Elisabeth Leonard on Libraries

Librarians Duel Over the Future of Producing Bibliographic Records - Chronicle.com

I'm not sure where I weigh in on this debate, but I am fascinated that it made the Chronicle.  It must be a sign of how important the issue is, right? 

Link: Librarians Duel Over the Future of Producing Bibliographic Records - Chronicle.com.

By ANDREA L. FOSTER

Some librarians are sharply criticizing a report issued in January that urges libraries to pursue more digitization projects and make greater use of the Web. The critics say the federal report gives short shrift to the specific needs of both scholars and the Library of Congress's cataloging services.

I'm just sayin'

It occurred to me today that many of the innovations lately in libraries start with E.  E-library.  E-reference.  E-book.  E-resources.  ERM.  And then, vanity kicked in.  E-lisabeth!  Now, I know that I'm being silly with Elisabeth, but I do think libraries need to consider why it is that simply moving from a paper envionment to a digital environment is so appealing to us.  Is it because we are chasing our customers?  Is it because we want to fit into this new world?  Are we imitating others?  Or, are we really innovating and is it because it makes sense for our missions and for our patrons?  I don't have answers yet, but that is part of my research interests.  If anyone has opinions, chime in!

It's a process

I love how enthusiastic librarians are about marketing!  Maybe it's because we care so much about our services and want so much for our patrons to find those services, maybe it's just because it's fun.
That said, I want to share that there is a formal process we can go through that makes our efforts more effective.

1. Start by recognizing your library's mission.
2. Then do a SWOT analysis to see what's going on in your library and in your community.
3. Do market research to see how your patrons feel abut your services and to determine exactly who uses (and doesn't use!) your services -- and why.
4. Determine a value proposition for each user group and each service you want to promote.
5. Determine if there are services you need to alter, new services you should provide, and if there are services that are no longer worthwhile.
6. Match the message to venue (as determined by your market research).
7. Honestly assess your efforts. 
8. Be flexible!  You need to recognize what's working and what's not.  See things through the eyes of your patrons!  Are you reaching them?  Are you meeting your objectives?  Don't wait until the next year to make changes.

Maine, libraries, lobster traps, and innovation!

Well, what can I say...I've become a news hound when it comes to innovation, and yet, this story passed me by until today!  See below for a snippet of the article in the Chronicle, describing how an archivist found inspiration in his surroundings....
From the Chronicle:

Around the world, librarians and archivists are always on the lookout for new ways to protect old documents. Bowdoin's archivist, Richard Lindemann, needed a rack for old rolled-up maps and blueprints of the college. It couldn't be too acidic for the maps or too alkaline for the blueprints, meaning it couldn't be made out of wood. It had to be simple, have smooth edges, and allow air to pass through it.

Enter a carpenter and onetime professional lobsterman, Mark S. Donovan, who works at the college....

Mr. Donovan drove to Pono's Trap Company, in nearby West Bath, and picked up a few sheets of lobster-trap mesh. The polyvinyl-coated wire is perfect for allowing air flow without attracting moisture. Mr. Lindemann had it chemically analyzed and was thrilled to find that the material is also inert. He plans to write about the innovation in library preservation newsletters.

Libraries and blogs about them

I recently had a student tell me they did a search on their library and found some blogs about that library!  And I jsut finished reading an article from Business Week that advises organizations search Google for blog entries about the organization, from unhappy customers.  Now, I don't know that a search for (insert name of library) sucks would necessarily work, but I do agree that searching for blogs that mention your library (whether the patrons are happy or not) can be a great way to do market research!  After all, these are candid thoughts, not self-censored the way I occasionally feel they are in focus groups that the library sponsored sometimes are.

from BW:

It's O.K. to ignore the people who hate you for sport or seem to be operating out of a need for attention. But don't make the mistake of dismissing the rest. Learn from them and you'll earn many dividends. You'll satisfy dissatisfied customers. These customers may turn around and tell their online friends that you don't suck after all. That's free PR that can save you lost sales or even earn you new ones. You will learn about your products and their problems and how to make them better—without the expense of focus groups.

all things to all people?

Do you ever have it happen that different parts of your life converge?  That happened to me today.  I taught a marketing class and talked about how important it is to know why you are offering a program/service/product.  That libraries need to find out what their patrons want, see what in that listing of desires matches what the library's mission is, and then decide what to pursue.  At that point, if one of your goals is to increase awareness of the library, you still don't want any program that increases awareness, even if it is an idea that the patrons mentioned!  You aren't trying to be all things to all people -- libraries do have a distinct mission!

