Oh, Those Clever Librarians and Their #Bookface; New York Times, 5/1/15

Rachel Kramer Bussel, New York Times; Oh, Those Clever Librarians and Their #Bookface:

"Yes, even libraries are thinking about rebranding in the digital age.

“When you think about the library, you think about written text, but what we’ve shown here is that we have a vibrant visual side,” said Johannes Neuer, the director of digital engagement at the New York Public Library.

Social media’s plays on book covers are, in part, a marketing gambit, library employees said.

It’s “a fabulous way to show how fun we are,” said Liana Flumiani, a library technician at the public library in Brantford, Ontario. That perception matters, she said, because too many people do not use libraries because they still think of them as places where people are welcome only to read and be quiet.

“We want you to ask us questions,” Ms. Flumiani said. “We’re not cranky and doing more important things. It’s not our space, it’s everyone’s space.”"