The 'M' Word - Marketing Libraries

Inspiring Articles & Ideas

2012-01-27T13:16:00.000-05:00

There's been so much going on lately that I haven't had time to blog about it all. So I hope you won't mind a bit of a catch-up post here.

++ There's a wonderful new feature article over at The Programming Librarian site--- "Meeting Needs and Making a Difference: Outcomes Based Planning and Evaluation" by Abbie Anderson, the Assistant Director at the North Bend (Oregon) Public Library. I can't entice you to read it any better than she does in her opening paragraph:

"We’ve all been there. You plan a great program, and only a handful of people show up—or no one does. ... You’re doing everything you can think of and everything your schedule and your budget allow to promote your events to potential audiences. How can you draw people to your programs?"

There is a wealth of other helpful articles there; go take a look!

++ I bet you never expected to see a post on the Harvard Business Review's blog about libraries and stuffed animals! But here it is: "Innovating the Library Way" by Grant McCracken. Discussing the value that physical libraries can offer (that you can't get from ebooks or websites), he uses the fun example of "stuffed animal sleepovers" to show children that libraries are magical places.

Look at Crowell PL's Flickr set to see how much fun the animals have when left overnight in the library! And here's an animated set of photos from Briargate PL's sleepover.

++ You've seen bookmobiles... but I bet you've never seen one like this! An artist in Buenos Aires turned an armored tank into a mobile library and he drives around Argentina giving away books to encourage people to read. But the best part is the name: He calls the tank a "Weapon of Mass Instruction"!! See it in action on YouTube.

I loved the tank story so much that I posted it as my "Friday Fun" installment on my Facebook page for Libraries Are Essential (that's my marketing consulting business). That Facebook page is where I post lots of quick little links like these. If you like the idea of getting marketing tips, links to articles & ideas, and other interesting tidbits fed to your Facebook page every day, please Like my LAE page! (My more substantial writing will continue to appear here and in the Marketing Library Services newsletter.)

++ Finally, with February right around the corner, have you planned anything for Library Lovers' Day / Month? Librarians in New South Wales, Australia, have made it a big deal since 2006. Read all about it in a recent issue of Marketing Library Services. (Note: You are going to crave chocolate while reading this!)

So those are just a few of the things I've been exploring and reading lately. Hope you find them inspiring.

Join Kathy's Audio Conference on Marketing Plans

2012-01-19T10:58:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone; Kathy here. I'm honored to have been asked to speak in an audio conference put on by The Education Institute in Canada. However, it's not for Canadians only! You can call in from the U.S. too.

As part of EI's "Conversations with Leaders" series, I'll be interviewed about Marketing Plans. The call is next Tuesday, Jan. 24, at 2pm Eastern Time. The cost per "site" (many people can listen in at each paid site) is $54 for EI members and $74 for non-members. A bargain compared to travelling and paying for a full workshop! All the details are here.

Attendees will get a handout and will have the opportunity to ask questions. Hope to "hear" you there next Tuesday!

Help TWIL

2012-01-16T21:46:00.002-05:00

Justin meets the Dutch
guys for the first time in NJ.

A couple weeks ago I asked a few friends to help launch an international campaign to help our friends, Erik and Jaap by raising $10,000 to lend a hand for their weekly video program, This Week in Libraries.

Our team consists of Jan Holmquist (Denmark) and Mylee Joseph (Australia). From the United States we have the west coast represented by Justin Hoenke, east coast by Loida Garcia Febo and the south by me.

Me in my official LBI Tour shirt

The first time I met Erik and Jaap blew my mind. Traveling across the US, they told the kind of stories about libraries that made me want share with everyone I met. They introduced me to people who were doing amazing things, people who I still turn to for inspiration. Not only are the speakers amazing, Erik insists on asking the hard questions and delves to find answers that help us to think about what libraries need to do to exist into the future. One of my favorite segments was when they took us into the Media Literacy Event. At first I just listened but before it was over I was scribbling notes as fast as I could type. That's what happens when you listen to TWIL.

