[2024]Digital Global Overview Report 2024 Meltwater.pdf
Stay the Same or Change? Why Emerging Trends are Important for your Library
1. Stay the Same
or Change?
Why Emerging Trends are
Important for your Library
David Lee King
Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library
davidleeking.com
http://flickr.com/photos/kruggg6/99414638/
11. 1.
The rest of the world
is already there
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/2222523486/
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18. 2.
You can be the example
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13933408@N06/2197666469/
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24. Lester Public Library is a Public library. This library is the central facility for the library system that serves Two Rivers, WI. The collection of the library contains 70000 volumes. The library
circulates 130000Libraryperayear. The library serves a population of 13000 residents . system that serves Two Rivers, WI. The collection ofof the library contains 70000 volumes. The library
Lester Public Library is a Public library. This library is the central facility for the library the library contains 70000 volumes. The library
Lester Public items isperPublic The library serves a population of 13000 residents . system that serves Two Rivers, WI. The collection
library. This library is the central facility for the library
circulates 130000 items year.
circulates 130000 items per year. The library serves a population of 13000 residents .
25. Lester Public Library is a Public library. This library is the central facility for the library system that serves Two Rivers, WI. The collection of the library contains 70000 volumes. The library
circulates 130000Libraryperayear. The library serves a population of 13000 residents . system that serves Two Rivers, WI. The collection ofof the library contains 70000 volumes. The library
Lester Public Library is a Public library. This library is the central facility for the library the library contains 70000 volumes. The library
Lester Public items isperPublic The library serves a population of 13000 residents . system that serves Two Rivers, WI. The collection
library. This library is the central facility for the library
circulates 130000 items year.
circulates 130000 items per year. The library serves a population of 13000 residents .
26. Lester Public Library is a Public library. This library is the central facility for the library system that serves Two Rivers, WI. The collection of the library contains 70000 volumes. The library
circulates 130000Libraryperayear. The library serves a population of 13000 residents . system that serves Two Rivers, WI. The collection ofof the library contains 70000 volumes. The library
Lester Public Library is a Public library. This library is the central facility for the library the library contains 70000 volumes. The library
Lester Public items isperPublic The library serves a population of 13000 residents . system that serves Two Rivers, WI. The collection
library. This library is the central facility for the library
circulates 130000 items year.
circulates 130000 items per year. The library serves a population of 13000 residents .
27. 3.
Connect
with your community
http://flickr.com/photos/fcpl/2275150197/
44. find staff interests
• match with goals you already have
• give it to the best fit - might be IT,
might be circ staff
• Help translate from 1.0 to 2.0
Is your library stagnant? Have you stayed much the same for the last 10-20 years? Or have you changed a bit?
This presentation focuses on change in libraries and on the web.
Let’s talk about change and trends for a sec...
change AND trends
http://flickr.com/photos/oneeighteen/203392048/
change is So invigorating...
or maybe this
http://flickr.com/photos/zschnepf/1033887707/
breathing the fresh changeable air, excited about that next change mountain to climb...
http://flickr.com/photos/bolding/1242785886/
http://flickr.com/photos/simplearts/501346927/
libraries and librarians tend to deal with change in two ways...
http://flickr.com/photos/danusia_/31758837/
http://flickr.com/photos/yulete/488832731/
POLL - which one are you? Change comes from trends..
Three parts:
1. Why pay attention to 2.0 trends?
2. How to pay attention
3. Best Practices on implementing 2.0 stuff
Lots of trends going on right now. Name some:
Toyota Prius - is it a car? Is it a game? Smart Car, Mini Cooper, etc
mp3s and ipods... white earbuds in cities
YouTube - who watched a YouTube video this week? - 2005...
So - web 2.0 is also a powerful trend happening in many industries right now - including ours! Why should we...
5 reasons:
Not just the techie uber-geeks! Real, live people are doing this stuff now.
I’m talking sites your grandmother uses!
Anyone using the web has experienced some 2.0 tools and services, whether they know it or not.
Here are some examples...
Community pages at ebay! Like guitars? Join the Guitar forums. Make friends (and sell stuff to them)
ebay blogs - similar
personalized lists. All this = personalized, community-driven, participatory services and tools... and participatory experiences.
customer reviews!!!!!!!!!! Blogs. personalized lists.
Authors can have blogs now.
Again - participatory, community-driven, personalized services and tools. In their case, make you feel closer to the author and other readers... you’ll want to read (hence, BUY).
Many newspapers have started adding comments and blogs. The newspaper in Topeka has a blog! No more letters to the editor - every article has an editorial component now.
Oh, well you might think - sure, David, that’s your world. You don’t know our patrons in Hawaii.
Let me introduce you to one. Roxanne Darling.
Roxanne has a blog. With photos. And videos!
She’s actually sharing personal stuff.
flickr...
twitter. Roxanne answers the question “what are you doing now” - alot!
She’s customized her twitter page, too.
she breaks quite a few stereotypes. If she exists, then so do others... right?
When I was at KCPL, there were homeless people with blogs that would use our PCs to write blog posts. Another stereotype down the drain...
that was reason 1
Reason 2? You can be the example, the leader in your community. Teach others to do new things.
Here’s an example - from a small town in Michigan
Lester Public Library is the central facility for the library system that serves Two Rivers, WI. The collection of the library contains 70,000 volumes. The library circulates 130,000 items per year. The library serves a population of 13,000 residents.
So - pretty small library in a pretty small town.
They have a blog.
a couple of blogs. this is their teen blog.
gaming... Wii’s, no less!
flickr account.