Then I was sitting in a class about innovation.  A brand manager mentioned that one of the reasons a product idea makes it to market is if it has a strategic fit for the company -- that trying to be all things to all people tears the company apart, damages brand equity, and decreases profit.

So I offer this to you: there are times when you will be tempted by an idea because it is cool, because you are concerned that your patrons aren't coming in the way you want them to, because other libraries are doing it....whatever the reason you are attracted, take the time to think about strategic fit!

Internet's Impact on Museums and Libraries

A report has just been released that is based on surveys of members of the public done over several years.  One of the findings that interests me is:

The vast majority of visitors to museums (95%) and public libraries (96%) continue to
visit in-person; this is an indication that the Internet is not replacing in-person visits.

This is followed by:

90 % of remote online visitors to museums and 91% of remote online visitors to
public libraries are also in-person visitors.

I find this fascinating!  As much as libraries are developing online services and beginning to develop online programming, that the majority of visitors still come to the library in person is intriguing.  Library as Place must be working!

The press release:

IMLS Announces Results of Study on the Internet's Impact on Museums and Libraries

MIAMI, FL—Institute of Museum and Library Services Director Anne-Immelda Radice released results of InterConnections: A National Study of Users and Potential Users of Online Information March 6 at the 9th annual WebWise Conference on Libraries and Museums in the Digital World in Miami. This new report offers insight into the ways people search for information in the online age, and how this impacts the ways they interact with public libraries and museums, both online and in person.

Museums and libraries are alive and well in the digital world! Radice said. The InterConnections report shows how people currently search for information and makes the case that the libraries and museums must provide service both online and in  person.

IMLS sponsored this national study through a cooperative agreement with a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill research team led by Jose-Marie Griffiths and Donald W. King, recognized leaders in information research. Their findings are based on five surveys of 1,000 to 1,600 adults each that were conducted during 2006. The study found that:

• Libraries and museums are the most trusted sources of online information among adults of all ages, education levels, races, and ethnicities. 
• Libraries and museums rank higher in trustworthiness than all other information sources including government, commercial, and private Web sites. The study shows that the public trust of museums and libraries migrates to the online environment.
• The explosive growth of information available in the Information Age actually whets Americans' appetite for more information. People search for information in many places and since the use of one source leads to others, museums, public libraries, and the Internet complement each other in this information-rich environment. 
• The Internet is not replacing in-person visits to libraries and museums and may actually increase onsite use of libraries and museums. There is a positive relationship between Internet use and in-person visits to museums and public libraries.

The InterConnections report provides evidence that public libraries and museums are thriving in the Internet Age as trusted providers of information to people of all ages.

To view the report, please go to http://interconnectionsreport.org.

I'm not alone in my affection for Twitter

According to the Chronicle, with phones serving as the killer app for today's students, companies like BlackBoard are designing applications that fit their lifestyle (BlackBoard will have a Twitter-like app?!).  Faculty are encouraging students to follow them on their Twitter pages, and some are even asking for students to post as a writing assignment.  The article mentions that even libraries are on board, using Sanata Barbara City College Luria Library as an example (http://twitter.com/lurialibrary).  Right now they only have 2 Twitter followers, but hopefully that'll change!  I still think it's a great way to leverage a library's programming by using tech that students like.

Link: Forget E-Mail: New Messaging Service Has Students and Professors Atwitter - Chronicle.com.

Anyone who feels overloaded with information from e-mail, blogs, and Web sites probably won't want to read this. But some professors, librarians, and administrators have begun using Twitter, a service that can blast very short notes (up to 140 characters) to select users' cellphones or computer screens.

The practice is often called microblogging because people use it to send out pithy updates about their daily lives.

knowing your customer

Every now and again I wonder if libraries need to develop an app that recommends books the way Amazon does.  I know you can set up search alerts in various databases, but I just got an email for a book from Amazon that I wish I could get my library catalog to send me!  I get that libraries worry about privacy, but can't there be some middle ground?  Why?  Because I swear I've never bought a book on searching, but Amazon just sent me a book alert on a book about searching I'd be interested in reading (by which I mean, by checking out from my local library, I'm not interested in owning the book).  Now, that means that in this case Amazon is driving business to a library, but given how many more books I borrow than buy, the library should be able to profile me more completely than Amazon -- and I would love their helping in figuring out what to read next!