At Internet Librarian 2007 Liz Lawley said, “You have to figure out what the problem is first before you come up with a solution.” She was referring to the use of Second Life as a method of social interaction with users; however her statement rings true for the general concept of Library 2.0. Energy focused on implementing new tools and programs is wasted if we don’t know what our users really want. Without knowing that, we create more work for ourselves with hit or miss initiatives. In the past two years much of the discussion of Library 2.0 has been […]
Categories Engaging Library Users
183 posts
lining up to watch the dance off Originally uploaded by teens_libraryloft This pic is called “lining up to watch the dance off.” Click through to see more!
Brian Mathews offers this at Designing Better Libraries: There has been a lot of talk about libraries becoming more “user” centered, even back in 2000 I recall seeing user-centered or user-focused in several job postings. With the emergence of all the Web 2.0 magic, this term has become even more prominent. But are libraries really any different? Can patrons detect a difference? I think that those of us working in libraries have seen a change, but what about our users? Has any of our rhetoric translated into a noticeable change? Do they perceive us as being user-centered, or is it […]
Those South Carolina librarians just rock: http://librarytrax.wordpress.com/2007/10/05/teentrax/ Yesterday, we hosted our first teen services institute, TeenTrax. It was a blast! Patrick Jones, *the* teen services guru in my book, started the day with a great reality check. What do you call young adults in the library? By their names! It’s all about relationships, and you can’t have a relationship with someone if you don’t know their name. How true! Michele Gorman, the truly awesome Teen Services Manager at Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s ImaginOn, gave us some of the basics on doing Reference for teens, and followed up with practical approaches to creating programs […]
created by Rachel -LIS student Originally uploaded by [ iblee ] Steal this idea! Good work Rachel – LIS student.
David Lee King emailed and asked me for some quotes/thoughts on telling stories in the library for his forthcoming book — a chapter on Community-Focused Digital Experience. In looking back I didn’t realize that the “telling stories” theme had been running through my work. Here’s a few of my favorites. http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelsphotos/sets/72057594085037908/ From Ten Ways to Create buy-in from my 2006 Library Tech report: #3 Tell Stories I’ve talked about this a lot: one way for libraries to promote their value and relevance is to tell the library’s story every chance you get. Beyond daunting columns of statistics, users — and […]
ester trading card Originally uploaded by champaign_librarian The Champaign Public Library is using these trading cards to get to know our middle school clients. If the student collects 12 different cards, he or she wins a prize. http://www.flickr.com/photos/80464212@N00/sets/72157602100601598/
Derik Badman does a quick sketch of the male counterpart to Wyoming’s Mud Flap Girl. There’s been a lot of discussion in the last few days about these images. I was glad to see Jenny weigh in: http://theshiftedlibrarian.com/archives/2007/09/19/the-mudflap-flap.html Thanks Derik! madinkbeard.com/library/mudflapboy.jpg www.madinkbeard.com/
The transparent library’s fluid nature and open communication allow all levels of staff to understand what it takes to meet user needs. By following this simple rule—bring them out—you’ll develop a big-picture understanding of library services among your staff, and you’ll see dividends immediately. Read the whole column here
Wyoming Libraries: Mud Flap Girl Originally uploaded by mstephens7 http://www.wyominglibraries.org/campaign.html Wyoming’s libraries are as expansive as the state, and as close as down the street. Libraries offer more than many people realize, and we want to reach out beyond our regular users to let people know this. The new statewide marketing campaign is designed to increase understanding, use and support of Wyoming libraries. The campaign theme is “Bringing the World to Wyoming.” When you see an Eiffel Tower topped with a western windmill or a pickup with a Trojan Horse trailer, you’ll know that libraries have brought the world to […]