OOh - Wikipedia entry.
YouTube videos
and a myspace page.
We are now running 2 blogs out of LPL, Blogging LPL is sustaining an average of roughly 3,000 hits a month and rising ... Flickr is the BEST marketing tool, I post photos daily and use them in our blogs, the local paper has used some of them, I’ve been interviewed on the radio because of flickr and now run a biweekly column in the Sunday edition of the Manitowoc Herald Times entitled Library News. The TR City Manager has noted the flickr account in his weekly newspaper column and during televised City Council Meetings. Taking those traditional networking tools - radio, television, and newspaper and aiming them at our Internet Networking devices - MySpace, flickr, etc. just sort of happened and is totally cool!
http://tametheweb.com/?s=jeff+dawson
libraries are turning into community hubs, even more so than they used to be. There are lots of articles talking about library as a social place.
What’s that mean? People come to the library to socialize - hang out. Attend things. Start conversations - with each other, and with library staff.
Anyone experienced that at your library?
No difference at your digital branch! Here’s one example...
Look what’s happening here:
1. Tanya wrote a great review of a band’s CD
2. patron comments, saying what a great review - I’ll go buy it based on the review alone
3. Another staff member comments, saying you can actually check it out!
4. Yet another patron writes, saying Tanya’s writing makes her want to check it out
Do you see what’s happening here? Tanya started a conversation - it was continued by both patrons and staff members. Tanya connected with our community!
not just the rotary club, the community board, not just the patrons who walk in
- my library mails holds
- those are our digital branch patrons
- they use the library more than anyone else... yet we hardly do anything for them, market to them, etc.
businesses, the “normal” people, etc
- attend meetings and share.
- Take your game night “on the road”
- introduce them to the library! Ask!!!
managers set the tone and the pace for projects, for the library
even in the trend watching and techie areas
you already do this in other areas of the library - why not 2.0?
it’s not techie!
Who thinks blogging is techie?
Do my type in a box thing
Bonus Reason (cause I liked this photo):
library isn’t seen as relevant in normal everyday community (oclc studies show that)
How can we be relevant in our communities? it’s up to you to make us relevant. Physically AND digitally.
So that was all about why we should pay attention to 2.0 trends. How do we pay attention?
and impress your techie staff in the process?
This part’s easy...
rss - huge time saver
river of news - you can jump in and out at any time
others are watching for relevant goodies for you - when you subscribe to other trend watcher blogs
Have a long commute? watch some videos, listen to some podcasts.
I don’t have enough time. Of course you don’t. However, that’s a lame excuse.
You make time for your priorities.
What’s your priority? Scanning your community’s horizon should certainly be there. Staying relevant in the 21st century should, too.
library-focused blogs are great
but don’t stop there!
If you want to learn about marketing... are you going to read a YA blog, or a marketing blog?
change of focus... change of attitude
IT staff - do these things, and you will instill fear into your techie staff. Joke! Seriously - IT doesn’t like to change - whole job is based upon 100% uptime and stability - change threatens those!
But - who’s in charge of the library? What drives the library? It should never be tech or fear of tech. Remember that.
Change means more than just this - take a peek...
this is how we operate online. Why? sometimes we share too much info - it’s that detail thing.
And sometimes we don’t look at online services as the same as physical library services. I’m a branch manager. I have staff, a collection, and patrons. At my library, we really work in 2 libraries - the physical one and the digital one.
Do you do this online? In Twitter? Facebook? An anonymous blog?
Are you sure it’s anonymous? Twitter tracks zipcodes, friends of friends who get the stream, etc... Not a good thing.
Newspapers - 129 have stopped printing their print versions. Some are closing up shop, others are just existing online. Are you ready for that?
still supporting typewriters? floppy disks? VHS? CDs? Are you ready to make the leap? How about something else at your library that resembles putting out food for the dinosaur, just in case?
Dusting books. Two people sitting at a desk in an empty room. What else?
We’ve covered why pay attention and how to pay attention.
Now lets look at some best practices ...
most important thing to do
Here’s what I have done:
- met with staff before we built digital branch
- met multiple times with two committees
- kept management group constantly up-to-date
- informal meetings with director, deputy director
Now setting up meetings with content developers, answering questions as needed... writing guidelines... moral support... etc.
Ex... dude - freaked out about writing to audience, writing for response.
are they innovative or interested? or cautious, cup-half-empty?
start slow and expand as needed - do pilot project if needed
... and be willing to speed up when needed, too (Meebo IM example)
read through slide
examples - do they like writing? Taking photos?
Translation:
programs = podcast, video, screencast
pathfinders = blogs, wikis
Instruction classes = screencasting, tutorials, etc.
Working the desk = IM, twitter, answering comments
hire or create
who gets stuff done? ask them what they want to do then facilitate
good for starting - won’t sustain it, one champ gets burned out fast
customize to fit your library - not everyone is AADL! library goals, strategic planning, etc - ex: we have a travel and a health neighborhood for books - we also have subject guides on the web
Train staff - learning 2.0, conferences, books, play time
Trust - they’ll be the extended voice of the library
the unedited voice... won’t go through PR first!
Two sides - You’re giving freedom... you’re giving responsibility
Spidey’s uncle - “with great power comes great responsibility” - trite but true.
Can’t do it sorta kinda, can’t do it part way
web is part of your actual library
Can’t Not do web - ref staff - “I won’t do telephone ref - I only work the desk”??? NOT
assign staff - no volunteers.
Job descriptions, annual reviews.