Social Media Policy
Governance Policies and Procedures
Policy Number: 5.2.4 | Policy Type: Administrative | Approval Date: March 2019
Introduction
The OLA Social Media Policy refers to the OLA held channels and handles and governs communications on existing or emerging social media platforms. An operational Social Media policy addresses operational matters, while this policy focuses on the governance issues.
Through Social Media:
- OLA will engage with social media in a way that upholds the brand and reputation of the Association.
- the Association will share OLA’s events, programs, services and news.
Anyone involved in social media creation, including reposting and sharing must adhere to this policy and the Code of Conduct policy when communicating on social media.
Purpose
This policy is in alignment with the Association’s Privacy Policy and Code of Conduct and complements existing or emerging policies regarding the use of technology, computers, e-mail and the Internet.
Questions or concerns about communications on social media can be directed to the OLA marketing and communications department at communications@accessola.com.
Definitions:
For the purposes of this policy,
Social Media refers to platforms that conduct real-time, unfiltered commentary, including blogs, podcasts, forums, wikis and social networking platforms (e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Flickr, Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube, etc.).
Subscribers are individuals who are followers or fans of a social media account. Subscribers receive real-time updates about social media communications on their feeds.
Stakeholders are people and organizations on social media that have an interest in the activities of the Ontario Library Association. They can include members, vendors, the publishing community, government officials, and partners.
Social Media Content Creation includes original posts, reposts or shared content (e.g. photos, GIFs, videos, web links and text).
Procedures
1. Creating Social Media Accounts
The purpose of OLA social media accounts is to promote events and activities, provide news and updates, join library-related conversations, and engage with stakeholders. An operational Social Media Policy includes regular social media plans for targeted audiences and purpose of channels. The Executive Director will have the final authority to approve/delegate the creation or dissolution of any account.
Committees or Councils will use the existing social media platforms that OLA uses to prevent fragmentation and dilution of OLA messaging and Brand. The staff liaison and the communications staff for the committee/council/other volunteer group will provide support so the volunteers may use OLA’s existing social media platforms. Upon staff approval, additional accounts may be managed by select OLA members.
If a council, committee, or other volunteer group is interested in creating a separate social media account, they should contact staff for a needs and strategic importance assessment, as well as assistance with training, branding and support. The creation of a new social media account must align with the Association’s communication strategy.
Allowances should be made to integrate social media management into the committee or council’s Terms of Reference. Any person submitting content will do so to the staff member, who is responsible for maintaining the account on a consistent and timely basis.
2. Using Personal Accounts to Interact with OLA Social Media
A personal social media account can have an audience beyond the OLA subscribers. Volunteers who choose to share, repost or comment on OLA posts should include a disclaimer in their profiles or their posts, which indicates “The views expressed within this social media content are my own personal views and do not represent any group I may participate in, follow or share”. OLA staff are to refer to personnel and code of conduct policies and procedures for further direction.
3. Review of Social Media Accounts
Social media accounts may be suspended or terminated for a number of reasons by the Executive Director, including:
- If there is not enough traction on content, or the number of subscribers has significantly diminished
- If there is not enough content being shared
- If OLA is unable to effectively run the account
- If the social media account no longer aligns with the OLA’s communications strategy, strategic plan, or values
- If the social media account violates this social media policy
OLA marketing and communications staff will conduct a needs and strategic importance assessment to determine whether any account should be closed. This assessment will document the account’s followers, shares, and link clicks. If the account will close, the marketing and communications department will advise on any archival requirements. For the purpose of definition, “close” refers to suspending the channel, placing a final post, and protecting the archival materials and name/channel owned by the OLA in perpetuity with the media platform.
4. Reporting to the Board
From time to time, the OLA Board may ask staff to bring updates to the Board pertaining to the efficacy of this policy as it pertains to governance matters.
Revised: Sept 2025
Date for Review: 2028; Every 3 Years
