Twitter and Professional, Digital Networking (PLN)

I first joined Twitter in 2014 back in high school, alongside Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Unlike the latter three social media sites, however, I've almost never used Twitter for casual purposes for a number of reasons. For one thing, I'd always found its features to be fairly boring compared to those of the other apps, and many of my friends and peers used the others more often. But most of all, I have come to see Twitter as having greater use for more professional purposes. For example, I commonly retweet stuff pertaining to politics, my undergraduate major.

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It's because of the more professional lenses I viewed Twitter from that my presence on there has historically been on-and-off to put it bluntly. I've used it in times that I needed it, such as for an internship with the advocacy group Common Cause Illinois, where I learned to use it to spread awareness regarding political causes among other things, and once those times were done I essentially cast it aside. But now I have taken it up again full-time for this course, and I really have begun looking at it with a new perspective.

Doing the Professional Learning Network (PLN) assignment really left me with a greater understanding and appreciation of how Twitter allows libraries and librarians, as well as those of related backgrounds, to not only promote their work, but support those of their partners and raise awareness on issues which go hand-in-hand with that work. It's why I chose to share a resource from the Chicago Public Library (@chipublib) regarding community investments such as those detailed in their 2022 annual report. To me, this demonstrated how public libraries have evolved from merely providing literature and other materials to taking part in community service efforts, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Aside from the Chicago Public Library, I followed 17 other individuals and organizations for this assignment, including the U.S. Department of Education (@usedgov), Lake Forest College (@LFCollege), and the Chicago Teachers Union (@CTULocal1) among others.

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For my Twitter chat, I took part in the #MEMSPAchat held by the Michigan Elementary & Middle School Principals Association, and this one was hosted by Tara Martin (@TaraMartinEDU), an educator and author from Kansas.

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The chat allowed me a chance to apply in some shape or form what I've learned in the MLIS program to educational context, as well as a professional setting in general. I was also able to meet other people through the chat who were like me in many ways, such as a commitment to public service. Overall, the experience left me feeling more confident in both my digital and networking skills, and I hope to take part in further opportunities like this going forward, especially as I complete my masters in the next several weeks and begin searching for a career-related job.

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If you would like to know more from me about my PLN experience, please feel free to ask.

Further Information

“Annual Reports.” Chicago Public Library, www.chipublib.org/annual-reports/?utm_source=biblioemail-chipublib&utm_medium=email. Accessed 18 June 2023. 

“Home.” Common Cause Illinois, 14 June 2023, www.commoncause.org/illinois/.