Becoming an Insta-Influencer: How Librarians Inspired Connection by Sharing their Own Voices in Times of Uncertainty

Abstract

2020 brought COVID-19, and uncertainty. Library buildings, a community hub and a discovery portal, began to close. While students utilize the library for community and discovery, they also use social media for similar purposes. Libraries have used these platforms to promote their events, services, and collections. The librarian's role is key: it is librarians who nurture the library community and curate channels of discovery. In our newly isolated existence, the challenge became to distinguish ourselves from the library as physical place to become Instagram Influencers? How could we reestablish our community and create a connection point in the infinite scroll of social media, in times of uncertainty?

This poster will share what we learned in our quest to become Insta-Famous. Like, in our pursuit to become Instagram Influencers as librarians/humans rather than as a building/brand, we discovered that we could represent our true selves as information professionals, educators, and diverse individuals with feelings. Additionally, nowadays, individuals themselves are a social media brand but our efforts were to be a community, not a brand. This resulted in authentic engagement that created a community where people felt connected and informed during a time of isolation.