Entries for the third annual contest will be accepted for the public library sponsored “two-minute or shorter” my favorite book online contest from January 20 through Feb. 28. The contest is open to all, with prize awards available to young people entering kindergarten through high school (K – 12). Storytubes won the PLA Polaris Innovation in Technology John Iliff Award in 2009. Alan Harkness, Director of the Piedmont Regional Library System, chaired the PLA award jury. He said that the StoryTubes project was chosen for the prize because it “captured the essence of using technology in an innovative way […]
Categories Engaging Library Users
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Aaron Schmidt has debuted a new column in Library Journal called “The User Experience.” http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6713142.html The opening is wonderful: The importance of user experience (UX) dawned on me one day when a patron asked to use the stapler kept in a drawer behind the reference desk. It wasn’t the first time anyone had asked to use the stapler—it wasn’t even the first time that day. Considering it a bit more, I realized that it happened all of the time. Suddenly, I couldn’t imagine what the stapler was doing in the drawer in the first place. I liberated the stapler from […]
Social Media, Libraries, and Web 2.0: How American Libraries are Using New Tools for Public Relations and to Attract new Users – Second Survey November 2009 View more documents from Curtis Rogers.
DigitaleEtalageTest, originally uploaded by DOK Delft. Hey DOK friends – is that a touch screen? Is that person swiping through choices??
By Michael Casey & Michael Stephens Now, more than ever we need to deliver our best customer service. No library users should walk away feeling that their questions or needs were not fully addressed. No teen should come to the reference desk only to be met by a sarcastic answer and a hand gesturing them to some distant region of the stacks. No senior should be expected to use our newest technology without being offered a training session. Is this hard in today’s tighter economic times? Absolutely. Time is at a premium, as is money, but right now you need […]
Download the Virginia Beach Version of the Slides here. The good folks at Virginia Beach Public Libraries asked me back this year to talk about building community with social tools. This was perfect timing because I had just read Peter Block’s Community: The Structure of Belonging and I’ve been working on an article and interview about/with Seth Godin for Digital Bibliotek magazine. His book Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us has figured prominently into my thinking and teaching so far this year. I always appreciate this type of synchronicity. Jenny Levine introduced me to Peter Block’s book – a fascinating […]
By Michael Casey & Michael Stephens We’ve written about ideas for improving customer service, boosting staff morale, fostering change, and building a management and communication style that is win-win for both staff and administration. Almost everything we’ve discussed has, as its only cost, time–necessary to plan, implement, and review. There are no expensive technologies to purchase, no cutting-edge software to struggle with, and no $500-an-hour consultants. Our suggestions involve listening, dialog, and transparent actions. Trust is the underlying concept. Communication is its foundation. Economics hit morale On April 1, 2007, when we began writing The Transparent Library column, the nation’s […]
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6617658.html Once it began, everything seemed to be going smoothly. That is, until I saw a security guard shoot a look at a group of loud teens, telling them to keep it down. He then shut the door in their faces as they stood in the doorway trying to get into the event. The teens were initially shocked and looked to each other for some kind of explanation. Then they burst out laughing at the absurdity of the situation. There were more than 150 teens attending this YA author visit, buying books, CDs and T-shirts. It was a librarian’s dream: […]
Out in the Cold, originally uploaded by Fox River Grove Memorial Library. Liz Delzell, Youth Services Assistant, Fox River Grove Memorial Library in Fox River Grove, IL, writes: I just wanted to share this picture of some of the members of our BRAND NEW teen advisory board. We have a lovely little library serving about 4500 residents in a small northern suburb of Chicago, and while we see lots and lots of kids, adults, and seniors, we don’t seem to draw in area teens. We hope the members of this board will be able to give us some insight into […]
By Michael Casey & Michael Stephens Properly handled and managed, adaptation to change ensures our survival Last month, we presented six mile markers for your transparent library. Here are six more. Have an open-door policy. You have to listen to be heard. And you have to be out there to be noticed. Whether you’re a director, leader, or manager, listening to your community and working with other leaders and managers is the only way you will remain relevant and grow stronger as a leader and help build a stronger organization. Seth Godin reminds us in his book Tribes (Portfolio, 2008) […]