Social Media

Accounts

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Mansfield Library Archives and Special Collections

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Mansfield Library

Guidelines

Archives and Special Collections at the University of Montana’s Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library uses social media to raise awareness about Archives, Special Collections and Preservation, including the wonderful materials we manage and the work we do to acquire, care for and provide access to them. Social media allows us to engage with both our current community and with potential future users of our materials and services.

“Social media” refers to community-created online sites such as blogs, forums, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, wikis, Pinterest, and Twitter which are intended to encourage interaction and content sharing.

We currently maintain the following social media accounts: Facebook (@Mansfield Library Archives and Special Collections), Instagram (@mansfieldlibraryarchives) and a YouTube channel via the Mansfield Library. Archives and Special Collections recognizes that over time new tools will emerge which have useful applications in our setting; thus these guidelines are intended to address social media in general and not the use of specific tools.

Content

Our social media sites are a public representation of Archives and Special Collections, the Mansfield Library and the University of Montana. Content for posts should be thoughtfully selected, anticipating reuse in venues where original contextual information is not provided but in which we are attributed as the contributor. Text should be free of typos and grammatical errors. All content and text for social media posts should be reviewed by two people in Archives and Special Collections before making the post live.

We recognize that it is not possible to anticipate every reaction to content. Upon request, we may temporarily remove material from public view while we assess a concern.

Managing Accounts

All social media sites for Archives and Special Collections, whether internally or externally hosted, must be established and managed by a designated Archives and Special Collections staff member.

Our social media site content should be updated on a regular basis. In most cases this means at least one new post a week. Active engagement with other sites through likes and reposts of content of relevance to the collections and services of Archives and Special Collections should also be done on a regular basis; we recognize that it is through similar reposting and sharing by those who follow us that our content reaches beyond our own walls and existing audiences.

Analytics documenting use and engagement should be maintained for each Archives and Special Collections social media account. Summary reports of analytic data should be prepared monthly and yearly.

Communication

Archives and Special Collections social media accounts are intended to create an inviting and engaging space where users will find useful and entertaining information. In some forums users may be able to interact with Archives and Special Collections staff and with other users. In all forums the following communication practices will be enforced:

  1. Do not bully or harass other users.We welcome civil dialog on all subject matter and encourage you to ask questions regarding the material posted online. However, if you disagree with our decision to post an item, or with another user’s opinion, please keep all comments respectful. Archives and Special Collections will delete any comments and/or links that are clearly off-topic, derogatory, or discriminating; that promote services or products; or that promote or oppose any political party, person currently campaigning for or holding elected office, or current ballot proposition. We reserve the right to remove content for any reason whatever, without consent.
  2. Comment monitoring. Comments are welcome at any time. When commenting under an existing post please keep comments on topic. We monitor comments throughout the day. If you have a specific issue with a comment left on an Archives and Special Collections social media account please contact the Archives and Special Collections directly at library.archives@umontana.edu and/or 406-243-2053.
  3. Posting of personal information. Posts to Archives and Special Collections social media accounts become part of the public domain. Do not submit and/or post anything that you do not wish to broadcast to the general public. Do not post personally identifiable information about yourself or other people such as social security numbers, email, address and phone numbers. Comments containing this information will be removed from Archives and Special Collections social media accounts.Questions, comments and other messages received by A&SC via private message options, such as that provided by Facebook, will be responded to as private messages and not posted on the general site.
  4. Communication via Archives and Special Collections social media accounts. Communication made via Archives and Special Collections accounts including messages, comments etc., will in no way constitute legal or official notice to Archives and Special Collections.

Rights and Reuse

  1. Copyright, Permissions and Citation. Some content we present via Archives and Special Collections social media sites is protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Use of the materials may also be subject to other legal rights, for example, rights of publicity, privacy rights, or other legal interests. We encourage responsible reposting of our content.

  2. Reuse. For information on obtaining digital and/or hard copies of items displayed on Archives and Special Collections social media accounts please visit our website.
  3. Take Down Policy. If you have information that should be added to our descriptions please let us know.  If you are a rights holder and believe our inclusion of material in one of our social media venues violates your rights (e.g. inclusion is not covered by the Fair Use or other exemption to a copyright holder’s rights), please contact library.archives@umontana.edu and/or 406-243-2053 and include the following:
    • Your contact information (including email address and phone),
    • Exact URL where you found the material,
    • Details that describe the material (title, collection name, number of items, etc.),
    • The reason why you believe that your rights have been violated, with any pertinent documentation,
    • A statement that you in good faith believe that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law, and
    • A statement that the information in your notification is accurate and that you are the rights holder or are authorized to act on behalf of the owner.

    Upon receiving the request, Archives and Special Collections staff will:

    • Promptly acknowledge the request via email or other means of communication if you do not have an email account;
    • Assess the validity of the request;
    • Upon request, we may temporarily remove the material from public view while we assess the concern.

    Upon completion of the assessment, we will take appropriate action and communicate that action to you.

The Story of Banjo Cat

The University of Montana’s Archives and Special Collections launched a Facebook page in 2012. As a profile picture we selected an image a featuring a cat playing a banjo, an image originally created in the 1880s by Boston photographer L.A. De Ribas. Our “Banjo Cat” arrived in Missoula in the early 1900s on a carte-de-visite belonging to Gerald Higgins, son of Missoula founding father C.P. Higgins.

An adventurous and witty feline, Banjo Cat is the voice behind Archives and Special Collections social media accounts. Banjo Cat was featured in a 2015 video short produced by UM media arts student Lauren Mackey and has hosted an online talk show, “Banjo Cat: Between Two Ranges,” in which special guests discussed research, services and projects related to Archives and Special Collections and the Mansfield Library.

Staff of Archives and Special Collections frequently hear visitors say “I love Banjo Cat!”

For additional information, or to take a selfie with Banjo Cat, please contact us!