Calculating value: a digital library’s social media campaign

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss a social media campaign used to promote a digital library of archival resources. Design/methodology/approach – Librarians planned and executed a social media campaign using Tumblr and Pinterest and consulted Google Analytics and database reports to determine the impact. Findings – The campaign resulted in few conversions back to the digital library and little return on investment. Research limitations/implications – The campaign has been in effect for only five months, a longer testing period may be needed. Also, additional social media platforms will be added to the test. Originality/value – This is one of few examples of return on investment applied to social media and digital library promotion.