Elisabeth Leonard on Libraries

Wyoming Libraries and the flap over Mudflap Girl

Say what you will about the mud flap girl, she has certainly drawn attention!

The image is attracting both acclaim and criticism on blogs and listservs.  Aware of the controversy, Tina Lackey, Publications and Marketing Manager responded.

    Lackey emailed LJ: "The best thing is that we are targeting the 'mudflap girl' campaign to non-library     users who are interested in auto repair, hence the connection to the ChiltonLibrary.com auto repair         database that is available to all Wyoming residents with a Wyoming library card. We are sending the     stickers and posters to auto repair stores across the state. It really is a great way to get a new             demographic of library users to the library. Men between the ages of 18 and 34 don't always see the     library as relevant to them, and now they are!" Lackey added, "We did research on library cards users     and non-users before introducing this campaign, and what we found was that a majority of men in Wyoming did not find the library relevant to them. We realize this campaign is not for everyone, nor is it for every area of the country. The bumper stickers are very popular with all demographics, and you can see them on vehicles across the state!"

What do I think?  I confess I am not appalled by the image.  I recognize that some find it offensive, but I think it's clever.  Why?  Because I think it turns a sexist icon into a bumper sticker that supports reading and research.  Look at the difference between the original and the library mud flap girl!  I don't think they are the same.  Is she still sexy?  Well, yes.  But I don't see that as a bad thing or a sexist thing.  An image of a sexy woman reading is, to me, a good thing, and even better if it gets people using the library for research.  Would any image that serve that purpose be good?  No.  I do have boundaries, but this I find clever and respectful (and a bit tongue in cheek).  It turns a trucking icon into a READER!

Amazon's Askville

I got an email this morning from Amazon.com.  It says:

You're Invited!

             

As a valued Amazon customer, we thought you would be interested in one of Amazon's newest websites called Askville. Askville is a friendly gathering place where you can ask questions on any topic and 'get real answers from real people'. It's a fun place to meet other people with similar interests, share your knowledge, or learn new things in topics you love!

                                                     

Amazon is not the first to have community board, but my bet is that as accustomed as Amazon people are to giving feedback, Amazon will have a success with this venture.  I know some academic libraries have created blogs for community reading and others for a particular class (admitting a bias since I know the people involved, take a look at Making of the Modern World at UCSD).  I love that technology is enabling this kind of connection.  I also like seeing that students, librarians, and professors are collaborating on student learning.  If anyone has seen a library provide a community space like Askville, let me know! 

A marketing bonanza

In the last two days, I have come across several news articles that I have been pondering.  The first is that Middlebury College commissioned a firm to revise their college seal.  The new seal looked like a maple leaf, and students hated it.  The school finally responded by updating their original seal, but continue to use the maple leaf in their fund raising drive.
"At the end of the day, I was excited that the number of students who were interested in it ... and were proud of their college, so I look at it as a very positive thing," McKenna said. "We got what we were after when the project started."

The other is Wal-Mart, whose slogan is changing from “Always Low Prices,” to “Save Money. Live Better.”  The slogan change follows Wal-Mart's store renovations and their bringing in new, more upscale brands.  They seem to be feeling the pressure from Target, whose goal has not been to appeal on low prices, but who has been more competitive lately.  Indeed, Wal-Mart's slogan sounds a bit like Target's now!  (Target's slogan is Expect More. Pay Less).

In both cases, I wonder how much the organizations understand their consumer (either the student or the shopper) and what they want from their slogans/seals.  Are they hoping to appeal in new ways?  Have their identities changed?  I am still musing...but given how libraries have been changing, what are the implications for us?  If we attempt to change our image, are we reaching who who want to reach in the ways we want to reach them -- or are there times when changing our image is widening the gap between us?

More attention to Gen X

It appears that Honda has locked in the baby boomer for its Accord and is now interested in securing the next generation, Gen X.  The AdAge article quotes Honda as stating 30% of Accord coupes are sold to people under 35, but the sedan is appealing solidly to the boomer.  Honda believes that the Xer will be drawn to an emotional appeal.  Their campaign includes "Beyond the Road," with ELO's "Hold on Tight" as the soundtrack. Honda will show it on Yahoo, MSN and AOL.  Honda is also sponsoring content on  IMDB, MTV.com and Citysearch, believing they'll reach the Xer there.  What are they not focusing on?  TV.  It's a trend that many advertisers are following, using more Internet advertising, sponsoring, and co-branding, rather than concentrating ad dollars on TV spots.
And that should give libraries hope!   If we look to local websites that we can advertise on, we may increase our chances of reaching our targets -- and do it for a price we can afford.
Link: Advertising Age - Honda's in Hot Pursuit of Gen X.

David Berne, strategic planning director at the agency, said that although the older members of that demographic are moving into their peak car-buying years, they have yet to form strong brand opinions.

Cool tool

A friend IM'ed me about a vendor who is making it easier for libraries to use Facebook and social bookmarks.  From the vendor (Springshare):

Presence on Facebook and Other Social Networks

      It is important for libraries to connect with customers wherever they are. LibGuides makes your content and services available in Facebook®. Using the LibGuides Facebook application, patrons can also chat with reference librarians and search the library catalog from facebook. Furthermore, LibGuides widgets enable librarians to embed LibGuides content, including the catalog search, into any webpage, blog, social network, or a courseware system.

Now, I am not endorsing use of their product.  I am, however, pleased to see that there is enough of a market out there that the company even exists!  It indicates to me that more and more libraries are investigating ways of reaching their patrons, including social networking.

What to do when there's too much work

I've felt guilty lately.  I have a lot of work to do and not enough time to do it all in.  I like to blog regularly, but it's not a necessity, so it's something I do irregularly right now.  That got me to thinking about how busy librarians are in general, and more specifically, how our responsibilities have changed. 

When I was chair of the Liaison with Users Committee, we did a survey of liaisons to see what the responsibilities are across the nation AND to discover how liaisons feel about their work.  We found that there isn't a national standard; no one responsibility is shared by everyone across the nation.  We also found that librarians are becoming increasingly frustrated.  They are not sure how to fit all their work into a regular work week.  They don't all feel that their work is appreciated by their administration or understood by their patrons.  They don't feel they have the necessary training to do their work well.

I don't want to make this a doom and gloom entry.  I am instead pondering where we should go from here.  At the same time our committee is writing up our results, I am teaching a class on management.  We are covering strategic planning right now.  I want the class to think about these issues in the same way I wish every manager in a library would.  I want us, as a profession, to take the time to decide what matters to us most and to then plan our services and products around that.

A good example of this is in LJ.  The article discusses how a public library has outsourced book selection, freeing the librarians to do collection analysis that they would not otherwise have had time to do.  Is this  a decision I think every library should make?  No.  But it does seem like it fits well within the goals that this library has.  I like that they are willing to make a decision, in order to do what is best for their organization.  They may be taking some heat for it (not all press is complimentary!), but they are working to improve their collection.

Good on you, I say.  I want to see more libraries making strategic decisions, acknowledging that our work has changed even as our worlds have changed.