S ocial media is a powerful new form of communication. The number of users on poular social media sites is growing at exponential rates. Facebook has more than 300 million active users, 1 which rivals the population of the United States. From February 2008 to February 2009, Twitter experienced 1,382% growth rate. 2 Millions of people are using these tools as part of their everyday lives for both work and play. Because of the ubiquity of social media use, academic libraries can leverage these communication tools to interact with faculty, staff, and students in new ways. It is often diffi cult in academic libraries to spread the word about different events or services that the library is offering. Social media provides another vein in which to market new library products or initiatives. In addition to marketing, the simple act of having conversations and creating relationships with patrons is immensely useful. Through conversations on social media, libraries can gain insights into what their users want and need and ultimately understand their users better. Many libraries are already experimenting with different social media services like Twitter or Facebook to interact and connect with their patrons, yet there are still a number of questions that come up as this is still fairly new territory. "How do I get started?" "What sorts of things should I post?" "How can I grow our social media presence and gain more fans or followers?" This article seeks to be a practical guide for launching and sustaining a successful social media presence.

While mobile technologies are ubiquitous among students and increasingly used in many aspects of libraries, they have yet to gain traction in information literacy instruction. Librarians at Champlain College piloted mobile phone polling in a first-year classroom as a less expensive and more versatile alternative to clickers. By utilizing a technology that virtually all students have in their pockets, librarians found that it increased engagement from previous iterations of the session. In addition, by asking poll questions about students' experiences, librarians were able to facilitate in-depth inquiry into information literacy topics. Ultimately, from direct experience in over 30 different classes, we found that mobile phone polling is a useful tool for any librarian to have in their pedagogical toolbox. 191

Purpose-The purpose of this paper is to outline the development of a Skype-based, study abroad reference service. Design/methodology/approach-The paper discusses the criteria used for technology and situates the project in the literature on study abroad reference services. Findings-Using Skype, a free video-conferencing software, allows librarians to offer reference services to study abroad students effectively, easily, and without new technologies or significant cost. Originality/value-The paper offers other librarians strategies for developing and launching similar programs and shares challenges encountered to prepare librarians for success in their own projects.

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