I had a very different email planned for you today. I’d recorded and edited a video explaining how libraries could change a setting on Instagram to help protect photos of patrons and community members from being used by Meta’s new AI image feature.
Then Meta reversed course. (!!)
Just days after launching the feature, and following widespread criticism from users, creators, privacy advocates, and libraries, Meta announced it was removing the feature entirely.
That means the advice in the video is no longer relevant, so rather than publish outdated information, I decided to scrap the episode and give you a quick written update instead.
What happened?
Last week, Meta introduced a feature that allowed people to generate AI images by pulling images from public Instagram accounts. The feature immediately raised concerns because it relied on an opt-out model rather than asking people for permission first.
Within days, Meta announced that the feature “missed the mark” and removed it.
What does this mean for libraries?
For now, you don’t need to make the Instagram profile changes I was planning to recommend in this week’s episode because the specific feature has been withdrawn.
But I don’t think this story is over.
If there’s one lesson for library marketers, it’s this:
Social media platforms are changing rapidly, especially when it comes to AI.
Features can appear with little warning, disappear just as quickly, and affect how we manage photos of our patrons and communities.
That’s why it’s more important than ever to:
Regularly review your library’s social media privacy and account settings.
Stay informed about platform updates that could affect patron privacy.
Be prepared to adapt your social media practices as new AI features are introduced.
One encouraging takeaway
There’s another lesson here that’s worth celebrating.
Many people felt this feature crossed an important line. They spoke up, and Meta responded by removing the feature.
It’s a reminder that feedback still matters. (I am as shocked as you, but we’ll take the win!)
As library marketers, we’re often helping our communities navigate new technologies. Sometimes that means explaining new tools. Other times, it means asking thoughtful questions about privacy, consent, and trust.
This week, those questions made a difference.
I’ll keep watching this space, and if Meta or any other platform introduces similar AI features in the future, I’ll be sure to share what libraries need to know.
Do you have a suggestion for a future episode’s topic? Do you want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here.
Photo courtesy of Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library
For years, conventional wisdom in library marketing has been clear: you need to be on Facebook because that’s where your community is.
But what if that’s no longer true?
The staff at Lucius Beebe Memorial Library in Wakefield, Massachusetts, asked themselves that question. And then did something many libraries would consider unthinkable.
They stopped using Facebook altogether.
Several months later, Library Director Catherine McDonald says the results have been surprisingly uneventful.
“After all the work that went into the decision, it didn’t have any effect other than how freeing it is to have one less thing on my plate,” says McDonald.
“I realized I had felt a constant responsibility to protect patrons and staff from harsh words and misinformation about the library and its services. People don’t behave face-to-face as they sometimes might on Facebook.”
A Long Time Coming
Lucius Beebe Memorial Library serves Wakefield, Massachusetts, a community of just under 30,000 residents located north of Boston. The library operates from a single historic building on Main Street.
The library wasn’t an early skeptic of Facebook. In fact, McDonald created the library’s first Facebook page around 2010.
At first, the platform helped the library connect with patrons and promote programs and events. Over time, the library expanded its social media presence and experimented with different content strategies.
Some of the library’s most successful posts featured unexpected moments, including a bunny rescue, removal of a hornet’s nest, and staff retirements.
But as the years passed, McDonald began questioning whether the effort was still worthwhile.
” First, we noticed that the number of followers who were Wakefield residents was about only a third of the list,” recalls McDonald.
“Social media was becoming less social and requiring more work to understand how to game the system.” It became complicated to understand who we were reaching with what information.”
McDonald also saw reports on declining reading-for-pleasure rates, online bullying, misinformation, and increasingly hostile online interactions. The platform also made it difficult for the library to control its own narrative.
“On Facebook, often people type, but don’t read,” McDonald says.
Those concerns prompted a deeper internal discussion about whether Facebook still aligned with the library’s mission.
Testing the Assumptions
One of the most common arguments for maintaining a Facebook presence is that libraries need to “meet people where they are.” McDonald wasn’t convinced that statement should go unquestioned.
Rather than relying on assumptions, the library began comparing Facebook’s effectiveness against other communication channels, including its website, newsletters, blog, and local media outlets. The library also experimented with a social media pause during Summer Reading. The response?
