tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94092822024-03-23T10:45:55.858-07:00Library Marketing - Thinking Outside the BookResources, readings, news and ideas for librarians who seek outside-the-book marketing innovations for their libraries.Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.comBlogger585125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9409282.post-33805229984198939482008-10-22T16:38:00.000-07:002008-10-22T17:06:19.582-07:00I am still alive! (Final blog post)Hello out there! For those of you who are still keeping an eye out on this blog for new posts, if there are any of you out there, I want to apologize for my unexpectedly long hiatus. I owe all of my colleagues and friends out there who have nurtured me professionally and personally (and blog-ally) a proper closing and final blog post.<br /><br />When I left you in Februrary, I had all sorts of good intentions (as I always do). I figured with my new job that is fairly well confined to business hours I would have all kinds of time to blog and keep up with my emails. Well...it didn't quite work out as I planned.<br /><br />Between February and June, I was adjusting to a new job in a new environment while planning for a wedding, which took and increasingly large amount of my time and energy as the date got closer. Both of these changes were good things, but demanded a heck of a lot more of my time than I imagined. I had a hard time with the idea of being on the computer all day and then coming home to respond to emails, Facebook requests, and all of that, especially as I got further and further behind. I needed a break. So I took one. And I'm glad I did. But I'm not glad the one of the results of that was that some of you didn't get responses from me and that the blog was left hanging. I owe you all out there a lot and am immensely grateful to each of you I met in creating this blog, little by little, everyday. <br /><br />While on my little 'break,' I realized that I couldn't devote the kind of time I need to make this blog good while also giving my best effort to my home and work lives. In the quest for work-life balance, this blog and some related projects had to give. Ultimately, I think this blog served the purpose I had in mind for it. I was able to share some of the things I learned about marketing so that it might help others make their libraries a bit better. The content that is here is still useful, I think. And I will get back in touch with all of you who may have sent me an unanswered note as soon as I can. <br /><br />I think I'll close this blog with an observation: Now that I'm doing library work in a new environment and meeting a new group of colleagues, I feel even more confident that the value we bring to our workplaces, our communities, and our world is greatly needed. So too is the need to prove that fact to our patrons everyday. That's what library marketing allows us to do. Directly, strategically, and passionately. Marketing helps us tell everyone else what we already know - that we information professionals can empower our communities to be better places. Marketing also challenges us to be better professionals by asking us to be accountable to patrons' needs. I hope this blog gave you a few extra tools to accomplish this. For me, I know each of you continually reaffirmed why I love this profession, and I sincerely thank you for the privilege and opportunity to share my thoughts with you. <br /><br />Please be in touch, and be patient with me as I get reemerge from my time off. I wish you the best in all your endeavors!Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9409282.post-3242923884356917502008-02-01T19:10:00.000-08:002008-02-01T19:31:38.566-08:00In case you haven't heard, PLCMC wonCongrats to the PLCMC for winning the <a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/pressreleases2008/january2008/2008nlwgrant.htm">2008 Scholastic Library Publishing National Library Week Grant</a>. PLCMC will partner with the New York Public library in utilizing the "Join the circle of knowledge @ your library" theme. You can read the full winning application <a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/pio/campaign/whatsnew/NatlLibWeekGrantProposalFINAL.doc">here</a> (Word doc). Their proposal includes a lot of community partnerships, a rock concert, and a <a href="http://www.circleofknowledge.blogspot.com/">joint blog</a> with NYPL.<br /><br />Some of the things that I like is that the campaign will help support some important local partners, including the animal shelter. Also, community members get to share the knowledge of their community via "knowledge boards" placed throughout the town. PLCMC: Do you have plans for how to preserve or share these insights? Perhaps you could stream quotes on your Web site?...Just a thought.<br /><br />This news brings to mind <a href="http://www.adweek.com/aw/magazine/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003702550">an article</a> I just read in Adweek about a study that found marketing events can raise purchase intent by as much as 52%. Here's an excerpt from the article:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><span class="body">"The special value of events, sponsorships and trade shows has to be considered," said Raymond Pettit, co-author and svp at MarketShare Partners in Los Angeles. "There are many connection points you can build at an event, whether it is emotional, aspirational or awareness building. It goes beyond just counting audience attendance."