Library Revolution

I have heard from Hunter, the “corporate persona” of the reader’s advisory blog I wrote about the other day! I was so glad to hear their (his?) response. Please read the comment that was left on this post. I’m so glad that this has turned into a real discussion topic, and I’d love to hear other people’s views!!

Here is my reply:

Hi Hunter!!!

I’m so glad to have you chime in on this one!

I wouldn’t really say it’s “controversial” per se – just something I think worth discussing and something I was thinking about while I watched the presentation the other day. And discussion is good, right?

There are lots of official library blogs out there that have adopted the strategy of using the personalities of individual librarians on their blogs. My opinion (for what it’s worth) is that this is a great way to give the library a more personal face and make both the library and its staff more approachable.

I understand it’s not a personal blog, but I think that individuals who represent your library in other public forums (including working with the public in your building) could do so on your blog as well, without it becoming unprofessional. Lots of libraries do this.

Many blogging corporations have found that having employees blog as individuals while still representing the company is a successful strategy, while many have had complete failures using a single, fabricated corporate persona.

People who grew up blogging, IM’ing, etc. as you say, tend to find made up characters somewhat disingenuous and often have a bad reaction to them. If you’re trying to reach that demographic, then I wonder how Hunter would come across. For me, he sort of reads as yet another “phony” marketing tool fabricated by a corporate entity to make me buy something… like Colonel Sanders or Rosie the Riveter. A pitch man. A propaganda tool. People of my generation and younger have grown up skeptical and distrusting of marketing tools like these. We tend to want to hear from “real people.”

But if, as you also say, you’re aiming for a broader demographic, maybe he’s just the ticket. Maybe patrons who are more comfortable with more of a “press release” model of marketing (I’m trying not to say “old people” ) find him appealing. You know better than I do!

If you have found that Hunter is successful for you (and it sounds like he is!) then you may have found just the strategy for you! This really, really, really isn’t meant as an attack of any sort! I love that you’re blogging and I love the idea of readers advisory blogs! But I think it’s worth really examining who you are really reaching with this character and how approachable and “un-companylike” it could make you… without losing the professionalism.

Another great part of the “Electronic Communication” session at the LILC was Ellen Druda’s presentation on AIM Reference services (Hi Ellen, I know you’ll read this!).

Ellen talked about her library’s experimentation with providing a IM Reference service. This isn’t a new idea in LibraryLand by any means, but it is one that the public libraries of this area have been slow to embrace… or even to explore.

One of the really interesting points that she brought up was when she talked about the success they had when they handed out information about this new service in the local schools. I thought this was a great idea for reaching a demographic that will be likely to actually use this particular service.

Too often, I think libraries fall into the trap of treating their newsletter as the be-all and end-all of communication with their patrons. Of course, there are about a million things wrong with this assumption. Many people (like me!) throw out the newsletter with the rest of the junk mail (GASP!!!). Newsletters are not a good way to actually engage your patrons in a real conversation. Newsletters appeal only to a limited amount of your potential users… and probably only the ones who already use your library.

I don’t mean to bash on the newsletter. It’s a great way for libraries to reach some of their customers regarding some of their services. But we need to think outside the newsletter and not let our marketing efforts end there. What Ellen’s library really did right was to assess their new service, decide on a target population who was likely to make use of it, and aimed their marketing at this demographic. And it worked!

Another trap public libraries tend to fall into is trying to make all of their services “be everything to everyone.” All too often I see potential new library services/programs/initiatives get the axe before they even get started because it doesn’t appeal to a wide enough audience. Children’s programs are the big exception, of course. Nobody complains that the three-year-old storytime won’t appeal to 8-year-olds. Of course not – that program isn’t for them!!

If only we could take that attitude more and target some of our services towards some niche audiences – without ignoring the needs of those patrons to whom those services won’t appeal (a delicate balance we all deal with)? And without trying to make specialized services appeal to everyone? Sometimes great ideas get killed that way when the real essence of the project gets diluted in the name of appealing to a broader audience.