“I received a couple of emails thanking me,” McDonald says.
The experience reinforced what library leadership was beginning to suspect: Facebook might not be as essential as many people believed.
Making the Decision
After an influx of bots appeared on the library’s Facebook page, McDonald decided it was time. With support from the assistant director, the library stopped actively using Facebook.
Not everyone was immediately convinced. Two members of the library’s board questioned the decision, and some staff initially worried the library might be giving up an important communication tool.
“Initially, some staff thought we were missing something important,” McDonald says. “But they accepted the decision and moved on to other things.”
Interestingly, she says stakeholders have been more likely to praise the decision privately than criticize it publicly.
What Happened After Leaving Facebook?
The short answer: not much.
Program attendance remained steady.
Website usage remained strong.
The library’s newsletters and blog continued to perform well.
Community engagement did not decline.
The library still maintains an Instagram presence, which McDonald says allows staff to share photos and connect with the community without many of Facebook’s drawbacks.
In fact, one unexpected benefit involved customer service. When the library was active on Facebook, patrons expected staff to monitor comments and answer questions in real time. During weather closures, for example, patrons would ask questions such as, “Are you open tomorrow?” and expect a response.
Without dedicated staff monitoring the platform, those inquiries often went unanswered. Now there is no confusion about where patrons should go for timely information.
“The expectation is that the place to learn immediate information about the library is the website or the Town website,” McDonald says.
The library also works closely with Wakefield’s communications manager to ensure important messages reach the community.
The Real Benefit
While the library didn’t experience dramatic gains after leaving Facebook, McDonald says the biggest benefit was psychological. For years, she felt responsible for moderating misinformation, managing negative comments, and protecting both patrons and staff from hostile online interactions.
That burden disappeared.
“I realized I had felt a constant responsibility to protect patrons and staff from harsh words and misinformation about the library and its services,” she says.
The experience also eliminated ongoing questions about moderation policies, comment removal, and blocking users, areas where McDonald says she often received conflicting legal advice.
Advice for Other Libraries
McDonald acknowledges that many libraries continue to find value in the platform and use it successfully.
But she does encourage library leaders to examine their assumptions.
“I’m sure lots of communities find Facebook effective and fun,” he says. “But don’t be afraid to question your assumptions or prevailing theories.”
For Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, questioning those assumptions led to a surprising discovery: Leaving Facebook changed far less than they expected.
And sometimes, that’s the most revealing result of all.
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One of the biggest advantages of creating Instagram Reels is that you can share them on Facebook, too. But what happens when that connection suddenly stops working?
A viewer of The Library Marketing Show recently ran into this issue, and after some troubleshooting, we found an easy solution.
In this episode, I share the fix and a few tips to help your library get the most out of its short-form video content.
Plus, kudos go to a library with an expansive new plan to reach young children.
Do you have a suggestion for a future episode’s topic? Do you want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here.
Every once in a while, a social media update comes along that feels like it was built for libraries.
Instagram is currently testing a new feature that could make it easier for users to find content they’re genuinely interested in. And many libraries are already creating the kind of posts that could thrive in this environment.
In this episode of The Library Marketing Show, I explain what’s changing and what it could mean for your social media strategy.
Plus, we’ll give kudos to a library that received press coverage for its new bookmobile!
Do you have a suggestion for a future episode’s topic? Do you want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here.
More libraries are receiving Instagram collaboration requests. But figuring out which partnerships make sense isn’t always easy.
Some collaborations can expand your reach and strengthen community connections. Others may feel off-brand, unclear, or difficult to evaluate.
In this episode of The Library Marketing Show, I share four questions to help you decide when your library should accept an Instagram collaboration request, how to protect your brand, and how to recognize opportunities that are genuinely worth pursuing.
Plus, a library marketer receives kudos for their work transforming their library’s connection to the community.
Do you have a suggestion for a future episode’s topic? Do you want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here.
If you’re sharing your Instagram posts to Stories to boost reach, you’re not alone. But it may not be helping you in the way you think!
According to Instagram’s head, this common tactic doesn’t actually increase reach the way many marketers assume.
