Library Revolution

2007? What 2007? Never happened.

It’s 2008, baby.

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I saw this item via Techdirt today: A Florida woman is suing her library because they limit use of public computers to two and a half hours a day. The library also asks for ID in order to use a computer.

“These measures are enacted at least partly in a mean-spirited effort to remove the homeless and the less than wealthy from the libraries,” the woman claims. “For every person seeking an education or in need of research time while writing a book or even filling out a food-stamp application, the proposed time limit is wholly inadequate.”

My,my.

Well, I’ll be interested in seeing the outcome of this one.

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Thank you, Kathy Dempsey, for this excellent post outlining the meaning of the word “marketing” and several other related terms, including advertising, branding, advocacy, and public relations.

I often hear librarians using these word interchangeably, or mixing them up a bit. I especially hear librarians talking about “marketing” when what they really mean is “advertising,” and then getting frustrated and throwing in the towel when it comes to marketing efforts when they are faced with the costs associated with advertising. But advertising is only one small part of a larger marketing strategy.

Before getting bogged down by one particular element, perhaps libraries worried about marketing should spend a little more time developing a more large-scale and tong-term marketing strategy and using that strategy as a basis for a plan to use techniques such as advertising, promotion, branding, etc. to achive your marketing goals.

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I can’t even fathom where the time has gone lately.

One more wek until Computers In Libraries! I’m so excited, as I’ve never been to CIL before, and I’m jealous every year of my colleagues who get to go. So watch out… here I come! I’ll be the devastatingly stylish whirlwind trying to track down a Screech doll for my son.

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So I did a Google search for “Library” and got this as the targeted ads. Pet Supplies?

Now, according to  Google, the AdWords results that appear after doing a search are based on keywords specified by the purchaser of the ad. In their words,

 When people search on Google using one of your keywords, your ad may appear next to the search results. Now you’re advertising to an audience that’s already interested in you.

So I dunno.

Of course, I usually don’t even see these because of the Firefox extension Customize Google. So whatever.

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But it still makes me giddy.

Man, am I a nerd.

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I can’t even say how excited I have been lately about a turn that a major project that I have been working on has recently taken.

See, it’s like this: I’ve been working on a huge project for the better part of a year, and the people who are now starting to look at it and evaluate the product of my efforts. And they are finding things that they don’t like about it!

I am far from being upset that people are finding faults with what I have produced, though. In fact, I am absolutely ecstatic and elated about it because rather than just complaining about the things they don’t like, I’ve had a number of people giving me very helpful suggestions for making my work better. And this kind of feedback has led to a very constructive process that is actually making the product better for everyone.

The lesson I’m learning: Complaining is one thing… but constructive criticism, accompanied by suggestions for solutions actually gets things done. It’s about moving from “complaint mode” to “collaboration mode.”

So I really identified with this post from Library Riot about this very topic:

“we can whine and complain all day, and we can even use the most guerilla methods to sabotage the status quo. But unless we have some kind of solution, or at least an alternative that we’re willing to defend, we sell ourselves and our ideas short. In the end, we only risk alienating ourselves and dooming our potentially great ideas to failure.”

Amen! It’s something we can all think about the next time we have a complaint. The next time I find myself ready to whine about something I don’t like, I’ll definitely take some time to think through some possible solutions before I open my big mouth. (Of course, it won’t stop me form opening my big mouth… that would take a miracle.)

There is great potential power to be found in complaining constructively. I’m learning this first hand.

BTW: What is this project? Maybe I’ll post about it soon.

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I bet she will.

I certainly read her post about the “Top three things that will make me read your blog.”

Her criteria in short:

 1. Give good head(line)

2. Name your blog well

3. Don’t update too often

Her advice is very practical: think about what you read if you’re going to write.

We all only have so many hours in a day, and only precious little of that time can be devoted to blog reading. Whether you’re writing on behalf of your organization, blogging a conference, talking about professional issues, or discussing your top American Idol picks, if you want people to take the time to read your posts, it’s worth thinking about why you read the blogs and posts that you do.

Of course, not everyone finds the same thing important. For me, the headline thing is really important. There is so much being written out there, that even among the blogs I really like and follow consistently, I usually only really read the items where the headline jumps out and grabs my attention. I’m  not as particular about the other criteria Jennifer lists… for me, I don’t really mind the “too many posts” thing so much, and while a good name might interest me at the beginning, it’s not necessarily going to make me a permanent reader.

For me, I guess my “What makes me reaad your blog” list goes something like this:

1. Grab me with the headlines! Like I said above, you could have the best content in the world, but if the headlines don’t draw me in, I may never know.

2. I love “scannable” posts.  If I can get the gist of what you’re saying with a quick scan, I’m more likely to read the whole thing. Bullet points rule!

3. Comments. An interesting discussion will always draw me in! So encourage comments and discussion as much as you can, even if it means being a bit of a troublemaker sometimes.

And, of course, one of my favorite resources for tips on how to blog effectively is Problogger. Check out their tips on effective blog writing and promotion as well as their excellent blogging blog. They definitely offer great tips and food for thought.

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Good luck to Smithtown Library…. I’m rooting for you!

Great video, BTW.

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