Library Revolution

Bravo, Dorothea!

One of the most common things I hear myself saying to the library staff I train is: “Play with it. You can’t break anything!!”

But I know that a lot of them are reluctant, or downright terrified of the idea of just jumping in and trying things out.

Read her full post about the “training wheels culture” and cataloging… I think it will ring true with many of the frustrations felt by many of us who find ourselves doing training for library staff. And she pulls no punches in venting these frustrations.

Librarians are a timorous breed, fearful of ignorance and failure. We believe knowledge is power, which taken to an unhealthy extreme can mean that we do not do anything until we think we understand everything. We do not learn by doing, because learning by doing invariably means failure. So a librarian just won’t sit down with AACR2, Connexions, and the AUTOCAT mailing-list archive and work out how to catalogue a novel item. Nor she won’t sit down at the computer and beat software with rocks until it works.

She’ll sit passively, hands in lap, and ask for training, feeling guilty the whole time for displaying ignorance.

And

What they need is to kick off the training wheels, honestly. Their locus of control vis-a-vis technology needs to move a long way inward. There is nothing more frustrating than dealing with fear-based apathy. I don’t mind intelligent skepticism; I’ll prove a given tool’s worth or I’ll abandon it. I don’t mind dealing with genuine problems. They happen.

I do mind, quite a lot, having to stand over a grown professional’s shoulder teaching her to use a set of essentially self-explanatory web forms because she cannot be bothered to learn by doing. And I do this a lot.

My husband and I picked up a new wii game last week. Did we:

A. Sit down with the manual and try to memorize all of the controller movements and their proper applications

B. Call Best Buy and ask that a member of their “Geek Squad” swing by the house to thoroughly train us in how to use the game

C. Refuse to play the game because it was unfamiliar to us

D. Pop the disc into the slot and start shooting away at bad guys until we figured it out

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I think a lot of librarians could learn a lot from playing more video games.

I just can’t help getting excited by the fact that there are so many interesting ways to organize and present information these days.

This word tree was created from data about the items added to the public libraries of Suffolk County, NY so far this month. It took me about 10 minutes to put together.

I don’t know how practical it is, but it sure is interesting and fun to play around with. And it gets me to thinking about the ways we can organize out data and present it to the public…

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.

I sometimes get criticism on this blog for insisting that many librarians out there lack the kinds of basic technology skills that many of us take for granted. While these librarians are obviously in the vast minority, I must continue to contend that they are still out there. And sometimes I have a hard time knowing how to deal with them.

I had a strange phone conversation with a librarian recently. I usually don’t blog about stuff that goes on at work, but this was too good to not share. Here it is in a nutshell (paraphrased):

Me: …I have a handout with step-by-step instructions for doing what you want. Let me just email it to you. Do I have your address?

Them: No, I really don’t do email.

Me: (Stopping, confused.) You don’t use email?

Them: No, I don’t want to get sucked in. Can you just put the handout in the mail bag for me?

Me: (Totally thrown for a loop) Oh… Well… Um… I don’t know…. You don’t want to get sucked in??

Them: Yes, everyone seems to get so obsessed by their email, and I want to keep things simple for myself. You know, so it doesn’t get overwhelming.

Me: I guess so… but you don’t use email at all?? How do you communicate?

Them: (laughing) You know, the old fashioned way. I call. Or use the mail. Email is such a bother. So can you just mail the handout over to me? Or fax it?

Me: (with new resolve) No, I don’t think so. I can email it because I have the file right here, though. Can I send it to a library email account or something?

Them: I suppose so, but I don’t know how to get into that. I guess I could get someone else to get it for me…

Me: Well, if you find someone, maybe have them call me? I don’t want to send it if I don’t know that you will get it.

Them: Why not just put it in the bag??

Me: Because we email things here. I really think you should think about setting up an email account.

Them: I don’t want to, though. I don’t even know how to.

Me: Don’t you have to help patrons with that?

Them: No, I pass those questions off to someone else. I don’t really want to know anything about computers.

Me: (stubborn) I guess you’re out of luck, then. Why don’t you have someone with an email account call me. Or pick up the handout at the next meeting.

Maybe this wasn’t the best way for me to have handled things, but I was rather taken aback, and sometimes when that happens, you don’t really think, you just react. And the part that really got to me was the whole attitude of “someone else will do it.” I was pretty irritated by that. But in retrospect, I feel like this wasn’t necessarily the best reaction. What do you think?

Was I wrong to not just send the handout via mail? It would have cut this conversation down to size, and the person on the phone would have had her information the next day. Was I just being stubborn? Was this bad customer service on my part? Should I have just let it go?

