Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Perfect Storm: The Convergence Of Social, Mobile And Photo Technologies In Libraries, Wendy Abbott, Jessie Donaghey, Joanna Hare, Peta J. Hopkins

Wendy Abbott

The intersection of mobile and photographic technologies with social networks has produced platforms such as Instagram. The way libraries are using these platforms has not been investigated in depth. This research aims to discover trends in the use of Instagram by libraries, reporting on selected libraries’ experiences and intentions behind capturing and sharing images on Instagram. Recommendations will be made on how librarians can transform relationships and engagement with their communities through mobile photo sharing, taking advantage of ‘the perfect storm’ of technological convergence.

In The Library And Online: Social Media And Civic Discourse, Samantha A. Mairson

Honors Scholar Theses

This thesis analyzes the findings of an interview-based research study of public-serving libraries in the state of Connecticut. Specifically, it examines these institutions’ use of social media to promote civic discourse online and on-site with the purpose of producing guidelines for best practices. This new research emerges from the Social Sciences, Humanities, and Arts research Experience (SHARE) Award project, “Museums, Libraries, and Civic Discourse in Connecticut,” which concluded Spring 2016.

The research develops an understanding of the use of social media by public-serving libraries, presents three models for dissemination of findings to the field, and concludes with key observations and …