“Many public libraries around the world are taking their resources out to the people in new and interesting ways, which brings lots of media coverage and increases circulation. Here’s a sampling of great projects to inspire you. They include libraries built where travelers are, libraries that move on four legs, and libraries on wheels.”
Read the full post on “The ‘M’ Word” blog.
(Photo credit: thejasp)
Here’s a great post about word of mouth marketing.
The author explains how, when ticket sales for a library event were nowhere near what they had hoped, she sat in the library lobby and talked to everyone who entered about the upcoming event:
“Hi, how are you today? Did you hear about our event?” And, guess what? Most people I talked to had no idea! And my stack of tickets started to get a little smaller. Not everyone was interested in the event I was promoting. But almost everyone was interested in being greeted, in being acknowledged, in talking about something.
Yes, they had used all the standard methods and social media to promote the event, but in the end, there came an “aha” moment, when good old-fashioned word of mouth got the message out. So maybe the message here is, go ahead and try all kinds of ways, new and old, to market the library and your events. But don’t forget to use one of the oldest—which may sometimes be one of the best!
shadow-step (Photo credit: atypicalblog)
I’ve posted before about the importance of strategic planning. It is one of the management tools I feel very strongly about, and I do see parallels to it in everyday life. Case in point: today as I was watching the Inauguration on television, I heard reporters talk about how gun violence was not a high priority for Obama in his first term, or during the 2012 campaign and election. But the Newtown shootings changed that. So although he still cares about things like the economy and health care reform, he now has to incorporate concerns about guns and violence into his agenda.
Similarly, in libraries and other organizations, while it is very important to have a strategic plan and follow it, it is just as important to be flexible enough to adapt your plan to incorporate new issues that arise in your community, state, country, or the world.
Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Here (American Libraries, November-December 2012) is a great article on providing local music offerings at the public library.
From the article: “People want locally grown food, locally made handicrafts, locally created products. Now is the best time for libraries to join that movement and provide space in their collections for local content, particularly local music. These collections are a plus for libraries in terms of economics, partnerships, and plugging libraries into the local creative ‘scene.'”
You can do this by adding the music of local artists to your collection, blogging about the local music collection (and/or highlighting it in social media), and even by hosting concerts of local musicians. You could even sponsor “locally grown” events which highlight local authors, artists, musicians, etc. What a great idea and opportunity!
Here are some libraries (and their music programs) highlighted in the article:
To this music lover the possibilities seem almost endless. Have fun!
In our personal and professional lives, we need to look forward, move forward, and create successful future endeavors. It is important to own your past (both successes and failures), but “more of the same won’t birth new futures. Looking back and holding on stagnates, solidifies, and congeals life like cold bacon grease.”
So strive to Find Your Future. Move beyond your past.
future (Photo credit: Sean MacEntee)
You never know who might be quietly admiring your library, and planning to reward you someday.
You should always be putting customer service first, of course, without ulterior motives. You should be providing remarkable customer service because it’s the right thing to do. But, if you do, there is the potential for some customer, when you least expect it, to reward your library someday.
Gift icon (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
So, in case any readers of this blog don’t know it, being a librarian, and being a library director—heck, just working at a library, is hard work. (Contrary to what you may have read.) It is hard to keep up with everything new you would like to (or everything you need to.) We tend to call this professional development.
Sometimes you can try “do it yourself” professional development. In 2006, the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County started a program called 23 Things, (“a discovery learning program designed to encourage staff to explore new technologies and reward them for doing 23 Things.”) Since then, there have been other similar programs based on the same idea, such as this one. Though not being “officially run” for 2013, the content remains available so you can work through it at your own pace. The project home page also includes lists of online courses and learning opportunities.
If you give it a try, please let me know if you find it helpful. I’m also interested in other learning opportunities you find.
December 4/31 Wire (Photo credit: Flооd)
In Dog Day Afternoon I talked about library programming that includes dogs. Today I read this wonderful new article about such programs (from the Washington Post) and I just have to share. Be absolutely sure to click on the photo gallery to see some of the cutest pictures of the cutest dogs and kids I’ve ever seen.
Feel free to let me know in the comments section if you’re offering such programs and how it’s working out for you.
Afton listens intently as I tell her a story.
“Love writing about libraries? Many of us do. For our fellow librarians. . . . But for our communities? Not so much. The volume drops significantly. . . .”
And really, writing for our communities is even more important. So figure out how to get better at it, and how and where to write. The article Writing for Civilians (American Libraries, November-December 2012) can help.
Maybe you should make writing about libraries for “civilians” a New Year’s Resolution.
Good luck!
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
All Things Workplace has a nice brief summary of the Halo Effect and the Horn Effect, which can both come into play in workplaces, and in performance reviews. Be sure that you’re not falling into either trap.
The Halo Effect is when a person with an outstanding characteristic colors one’s total judgement of that individual. In other words, they are suddenly seen as having many outstanding traits, that they do not, in fact, have.
The Horn, or Devil, Effect is just the opposite: a person deficient in one characteristic is seen as being deficient in many other areas that they are not.
As if that weren’t bad enough, here’s what I see as the very wort part of such judgements: they are a self-fulfilling prophecy. “We live up to our expectations. People who expect to be successful are more likely to succeed. People who expect failure are more likely to fail.”
Be sure that you are fairly judging employees on all of their capabilities or deficiencies. And be sure you are telling them what they are doing well, what you want to see more of, and where you want to see improvement.
Angel with Halo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
For further reading:
A Life in Libraries 