Kellie R Sparks

This study explores how academic libraries use humor to communicate their value and services to their university community through social media. This study is a content analysis of posts created by a sampling of seven academic library Instagram and TikTok accounts. The study reviews and categorizes the multiple types of humor present among the particular content analyzed by looking at the combinations of humor types and then separating them out for individual analysis. This analysis shows that while Comparison and Silliness humor types were the most prevalent in the social media posts reviewed, Exaggeration received the highest average numbers of likes and comments. Sarcasm received the second most average likes, while Comparison received the second highest average number of comments per post. These findings suggest that expanding the usage of Exaggeration, Sarcasm, and Comparison in library social media content strategy could encourage engagement from audiences.

How does one cultivate creative inspiration on demand and sustain it over the life of a project? As a library marketing professional, it can be challenging to sustain creativity when crafting ideas to establish or re-envision a library brand. This article examines the creative process with the goal of deepening understanding of how to build a sustainable infrastructure of creativity. This infrastructure is designed with an awareness of the science behind creative thought and significant creativity research. We explore how brain behavior enhances the creative process and can essentially help create a more inspiring library brand. This article provides best practices and tips from creativity experts such as maintaining daily activities including movement, meditation, and reflective thought, to enhance one’s creative prowess while engaged in a library branding project. It also serves as a valuable reminder that creative thought is available for everyone and is not just limited to artists or musicians.