<br /></span></blockquote><span class="body"></span>So, research would suggest that sponsoring fun activities like those proposed by PLCMC might not just be good PR moves; they could also have a significant positive impact on the numbers of library users. If your marketing plan doesn't incorporate some form of outreach, you may want to give it a try.<strong></strong>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9409282.post-34139608195789316462008-02-01T18:30:00.000-08:002008-02-01T18:57:13.359-08:00Flightless in TorontoWell, in a past life I must have accumulated some bad airline karma. My flight was canceled due to one of the <a href="http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_19204.aspx">worst winter storms</a> of the season here in Ontario. On the plus side, I have some unexpected blogging time.<br /><br />So now that I have a moment, I'd like to share an announcement with you. I'm going to be leaving my position at VCU Libraries effective this Tuesday, February 5th. As you can imagine, I have a lot of mixed emotions about the job change. I'm both excited about my new job and also sad to leave all of the wonderful people I've met at VCU. Many of my colleagues are also my close personal friends, who truly care about me and want the best. (Thanks, guys.) My advisory group (<a href="http://www.library.vcu.edu/admin/cluac/">CLUAC</a>) has always been an inspiration and I know all my students will go far. I can't imagine a better place to have begun my career and I want to thank VCU Libraries and those I've worked with in the VCU community for how supportive they've been to me throughout, both personally and professionally.<br /><br />The good news is that I'll still be in Richmond and I'll be able to keep in touch with everyone. What will I be doing? I'll be working for a company doing research and analysis on, guess what? Marketing info! My new employers have been extremely welcoming and I know the work is going to be incredibly exciting and fast-paced! I'm looking forward to jumping into this challenging new role with a group of really bright people, and getting a taste of another side of the information profession that I love.<br /><br />Now, on to what you might care more about: What about the blog? I plan on keeping it up as long as I have something worthwhile to write. So, there's no change there. I anticipate my writing might become more of a weekend event, but I think my new role will give me a great perspective to bring to the news and marketing strategies that apply to libraries. I'll also continue writing for <a href="http://dbl.lishost.org/blog/">Designing Better Libraries</a> (in fact, I hope I'll have more time to do so!).<br /><br />Thanks for letting me share a bit of this personal stuff. Now, on to our regularly scheduled blog content...Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9409282.post-90370625683281738392008-01-30T18:58:00.000-08:002008-01-30T19:17:27.761-08:00Greetings from Toronto!I'm so grateful to be here in Toronto to speak tomorrow at the <a href="http://www.accessola.com/superconference2008/">Ontario Library Association's Super Conference</a> (best conference name <span style="font-style: italic;">ever</span>, by the way!). My session is called "<a href="http://www.accessola.com/superconference2008/showSession.php?lsession=600&usession=699">Unleash Your Inner Marketer</a>." I'm hoping it sparks some imaginative ways to approach marketing, rather than just dwelling on promotional tactics. I'll let you know how it goes and reflect a bit on our discussion. If you're in the area, please drop by and say hello!Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9409282.post-56492703133067865142008-01-25T11:58:00.000-08:002008-01-25T12:43:07.501-08:00What a bunch of cards! Guest post from Rebecca Metzger<p class="MsoNormal">While at ALA Midwinter, I was lucky to meet Rebecca Metzger, Reference and Instruction Librarian at <a href="http://www.library.lafayette.edu/">Lafayette College</a> in Easton, PA. She took part in <a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/rusa/rusaourassoc/rusasections/rss/rsssection/rsscomm/marketingandpublicrelationsforreferenceservices/markprrefserv.cfm">my committee's</a> discussion group where she shared her library's fun approach to promoting their individual research consultation service. Rebecca graciously agreed to write up the initiative for LM, which I'm copying here in its entirety (with permission, as always):<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><blockquote> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>A Service and its Public Face<o:p></o:p></b><br />For the past seven years, the Lafayette College Libraries have been creating and mailing humorous collectible postcards to students as a way of publicizing PRA (Personalized Research Assistance) sessions, which are essentially individual research consultations with reference librarians. PRA cards get the faces of reference librarians out to students in a comedic format that shakes up the stereotype of librarians as stodgy and serious, hopefully making us more approachable. The service and its publicity strategy developed hand-in-hand. Before Spring 