BTW: I later worked out the training issue with one of her colleagues who was more than happy to use email as part of the resolution.

Take a look at this excellent post at Library Nation.

Kathleen puts it so well, that I don’t have much to add, and I won’t try to paraphrase when you should just go over and read it for yourself.

I will,  however, say that I agree 100%. And it all comes back to engaging in meaningful conversations with our patrons (or our potential patrons). We really, really, really, really need to listen to what they have to say and use their comments as constructive criticism. No matter how we come across the comments, and whether or not the actual commenter pays taxes in our particular library district or not. It’s so hard to get good, usable feedback… let’s embrace it when we find it and then do something with it!

I just couldn’t let this one languish down in the comments.

Remember my little rant recently about Librarians and Minimum Technology Competencies? You know, the one that got a lot of people riled up? (If you could only see the outrage that warmed my In Box. LOVE IT!!)

So one comment read as follows:

It is interesting to compare your list to the list of skills that students in Livonia Central School must exhibit at the conclusion of third grade.

http://www.sctboces.org/toolbox/template.cfm?ID=2791&P=LP&L=4479&T=Technology%20Goals%20Primary%20Grades

Sorry this is a cut ‘n paste. That’s as far as I went.

Well, well, well.

In case you’re not interested in clicking through to see what the school expects third graders to be able to do, I will summarize here.

Prior to completion of  Third Grade, students will:

1. be able to copy and paste within a document (creating and formatting the document was required for 2nd grade)
2. use spell check
3. insert a graphic into a word processing document
4. use the internet to communicate

Please take a look at the full list. Using a mouse is listed for Kindergarten.

Why does the school require these skills? Beause without them, the kids won’t be able to function in future grade levels, much less in college or in the workplace. So for anyone who god miffed and argued with me that simple computer skills just aren’t relevant to their lives as librarians, I wonder if your child’s school would agree.

Didn’t grow up in a time when basic computer skills were a required part of the curriculum? I totally understand - most of us didn’t. That doesn’t mean that we don’t have to catch up.

Thanks to Lizz for the link. I really don’t think I’m out of line in any of this. Lizz would be the first person to tell me if I was… she’s also my mom!

Not everyone would agree with me, and that’s OK. But here’s something I feel pretty strongly about.

In order to be truly qualified to serve as a professional librarian, I think that there are a number of minimum competencies in technology that must be met. Here’s my list, just off of the top of my head:

• Create a desktop shortcut
• Obtain an IP address
• Create and rename folders
• Save and retrieve saved documents
• Send an email attachment
• Cut, Copy, and Paste text
• Use spell checking
• Create basic documents with a word processor
• Create basic documents with a spreadsheet program
• Working knowledge of Web browser functions
• Connect to a wireless network
• Make an online purchase
• Familiarity with the library’s catalog and its features

I feel that if librarians just had those few basic computer skills, along with a basic comfort level with using a mouse (clicking, scrolling), life would be a lot better in Libraryland. But all too often I encounter librarians who don’t even have these basic skills.

So here we are trying to sell 2.0 technologies and initiatives, and all too often hitting a brick wall. But is it any wonder? Sometimes I feel like if I have to explain to one more librarian how to cut and paste a string of text I’ll just about die. No wonder I get a glassy-eyed look when I mention XML syndication!

And if you think for one minute that the little list above is too much to ask, just ask yourself how many 15-year olds these days would be unable to do those tasks. I’m not asking that librarians become HTML experts or programming geniuses. But for God’s sake, folks, learn how to put a shortcut on your desktop!

This was a quick list off the top of my head. Who has some more to add??

My husband and I recently took our son to the Bronx zoo, where we were in for a treat – se got to see an Okapi up close and personal. Apparently, even in the zoo it is rare to see an Okapi up close – they usually hide in the back of the exhibit. But that day the Okapi was interested in being social and was right there up by the glass.

After talking to one of the zoo guides about this interesting and unique creature and the fact that it is unusual to get such a good look, I was curious. So when I got home I took a few minutes to look up the Okapi online. I just wanted to get a little bit information, so I ended up on Wikipedia, of course. There I learned a few facts about its habitat and behavior, including the interesting fact that they like to eat the burnt wood left over from a lighting strike.

And that was enough for me. It’s all I wanted or needed to know.

So when I have conversations with librarians concerned that people are using the internet to get fast, basic information instead of coming in to the library for “real” research, I have a hard time thinking that is always a bad thing.

