Note from Michael: This article & interview was originally published last year in Digitale Biblioteek. Seth Godin has been writing and speaking about marketing, the new landscape of the Web paired with emerging social media and the increasing power of consumer “word of mouth.” His books include The Big Red Fez: How to make Any Web Site Better, Permission Marketing, The Purple Cow, Small is the New Big, The Dip and most recently Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us. I’ve been drawn to his ideas and insights for a long time, while working in public libraries to teaching library […]
Categories Marketing
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Library Trading Card #1: Keith, originally uploaded by scampion. Steve Campion writes: ROCK ON! This is the first in what I expect to be a series of library staff trading cards. I hope to post more trading cards gradually over the next many months, each spotlighting a different person on our staff in some unique way. For this one, I want to thank Keith for his enthusiastic willingness to participate. This set grew out of two different photo project ideas I’ve had in mind for the library’s StaffWeb and my Flickr page for a long time. And the idea of […]
Working in a university library, as with any type of library, means a dedicated service focus which supports the goals and directions of the parent company or institution. While each individual university will have their own priorities and strategic directions, there are some themes that seem to resonate across the board. One such area is the recognition of the need for universities to internationalise. Internationalisation benefits a university’s staff, students, research, and institutional profile and competitiveness, to just skim the surface of its influences. I work at Flinders University in South Australia, which has established a number of ways to […]
Elsie Martinez, Meg Edwards, Elizabeth Nelson, Marcie Shaffer, Lauren Offerman-Vice, and I were given the opportunity to consider and write a vision statement during Synergy 2009: The Illinois Library Leadership Initiative. The group consisted of special, academic, and public (adult and youth) librarians from all over the state of Illinois. After much thought, writing, discussion and debate we arrived at a vision statement we were pleased with. Please take a few minutes to view the video we designed to present the Vision Statement. Synergy Vision 2009 from Mick Jacobsen on Vimeo. TTW Contributor: Mick Jacobsen
By Michael Casey & Michael Stephens These may be tough times, but libraries are more important than ever. We find reasons for optimism and also offer advice to new graduates. Libraries are going through some difficult times right now. What gives you hope? MS: Libraries are forging ahead with low-cost technologies and new initiatives. Many nimble librarians are adapting quickly to the current economic climate, offering access to government programs, résumé workshops, and projects centered around saving money. We can and do think on our feet. MC: I’m encouraged by the number of libraries that offer training classes in various […]
http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=2596 I am eager to get my hands on a copy of Brian’s new book. I think it may be a perfect fit for use in LIS768. I was glad to see his reflective post about the process: (emphasis mine) I am very grateful that ALA didn’t pressure me to write a 2.0 or social technology book. It would have been a disaster. While those elements are included in the text, the scope is much wider. I worked (struggled) on and off for 2 years on this project. It is very personal. Writing a book is very draining. You feel […]
Kay wrote a paper for LIS768 on the Cluetrain ten years later. She graciously allowed me to post an edit here. Thanks Kay! Michael Today’s economic situation would seemingly make libraries indispensible. Yet with budget cuts, many libraries are threatened with cut backs and closings. The natural reaction, based on fear, would be to go into preservation mode. Instead, libraries need to be moving into innovation mode, viewing this time as a chance to move ahead and connect with the public that hasn’t been using them. The disenfranchised public wants to know how the library will be relevant to them […]
Take a look at http://voicethread.com/share/289291/ to see how the good folks at Darien Library are telling their story. Gretchen Hams, the Head of Children’s Services, shares information about Children’s Services via Voicethread. I will be watching all the opening day festivities for this innovative new library from afar! Congrats to all involved.
By Michael Casey & Michael Stephens The rules of marketing have changed. Do libraries know that? Corporate PR-types used to control the message. Sitting behind a desk, they’d write a carefully crafted press release and then send it off to newspapers and upload it to their web site. The attention the company got might barely justify the salary of the PR professional. Today’s world is fundamentally different. Neither news nor brand identity are controlled through press releases or carefully choreographed newspaper articles. Brands are molded and shaped by the audience-and the audience is everyone. People talk. And people listen. Social […]
Library Revolution ponders “one point that kept coming up at Computers in Libraries is the importance of not asking for feedback unless you actually intend on doing something with it.” http://libraryrevolution.com/2008/04/15/feedback-followthrough-and-rick-astley/ When you ask your staff, users, and colleagues for feedback, are you prepared to do something with that feedback? Do you have a mechanism in place for handling suggestions in a productive way? Are you ready to encourage the development of the ideas offered up, constructively criticize, and put forth the effort necessary to transform raw ideas into effective, creative, and innovative efforts? How do you prove that the suggestions […]