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When the pandemic hit, libraries pivoted to providing virtual programming and services for their patrons. Since then, especially for adults, virtual and hybrid options continue to be very popular. Enter, Twitch.
Twitch is an online platform for streaming content. It originally came into prominence as a site for streaming e-sports, but it has since expanded to include such things as video games, Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), chess, and concerts.
In 2022, Twitch averaged 35 million daily viewers, and every month, 7 million unique streamers go live.1 Signing up for Twitch is free, and people can watch streams and recordings without an account if they wish. Twitch is particularly popular with younger adults, teens, and older kids.2 Without monetization, videos are kept on Twitch for 1 week, so it's possible to gain both live views and views from the recording.
Over the past few years, a number of staffers at Deerfield Public Library have gotten into Twitch, whether through Critical Role's D&D stream or via virtual offerings from musicians, gamers, and more. One of our staffers even attended a virtual comic con. We began to ask ourselves how we could use Twitch to connect with the community virtually.
Pitching the Project The first hurdle in bringing Twitch to our public library was getting management buy-in. While we had experience with Twitch and some ideas of how we could use it at the library, Twitch was still an unknown entity to many on our management team. We wanted to be clear and precise about how we could create additional engagement with our patrons and add to our virtual offerings.
We developed a proposal that explained the basics as well as the ideas we had for potential programming, which included resources for learning more.3 Additionally, we thought it was important to pitch this as a project in which staffers from all over the library could participate. When we did a survey in 2022, one of the things the community expressed was how much they loved our staff, and we thought Twitch was a great way to showcase our staff members' personalities.
Equipment
The minimum setup required to stream on Twitch is a computer that can handle streaming software, a microphone, and a camera. Our streaming setup utilizes web-cams,...