Library Revolution

From the great blog Customers are Always, here is a terrific article about using a blog as a sort of a newfangled, interactive version of a F.A.Q. page. I really think that libraries could put this suggestion for corporate blog use to work for them in very effective ways.

The article comes at it from the perspective that companies can use a blog to communicate with their customers with the answers to the questions they are always being asked… in a way that invites participation, promotes that idea of “corporate transparency”, and will also serve as another line of advertising as the blog gets crawled and linked to on the Internet.

And all of that is fine and good for libraries. On a FAQ blog, we could start by answering questions about our hours, our facilities, our loan policies. I’d actually be pretty interested to see any comments our customers might leave regarding these topics… call it an online suggestion box. Then start answering questions about the library as they come in and watch the resource grow into something that patrons and staff alike can refer to.

But that doesn’t have to be the end of this idea… After all, we’re in the business of answering questions.

With the proliferation of library blogs, I’m always surprised to see how few libraries blog their reference questions… especially the common ones. Instead of a library blog consisting of a list of library events or books to read, why not show the world what we really have to offer?

A common theme I keep hearing lately from the public library Reference librarians I know is that they are getting fewer “easy” ready-reference type questions nowadays… and more really tough, time consuming, reasearch intensive ones. Which, in the words of one of my colleagues, means “More of the interesting stuff.”

Why not keep an ongoing blog where your reference staff can contribute some of the common, interesting, or downright bizarre questions they have worked on recently – with the answers and links to the resources that finally answered the questions? I think this would make another great, valuable resource for patrons to consult, Web surfers to trip over, and librarians to look to when faced with a similar tough question. And it’s one situation where I think comments would really work – conversation enriching the content of the post as folks share additional resources, tips, and feedback.

I can really see this sort of a blog becoming a real resource adding a lot of value to the library Web site. Posts that include actual information that people (or at least one person!) really want? This kind of content has value. And value attracts readers, comments, and customers.

Are we concerned with patron privacy on this one? I think there needs to be some judgment used when deciding what questions to include and how to phrase it – you obviously don’t want to share any personal information that the customer might not want “out there.” But I can’t imagine that this would be too hard to overcome, if even in conversation with the patron: “This is such an interesting question! Do you mind if I write about it on our library blog?” and with some internal policy about how and when (if ever) patrons are identified or discussed.

All too often, I don’t think that the public really knows much about the wonderful set of professional skills we librarians have to offer. Sharing the questions, the process, and the fruits of our efforts in a public forum like a blog would be great advertising for what we have to offer at the library: skills and information, not just books!

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Last week, I was home sick for a few days, which means a couple of things:

1. My son now has several new knit caps that he can refuse to wear this winter.
2. I’ve been rotting my brain with a lot of daytime TV (OMG is Sami really going to marry EJ?)

But watching daytime TV last week wasn’t TOTALLY brain-numbing (only mostly). This was due in large part to last week’s “Green is Universal” themed programming on NBC. I actually learned a lot of things about being more environmentally conscious from the “green” themed shows I watched. It was pretty interesting, and I thought many of the tips might translate nicely into Library World.

Two recycling tips I thought particularly suited to a library environment:

1. Recycling “techno trash”: Dell, HP, Apple, Gateway, and Toshiba all have programs for recycling old computer components. That’s pretty convenient! Clean out that old closet full of cables, monitors, keyboards, handheld devices, etc that you (or your tech department) kept “just in case.” Let’s face it. Most of it won’t ever see the light of day again. Keep what you might ACTUALLY use. Recycle the rest and enjoy your new storage space. More info here and here.

2. Recycling old VHS/DVDs: Most libraries I visit just junk VHS and DVDs when they’re discarded. Look Here! I had no idea that they could be recycled. I think this is an especially helpful tip for all those libraries out there that are phasing out (or just downright getting rid of) their VHS tapes. Forget paying for a dumpster. Get a recycling box instead. And to take it a step further, maybe put one of these out for your patrons? Depending on how you present it, it might be a good way to deal with unwanted donations, or for taking stuff off the patron’s hands that they don’t want. Plus, you get a chance to show the community how environmentally friendly you are.

Here are some links to online resources that give some more really good tips for creating “greener” small businesses - really good stuff for libraries.

