FROM THE ALA TO THE LITTLE FREE LIBRARY

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I now look at Banned Book Week from a different angle, having formally studied some aspects of social media and through my increased attention to library and museums’ social media outreach in my job quest. Given the contentious nature of book bans and the often-contentious nature of online posting, it makes me think that libraries, collections, and museums must walk a fine line in choosing what to say and how to broadcast it. After all, most libraries mostly use their social media to promote their content, events, and fundraising. Getting a small community to give money is not always easy and could result in losing funding if someone thinks the promos are too political. I wondered about how often smaller entities in smaller populations handle such issues. I am not familiar enough with school libraries to know if they use social media platforms and if so, which ones they prefer, but of course that could be a potential minefield as well.

New York Public Library (NYPL) ushered in the week loud and proud with several social media posts, which I saw on LinkedIn and Facebook. In the middle /average-town range, we have the library from the Maine town where my husband and I raised our daughters. All sorts of grassroots fundraising goes on there, including the only road race I ever ran, in a town that has had its political struggles. And here is my answer! Kennebunk Free Library

In online searching for smaller libraries, employing the search terms: “do small libraries dare post about banned book week on social media", the first result was indeed the physically smallest. Their scripts and suggestions for social media use in promoting banned book week conveys a strong feeling about small, but mighty physical structures: Little Free Library

And finally, I wondered who coordinates banned book week, and now see why the libraries feel supported: 
Questions about bannedbooksweek.org? This website is maintained and updated by the Banned Books Week Coordinator and the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom in partnership with the Banned Books Week Coalition. For questions concerning the website, please e-mail coordinator@bannedbooksweek.org. 

Comments

  1. Samantha MatherneOctober 6, 2023 at 10:20 AM

    From my limited library experience at working in one for nearing five years, I understand that public libraries might be more lenient about banned book displays that are contained within the building than the banned book information they post online and on social media. That could harken back to how anything posted on the internet in there forever and can be seen by anyone, but displays in the library are often only seen for a limited time and only by the foot traffic within that library branch. Being inclusive is a goal of public libraries, but libraries also need to be cautious of isolating anyone as well; this is especially true on social media, which can be shared worldwide with people who hold all sorts of opinions.

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