Tumblr in Libraries

Courtesy of https://secure.assets.tumblr.com/images/logo_page/img_logotype_34465d_2x.png

           Tumblr is a social media mobile and web application created in 2007.  It is a blog that is designed for short, quick entries that are posted onto the Web site.  Tumblr is similar to a stream of consciousness rather than a planned written statement.  Users can post seven different types of posts: text, photo, quote, link, chat, audio, and video.  These seven types of posts are represented by their own icon on the user’s dashboard which is the user’s homepage.  According to Adrienne Matteson in “Do You Tumble? Tumblr Could Change the Way You Blog” she states that, “Tumblr is made for users who have lots of ideas and very little time… Creating a Tumblr blog for the library not only allows the school librarian to publish in small, quick posts, but it also encourages participation” (p. 55).  Users can comment on posts, reblog posts, and like posts.  Tumblr also has the following features that would help make a library blog: email and mobile publishing, audio posts, ask me anything, and photo reply.  The Birmingham Public Library has a frequent presence on Tumblr.  They reblog other user’s posts and they post their own information.  

Matteson, A. (2011). Do You Tumble? Tumblr Could Change the Way You Blog. School Library Monthly, 27(5), 54-56.