Now it’s our chance to help out. By supporting the “Help TWIL” campaign, you can keep the cameras rolling. Everyone who donates can have their name and country listed on an episode of TWIL as a public Thank You! Anonymous donations is also possible.

All you need to do is:

1. Go to Help TWIL and click the donation button on the top of this page and donate via the PayPal accounts that have been set up for this special initiative. It is quick and easy.

2. Make a video to encourage your friends to join us and send us the link- we'll post it to the page

3. Like us on Facebook

Please pass this along to your colleagues! Thank you for your support for Help TWIL. -Nancy

Pictures from their visit to NJ- enjoy!

PS - A special thanks to my friend and blogging buddy, Kathy Dempsey, for her help. Did you know she was the editor of their book and has been their American agent? She's been a huge help working with Erik and Jaap to keep the lines of communication open! Thanks Kathy.

#helptwil

Obama Family Works in a School Library on MLK Day of Service

2012-01-16T19:50:00.000-05:00

(Credit: JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images) from cbsnews.com
President and Mrs. Obama paint MLK quotes on library walls.

I saw these reports on the evening news and I thought it was wonderful that President Barack Obama and his family did their annual MLK day of service in a school library. This is a great example of the importance of libraries! The President's team thought a library was worthy of his time and good enough for a background for a major media appearance.

Please share this post and use this opportunity to publicize the importance of school libraries.

If school libraries are important enough for the First Family to work on, aren't they important enough to fund and staff ?

For those who aren't familiar with it, here's an explanation of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service.

Here are links to various news stories about the service work that was done today at the Browne Education Center in Washington, D.C. The Obamas and other helped build bookshelves and paint walls.

Obama Volunteers on MLK Day, Addresses Controversy Over Memorial Inscription. Fox News.

Obamas mark MLK's birthday by volunteering. CBS News.

Obamas Observe Martin Luther King Day With Volunteer Service. Huffington Post.

Enter PR Daily's Contest to Win $ and Recognition

2012-01-10T09:44:00.000-05:00

Ragan Communications is a well-known firm for PR professionals. "Ever since the launch of The Ragan Report in 1970, Ragan has provided the professional communicator and executives with timely, practical, and relevant information that few others can match."

Now its companion site, PR Daily, is launching a PR contest that covers all sorts of topics. Here's the scoop:

We're introducing our first-ever PR Daily Awards competition. And it's a doozy.
We're handing out more than $50,000 in free registrations to any of our conferences—including next year's Social Media Summit in Las Vegas, our September event at NASA, our October Best Practices Conference at Microsoft's world headquarters, our Health Care Social Media Summit at The Mayo Clinic and many more.
Use your prize for yourself, your colleagues or your clients.

We’ll also feature winning entries on the home page of PR Daily itself and in a special print edition of our flagship corporate communications and PR magazine.
Share your success with your colleagues, your clients, your prospects and the world by entering our competition by Feb. 3.

Eligible:

Work in public relations executed between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2011.
Open to in-house and agency public relations practitioners in the corporate, nonprofit and government sectors.
Agencies and vendors can also enter on behalf of clients.

There are many categories, including best Op-Ed article, blog, speech, online press site, YouTube Channel, and best cause-related marketing. Check the site for the full list and details!

Here's the catch: The fee is $250 per entry. HOWEVER, I contacted Ragan's to ask if there was a nonprofit entry rate, and there is -- $150. Better, but still out of reach for many of you (although you could ask your Friends or Foundation to cover the cost). To get the nonprofit rate, contact Lauren Yanow and she’ll help you out. You can reach her at 312.960.4167 or email her at laureny@ragan.com.

You can enter online; do it by Feb. 3!

Why Not Create a Thank-You Video?

2012-01-07T12:01:00.000-05:00

You know that we M Word women like videos. Here's another I recently discovered. It's a simple year-end Thank You message from the staff at Constant Contact, the email marketing company.