In this episode of The Library Marketing Show, I break down what’s really happening with the Instagram algorithm, what this means for library marketing, and what you should do instead to make sure your posts are seen and engaged with.
Plus, a kudos nomination comes in for a library that’s busting myths about libraries!
Do you have a suggestion for a future episode’s topic? Do you want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here.
Running social media for a library is challenging. Running it alone is something else entirely.
A viewer recently asked how one person is supposed to handle it all — and it’s a question many library marketers are quietly asking.
In this episode of The Library Marketing Show, I share strategies to help you stay consistent, reduce overwhelm, and focus your efforts where they’ll have the biggest impact.
Plus, we’ll share kudos for a library that received a huge shout-out from a major author in a major magazine.
Do you have a suggestion for a future episode’s topic? Do you want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here.
Photo courtesy Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library
Lauren Tolman learned to read when she was just three years old.
“Books have been part of my life since I was little,” she explains. “My family made weekly trips to our local public library. I tore through Arthur,The Baby-sitters Club, Little House (on the Prairie), and any series I could get my hands on.”
“As a kid, my dream job swung between ‘mermaid’ and ‘librarian.’ The librarians at my local branch sat at this big wooden desk surrounded by paperback spinner racks, and they’d read to kids on carpeted risers. I visited the library again thirty years later… the same desk, the same brown carpet, the same happy library noise.”
Lauren’s first library job was as a shelver. In her 20+ year career, she’s been a page, a story time performer, a clerk, a children’s librarian, and a supervisor. Now, she’s the Communications Specialist in the Marketing Department at Utah Valley University’s Fulton Library.
Lauren and two other staff members market the library to the school’s 47,000 students. Lauren supervises the department full-time and handles project management, social media, and campus outreach. Her work is complemented by a part-time graphic designer and a part-time copywriter.
Lauren says the most effective channel for reaching her audience is Instagram. The library appears to have a formula down that works well for their audience. All the videos are short-form with a healthy dose of humor.
The library is also really, really good at putting its own, unique twist on trends, as they did for this video. (You will remember when this song was all the rage on Instagram and TikTok videos!)
But beyond social media, Lauren and her staff have other ways to reach students on campus.
“Our staff is our best ‘channel,’” shares Lauren. “They talk with students constantly through instruction sessions, resource fairs, research help, circulation desk interactions, etc.”
“Students love seeing other students in marketing. We also work with peer mentors, ambassadors, and other student leaders who help share our posts or pass along information to their programs.”
Recently, Lauren and her team worked through a library campaign refresh with new branding, colors, iconography, and more, called “Find It at the Fulton Library.”
“We aim for a new brand campaign every 3-4 years to keep our image fresh and current for our students,” explains Lauren. “The process can take 6-9 months, as we work with our campus marketing, communications, and photography departments to produce all the materials.”
“They help us with concepts and developing a brand kit with colors, fonts, and more to help maintain a consistent look among all of our deliverables. They also help us with student lifestyle photoshoots, giving us a high-quality photo library to use throughout the next couple of years.”
As you can see, this new brand has a vintage feel, while being fresh and colorful.
But not everything is all fun and games for an academic library looking for promotional success. Like most library marketers, there have been times when the strategiesy Lauren has tried just didn’t land with her audience.
“I will say I’ve had many disappointments where social media posts or Reels get low engagement,” explains Lauren. “It always seems to be the ones that are really informative or take forever to make that turn out to have the lowest interactions. That can be frustrating, but I try to learn from it. If even one student is helped by the content, that’s great. And there are always other channels to try to share that information!”
To that end, Lauren has some advice for libraries of all sizes and types when it comes to marketing.
“Get to know your audience, what they care about, where they hang out, what they struggle with. Lead with approachability and benefits. Our audience likes to feel seen and have their problems solved.”
“Track your results, even informally. This will help you figure out your strengths and weaknesses, and the direction your content should go. And don’t be afraid to experiment with types of content, even the casual kind. While we keep our language kind and professional, students love it when we go a little unhinged or use pop culture references in our content.”
Subscribe to this blog, and you’ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address and click on the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:
Super Library Marketing: Practical Tips and Ideas for Library Promotion 