I had a great time in Idaho at the PNLA conference. Thanks to everyone that came to the preconference!
Here’s a PDF of the presentation.
And here are the Pew Internet/American Life studies I referenced:
Darlene Hotchkiss, Teacher-Librarian from Parma High School was nice enough to type up the notes from our discussion. So in no particular order, here’s the transcription from the flipcharts.
LIBRARY ANXIETY
Lighting
Clip-on /closet lights
New-tech bulb replacement
Good signage—maybe some neon
Write a grant for energy conservation and enjoy better, brighter lighting!
Smiling staff
Flowers & other pretty decorations
Education (how to use the library)
Abandon jargon
One-stop Q/A stations
Cross-train staff
Tours
Make library design intuitive
Touch screens
Designate noise/quiet areas
Personalities!
Relax rules
Food
Abandon sacred cows
Roving reference
Prioritize customer service
Door greeter
Easy tech services for read-alikes
White-board interface
LIBRARIANS
Personalization/relationship/connection
No condescension
No bias
Formal dress code may interfere
Play music in some cases
Lead other staff by example
Make friendliness & experimentation part of job description
Add customer service to mission statement
“Third Place” policy
Be familiar with IM lingo
Raise morale of librarians
Add variety to librarians’ day
LIBRARY SPACES
Separation of noise/quiet places
Acoustical shelving
Headphones
Food & drink
Virtual library spaces
Vending machines
Allow blogging & podcasts
Teen input in designs
Time for the library to be teen space
Scrolling news screen
Clean & tidy
Catalog stations in stacks & outside library
Don’t trespass on student space
Respond rather than try to change behaviors
Library “lock-in” or “scream-in” or “capture the flag” sessions
Separate teens from children’s sections
Install sound domes
Install booths
Modular design
INFORMATION SERVICES
BookLetters
NextReads (EBSCO)
Mail delivery of borrowed books
Outreach & partnering at teen places
LibraryThing
Demand vendors be responsive
Social networks
Don’t “data dump”
Indefinite check-out with recall policy
Audiobooks, CDs, & movies
Project Guttenburg
Create booklists
ADVERTISING
Anything that’s free
Newspaper/radio/slip-ins with mailings
Text-messaging through existing social networks
YouTube clips
Develop partnerships
Host events—have something to advertise!
Contests
School announcements
Hire PR person
Washroom advertising
Give parents the info at orientation