2001, private student appointments with librarians were rare, but welcome. In a meeting, the reference staff agreed that we should make appointments a more explicit service. It took one brainstorming meeting to create the PRA name, which is similar to that of the WA (Writing Associate) peer tutoring service offered through our <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Writing</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place>. The first PRA postcard came about informally. As a joke, one of the librarians mocked up a spoof of the film <span style="font-style: italic;">Conan the Barbarian</span> and the tagline, "Make an appointment with a reference barbarian today!" It was basic humor, it was typical of the library staff at <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Lafayette</st1:place></st1:city>, and it just kind of stuck.</p><b>Pop Culture Appeal</b><br />The postcards, which are mailed to all students a few weeks into each semester, feature the faces of reference librarians superimposed on movie or TV stills, thus appealing to the visual and pop culture interests of most youth. On the back of each card is a URL directing students to an online sign-up form and witty text advertising the service that plays on slogans from the movie or TV show. For example, the recent "Mary PRAppins" card reads: "We may not be able to get the chim-chiminey back in your chim-chim-charoo, but a Personalized Research Assistance session with a reference librarian can help you find the books, journals, and online resources you need for a well-researched project that will make your professor say: SupercaliPRAgilisticexpilalidocious!"<br /><br /> <p class="body-text" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><b>Student Input</b></p> <p class="body-text" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">After that initial postcard, student workers were brought on board to execute the Photoshop manipulation and layout of the card, as well as to coordinate the printing and mailing with campus Reprographic services. It's time-consuming work for them but more fun than shelving books, and it helps bridge the generational gap. Thus, us "old" librarians don't make too many mistakes with movie and TV references that 18-22 year olds don't know. The reference staff still collaborates as a group to generate the ideas and content for each card, and I'm in charge of executing those ideas and overseeing the student worker. <span class="heading-sub-3">We're lucky here to have the budget and support that allows us to move forward relatively quickly on ideas without having to go through committees.</span></p><p class="body-text" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /><span class="heading-sub-3"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="body-text" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="body-text" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span class="heading-sub-3"><b>Building Traffic</b></span></p> <p class="body-text" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span class="heading-sub-3">For the first few years, a surge in appointments immediately after the mailing date was a clear indicator of the cards' impact. Being a small liberal arts campus helps, since our students are a relatively homogeneous group of approximately 2400 undergraduates who talk amongst themselves. When the PRA cards hit their mailboxes, which are all located in one setting, there is a mass visual impact even if the majority of the cards end up in the recycling bin. As the branded service has become more integrated on campus, there's less of an obvious peak in appointments immediately after the mailing. Traffic to the online PRA sign-up form is steady now throughout the semester, and generated not just from the cards but from outreach during instruction sessions, reference desk interactions, articles in parent newsletters, targeted correspondence with honors students, word-of-mouth, and the library website. While it remains an ongoing challenge to reach those students who have never heard of PRAs, stu</span>dents have been known to put the postcards up in their dorm rooms or diverge from a campus tour script to tell visitors about them. <span class="heading-sub-3">Some favorites among students are: </span>Harry PRAtter and the Prisoner of Research and the SoPRAnos.</p><p class="body-text" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /><span class="heading-sub-3"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="body-text" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span class="heading-sub-3">A gallery of the cards can be viewed </span>online at <a href="http://www.lafayette.edu/%7Elibrary/pra/gallery.html">http://www.lafayette.edu/~library/pra/gallery.html</a>.</p></blockquote><p></p>Thanks for sharing your library's efforts, Rebecca! There are a couple of elements here I'm especially fond of:<br />1. Student involvement helps to make sure the promotion makes sense to the intended audience. 2. No committees! <span style="font-style: italic;">Sometimes</span>, committees are necessary I guess, but promotions need to be timely so staff flexibility is key.<br /><br />Got a marketing initiative you want to share? <a href="mailto:%22jsstover@vcu.edu%22">E-mail me</a>!Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9409282.post-82638585172126253932008-01-23T13:56:00.000-08:002008-01-23T14:43:41.139-08:00Promotion. It's not just for stuff.Contrary to popular perception, promotional activities (advertising, public relations, etc.), are not always about convincing people to buy the latest and greatest [fill in the blank]. Often, promotion objectives include changing attitudes and behaviors. Such is the case with the "<a href="http://useonlywhatyouneed.org/">Use Only What you Need</a>" campaign launched by Denver Water this past summer. Though summer is a distant memory for Northern Hemisphere-dwellers like myself, the campaign is nevertheless a timely reminder for librarians that marketing has the power to change minds.<br /><br />Denver Water acquired the services of <a href="http://www.sukle.com/">Sukle Advertising</a> to get customers to do something a bit unusual. Namely, use less of their product by conserving water. An <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/stories/2007/08/13/story7.html">article in the Denver Business Journal</a> describes the campaign, which uses humor to make its point,<br /><blockquote>"About 50 customer comments have come in so far, McGuire-Collier [community and media relations manager] said, and despite the irreverent tone of the ads, "We've had some real positive responses. ... [Some say] it's not the sort of campaign you'd expect from a, quote-unquote, bureaucratic organization. We're able to have fun and still deliver an important message." </blockquote>The promotions truly are pretty funny. Check out this YouTube video, "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULSZzNit_IY">Drunk Flowers</a>," and this one, "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-Fg0ykuQyw">Running Toilets Waste Water</a>." You can see other promotional elements at the <a href="http://useonlywhatyouneed.org/">utility's Web site</a>.<br /><br />Denver's campaign is a good example of the promotional aspects of <a href="http://www.social-marketing.com/Whatis.html">social marketing</a>, which is basically a type of marketing that attempts to change people's attitudes and behaviors for the benefit of individuals or society. Sound familiar, librarians? For Denver, striking at the funny bone seems to have worked, as residents cut their water usage by 21%, just 1% shy of their goal.<br /><br />Here are some of the things I took away from this campaign:<br /><ul><li>Advertisements need to reach people on an emotional level. Sukle did this by doing something unexpected from a government organization (being funny).</li><li>Sukle's ads communicated volumes of information visually. The "using only what you need" theme was reinforced visually by partially used billboards, for example.</li><li>Social marketers aim to change behaviors by changing attitudes. To do so, it's important to understand existing attitudes and behaviors that would indicate success (lower water consumption, etc.). These goals should be included in promotion strategies.</li><li>All aspects of a promotion campaign should be integrated and reinforce one another to have the most impact.<br /></li></ul>Did this campaign give you any good ideas? Please share!<br /><br />[For more info: Wikipedia has a pretty good entry on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_marketing">Social Marketing</a>]Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9409282.post-7664269314918455342008-01-16T11:39:00.000-08:002008-01-16T11:54:26.757-08:00Getting to the point with MarketingProfsIf you haven't explored them yet, MarketingProfs now offers a plethora of tidbit-sized chunks of information in its free (registration required) <a href="http://www.marketingprofs.com/newsletters/marketing/addons.asp">Get to the Po!nt newsletters</a>. The thematic newsletters are really neat, covering topics such as:<br /><ul><li>Customer Behavior (must-read for sure!)<br /></li><li>E-mail Marketing</li><li>Marketing Inspiration (<span style="font-weight: bold;">love</span> this!)</li><li>Small Business</li></ul>These other topics are forthcoming, but you can subscribe to them today:<br /><ul><li>B2B Marketing</li><li>Marketing Optimization</li><li>New Media (social networks, mobile devices, video, audio, etc.)</li></ul>These newsletters are great ways to get just enough marketing information in your area of interest without overwhelming you or flooding your Inbox (most appear to come out every 3-4 days).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bonus tip:</span> Why not start your own mini newsletter for your colleagues? An e-mail once a week that briefly covers THE most important trend/news item/report/... you think people need to know would help keep staff up-to-date, and may even deliver the jolt of inspiration needed to come up with great ideas.Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9409282.post-68750599320896094792008-01-15T13:43:00.000-08:002008-01-29T14:26:24.422-08:00I blog, therefore, I amIt's funny (and nice) that I took a break from blogging for a while and a number of people thought that some tragedy befell me. Not to worry, loyal readers! I blog, therefore, I am. Everything's fine with me, but I have a whole lot of personal and professional stuff going on (some of which I'll be sharing on LM in the near future), and I thought the holidays would be a good time to relax, take a good chunk of time off, and come back to the blog refreshed.