Don’t get me wrong. Students need to use good, reliable sources for their research, and a quick Wikipedia reference just isn’t going to cut it. Medical questions, financial questions, and other really important topics should be handled carefully and researched in much more depth. Ther eare plenty of times when there is just no replacement for good, solid library research with the help of an information professional.

But this wasn’t one of them. And there are lots of instances when basic information gained quickly is more than sufficient. I didn’t need (or want) to delve into great tomes of zoological knowledge to learn detailed Okapi facts. I didn’t need to access scientific journals via complex databases or double check the citations and cross references for multiple sources.

And I’m so glad that I live in a world where the kind of basic information I wanted was so readily available. A single search query and two clicks gave me enough to sate my curiosity and make me that much more knowledgeable about a topic that, only a few years back, I would have gone no further on – it was just not worth the effort required pre-internet to get information about something that was of moderate passing interest to me. The benefit didn’t outweigh the cost… but it does now.

But I’ve had many conversations with librarians who seem to think the availability of “quick and dirty” information online is the evil of our age. One person I was talking to lately expressed her deep concern over the “epidemic” of “shallow information” she saw sweeping across her library’s patrons. She told me (and I’m paraphrasing here) how awful it was that nobody seemed to want to become experts in anything anymore – they just wanted to get a few facts and move on to the next thing! They want a little knowledge about a lot of things, and that was, in her opinion, only resulting in “dumbing everyone down.”

This isn’t the only conversation I’ve had like this lately. And I have to say, I just don’t understand what’s so bad in wanting to know a little bit about a lot of things. Isn’t that part of what can make someone a more well-rounded person? Isn’t that the basis for a liberal arts education?

I don’t know about the rest of the “general population, but for me, I really enjoy being able to gain a little information about a lot of things with a minimum of effort. For me, It makes me feel well-read, even if I don’t spend a lot of time reading actual books. It gives me a greater sense of context in the rest of my life experiences to have a broad store of knowledge to draw from, and in some cases, even gives me the opportunity to become a little bit of a “Renaissance Woman.”

Still, other active reference librarians I talk to seem to feel that their jobs are more rewarding nowadays, as the regular “mundane” sorts of reference questions they get are disappearing. Folks can get a lot of the info they used to ask for themselves. As a result, at least two reference librarian friends of mine have recently commented to the effect that the questions they get have gone down in quantity, but up in “quality.” They don’t have to answer as many questions, but those they are approached with are “meatier” and require much more work and research - which they have time to do because they’re not so bogged down with quick lookup questions.

I don’t know, but that seems like a good thing to me! What’s so horrible about letting people, or even teaching people to answer simple questions on their own with the readily available information they have such unprecedented access to – and taking on the role of information expert and advisor for the trickier questions only?

Of course, what this boils down to (at least in my mind!) is a real need for promotion of information literacy initiatives – to help folks learn when “quick and dirty” will suffice and when we really need to do “real research.” And that’s a tall order. But more and more I think that this is really at the heart of what we need to be doing as twenty-first century information professionals.

I, for one, look forward to teaching my son the difference between wanting to know where an Okapi lives and conducting research for a paper. And I really hope that I can encourage him to go for the quick, dirty, basic information whenever it is appropriate and will satisfy his curiosity about the world around him.

I came across an interesting site today via a BoingBoing mention. The Laws of Simplicity blog offers some interesting ideas centering around the idea (or the ideal?) of simplicity.

The post that caught my eye featured a picture of this light switch:

I took one look at this ultra complex interpretation of such a normally simple device, and I just had to laugh. I mean, come on. You shouldn’t need a users manual  to operate a light switch. There are many things in life that benefit from enhancement, improvement, the addition of features and all of the complexity that comes along with all of that. Light switches are not in this category.

For me, that is a basic problem I often see in LibraryWorld. Yes, there are many aspects of library service that can use enhancement these days. But there are many that just don’t. They are what they are and don’t need to be made any more complex than they are. Doing so would just screw them up and make them unusable. Or, like I suspect would happen with this light switch, virtually all users will skip all of the fancy features (those that took a lot of hard work to design!) and just go for plain old ON/OFF.

The trick is in determining which category your various projects/services/etc. fall - and in creating a balance between complexity and simplicity whenever “improvements” are made.

Those of us who tend to be overzealous about implementing change must constantly ask ourselves if change in this particular instance is the best thing - and be sure that we aren’t unnecessarily making things more complicated for ourselves and our users. Change shouldn’t be made for change’s sake alone - and complexity shouldn’t be introduced without a benefit resulting. Sure, it would be great if I could easily dim my lights, preset lighting levels, and so on… but is a complicated redesign of my switch really necessary? Is the end goal achieved by introducing change where it may not have been needed?