After watching it, I thought, "Why couldn't librarians do this?" There are various reasons to thank people for their patronage:

At the end of an advocacy or fundraising campaign
After a grand opening or re-opening
Tie in with a holiday ("We love our patrons on Valentine's Day and all year")
At the end of a semster
After an observance like Library Card Sign-Up Month or National Library Week

A short video (and it must be short!) like this shows off your staff members in a positive light and makes them appear more friendly and outgoing. And the more fun you make your movie, the greater its chances of going viral. So thank your community and help them get to know you better!

Enter by Jan. 15 to Win IFLA's International Marketing Award

2012-01-05T14:58:00.000-05:00

The IFLA Section on Management and Marketing, in collaboration with Emerald, will be giving out the prestigious IFLA International Marketing Award. Now in its 10th year, the award accepts entries from any library in the world that markets its products or services.

The deadline is 15 January, so get your entry together now!

According to the website:

The IFLA INTERNATIONAL MARKETING AWARD will honor organizations that have implemented creative, results-oriented marketing projects or campaigns. Three finalists will be recognized for their outstanding achievements. From these three finalists, the winner will be chosen and receive airfare, lodging and registration for the World Library and Information Congress: 78th IFLA General Conference and Council in Helsinki, Finland in August 2012, as well as a cash award of USD 1,000 which must be used to further the marketing efforts of the recognized organization.

The award is generously sponsored by Emerald Group Publishing, Ltd.

and is administered by IFLA's Section on Management and Marketing.

Applications are available in IFLA's 7 official languages:

Arabic
Chinese
English
French
German
Russian
Spanish

You can read coverage of this award from previous years in IFLA's archive here and in Marketing Library Services newsletter here and also here.

How to Influence with Stories: a Free Webinar

2012-01-05T13:59:00.000-05:00

There's a free webinar next week on how to influence people with stories.

From ALA's press release:

Facts and figures may be the staples of organizational life, yet it is storytelling that reaches people’s hearts.

On Tuesday, 10 January, ALA TechSource and WebJunction will cosponsor the webinar “Organizational Storytelling for Librarians: Using Stories for Leadership, Community, and Advocacy.”

Participants will learn the concepts of organizational storytelling taking hold in business and other sectors. Presenters are Kate Marek, professor at Dominican University’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science and author of "Organizational Storytelling for Librarians" (ALA, 2011); and Chris Rippel, head of continuing education, Central Kansas Library System.

Drawing from the storytelling principles of noted screenwriter Robert McKee, Marek and Rippel will share specific examples and tools for library communication and advocacy. Among the themes to be discussed are:

Gaining trust with stories about yourself and your sense of purpose.
Building teams by sharing vision.
Managing change with respect for the past.
Why storytellers listen.

The webinar is at 2 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012 at WebJunction. Find details here.

Why Library Cards Make Great Gifts

2011-12-30T11:20:00.000-05:00

I like this short video on why library cards make great Christmas gifts. And you could use it for any time of year. A few alternate ideas:

* Library cards fit nicely into a box of candy for Valentine's Day.

* They can brighten up Easter baskets.

* They have no calories!

* They allow you to research history on an historical observances (national Independence Days, etc.)

* Library cards also make wonderful birthday gifts, and not just for kids--for anyone who wants to learn or explore the world, for people without computers, for movie or music fans, and others.

Kudos to Eastern Counties Regional Library (Bibliotheque Regionale Eastern Counties) in Nova Scotia, Canada, for making this video. Check the recent M Word post on how to make a 1-minute video to get your own started!

To friend or to de-friend ...

2011-12-20T07:42:00.003-05:00

"New research from NM Incite, a Nielsen McKinsey company, reveals that there are innumerable factors that help Facebook users decide to add a friend or cull someone from the fold, though knowing someone in real life is the top reason cited for friend-ing someone (82%) and offensive comments are the main reason someone gets the boot (55%).While some Internet interactions are online-only relationships, the most common reason we add friends on Facebook is because we know people in real life."

