Information Services Social Media Policy

 

 The following policy is intended to provide guidelines for the administration of official Information Services social media pages and websites. The components of this policy include a statement of goals/mission; description of the Information Services Social Media Committee; the overarching policies and structure of the IS social media presence; specific posting guidelines, which vary according to the social media channel in use; procedures for adding, changing or deleting an account or platform/channel; and an appendix listing current personnel on the Social Media Committee, and those currently responsible for posting to various channels. See the sections below for more details. 

As is stated below, all official IS social media sites and pages must adhere to the Connecticut College Employee Social Media Policy. However, this policy is meant to clarify and systematize the practices surrounding posting to specific interactive, dynamic Web-based mass communication channels, such as Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr. It does not necessarily refer to email communications or the creation of more static Web pages. 

The overall goal of IS social media is to promote existing IS services, and in doing so, to extend these services by engaging with College populations and various outside communities. Social media is therefore both a means to promote services, as well as a service in itself. See the “Goals/Mission” section below for a more detailed articulation of goals. 

Sections: 

1. Goals/Mission 

2. Social Media Committee 

3. Overarching Policies and Structure 

Section 1: Goals/Mission 

The Information Services social media presence is intended to: 

  • Promote and raise awareness of library and technology services among campus constituencies: faculty, students and staff. 
  • Provide regular and current information about events, new services and collections, service changes, and alerts. 
  • Engage the campus community in an interactive dialogue regarding specific campus matters, as well as broader issues, concerning libraries and technology. As part of this interactive dialogue, encourage feedback and input, thereby making IS social media channels an integral part of the services provided. 
  • Maintain connections to outside library and technology organizations, and bring insight from these organizations to the Connecticut College community. 
  • Recognize, promote and exemplify best practices for the use of social media as a tool for teaching and learning in the liberal arts setting. 

Section 2: Social Media Committee 

  • A Social Media Committee will be maintained in order to guide IS social media and practice. 
  • Members of this committee, and the committee’s leadership, will be appointed by the Vice President for Information Services. 
  • The committee will be responsible for amending this policy as needed. 
  • The committee’s specific charge, meeting schedules and activities will be developed by the committee itself. 
  • Please see the appendix for current members of the committee. 

Section 3: Overarching Policies and Structure 

Following are some key tenets of IS social media presence: 

  • All official IS social media sites and pages must adhere to the Connecticut College Employee Social Media Policy (see attached). 
  • There can be multiple Facebook or Tumblr accounts for different departments or activities; however, any official IS-related social media accounts or channels must be approved by the Vice President for Information Services in consultation with the IS Leadership Team, and must adhere to IS and Connecticut College social media guidelines. (See more information in the sections below on adding new accounts or channels.) 
  • All existing IS Facebook pages should “like” other IS pages so that the various departments and services can help attain greater visibility and reach. 

Section 3: Overarching Policies and Structure 

Following are some key tenets of IS social media presence: 

  • All official IS social media sites and pages must adhere to the Connecticut College Employee Social Media Policy (see attached). 
  • There can be multiple Facebook or Tumblr accounts for different departments or activities; however, any official IS-related social media accounts or channels must be approved by the Vice President for Information Services in consultation with the IS Leadership Team, and must adhere to IS and Connecticut College social media guidelines. (See more information in the sections below on adding new accounts or channels.) 
  • All existing IS Facebook pages should “like” other IS pages so that the various departments and services can help attain greater visibility and reach. 
  • Though multiple staff members may post to a given account, one person should assume responsibility for each. Staff should strive to project a unified “voice” to any account. (See specific guidelines below for information about specific activities, and tone and tenor, for each account.) 
  • Postings need to be relevant either to IS activities or to the business of the specific department sponsoring an account. 
  • There will be a single Twitter account for all of Information Services. All Facebook and blog posts will be broadcast through this unified Twitter account; the goal is to create a lively stream of information and dialogue that reflects the breadth and depth of daily IS activities. 
  • The Twitter feed should follow other institutions on and off campus, and retweet content of interest to users, thereby creating a richer resource.