Social media
At The University of Manchester Library, we’re committed to making the best use of social media to improve the way we inform and engage with both external and internal audiences. Social media helps us to raise awareness of our products and services and meet the needs of our users in a prompt and effective way.
From customer services to user insight, social media is a valuable tool for the University.
Channels
The University of Manchester Library is active on the following social media channels:
You can also follow more specialist Library accounts:
Library social media sub-accounts
- Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre
- Library Research Services
- My Learning Essentials
- Search Resource
- John Rylands Research Institute and Library
- UoM Open Access+
For enquiries about opening new social media channels please contact us.
Content
The Library uses social media to raise awareness of our products and services, educate users on how to use the Library, communicate news and celebrate our successes. Content can generally be categorised under the following themes:
Educational
Educational content teaches the user something and helps to establish our reputation as experts.
It might be a quick tip on how to get better results using Library Search, a link to a podcast or blog post that shares advice on how to revise effectively, or an answer to a frequently asked question.
Promotional
Promotional content includes any kind of content that is designed to raise awareness of our products and services.
Examples might include a short video showcasing our study spaces, images of highlights from our Special Collections or a graphic showing positive feedback from a My Research Essentials workshop.
Celebratory
Celebratory content celebrates our successes, milestones, history and heritage.
Examples might include an announcement of the Library or a colleague at the Library winning an award, a celebration of a significant anniversary in the Library's history or a progress update on an innovative new service that the Library has built.
News
News content includes general updates and announcements from the Library and from across the University.
Examples might include an update on changes to opening times, notice of maintenance works which might impact users or advertisement of vacancies at the Library.
Support and training
The Library’s Digital Communications Developer and Digital Web and Design Developer are available to advise on all aspects of using social media including:
- Content creation and best practice.
- Measuring social media performance.
- Dealing with detractors.
For more information please contact us.
The University also offers Social Media Training Sessions delivered by the Central Comms and Marketing Social Media Team as well as access to numerous online courses via LinkedIn Learning:
Staff Use
The University respects the rights of employees to use social media, not only as a form of self-expression, but also as a means to enhance our reputation.
Answers to many frequently asked questions about using social media and the University's Social Media Staff Policy and Governance documents are available to view on the Communication and Marketing Social Media webpage:
Visit the University's Social Media Guidance webpage for advice on using social media safely and professionally:
View the University of Manchester Library Twitter List to follow and interact with other Library teams and colleagues on social media:
Showing what goes on 'behind the scenes' is a great way to showcase transparency and build trust with our users. If you post any content on your social media account that you think would be of interest to our audience then please tag the Library in so it can be reshared.
If you’re interested in contributing content to share directly on the Library’s social media channels or in discussing the possibility of a social media 'takeover' of a Library/University account then please contact us.
Contact us
Please contact Kristian Scott for any enquiries about social media at The University of Manchester Library.