Ellen’s library didn’t sacrifice traditional reference services when implementing their new AIM service. And they didn’t try to foist it on people who were not interested in it – including disinterested staff members. They put the service in place for the patrons who wanted it, and then brought the service to selected portions of their potential users. And they got a great response!! Good for you! I hope this is a good example for other libraries thinking of implementing new services that might not appeal to everyone.

And the title of this post? Ellen commented on how often the get the question “Are you a robot or a real person?” LOL!

Now how on Earth did I get myself mixed up in this???

Anybody who lurks around business and marketing blogs like I do may have seen mention of the Conversation Age eBook project. It’s a collaborative project organized by Drew McLellan and Gavin Heaton. It will contain more than 100 essays about conversation, social media, etc. written by some really terrific creative minds… many of whom I read regularly to get fresh perspectives on issues that libraries face these days. Here is the list of contributors:

Gavin Heaton
Drew McLellan
CK

Valeria Maltoni
Emily Reed
Katie Chatfield
Greg Verdino
Mack Collier
Lewis Green
Sacrum
Ann Handley
Mike Sansone
Paul McEnany
Roger von Oech
Anna Farmery
David Armano
Bob Glaza
Mark Goren
Matt Dickman
Scott Monty
Richard Huntington
Cam Beck
David Reich
Mindblob (Luc)
Sean Howard
Tim Jackson
Patrick Schaber
Roberta Rosenberg
Uwe Hook
Tony D. Clark
Todd Andrlik
Toby Bloomberg
Steve Woodruff
Steve Bannister
Steve Roesler
Stanley Johnson
Spike Jones
Nathan Snell
Simon Payn
Ryan Rasmussen
Ron Shevlin
Roger Anderson
Bob Hruzek
Rishi Desai
Phil Gerbyshak
Peter Corbett
Pete Deutschman
Nick Rice
Nick Wright
Mitch Joel
Michael Morton
Mark Earls
Mark Blair
Mario Vellandi
Lori Magno
Kristin Gorski
Krishna De
Kris Hoet
Kofl Annan
Kimberly Dawn Wells
Karl Long
Julie Fleischer
Jordan Behan
John La Grou
Joe Raasch
Jim Kukral
Jessica Hagy
Janet Green
Jamey Shiels
Dr. Graham Hill
Gia Facchini
Geert Desager
Gaurav Mishra
Gary Schoeniger
Gareth Kay
Faris Yakob
Emily Clasper
Ed Cotton
Dustin Jacobsen
Tom Clifford
David Pollinchock
David Koopmans
David Brazeal
David Berkowitz
Carolyn Manning
Craig Wilson
Cord Silverstein
Connie Reece
Colin McKay
Chris Newlan
Chris Corrigan
Cedric Giorgi
Brian Reich
Becky Carroll
Arun Rajagopal
Andy Nulman
Amy Jussel
AJ James
Kim Klaver
Sandy Renshaw
Susan Bird
Ryan Barrett
Troy Worman

I’m contributing an article about libraries, changing information needs, and conversation… a big topic to address in a small article, let me tell you! I hope my little submission can stand up to the undoubtedly amazing chapters these folks are adding to the mix.

And the best part of this exciting project is that all proceeds going to Variety - The Children’s Charity. Are we cool, or what?

Is being “free” enough of an incentive to make libraries competitive in the current marketplace?  Libraries seem to love Return On Investment studies lately, showing their patrons just how much value they potentially get from their taxes. But in an economic and social environment where people are purchasing things they want rather than just things that they need, I really think free might not be enough.

People are not just buying stuff that they need, but also stuff that they want. There is a thriving market for totally unnecessary items like frozen pizza ovens, ringtones, and baby wipe warmers (completely unnecessary, let me tell you!), it becomes quite obvious that folks aren’t shy about spending a little money if there is something that they want.

I think ease of use is a huge part of this. Time is an extremely valuable commodity these days, and I know that I for one am willing to shell out a few bucks more if there is a level of convenience involved. If it’s easy to just buy what you want, and people seem inclined to do just that, then where does that leave libraries?