Those who tend to resist change should similarly assess the individual situation. I am often surprised at how often those who resist change make things way more complicated for themselves and their users by doing so. Just as we shouldn’t introduce unnecessary complexity in the name of moving forward, we should also avoid the trap of making things more complicated by clinging to “the way we do things here” or “the way it’s always been done.”

Balance.

I was working with someone the other day who has long kept “secret” paper files on all of  her library’s holds. As far as I was concerned, she could throw all of that paper in the trash and replace all of that work filing and keeping track of little slips of paper with some regular reports and some new procedures. As far as she was concerned, the paper file needed to be maintained… only it was getting to be so much work! Clinging to the “old, simple way” was just too complicated!

But it’s not always as easy as all that to just dump the old system. Once we talked it out a bit and went through a little of my way and a little of hers, I think we found some good solutions for her… taking a bit from each method. Big chunks of the “old way” are going to get dumped in favor of aspects of my “new way.” But not all of them. Frankly, some of the old procedures work just fine for them, and changing would just be introducing complexity where it isn’t needed. So why not keep them? This way, I think she can achieve a balance that will work for her and her library.

I’m interested in what John Maeda has to say on his blog - and I want to thumb through his book, too.

Of course, when I went to request the book from my local library system, I found that the only library in my area will not lend it to me. So now I have to jump through some hoops, call in some favors… no simplicity here.

With libraries venturing into the world of “official library blogs” left and right, there is a persistent theme I hear emerging from the behind-the-scenes discussion of these blogs. I can’t even count the number of times that I have heard library staff and directors comment that their blogs don’t get any comments.

 “You know, we’ve been working so hard to keep up our library blog, but nobody leaves any comments!”

In response, I would like to offer a bit of unsolicited advice to frustrated library bloggers who are upset over the silence they get in return for their blogging efforts.

1. First and foremost, write something worth commenting on.

A lot of library blogs I read feature posts that go something like this:

 “Please join us next Tuesday for an art exhibit opening. We are so excited about this event, and there will be food!!”

OK, so you got your announcement out. Mission accomplished on that goal. If you want to use your library blog as an e version of your newsletter, you’re in business. But do you really expect anyone to comment on that? What are your users supposed to say, when your posts are structured like a broadcast? Thing about broadcasts is that they don’t really encourage commentary.

Comments take effort. Not much effort, but in the world of the Internet, effort is effort. I’m not taking the time and effort to leave a comment unless there is something interesting an engaging to comment on. Otherwise, I skim my eye across it, read half of the words (maybe!) and move on.

How about a post discussing the artist whose exhibit is opening at your library? Or the type of art being displayed? Or a more general discussion of the kinds of events that go on in your library (with a not-so-subtle plug for this one)? Sure, those are a little more difficult to write, but if you’re looking for comments, they’d be a much better bet than a bland, uninteresting announcement.

2. Get Linky.

Blogs are about conversation. Community. Interaction.

If you’re looking for comments, I’d like to think you’re looking to foster conversations, community, and interaction. So what better way to encourage dialog than to join in on or continue a conversation already in the works?

By linking to other blogs, you encourage comments on your blog in a couple of different ways. For one, you’re attracting readers by getting yourself out there in the blogosphere. Whenever someone links to my blog, I go and read what they have to say, and I often comment or link back. The conversation can really get going… and spread!

Besides attracting new readers, linking to other sites gives your blog posts context, and maybe even more legitimacy in the eyes of your readers. Hey, look! What we’re doing here in our library is relevant in the larger scope of the world! What we’re doing is interesting to people other than us! We are relevant!

Get more readers, join the conversations already out there, and give yourself some context, and you may see more comments coming your way. Bring on the links!

(And for God’s sake – if you’re going to blog about the materials in your collection, PLEASE include links to the materials in your catalog! It’s all good and fine to recommend a book, for instance, but without a link into the catalog, I’d have to go to way too much trouble to place a hold on it. Put the resource right there where I can make an “impulse purchase”!)

3. Make people feel comfortable

Does you library’s tone make readers feel comfortable enough to comment? Is your voice friendly and approachable? Do you give the impression that you genuinely want to hear what people have to say?

As I’ve discussed before, I tend to have a pretty negative view about the impersonal, “corporate persona” type library blog. Sure, it works OK in some cases, but in general, I’m among the segment of Web users who tend to be really cynical about blogs that seem too official. To me, it just reads as phony.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t project a professional image whenever you represent your organization. But I just don’t see what’s so bad about librarians projecting their true individual personalities. To me, and to a large segment of blog readers (as L’Oreal found out the hard way!!), official corporate personas or made up characters read as fake, and they’re a huge turnoff.