So why do you friend someone? I have two Facebook accounts- one for "friends and family" and one for "Friends and work." For work, I'll friend almost anyone in the library field and authors. I seldom de-friend people but I will "silence" them if they post too often or rare playing too many games. I love hearing people's ideas and will follow quite a few links if they sound interesting. What about you?

Creating the One Minute Video for Your Library

2011-12-19T09:05:00.001-05:00

One of the most difficult things to do is to create short videos (1 minute or less.) The creators of Arizona State University’s “Library Minute”, Matthew Harp, Mimmo Bonanni, and Anali Perry, presented a fantastic workshop outlining the process they use to create their “Library Minute” videos.

In their slide deck, they discuss the three steps they use to produce the short videos:
1. Conceptualization and Planning
2. Recording
3. Editing and Distribution.
This is good stuff! Check out some of the videos they’ve made here.

The Library Minute: Creating Short and Effective Outreach Videos

View more presentations from mharpasu

Building a Social Library

2011-12-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

Another great presentation. This time from Slideshare and given by the folks from NY Public Library: Michael Lascarides, Sr. Manager forWeb Initiative; Ben Vershbow, Manager of NYPL Labs; Angela Montefinise, PR and Marketing Director; and Johannes Neuer, eCommunications Manager. I think they are one of the most talented teams out there and what they have to say is valuable for every library- large and small.

Topics covered in the presentation:

Our Catalog: the Core of the Social Library
Crowdsourcing NYPL's Research Collections
Using Social Media to Reach the Mainstream Media
Our Framework for Social Media Success

Angela's section on using social media to reach the mainstream media demonstrates all the best practices we have discussed over the past few years and proves they really work.

Present compelling stories and the press will call you
Use the new rules for press releases: send links to blogs and other social media, use images and be creative with text
Share photos and video clips ( okay granted, they have photos of JayZ when he came, but you have compelling stories to tell that will appeal to your community too)
Highlight original content on your web/blog - reporters love a good story!
Highlight your library's unique assets- NYPL has the Biblion app, think about what your library has that is unique
Conduct exclusive social press meet-ups. I guess this is considered the "new" press conference and would warn that this must be newsworthy and "special" to be effective.

Run through the entire presentation and be inspired! I know the tendency is to think that since you don't have the resources NYPL has, you can't replicate their ideas, but that's not the case. What they are doing is applying excellent practices, and while you may have to scale them to fit your resources, the concepts are always replicable.

Web 2.0 Expo New York 2011: Building a Social Library

View more presentations from Johannes Neuer

Effective Video Promo for a Presidential Library

2011-12-13T18:51:00.000-05:00

This video is an amazing way to promote a special library!!

Tour host, actor Gary Sinise, makes the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum sound so fascinating that even a Democrat would want to visit.

Also notice "the ask" right up front--he makes it clear that the library wants donations and tells

viewers how to make them. Smart.

However, the page isn't optimized to post the actual video via links. :-( So you'll have to link over yourself to see it.

http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan-library-video-tour.aspx

Proving the Digital Difference that Public Libraries Make

2011-12-11T14:06:00.002-05:00

Some of you may remember that, back in February 2011, I posted about a study that I referred to as "worth its weight in gold" for public libraries that needed to prove their value to city and county managers. That study was done by the ICMA, the International City/County Management Association.

Well, Friday, 9 December was an exciting day. I was doing breakout workshops at a library's staff training day and the keynote speaker was none other than the Executive in Residence of the ICMA!! Dr. Ron Carlee gave a great talk about the library-related work that ICMA is doing, and it was punctuated with great advice and good quotes. Let me share it with you.

