here is a very brief introduction to my relationship with social media. I remember when I first came across the term "introvert" it resonated so clearly with me. It wasn't that I hated socializing but that it wore me out. This was around when I got facebook. I believe I was in 10th grade and it was 2010 when I first logged into facebook. It is still probably my most used social media. It became a way to socialize and interact with my family, friends, crushes, and classmates.  I liked facebook, and social media in general because it is easy to socialize on my own time. I can ...