Very Pinteresting!

I’ve been using Pinterest now for quite a while. Not only do I love the whole idea of being able to see multiple items on one page, but it makes so much more sense to “pin” a great website to one of my boards than to constantly bookmark sites.  I use Pinterest both in a personal manner, as well as professionally. And it seems that more and more librarians are using  to make their library experience better.

If you haven’t used Pinterest before, it’s basically a big bulletin board where you “pin” on items you like, from anywhere on the internet.  Once you ask to be added to Pinterest, you’re free to start pinning. So, say you’re on the National Geographic website and you see a great article you’d like to read later.  Just “pin” it to one of your boards and you can access it any time.  It’s visual, which makes it so much more interesting than bookmarks or favourites.

For work, I use Pinterest to get new craft ideas for my storytimes and craft nights, and also for ideas for bulletin boards and display windows. I can’t tell you how many things I’ve found there that are different and wonderful. It sure beats using Google to scan page after page of images, only to find nothing new. Pinterest is fresh and I can’t wait to use it in new ways!

But now, it seems that librarians from all over the North America are finding exciting ways to use Pinterest in their libraries to bring in more patrons, connect with their users and disperse information, all from these unique bulletin boards. Just how are they using Pinterest?  Here are a few ways:

1. Pinning Book Covers.  Librarians are putting together lists of books by genre or interest for their patrons.  Book covers also show what a librarian might be reading, or what might be new to the library. It’s up to the library to decide how to use it, and the possibilities are endless.

2. Encouraging kids and teens to read. One library has a special board dedicated to crafts, books and fun ideas based on hot new books for kids and teens, such as the Hunger Games. Teens can find great paper crafts or fun links to help broaden their experience with the book. Fun!

3. Displaying historical photos.  While we have lots of historical photos on our Local History sister blog, this would also be a fun way to display items for people who might not regularly visit our blog. It’s also a way to draw in new users.

4. Creating collaborative boards!  This is such a fun idea.  One library is using Pinterest to collaborate with their patrons by posting pictures of their pets “reading”. 

There are SO many great ideas and ways that libraries are using Pinterest.  You can read a wonderful article here at Edudemic. Fantastic ideas that I know I’m going to think more about!