Ron Carlee understands a lot about government, economics, and budgets—and libraries. He knows that libraries help build sustainable communities that can grow. (This was made abundantly clear in the study, called Maximize the Value of Your Public Library. Download it for free!) In this presentation on "enhancing community relevance in an era of constrained resources," he detailed four main areas where ICMA is working with libraries:

1. Innovation projects

2. U.S. Impact Survey

3. Framework for Digital Inclusion

4. Edge: Benchmarks for Public Access

I want to concentrate on "digital inclusion" – making sure that everyone has access to technology and help using it. One great point that Carlee made was that three of the biggest employers in the US (Walmart, McDonalds, and Target) only take applications online. So in order for people to get even the most basic jobs, they need computers and the skills to use them. Libraries are making that possible.

"Were it not for the public library, we'd have virtually no digital inclusion at all," Carlee said. Libraries make technology infrastructure available, affordable, and accessible.

Here are a few final bits of his advice:

* To influence decision-makers, we must explain to them the negative consequences of not doing what we do, and also show the positive consequences of providing public technology access. It's not enough to say, "We offer free internet access." We need to show, with data and stories, what can happen if we don't have money to offer it as well as how we improve people's lives when we do offer it.

* Everyone should develop an elevator speech about the impact of libraries!

* We need to understand the budget process and educate the decision-makers. As Carlee concluded, "If you don't do it, it's not gonna get done."

I want to thank everyone at the Loudoun County Public Library in Virginia for inviting me to talk about marketing at their Staff Development Day, and for bringing in Ron Carlee to talk about the big picture and to encourage everyone to help improve it.

"Seduction is framing what you want to do in terms of what the person wants to do already." - S. Abram

2011-12-05T07:43:00.004-05:00

A Good Memory: Eric and Jaap visiting NJ

I was just catching up on some inspirational sites and loved listening to Stephen Abram on TWIL [This Week in Libraries.] For those of you who aren't familiar with TWIL, it's a fantastic weekly video interview program by our Dutch boys- Eric and Jaap. In this session Stephen works his magic talking about the need for libraries to seduce their customers in order to help people connect with us on an emotional level. It's what Kathy and I believe and Stephen explains it beautifully here.

Toward the end of the discussion he touches on the topic of book clubs and I think its worth your time to listen to and then take a day to let your own ideas percolate. Book clubs, book discussion groups or whatever you choose to call them provide a social extension to reading and can produce some pretty amazing results for those who join. Stephen talks about the idea of book clubs for parents helping people to become better parents. I remember a library in NJ that hosted a book club for divorced people that helped people build new and better lives after divorce. Are we doing enough when it comes to creating opportunities and incentives for new book clubs in our libraries and communities?

Take a few minutes to enjoy the discussion. See all the interviews [they are pretty amazing!] at This Week in Libraries

TWIL #53: Stephen Abram (Vice President, Strategic Partnerships and Markets at Gale Cengage) from Jaap van de Geer on Vimeo.

"Yes" or "No" to the new template? You tell us.

2011-12-04T09:00:00.001-05:00

So Blogger is offering these new "dynamic" templates where you get to pick the look you like. The questions is, does it work for you or do you prefer the old style we were using? Please give us some feedback! Thanks- Nancy and Kathy

By far the BEST library video ever!

2011-12-03T09:57:00.001-05:00

The Finnish Library Association created this video and it is the best I've ever seen.

ERIAL Study: College Students Don't Know Librarians Can Help With Research!

2011-12-01T11:13:00.000-05:00

I just read an article in Inside Higher Ed called "What Students Don't Know." It covers a study, done by anthropologists and librarians at Chicago-area universities. This is one study that all librarians really need to read and digest.

This ERIAL (Ethnographic Research in Illinois Academic Libraries) project is a series of studies conducted at Illinois Wesleyan, DePaul University, and Northeastern Illinois University, and the University of Illinois’ Chicago and Springfield campuses. It won't surprise most of us that ERIAL found that college students don't know how to do good research. What did surprise many of the participating professionals was just how bad students were--and just what they thought of libraries and librarians.

I'll share a few key quotes to whet your appetite for the full article:

"This study has changed, profoundly, how I see my role at the university and my understanding of who our students are,” says Lynda Duke, an academic outreach librarian at Illinois Wesleyan. “It’s been life-changing, truly.”