About business tips

Greenbiz toolbox/primer

General principles followed by Greenbiz

eHow: series of 8 articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

I’m not much of a gung-ho environmentalist, I must admit. But after seeing all of the good tips for saving energy, etc. this week on TV, I have to agree that it could be a really great idea for libraries. Besides the obvious altruistic motivations for using more environmentally sound practices at the library, there are also three other practical reasons for thinking about starting a library “greening” project:

1. It’s good PR. Here we are, public libraries, telling everyone that we are an important, beneficial part of the community and that we care about our patrons’ education and well being. A “green” campaign fits right into that message in an overt way that your patrons can understand and even perhaps participate in.
2. It’s on your customer’s minds. “Going Green” is the hot thing these days, and if NBC is any indication, it’s something that is on your patron’s minds. We can learn a lot about our patrons and what is on their minds, I think, by looking at what they watch on TV all day. Since their research and marketing departments make the big bucks, I’d venture to say that they know what they’re talking about when it comes to topics that appeal to the general public. You can bet your life that if Ann Curry is going to the South Pole to learn about global warming, it’s because folk out there are interested. Or at least, they are now. Let’s bring that into the library!

3. Saving energy=saving money. Does it get simpler than that?

It think it’s a great idea to tap into the interest a campaign like NBC’s “Green is Universal” generates among the general public, and join in. I know that I, for one, found myself looking for more information about some of the topics I saw covered this week, such as the pollution associated with cotton production and the benefits of purchasing organic produce. I’d love it if I walked into the library this evening to find a display of resources associated with these topics. Or if my library’s blog published some links to online tips for making my life a little “greener.”

This whole “going Green” thing could be a good way to engage your customers. But it’s also something your library could go a step or two further with: Engage in a campaign to make your library “Greener”.

What tips and ideas do you have for making your library a “greener” place, letting your public know about it, and engaging them to be active participants in the project?

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Copyblogger had an interesting post yesterday about indirect selling. (Read the article!) The main idea is that blogs promoting products and services (such as your library’s blog) are the most effective if they aren’t always in heavy sales mode. As the article points out,

“…if you spend all your time relentlessly pitching your wares, you’ll find that you alienate a good portion of your prospective audience.”

Using a set of “prospect awareness categories” first introduced back in 1966, the article gives some  sound advice and strategies for reaching different parts of your readership and “sell” your business (or library) to them in a more subtle way. I thought this was an approach that lent itself particularly nicely to public library bloggers, who often grapple with the challenges associated with communicating with a widely diverse potential audience.

The bottom line, though?

“The blogs that attract audiences in the first place offer valuable content—it’s as simple as that. While pitching relentlessly from your blog may work for a limited group of Internet marketing types, it likely will ruin your blogging effectiveness for most businesses.”

Got that? Offer valuable content. Maybe that’s easier said than done (OK, definitely that’s easier said than done!). But it’s key. If your blog isn’t worth reading, no one will read it. And that doesn’t convert your effort into use by your community of the services you’re trying to promote. Then it’s just all a big waste of time.

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Check out this interesting list of “Good Reasons Not To Blog” (found via)

Here are some of my favorites (but be sure to peek at the full list):

(2) Is afraid of harsh or challenging comment posters, or discussion of real issues, i.e., blogocombat.

(5) Has no interesting stories to tell about how your products have solved problems for users, how your company got started, or lessons learned along the way.

(6) Is fearful of “losing control of the message” — which is probably a non-differentiating, feature-driven, “we-oriented” message that’s boring and alienating customers anyway.

(7) Has no need of media coverage by trade journalists who search blogs for news items, controversies, and emerging trends.

(8) Is not willing to spend a fair amount of time (several hours per week) writing blog posts, replying to comment posters, and contributing comments to other blogs relevant to your industry or audience.

(13) Believes in commanding and controlling, rather than engaging in conversations with the public.

(20) Cannot commit to being truthful, transparent, and trustworthy, by displaying corporate values and goals in a public forum.

Do any of these remind you of your library?

Then maybe you should stop wasting your time.

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Wow, I wish I could have gone to this!!!

Reading the summary (thanks, Laura for posting it!), I was really struck by just how much I could identify with the comments of the panelists. I can’t even tell you how easily they could have come from my own family and friends… and some of them even from myself! My husband and I are really the only active library users among our immediate family members and in our social circle. And it’s not always easy to find incentives to stay active library users.

Yes, I am a librarian. But I’m also a busy working mother, and I do not work in a library. A lot of the time using the library is something I have to really make a conscious effort to do. And it’s often something that takes a pretty signifigant amount of effort, based on library hours (limited on the weekend), distance from my house (it’s FAR! and in completely in the wrong direction!), and program schedules (why, oh, why are there no weekend toddler programs??).

