Online Programming: Engage and Interact with Community, Any Time, Anywhere

Public programming is a core library service that brings children, teens, and adults into our buildings for lifelong learning, recreation, and entertainment. Benefits of Online Programming: ● Reach patrons where they are ● Reduces scheduling conflicts ● Provides on-demand content ● Increase participation ● Improve accessibility ● Reaches wider audience - homeschoolers, homebound, etc Drawbacks of Social Media: ● Takes patrons away from your website ● Full of distractions ● Privacy concerns (lots of data gathering) ● Content only flows in one direction Matching Programs to a Platform: ● Think about what works well online ○ Storytime ○ Lectures ○ Crafts and DYI ○ Music, poetry, interviews ● Make your own videos, or, ● Link to external content (TED talks, Library of Congress videos) Tips to Engage your Patrons: ● Offer downloadables (maps, handouts, workbooks, coloring pages) ● Use polls or reflection questions to engage and reinforce knowledge ● Allow patrons to send material back to you ○ Upload poems, art, etc. ● Make room for questions (Let patrons ask you things)