BCALS student representative

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Collaboration / Coordinating / Outreach

I held the position of co-Student Representative for one term with BCALS. Student Representatives liaise with library education programs in BC, raising awareness of BCALS events and issues. In coordination with the rest of the Executive, they are primarily responsible for the BCALS social media accounts and activity.

BCALS (BC Academic Libraries Section) is a section of the British Columbia Library Association.

“Its purpose is to promote the exchange of ideas among academic library personnel and to provide a network of professional expertise resulting in excellent service in the post-secondary libraries of British Columbia, using the latest methods, systems, and technologies.”1

BCALS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

During the 2020-2021 academic year, my co-student representative and I were responsible for managing the BCALS social media accounts and achieved the following accomplishments:

  • Developed and implemented a social media strategy for the year, including short-term goals to support BCALS’s focus on antiracism.
  • Posted on the BCALS Twitter account 2-3 times a week (tweets or retweets) and live-tweeted during the Winter Event.
  • Created a Twitter tracking & scheduling tool that tracked followers count, demographics of those we engage with (through likes & retweets), a posting schedule, content information, and future content ideas.

    a screenshot of BCALS Twitter account landing page showing following 514 and followers 492
    BCALS Twitter account
  • Increased Twitter following by 122 (a 38% increase); increased likes & retweets of content by BIPOC individuals to be nearly 60% of those by personal (rather than organizational) accounts; significantly reduced coverage of content focusing on the Lower Mainland and increased that from other regions in BC.
  • Created virtual promotional posters for BCALS events and promoted BCALS events on various platforms.
  • Conducted basic edits on video recordings of BCALS events and uploaded them to YouTube.

 

1. BC Academic Libraries Section, ‘BCALS Constitution and Bylaws’, BCLA Connect, 2021, https://bclaconnect.ca/bcals/bcals-constitution-and-bylaws/.

 

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