Published: July 23, 2018 by Priscilla Ameneyro

In the third installment of the Social Media Summer series, we’re taking a look at Instagram. Instagram is a simple way to capture and share images and video. So why is Instagram relevant to an iSchool student? Well, aside from the fact that you can look at really cool pictures of libraries around the world, it provides a platform for visual learners to access information in a format that is best suited for them. If you are among the 40% of college students that are visual learners, which means you prefer to be taught through pictures and other visual aids, then Instagram might be the right social media choice for you.

Navigating Instagram
Every social media site uses keywords and/or hashtags, allowing users to easily locate content. Instagram is a bit more hashtag heavy compared to other social media sites. When you search on Instagram, a number shows up indicating the amount of posts linked to that hashtag. If the number is extremely high, say in the hundreds of thousands, you can assume that feed is refreshing with new content often. If the number is low, the feed is possibly underutilized, niche or just not very popular. Here are a few hashtags to get you started on your Instagram journey:

• #librariesofinstagram
• #librarybooks
• #specialcollections
• #library
• #librarylife
• #letmelibrarianthatforyou

Accounts to Follow
Instagram is similar to Twitter in that you will find a mix of personal accounts and official organizations. Some personal accounts will be private and if you want to add them, you’ll have to send a request. Here are some public individual accounts to check out:

• @californiastatelibrarian
• @deweylovebooks
• @oxyspeccoll

I’ve highlighted several of the below groups in the previous two posts in the series (Facebook and Twitter), so I’ll only add descriptions for the ones I haven’t mentioned yet:

• American Library Association
• American Association of School Librarians
• Public Library Association
• Archives of American Art – the Smithsonian’s AAA preserves the records and papers of visual art in America.
• California Library Association – a community for California libraries promoting library services and librarianship.
• The Association of Moving Image Archivists – the AIMA is “an international nonprofit association dedicated to the preservation and use of moving image media.”
• Society of American Archivists
• Smithsonian Archives and Smithsonian Libraries – sharing treasures from the Smithsonian’s libraries and archives.
• US National Archives

Even if you aren’t an official member of an association, there’s nothing stopping you from following them on social media! There are many more of course, so take some time to search for accounts that align with your goals and interests. Many libraries have accounts, so look to the libraries in your area for inspiration. Don’t forget about SJSU/School of Information content on Instagram too:

• iSchool
• SJSU
• King Library
• Advising Hub
• Spartan Daily

Libraries, librarians, archivists and information specialists of all walks of life have been jumping on the social media train more and more in recent years and they are using Instagram in interesting ways. Gone are the days of paper flyers promoting community events and handshakes as the only means of networking. Use Instagram to discover new ideas and keep a pulse on what’s happening in your community. Keen an eye out for the final post next week; I’ll be closing this series out with blogs you can update your RSS feed with and find on social media.