“Students showed an almost complete lack of interest in seeking assistance from librarians during the search process.” Of all the students they observed -- many of whom struggled to find good sources, to the point of despair -- not one asked a librarian for help.

...students seek help from sources they know and trust, and they do not know librarians. Many do not even know what the librarians are there for. "I don't think I would see them and say, 'Well, this is my research, how can I do this and that?' " one senior psychology major told the researchers. "I don't see them that way. I see them more like, 'Where's the bathroom?' " Other students imagined librarians to have more research-oriented knowledge of the library but still thought of them as glorified ushers.

No wonder people keep asking why you need a master's degree to be a librarian...

This is serious evidence for why our profession needs a complete brand makeover. Since that's unlikely to happen, what each of you can do is to concentrate on your own organization. Meet with faculty and teach them what you really do. Promote yourselves as expert researchers who are better than Google and who can find the right info quickly and efficiently. Buy products with this design from Cafe Press and show it off, live it, preach it.

You can learn more about this age group in the book Dancing With Digital Natives, which I'm going to review in Marketing Library Services newsletter.

Don't wait for students to come to you with questions. Instead, proactively tell them that you're an expert and you're there to teach them how to find information. It's a skill they'll need for the rest of their lives.

Thank You, Huffington Post!

2011-11-18T15:37:00.000-05:00

The widely read online news service, The Huffington Post, has started a special section called Libraries In Crisis.

Right now, its front page features stories on these topics and others:

Chicago citizens protest to get mayor to reduce cuts to libraries that were in his planned budget (and he did restore some of the money).
Why librarians should be more like Lady Gaga
Many popular authors write in favor of libraries.
Why libraries should charge rental fees

There are many links here to articles from other sources, and to blog posts by famous commentators. Many of them are months old, and apparently have been gathered to create this section. Still, it's growing the discussion about the value of libraries.

Speaking of discussion... I strongly urge you to read at least some of the comments posted below each story. This is free research (albeit not at all scientific!) on how some people feel about libraries. If you want to get more respect, more users, and more support, you need to understand the points made by the people who do not respect, use, or fund libraries. As the old saying goes, "Know your enemy." I'll admit that sometimes, reading the comments raises my blood pressure! However, remember that you are as welcome to comment as anyone else. See misinformation being spread? Correct it! See people saying "We don't need libraries because..." ? Counter with reasons why we do need them.

This is a big opportunity for advocacy. Don't sit on the sidelines. Use this section of HuffPo to learn what's happening around you, to celebrate the comments of supporters, to address non-supporters in civil discourse, and to practice your snappy comebacks and elevator speeches. This is a giant forum about our struggling field; take advantage of the chance to educate the public and to influence change.

Inspiration: Jay-Z and Bing

2011-11-18T14:46:00.000-05:00

So take some time to look at this video but before you become overwhelmed just imagine what kind of campaign you'd come up with if you had all those resources. On a smaller scale, imagine something like this in your community. Ideas?

What Time of Day Should You Make Posts?

2011-11-15T17:47:00.000-05:00

"What time of day should I make my social media posts so that the most people will see them?"

That's a very common question. And while there is no single correct answer, there is some research on the topic. Here's one fascinating answer I just discovered: According to Norwegian-born designer Bård Edlund and his recent experiment, it's 9 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.
Check out his "Is the Internet Awake?" infographic here.

A FastCompany design site chose it as its Infographic of the day.

This is one man's finding, based on data. While it can't guarantee perfect results for the vast number of organizations that want to get their content noticed online, it is one way to look at the question. Nothing can replace studying your own customers and looking at your own data on posts & responses. But it's still pretty cool.

Should You Respond to Comments on Your Social Media Sites?

2011-11-09T22:18:00.001-05:00

I found the greatest thing today!

