The ITS Library recently hosted a workshop titled “Strategies for Building Library Human Resources Personal Branding & Utilizing Social Media for Library Branding” on Wednesday, February 5, 2025. The workshop was attended by 30 librarians and library staff from ITS, with the aim of enhancing librarians’ personal branding and leveraging social media to strengthen library branding.

The workshop speakers, Mr. Agus Santoso, Head of ITS Library, and Ahmad F. Robi Pradana, a Professional Graphic Designer, shared their valuable insights during this highly inspiring session. The primary focus of the event was to demonstrate how personal branding plays a crucial role in library service success and how social media can be an extremely effective tool for improving library visibility.

One of the key points addressed in the workshop was that personal branding is not just about building a public image, but more about how we demonstrate the genuine value we possess. Building personal branding means providing authentic, relevant, and publicly acceptable services and values. As emphasized by Agus Santoso, “Personal branding is not about the image we present, but the value we deliver to library users in our work environment.”

In this digital era, human interaction and service ethics become the differentiating factors that keep us relevant. The workshop also highlighted the importance of consistency and authenticity in building personal branding. Ahmad Robi Pradana, commonly known as Kak Robi, introduced strategies to enhance librarians’ presence on social media, encouraging participants to utilize platforms like Instagram to establish stronger connections with library users. By sharing informative, engaging, and professional content, libraries can build closer relationships with users, particularly students and academics.

A quote from Jeff Bezos shared during the event reveals the essence of personal branding: “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” This serves as a reminder for every librarian and ITS Library staff to start building a positive personal brand now, focusing on creating positive and memorable impacts on their professional reputation.

In conclusion, workshop participants were invited to immediately begin developing their positive personal branding using the tools and insights shared during the event. This initiative is part of ITS Library’s commitment not only to support intellectual development but also to advance the professional development of library staff. (onemoreITS)