Category Marketing

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Selling libraries.

don't you feel used?

Oct 16, ’07 8:46 AM

Here’s another conversation about libraries I didn’t mean to get myself in. This time it was with a woman that was an avid library user growing up. While growing up, she confessed, going to the library with her mom was the highlight of her weekend. She’d get books and movies and loved the librarians. This habit continued into adulthood where she developed friendly relationships with librarians at a Boston Public Library branch. “They’d even drop off items my stoop on their way home,” she said. Nice.

Flash forward a few years. She asks about what kind of stuff I do as a librarian. I mention reference work and she gets a puzzled look on her face. “Wait a minute. People can ask random questions at the library?” “Yeah, anything, really,” I replied. Her jaw dropped and she asked, “Don’t you feel used?”.

Keeping OCLC’s Perceptions of Libraries and Information Sources report in mind, I shouldn’t have been so surprised that even this active library user had no concept of the library as a place for information. There’s a disconnect between how most libraries see themselves and how others see libraries. Clearly this is only one anecdote but if we extrapolate a bit it is another indication that we have serious public relations and image issues.

With no cajoling from me, at the end of the conversation she was excited to visit her local Multnomah County Library branch to use her “own private search engine.“

Comments (11)

let’s work together to get rid of library fines

Oct 9, ’07 10:58 AM

I don’t often try to get into conversations about libraries with the general public but it still happens. Recently it was déjà vu all over again when I heard:

“A year ago I was using the library all of the time. I’d start going again if I didn’t have to pay those fines I racked up.”

If I had a quarter for every time I’ve heard this, I think I could pay off everyone’s library fines! Seriously!

Fines make so little sense to me that I find it hard to believe libraries are still bothering. I’d really like for there to be a “Let’s get rid of fines” movement, so in the spirit of that I’ve created a page called Anti Fines Here’s a little chicklet that you can display on your website if you’re interested in pursuing this with me.

Here’s what I put on the page so far, but I’m hoping that interested parties will work with me developing some more content.

Why does collecting fines hurt libraries?
Fines are a barrier to providing service.

How will we get our items back into the library?
Consider implementing a “no overdue” policy in which patrons that have even one item overdue (that can’t be renewed) can’t check out any more library materials.

How can I get my library to stop collecting fines?
In most cases you’ll have to show that the money you’re bringing in via fines isn’t worth the staff time it takes to collect them. You could also take a survey of your patrons and see what *they* have to say. The lack of revenue and negative attention drawn to the library should be sufficient reason to stop

Comments (14)

let's work together to get rid of library fines

Oct 9, ’07 10:58 AM

I don’t often try to get into conversations about libraries with the general public but it still happens. Recently it was déjà vu all over again when I heard:

“A year ago I was using the library all of the time. I’d start going again if I didn’t have to pay those fines I racked up.”

If I had a quarter for every time I’ve heard this, I think I could pay off everyone’s library fines! Seriously!

Fines make so little sense to me that I find it hard to believe libraries are still bothering. I’d really like for there to be a “Let’s get rid of fines” movement, so in the spirit of that I’ve created a page called Anti Fines Here’s a little chicklet that you can display on your website if you’re interested in pursuing this with me.

Here’s what I put on the page so far, but I’m hoping that interested parties will work with me developing some more content.

Why does collecting fines hurt libraries?
Fines are a barrier to providing service.

How will we get our items back into the library?
Consider implementing a “no overdue” policy in which patrons that have even one item overdue (that can’t be renewed) can’t check out any more library materials.

How can I get my library to stop collecting fines?
In most cases you’ll have to show that the money you’re bringing in via fines isn’t worth the staff time it takes to collect them. You could also take a survey of your patrons and see what *they* have to say. The lack of revenue and negative attention drawn to the library should be sufficient reason to stop

Comments (14)

knit with the librarians

Oct 3, ’07 9:12 PM

You know what’s a good complement to creating warm and fuzzy feelings about the library through social software? Creating warm and fuzzy feelings about the library face to face. Librarians at Reed College appear to be doing just this. What I really like about this little program is that it isn’t “Come knit in the library” it is “Come knit with the librarians”. Important distinction.

Comments (5)

NPPL shirts!

Oct 1, ’07 12:28 PM

I’m pleased with the way these shirts turned out. They’ll be given to our volunteers as part of our volunteers recognition program. Staff will get one too. Leftovers will be put on sale by the Friends. I’m going to suggest a low price just to get the shirts around the community.

Comments (0)

rousting the sleepers

Sep 27, ’07 9:51 AM

SvN just posted Waking up the sleepers which explores how to entice customers that have signed up for services to actually use them. Not that we would ever experience anything about that in libraries, right? Chances are that we all have sleepers. People who’s library cards never see the light of day or glow of a barcode scanner because they’re in a dresser drawer or buried in their 4 inch thick wallet.

So once we get 100% saturation of library cards in our communities because of Library Card Sign-up Month, how do we get people to come back? Suggestions from the post include one-time reminder emails, and a bonus or special offer for waking up and using the service. From the comments:

You don’t wake up a real life sleeping dog just to say “hey, you are still a dog”. You wake him up and say “lets go running in the park and then you get a bone to chew on!”

How are libraries supposed to offer bonuses when we usually don’t charge for things? What about those darn library fines? If you do charge fines (something that I’d discourage you from continuing), you could send out an amnesty email to people with fines that have inactive accounts. In your community there are probably a bunch of people that won’t use the library for a long time because of a $10 fine. What’s better, eventually collecting that $10 or waiving the fine and getting that person back in the building?

Do you charge for DVDs? You could offer free DVD rentals for the returning patron. If you don’t charge for DVDs, you could offer postal service delivery of a few DVDs.

Returning patrons could be given priority placement on the holds list for a particularly hot book or DVD.

Academic and public libraries could offer a $2 copy card to returning students.

Have a raffle and give away entries to people returning to the library.

Of course, libraries should do this without being spammy. Annoying people will produce a result opposite of what we intend. We should also keep in mind that if we have a large number of sleepers, there’s likely something fundamentally wrong with our normal way of doing things and that no amount of reminders will get users back. Only a severe change in operations and strong marketing campaign will help with that.

Comments (2)

more evidence that we have an image problem

Sep 4, ’07 8:57 PM

The reviewer states, “You have GOT to get to this library! It is soooo cool and so NOT like a public library” and then proceeds to give the library a very nice review. I wonder if the library is aware about the conversations taking place.

Comments (1)