The Social Media Crisis Communications Decision Tree

Ever wonder whether you should respond to a user comment on your Facebook page, Twitter feed, or blog? When is it appropriate to say something, and how should you say it? Every organization that has social sites has surely wondered about this. Well, there's a great answer on the Social Media Influence site.

I love this infographic: The Social Media Crisis Communications Decision Tree.

"... nobody wants a customer gripe to go unnoticed and turn into a viral PR nightmare," the SMI site explains. So, "We adapted this decision tree from the U.S. Air Force’s brilliant web posting response assessment protocol developed for its communications staff on how to prioritize and respond to potentially damaging online posts."

Link over to the site and click on the graphic to enlarge and study it. The logic is sound.

When librarians talk about social media, especially Facebook, the problem of how to interact with fans always comes up. There's a wide range of challenges. Here are 5 common ones, from the most restrictive to the least:

1. I've often heard public and school librarians complain that administrators or board members won't even let them have Facebook pages because they're afraid that "The public might want to interact with us." OMG--your patrons might want to communicate with you!! Isn't that a pretty basic focus of public service? I think it's silly to avoid Facebook because you don't want to open yourself up to conversation. I've never yet heard an argument on this topic that convinces me otherwise.

2. Some folks say they're allowed to have a site, but not allowed to take comments. Here's a story: There's a township organization where I live that made a Facebook site, and after every post they put up this same comment:

"The membership of the [name] Page are reminded that comments will be removed from this page. Feedback should be directed through email to facebook@[namae].org. Those who choose to post on this page will be blocked by the administrator from this Facebook page."

How ridiculous is that?!? It makes this organization look very unfriendly and very un-social-savvy. If you just want to send out info but not take feedback, then you should have a blog or send email blasts; Facebook is not for you.

3. Some libraries have social sites, but posting is restricted somehow: Either only one person is allowed to post, or they're restricted to posting about one or two topics (so they can't make the most of the medium), or posts are made by someone who doesn't "get it." I say, if you want to do social media right, you need to put it in the hands of employees who understand the best way to use it for publicity, for outreach, for studying customers, and for building your reputation.

4. Various libraries have started accounts before they created usage policies. That makes problems more likely, and arguments over how to handle them can cripple social interactions. If you do some research on social media policies and adopt a common-sense approach, you can overcome this challenge.

5. Finally, even libraries that have good sites and that do engage fans by asking questions, still seem to struggle with the question of how to respond to unfavorable posts. When someone writes about a bad experience they had, do you reply publicly? Do you make excuses? How honest should you be? Should you remove the unkind comment and hope nobody saw it? Even the savviest social-ites can be unsure of these answers, or can be held back by bad policies.

Now, you can take this infographic to the folks who just don't understand and tell them that it was created by the U.S. military (which has never been accused of being "too friendly" or "too open") and by a company that specializes in social media. This decision tree can be the cornerstone of your policies. Maybe it'll help you convince administrators that you can and should engage in open conversations with users.

Why reinvent the wheel -- or the policy, or the flowchart -- when something already exists that's been well-thought-out, tested, and approved by experts? I hope you'll share this post widely so everyone can benefit from it. Libraries of all types need to quickly move beyond "Should we be social?" and "How can we trust others?" and learn how to be out there, where the people are, interacting in the way that people have come to expect.

Have you faced unkind comments? How did you deal with them? Do you think this decision tree would've help you? Let's talk about it!

Building Bridges Speakers Series: 4 Free Webinars for Public Librarians

2011-10-31T18:18:00.000-04:00

Building Bridges Speakers Series

This looks like a great series! It starts this Wednesday, 2 November. Here's the description for the first free webinar:

Bulding Bridges #1:Principles of Advocacy

Wednesday, November 2, 20112:00 pm Eastern/11:00 am Pacific

Public library professionals know the importance of demonstrating their value to their local communities. Are you looking for inspiration to jump-start your own advocacy efforts? Join us to better understand how ongoing community advocacy supports the vital role your library plays in the community.

Haunted Library Tours!

