140 characters in search of a
purpose:
Integrating Twitter into IL and IL
into Twitter

Margy MacMillan
LILAC 2016

Image credit: Don MacMillan

Twitter and IL

Twitter for IL
Concept
Collection
Conversation
Content

Image credit: Kerri Martin

Image credit: Don MacMillan

Twitter as Concept

Twitter and IL

140 characters encourages focus and concision

Twitter and IL

Twitter as Concept

Image credit: Don MacMillan

Image credit: Kerri Martin

Twitter as Collection

Image credit:
Kerri Martin

Twitter and IL

Twitter and IL

Twitter as Conversation

Image credit: Kerri Martin

Twitter as Content

Twitter and IL

• Twitter search tools - http://bit.ly/mrutforj
• Using Twitter as Journalists http://bit.ly/DVarticle
• Research articles about Twitter
• Practical advice for using Twitter
Image credit: Don MacMillan

Twitter and IL

How are YOU using Twitter
• (we’ll fill this in during the session)

Image credit: Don MacMillan

Other Ways to Use Twitter

Twitter and IL

• Collection Development
• Great IL conversations –
like #critlib chats
• Great IL/library
community for support,
ideas
Image credit: Don MacMillan

Twitter and IL

Twitter and Faculty Colleagues
• Librarians rule!
• …but we can help others
• Twitter for researchers
• Twitter in teaching beyond IL

Image credit: Kerri Martin

Twitter and IL

Thank YOU!

Image credit: Don MacMillan

mmacmillan@mtroyal.ca
@margymaclibrary

Margy MacMillan
LILAC 2016

140 characters in search of a purpose:
Integrating Twitter into IL and IL into Twitter
LILAC 2016, UCD, Dublin

Margy MacMillan, Mount Royal University
mmacmillan@mtroyal.ca
@margymaclibrary
http://www2.mtroyal.ca/~mmacmillan/conf.htm

#lilac140
#comm1720

Twitter in Information Literacy – How are you using it?
 Concept
Use the limits to promote synthesis, synopsis

 Collection
Democratizes information sharing

 Conversation
Takes scaffolding to make it dialogic, but works well for discussions

 Content
Lots of useful info about Twitter available through Twitter, particularly for
professional and academic use

Twitter as Content
 Twitter search tools - http://bit.ly/mrutforj
A worksheet I set up for a class activity – had students test, compare, pitch their
favourites, talk about how to use each.
 Using Twitter as Journalists - http://bit.ly/DVarticle
“The one word journalists should add to Twitter searches that you probably
haven’t considered”
Fabulous piece by Daniel Victor – step by step through refining a Twitter search
to locate sources to interview
 Research articles about Twitter
I have used these in the classes I teach around critical reading of academic
articles as they tend to provoke discussion, e.g.
McKinney, B. C., Kelly, L., & Duran, R. L. (2012). Narcissism or openness?: College
students’ use of Facebook and Twitter. Communication Research Reports, 29(2),
108-118.
 Practical advice for using Twitter
o The spreading of misinformation online
http://www.pnas.org/content/113/3/554.abstract
o How Sites Optimise Headlines For Social Media | The Whip
https://www.newswhip.com/2015/03/publishers-optimise-headlinessocial-readers/
Twitter for Library/IL Work
 Great way to keep in touch between conferences
 Good for book alerts for collections in some disciplines
 Great discussions – e.g. #critlib chats - http://critlib.org/
Twitter for Colleagues Beyond the Library
 Librarians tend to be ahead of the game
 Connect faculty to Twitter by sending them tweets related to their work
 Twitter in research/dissemination
o Online Academic blog - https://onlineacademic.wordpress.com/
o Academic Twitter: The intersection of orality and literacy in scholarship?
http://www.slideshare.net/bonstewart/academic-twitter-theintersection-of-orality-literacy-in-scholarship
Useful Tools
 Storify – https://storify.com/ – to gather tweets etc into a site
 Tweetdeck - https://tweetdeck.twitter.com/ - to schedule tweets
 Tweetwally - http://www.tweetwally.com/ - to display tweets