Of course, I do make an effort to use the library. But it’s not always easy to get what I need. Even as a fellow librarian, I often have a hard time figuring out the cryptic rules and regulations most public libraries (at least in this area) like to enact. You know: You can take out three dvds for seven days, unless they are new - that’s three days. Plus the fine rate for a late return on those is higher. Except for the foreign films. Take as many of those as you want. And that dvd owned by another library… that one is a 10-day loan but you can’t renew it and the fine is half as much as ours. Have a nice day!

The panelists in the session I linked to above also mentioned the issue of being intimidated by the library. I think that crazy confusing rules play a big part in creating a sense of intimidation, at least for me. For others less familiar with public library practices, I can only imagine that being confronted with a two-page handout outlining the rules for registering for children’s programs would make one’s head spin even more. Why do we wonder why folks find libraries intimidating when we make things so hard???

Another thing that makes using the library less than convenient for me is the utter lack of information about the library and it’s offerings that reaches many patrons. I’ve said it before. I’ll say it again. The three public library newsletters that clutter up my mailbox go directly into the trash can with the rest of the junk mail. It’s jsut so much noise competing for my attention. And it loses every time. I’m not alone - I asked my neighbor the other day if she reads the library newsletter. She couldn’t really remember off hand if they even get one. When I told her that we get three on our street, she was confused… if she did pay attention and read it, which one would she read?

What’s really too bad is that so many public libraries depend entirely on a newsletter, a bulletin board in the library and Web site (I also do not go to the library Web site) to communicate their offerings to their patrons. But for many of us, this misses the mark entirely. The panelists suggested reaching out through the local pizza place… now that’s an idea. No matter how busy and distracted I am, there’s always time for pizza. Or the supermarket. Or Starbucks. That’s where I am. That’s where you’ll reach me. (Don’t make me come to you!!)

Librarians are always complaining about image problems faced by the library, and I’m not going to say there is a simple solution to this. But I really think that the problem lies less with the message the library tries to communicate with the community and more with the way that they try to deliver the message. You can have the coolest, hippest library with the greatest services in the world. But if whole segments of your community toss your primary mode of communication directly into the trash without even looking, what good does it do?

OMG! Am I talking about marketing?!?!?!?

For me, the bottom line is convenience. I’ve got 24 hours in my day, and if I take the whole “librarian” aspect of my life out of the equation, going to the library really falls into the “errands I have to do” category — like picking up the dry cleaning, going grocery shopping, and getting the dog groomed. So, for library services to fit into my lifestlye, they need to be fast. Easy. Convenient.

I shouldn’t have to put a lot of effort into informing myself as to what the library has to offer. Because I won’t.

I shouldn’t need a MLS to be able to find something on the shelf when I get there. Because I’d rather sit on my butt and have Amazon or Netflix deliver to my door.

I shouldn’t have to deal with a labyrinth of rules and regulations to sign my kid up for a 30-minute program. “Hi, Gymboree? We’ll be there on Saturday at 10.”

Free is not enough.

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She** is frustrated. She and her colleagues spent a lot of time designing their library’s blog, determining content, establishing tone, making sure that every aspect projected the correct image for the library. It was supposed to open up communication with the patrons. It was supposed to bring in new users and make the community more aware of the library and its services. It was supposed to just work.

When I spoke to her the other day, she was ready to throw in the towel.

“Nobody comments. Nobody reads. I don’t think anyone even knows it’s there.”

And I know that she isn’t alone… I’ve heard the “Library Blog Blues” many times before. Unfortunately, there isn’t one single answer. Does blogging work for businesses and libraries? Yes. Is it easy? NO. Creating a “successful” blog is an extremely complex endeavor, and I think that too many libraries are suckered by the myth that if you put a blog together for your organization, the right people will just find it and use it. But in real life it’s not nearly that easy.

We discussed this, and talked about some of the thing she might experiment with to jump start things a little. We talked about the blogs we personally liked to read, the things we perceive as making a blog “successful.” We talked about some of the things other libraries are doing that they felt were really working for them. She still seemed daunted.

Then I mentioned marketers and how they always talk about “telling a story.” You know, presenting something authentic and compelling that your readers can identify with. Not necessarily a narrative (or maybe so!), but writing something your readers can connect with emotionally and that will engage people.

“We don’t really tell stories,” She said with a thoughtful expression, “We just tell people what’s new in the library. Maybe there’s something to that…”

So we brainstormed.