It leaves us with the problem that being free is not enough any more. We also have to be easy because potential customers count ease as an extra cost associated in getting what they want. That means easy to use, easy to access, easy to understand, easy in every single way. And news flash – libraries, for the most part are not easier than Google and Amazon. For consumers with money to spend and ease as a top priority, that’s HUGE.

I think that beyond making libraries easier, we also need to be sure that we are offering value added services to attract users. What makes the services offered by libraries special and worth consuming? The social value of a personal interaction? The library experience? A feeling of community gained from participating in the library? Expertise in finding, evaluating, and using information?

If you answered yes to any of those suggestions, you had better make sure that it’s really true… and then make it even more indisputable. Then communicate it to your potential users and make it easy!!!  (Not too tall an order, right?)

There was an interesting post on the site DadLabs today. It’s a bit long, but the gist of it is that we parents put up with all sorts of crap in an effort to foster a sense of community in our kids.

Libraries talk a good game about being community centers, and in many ways, they are. But sometimes I think that libraries could do a little more to reach out to their communities… I’m not talking about regular outreach or publishing a newsletter, but really going out there and participating in the local community. And doing it in such a way that community members feel like they can participate in the library without going through a lot of crap. More community involvement and visibility can only be a good thing for patrons and the library alike, right?

Let me tell you a story. My husband, son and I recently attended a huge parade in my community. We had heard from our neighbors that this was THE event to be at, and they were right. The local paper reported the next day that more than 40,000 people attended, and that didn’t count all of the people actively participating in the 3-hour plus event (we left after 3 hours and it was still going strong as far as the eye could see!)

Who was there? Local businesses, 7 fire departments that I counted, the schools, local civic organizations, charity groups, musical groups, local politicians, regional politicians, and state politicians. Chuck Schumer was there, schmoozing with everyone he could shake hands with. The local media was out in force. It seemed like everyone who lived in the area was either in the parade or by the side of the road, where people were tailgating with big campers, picnicking, and socializing with their neighbors.

As someone new to the community, it really gave me a sense of belonging and I learned new things about the area where I live. (Who knew the Gyro Palace was so popular? I’ll have to try it!) We left the parade feeling like we had really been able to participate in something that gave us a sense of local identity, and it was great, especially for bringing that sense of community to our son.

But I left with one question: Where was the library?

Michael Casey at Library Crunch posted the other day on a topic that is near and dear to my heart… or should I say one that completely irritates me and is 100% guaranteed to send me into an instant, prolonged rant. He very diplomatically phrases it as “Passive Aggressive Behavior.” I wouldn’t put it so nicely… Both as a library patron and a professional librarian, I’ve encountered such behavior many times. And it doesn’t sit well with me at all.

Take the time that a librarian I know was told by her supervisor that she wouldn’t need to ask so many questions if she were more resourceful. The poor woman was new in her library, and had some questions about how things were done there… so she asked. I’ll bet she never made that mistake again. Meanwhile, whenever I deal with the staff at that particular library, it’s always obvious that internal communications are non-existent. I wonder why???

It’s even worse when the nastiness is directed at patrons. Like the time that my husband sent our local library an email asking if they were going to order a particular book. In response, he got a very terse email informing him that they couldn’t take the time to answer such a question for him unless he provided his library barcode as part of the email. What??? I’m sure it took them longer to write that nasty little response than it would have taken to just tell him yes or no. And what were they planning on doing with his barcode, anyway… especially since it takes no longer to look up a patron by name than by barcode. Now he doesn’t want to ask them for information ever again. Way to go alienating a good patron, library!

Rude. Arrogant. Condescending. Not to mention counterproductive.

What about treating one another with some respect? Would it be so terrible to be nice to our coworkers? Would it be the end of the world to show our patrons some respect? My Mom would never let me get away with treating people so poorly!

Oh, I know full well that most librarians are friendly and helpful, both to one another and to their patrons. But there is enough of a segment of radical rule-following enforcers out there (see this post form yesterday!) for us to take a good hard look at how we phrase our responses and conduct our interactions.

It’s often said that our best, cheapest, and most effective marketing tool is customer service. Don’t let passive aggressive nastiness undermine that!