A Pinterest convert
A year ago, I was planning a wedding, and every single wedding vendor I met with said, "Oh you're so lucky to be planning a wedding in age of Pinterest! Isn't it just great?" Um no. Not at all. I hated it. Because I didn't get it. In typical librarian fashion, I was using Pinterest as a search engine. I would search something like "pink bouquet blueberries" and would see the same image over and over and over. I much preferred Google Images, or even the search function at TheKnot.com.
It wasn't until Leann's Apps in a Flash: 23 Mobile Things Preview webinar, that I began to see Pinterest as a visual bookmarking tool and was convinced to give it a try again. (Thanks Leann!) I am so glad I did. In the meantime, I've talked to several librarians who have said their library's Pinterest has much greater interaction and more followers than their Twitter. (And you know how much I love Twitter!) So, with permission from the powers that be, I started developing a Pinterest profile for our library. So far, our content mostly consists of bringing our print read-a-like brochures into the digital word, but also includes fun boards like "Quotes for Book Lovers" and "Special Days and Months of the Year."
Though I still don't love the search function on Pinterest, it has gotten much better.
I much prefer Pinterest as a browsing tool, both browsing my Home Feed and browsing categories. As such, I love the recommendations list from 23 Mobile Things MN for pinners to follow! More great libraries/librarians to get ideas from, which will refresh my Home Feed more frequently. One of the best things about our profession is the sharing that we do.
Pinterest is also a great place for us to share info we find elsewhere on the web with patrons & for them to engage with the content. The ability to link & share to our Twitter account is also a bonus, though it would also be nice to be able to connect to our library's Facebook page. Pinterest currently only allows personal Facebook accounts to be connected, even though we have a Business Pinterest?
The Pinterest app is super intuitive and easy to use! Just as user-friendly as the web version (maybe even more so since I don't have the Pin It button installed on my work computers) with all the same features. Anyhow, check out ECRL on Pinterest!
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