2011-10-25T20:51:00.000-04:00

WSU librarian Lara Cummings spooks students.
Courtesy: WSU News Center

Here's something so cool, I just had to share it. An enterprising employee at Washington State University is giving "haunted" tours of libraries there, complete with some haunted history and eerie stories.

As the press release explains:

Librarians have a reputation for being quiet and well-behaved. But not Washington State University librarian Lara Cummings during her Haunted Library Tours. She howls. She shrieks. She leaps from behind walls to spook tour members.
"She’s hilarious. Who’d have guessed it could be so fun to learn their way around a library?” said Brie Brenner, an RA [resident assistant] at McEachern Residence Hall, during a recent night tour.

Cummings organized the tours as a way to bring new or apprehensive students (and now, members of the public) inside the Holland and Terrell Libraries, two interconnected buildings that can appear daunting at first, she said. Also, many students think the Internet will provide everything they need for research, which isn’t true.

"And even if it is on the Internet, getting the right information can be like trying to get a sip of water from a fire hydrant. We want students to know there are people here to help them,” said Cummings.

You can read the full press release, which includes a couple of ghost stories, here.

There's another telling quote near the end of the news story:

Kariri Kiambuthi, another RA from McEachern Hall, said he found Cummings’ technique of weaving scary stories and colorful explorations enticing. "One of the guys who came had never been inside this library before. I bet he’ll be back, even without the ghost stories.”

The press release ends, smartly, with info on how to book a tour and when they're available, to drive even more traffic to the libraries.

Of course, not everyone is into ghost stories, but I share this because it's a great example of a tactic to make libraries more interesting and to portray the buildings and the info professionals in a new light (or in a new darkness - mwa ha ha!!). College students, especially, can be a tough crowd, because they're so overloaded with information and because these young "digital natives" are apt to avoid libraries, thinking they can find anything themselves on the internet. So anything that piques their interest and gives them a positive personal contact can make a difference. Any type of library could do this too, especially during the Halloween or All Saints Day seasons.

I've heard of public libraries that keep webcams going in an attempt to catch evidence of reputed hauntings. (Here's one from Indiana.) October is obviously the perfect time to play up those angles.

And just for your own enjoyment, check out this list of Haunted Libraries Around the World from Encyclopaedia Britannica's blog. BOO!

UPDATE: This story was picked up by a local TV station. See the video here.

Building Support for Change

2011-10-21T19:31:00.000-04:00

Whenever I speak about marketing, I am constantly asked, "How can I convince my administrators / staffers / colleagues to change the way they work to incorporate these marketing and promotional strategies?" So I couldn't resist attending the session at Internet Librarian 2011 entitled Building Support for Change & Customer Relationships.

The presenter who addressed this aspect most directly was Christina de Castell, manager of online information & news at Vancouver Public Library in Canada. Budget cuts forced her to implement major changes in staffing, workflow, and the physical setup of her floor of VPL.

Without going into all the changes she made, I'd like to share how she convinced staffers to work with her and to support the changes, many of which would affect them greatly. Part of making this work was simply planning ahead.

Tell staff that it's OK to try new things and fail.
Assign all staffers to be on one of the project's "action teams."
Set goals together; be open and transparent.
Have brainstorming sessions.
Invite and listen to feedback.
Have weekly progress meetings that were informative, but not mandatory.

During this project, de Castell encouraged collaboration and made the planning part of the fabric of people's jobs. When they brainstormed, writing ideas on giant sticky notes that hung on the walls, she left those sticky notes up so everyone could see and ruminate on the ideas.

The group kept stats for benchmarks early on. After the changes were made, they evaluated usage again, and in a 1-week sample, they had 50% more patrons on the floor of the building where the updates had taken place. Proof that they did, indeed, attract more students!

The bottom line in this change-management story was this: Bring everyone along for the ride. Let them voice opinions and work together to shape the change. Give them a personal stake in the project. All these actions help people to care about what's going on and to accept change more readily.