Elisabeth Leonard on Libraries

Branding a library: the 18th c. brand

In listening to Bob Young, co-founder of Red Hat, (he was speaking at UNC Chapel Hill), and CEO of Lulu.com talk, I was struck by his saying  that the library has an 18th century brand associated with it. This is a persistent issue for libraries.  What do we want people to think of when they think of libraries?  Young is a book lover, so he wasn't slamming the idea of the library as a place with books.  Do we, librarians, want for that age old idea to become divorced from peoples' minds?  I don't think so.  People should think of libraries and books together.  In addition, we need for people to think of services when they think of libraries.  They need to think of helpful people and a friendly space.  So, our branding can build on current (and past!) perceptions; rather than try to extinguish our past (and present), we should celebrate it and extend the perceptions to include the new services and new methods of providing information. 

Gaming

The trend toward introducing the public to products via gaming continues.  The newest entrant is the Toyota Yaris.  Toyota has created a free game for Xbox Live ("Get a yaris into your xbox").  clever, clever Toyota!  I don't know what it takes to get a game into Xbox Live, what transactions take place between Microsoft and the game creators, but how cool would it be if ALA could create a game based on libraries!  It could be geared for kids.  Have them ride a magic carpet (or giant flying book) through the library, searching through the stacks on a treasure hunt. 

Innovation award

I've seen a lot of emails this week about various awards, but this one really caught my eye:

The Public Library Association (PLA) is now accepting applications for the Polaris Innovation in Technology John Iliff award.  Members of the PLA can nominate their colleagues and libraries for this new award through an online application available on its Web site, www.pla.org.  The deadline for submitting an application is Dec. 3, 2007.

The Polaris Innovation in Technology John Iliff Award honors the life and accomplishments of John Iliff, an early adopter and champion of technology in public libraries, and recognizes the contributions of a library worker, librarian or library who has used technology and innovative thinking as a tool to improve services to public library users.

So if you have made a positive and innovative change for your users, I encourage you to apply!  I cannot wait to hear more about what innovations are occurring.

Thinking like a marketer tutorial

I just came across a cool tutorial, Thinking like a marketer.  It includes:
Introduction [5 minutes]
Overview of Social Marketing [20 minutes]
Initial Planning [9 minutes]
Thinking Like a Marketer [15 minutes]
Know Your Audience [17 minutes]
Identifying Behavior [5 minutes]
Behavioral Determinant and Theories [25 minutes]
Model Building [1 minute]
Formative Research and Qualitative Data Collection [36 minutes]
Developing the Marketing Strategy [15 minutes]
Working with the Production Team [15 minutes]
Public Health Message Design [25 minutes]
Pretesting [7 minutes]
Program Evaluation [10 minutes]

When targeted marketing backfires

An article about the need to encourage boys to read takes on the publishing industry!  At issue: publishers who use gender specific covers to attract female readers, at the same time turning off boys.  I think this brings up an issue for anyone choosing to target a product or service: are you turning off another significant segment of the population when you look to attract a targeted population?
I heard a librarian say that they had used the tagline "Not your grandparents library" in advertising a program.  They later changed it because they were getting backlash from seniors in their community.  It's an important lesson!  You should never use a marketing campaign that you wouldn't want every member of your public to see -- and if you risk alienating a significant portion of them, you should do so with your eyes wide open.
Link: How judging a book by its ‘girlie’ cover is putting boys off reading - Times Online.

Wendy Cooling, of Bookstart, a charitable programme that encourages children to read, said she was dismayed that publishers were now using gender-specific marketing for certain children’s books. Whereas girls were not put off boys’ books, which tended to have primary colours, few boys dared to be seen reading a pink or purple book, even though they might otherwise enjoy it.