Online, the Xavier University of Louisiana Library looks a whole lot different than it did a year or two ago. Sporting a new logo (voted in by staff), website, catalog, and overall branding were changes incrementally applied throughout 2022 in an effort to prepare to meet the library’s vision of access, collaboration, and community for 2031. Establishing a baseline upon which to measure success meant that the library’s first order of business was to identify, implement, and fine tune analytical systems.

The December “Library Digital Marketing 2022 Impact” infographic details the library’s successes in terms of website and blog traffic, as well as social media and Google search performance for the year. According to Google Analytics setup in early 2022, the library’s website saw over 200 thousand views with the A-Z Databases being the most visited portion of the website. Having newly acquired or upgraded ten databases last year, these stats were a sign of librarian database evaluation time and library budget well spent to bring needed resources to Xavierites.

Connecting with XULA’s students and faculty is a key part in meeting their needs, as is keeping them informed about library services. Last year, the library strategically focused its social media efforts on Twitter, Youtube, Google My Business (found in Maps as well as when searching for the library's website). In addition, new efforts were made to virtually collaborate with other campus departments to include eBulletin ads and joint campaigns. Some of these campaigns having been so successful they were expanded this year. For example, the “Did You Know?” campaign started as simple fact image tweets provided by the Office of Counseling & Wellness, but has now grown into a Youtube Shorts campaign voiced by counselors.

Due to changes in social media trends, the library is strengthening its efforts in more stable and open platforms as well as reconsidering how it meets the needs of mobile users in accordance with data revealed in the 2022 impact statement. Youtube, sometimes referred to as the second largest search engine in the world (after Google Search of course) is being leveraged by the library to provide 24/7 access to information and digital literacy tutorials, collaborate with Xavierites to begin to solve key issues, and foster inclusive community building by providing a look back at the past that shaped Xavier’s present. That last one has by far been the most successful, as the Throwback Thursday Youtube Shorts campaign quickly became the most viewed on the channel due to XULA having alumni all over the world.