Instead of a post like this (I see these posts every day!):

“XYZ Public Library has just expanded their collection of knitting books. If you are interested in learning more about knitting, take a look at these new titles: (List Of Books)

Also, out Tuesday Night Knitting Club is always looking for new members. Contact the Reference Desk for more information – XYZReference”

What if the post read more like this:

“Not long ago, while doing my regular Wednesday night reference shift, I realized I had helped seven different patrons that week track down books about knitting. As I was helping them, I realized that only one of the seven knew that our XZY Library has a knitting group that meets on Tuesday evenings!

As an avid knitter myself, I helped coordinate this group about four years ago. We have about 9 men and women from all over CommunityXYZ who just love getting together each week to knit and talk. It’s a great social experience and the members are a wealth of knowledge when it comes to knitting. Just last week, one of our members had a problem with an afghan she was working on, and the rest of the group put their heads together to help her get out of the jam. Just look at the beautiful finished product! (Picture of afghan)

This group is always ready to welcome new members, and since it looks like we may have a knitting craze going on, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some new faces! Drop in on Tuesday evening around 6 pm, or for more information, make sure to contact us at xzylibraryreference@xzylibrary.com .

With the run on our knitting books, I also thought it might be time to refresh our collection a little and add some more current books to interest knitters. Here are just a few of the books we now have to offer our growing population of avid knitters. (List of titles with links to catalog – maybe a short blurb on each?)

Don’t worry about availability on these books. Put one of them on hold if it is checked out!

–Emily the Librarian”

OK, OK. It’s not the perfect post. And it took a lot longer to write. But this is the sort of thing we brainstormed that day, and it definitely tells more of a story. A story about the library, the community, the individuals involved, and the resources available. (Plus, if I’m a knitter in XYZ Community and I Google XYZ knitting, maybe just maybe I’ll come up with this!!)

She and I brainstormed what other kinds of stories her current library blog might tell, and I think something clicked. She was excited again.

I got an email from her today:

“I got 6 comments yesterday!!! :)”

Does your Library’s blog tell a story?

Link

Link

Link 

** This librarian didn’t want to be identified… yet.

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Ellen at Half Hollow Hills Library (one of our local Long Island libraries)sent me a link to their Flickr photos showing a recent in-library publicity project. To promote their new video on demand service, they used movie star cutouts holding bookmarks. I really got a kick out of the pictures of Johne Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, etc. hanging out in the stacks and with the staff. It’s nice to see them promoting a fun service in a fun way.

While I was looking at these pics, I also saw some of their children’s program photos. Loved the pics of the kids reading to the dogs.

Thanks, Ellen, for making me smile.

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Here’s a post on the “Customer Review Effect” on the Church of the Consumer Blog.

The long and short of it is that retailers in the US, UK, and Europe report an interesting effect resulting from their providing a product review component to their retail Web sites.  According to the full article,

Over three-quarters said their site traffic had increased. Only 5% said it had fallen. Average order values rose for 42% of the responding online retailers, and only 6% said they had decreased.

Ben at Church of the Consmer comments,

Personally, I don’t buy anything or visit any new merchant today without first locating a number of customer-generated reviews for it.

That sounds awfully familiar. My gut feeling is that a lot of us feel that way. I can’t remember the last time I read a book without reading a bunch of consumer reviews before deciding if it was worth my time or not (professional reviews, too, but sometimes I just want to see what other “real people” had to say!). I try to find out what people are saying about the product/service/provider before every major purchase I make (and many minor ones, too!). And even though I haven’t kept track, I have a feeling that the sites where I find those reviews are the ones that get my business in the end.

Writing reviews is something I generally enjoy as well, if I have time. I’m not one of those manic reviewers who seems to have all the time in the world to write detailed reviews of every single product they have ever purchased, but from time to time I do like to express my opinion. And I don’t think I’m alone in that.

So what does this mean for libraries? Do we allow our patrons to review our materials in the OPAC? (I’m cool with the idea, but I know that not every librarian is.) Do we provide other public forums for our users to share their impressions of our services? What about giving them some sort of a venue for sharing reviews/opinions/impressions of non-library services, products, etc. How do we assist our patrons looking for information in the form of amateur, consumer-created reviews? Does this assistance include assistance with authoring reviews? … Moderation? … Professional reviews? … Library neutrality?… I could go on and on with questions….

Once again, I think it comes back to the idea of entering into a two-way conversation with our patrons… and in this case, encouraging them to converse with other members of their community.  Now how do we make this work?

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