I actually think it’s a measure of respect to your readers to be honest with them, and as a blog reader, I definitely feel disrespected and condescended to by corporate blogs that are too impersonal or that I feel aren’t really being honest. We want some measure of authenticity.

If your blog reads like a press release, good luck getting comments.

If it reads like a cold, impersonal institution, don’t bet on replies.

If it sounds like a naggy old lady with a bun, I wouldn’t comment on it. Would you?

4. Actively Invite Commentary

Besides developing an authentic, inviting voice, I might also suggest taking David Lee King’s advice and creating posts that actively invite readers to give their input.

If you really want comments, it’s simple. Just ask.

His tips:

• Think like a dj: You know - you’ve all heard a dj at a radio station announce “be the 10th caller and win a [fill in the blank].” While I don’t think we should give away cars and trips to Japan, I think we can adapt that mentality of dangling carrots in order to gain participation.  Even simple things, like asking people to click a link, read a short article, or to watch a video are great ways to “direct” customers into participation.  And a blog is the perfect place to do this.
• Figure out the goal for your post: What do you want the customer to do after they’ve read your blog post? Why not tell them what they should do to make that thing happen. An easy (well, maybe not TOO easy) way to do that is to figure out what the end result of your blog post should be, and then write the post to support that goal.
• Ask for Opinions: Opinions are always great, because people are more willing to share… so ask for them! Ask things like: what’s your favorite movie/book?  What’s your favorite genre? Why? Asking these things is a great way to start a discussion.
• Use polls and surveys: Not really sure why (other than referring to my last point on opinions), but people tend to fill out online polls and short surveys - especially if they’re about more trivial stuff. You can simply do these within a blog post.
• Use props: When supplementing the text in your blog post with images and links, make sure to invite readers to click on them. This tells readers “ooh - I can click on this!”

Actually, read his whole series of posts about inviting participation in Web 2.0 projects. Great ideas!

I couldn’t agree more. What are some ways you can invite participation in your blog? 

5. React to Comments

If you do start getting comments, I think it’s really important to encourage the comment train to keep on a-rollin’. When someone takes the time to comment, try to acknowledge them and respond. I’m not personally as good at this as I should be… I really hope that everyone who comments here knows that I really appreciate them taking the time to do so!!!

But if you have a whole team of librarians working on a collaborative blog, I don’t see why it should be so hard to respond regularly. It’s just one more way to seem less like a cold, impersonal institution and more like a group of real people who genuinely care what their patrons have to say.

Again, it’s about respect. If I feel strongly enough to take the time to put a bunch of words together in a coherent way and comment on the library blog, then I deserve to be heard. And letting people know that they have been heard and that their input is respected and appreciated is an excellent business practice.

6. Embrace Negative Comments!

If you’re in the habit of responding to comments, you’ve put yourself in a great position to deal with negative comments… and come out the better for it!

Many would-be library bloggers have mentioned to me their fear of getting negative comments. We’re so used to closely guarding our library’s public image and keeping a tight reign on anything that is said about the library in a public forum that it’s really hard for many librarians to imagine just letting go and seeing what people really have to say.

The thing I always remind folks about, however, is that it is your blog. So, if you get a negative comment, it’s on your terms and it can really give you a great chance to react to the comment on your own terms. Responding to negative comments can actually put your library in an extremely positive light. It shows that you are really listening, that you’re happy to discuss complaints, and often an honest, well thought-out response to criticism may bring out library supporters who have been lurking.

I was talking to a friend whose business blog (non-library) received a whole slew of negative comments at one point. He took the bull by the horns and posted a few well-written, well-argued replies. BAM. Suddenly his supporters came out of the woodwork to back him up. Not only because they agreed with him, but also because by addressing the bad comments openly he proved himself as an honest, conscientious person who doesn’t blow off complaints. His business has benefited from the experience immensely.

Need more evidence? Read this.

Don’t overmoderate comments- let folks express their disagreement or disapproval. Then be sure not to blow off these comments. A bad comment sets you up to deliver a good response. This is a winning proposition, and a positive response to a negative comment will put both you and your library in a good light.

Actually, there are a lot of good posts out there with good ideas for handling negative comments. For example, here, here, here and here.

The last thing I’d like to say is that library bloggers really shouldn’t rely on comments alone as an indication of total readership. Librarians love use statistics – but don’t misuse comments in this way. Comments are a very important aspect of blogging because in the end blogs are really all about conversation.

Without that conversational quality, it’s just a bunch of press releases. Don’t call it a blog. Call it an online newsletter.