<br /><br />That said, I have content up to my eyeballs to share with you, so I'm going to start with an initiative from the Metropolitan Museum of Art as described by <a href="http://www.trendcentral.com/WebApps/App/SnapShots/Article.aspx?ArticleId=7255">trendcentral.com</a>. The initiative sprang up from a new trend: blog bars. Blog bars are computer terminals set up on-site so that attendees can respond to what's going on in real time and receive responses right away.<br /><br />The Met offers a blog bar for its show blog.mode: addressing fashion. <a href="http://blog.metmuseum.org/blogmode/">The blog</a> seems to be doing its job in that there's a flurry of comment and conversation. The idea of a blog bar, however, adds an extra layer of immediacy and relevancy for participants, and could be a great way to enhance library programs too! Trendcentral also points out, <blockquote>"Additionally, expect physical spaces to increasingly include virtual components, creating a mash-up hybrid environment."</blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">This trend reminds me of the importance of thinking about patron experiences, rather than focusing on distinct technologies and tools. It's the marriage of technology, great services, and community engagement that will continue to shape library services.<br /><br />Bonus tip:</span> Every librarian needs to pay attention to what museums are doing and how they're applying technology. They're doing fascinating stuff!<br /><br />Thank you readers for your understanding while a took a break! I'm glad to be back in the blogosphere.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9409282.post-90110946949143951042007-11-19T15:08:00.000-08:002007-12-04T13:03:11.544-08:00Get your creativity on!I had a blast last week getting my creativity on at <a href="http://www.neasist.org/events/?p=99">NEASIST's program</a> on guerilla innovation in Providence, RI. My gig was to talk about the theoretical/conceptual aspects of creativity, including techniques for enhancing one's innate creativity and the need to adopt creativity as a core professional competency. I had so much fun because NEASIST members are awesome, my fellow <a href="http://www.blyberg.net/">co</a>-<a href="http://www.librarian.net/">presenters</a> were terrific, and because this topic (creativity) is very near and dear to me these days. Why, you ask (and even if you didn't)? Creativity is at the heart of every new service or 'a ha' moment in libraries. Ideas begin with creative thought. If we're not thinking creatively all the time, we're missing opportunities and letting problems hang around. Creativity, or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideation">ideation</a>, are also accepted components of the marketing process, particularly in new product development. With all of the promotional clutter and competing services we face, unique, compelling ideas keep us competitive. Creativity, unfortunately, doesn't just magically happen. It takes an organizational effort and conscious practice to foster ideas and let the good ones see the light of day. It also takes a strong stomach because creativity is inherently risky as it usually means disrupting the status quo.<br /><br />So, my talk had a lot of personal and professional significance for me and it allowed me to explore another marketing avenue. You're welcome to view the PowerPoint presentation here:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.people.vcu.edu/%7Ejsstover/neasist1107.ppt">Off the Wall But On the Mark: Using Creativity to Make Libraries Better</a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>Since I try not to load my PowerPoints down with text, you probably have no clue what these slides mean, which is why I'm also going to make my script available. <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Important Note: </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">I use my so-called-script so that I don't forget the major points I want to make but I don't read from it!</span> So, what you'll read is hardly a verbatim account, but it should give you a sense of how the talk went. I don't claim to be the best speaker ever, but I figured if I didn't mention this fact, you'd all be a tad horrified by what you read. :-)<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></span></span><a href="http://www.people.vcu.edu/%7Ejsstover/lmblog/neasistscriptlm.pdf">NEASIST Script (PDF)</a><br /><br />Jessamyn posted a <a href="http://www.librarian.net/stax/2195/talk-what-do-do-when-your-change-agent-is-broken/">brief account</a> of the program on her blog, and I'll be recounting the major themes from all speakers on the <a href="http://dbl.lishost.org/blog/">Designing Better Libraries</a> (DBL) blog. I'll also describe how to run a successful brainstorming session on DBL.<br /><br />Best of luck with all of your creative endeavors!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Update:</span> Here's an <a href="http://sheiladenn.wordpress.com/2007/11/19/neasist-program-from-guerilla-innovation-to-institutional-transformation-information-professionals-as-change-agents/">attendee's notes</a> on the session.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Update #2:</span> I posted <a href="http://dbl.lishost.org/blog/2007/12/04/guerilla-innovations-lessons-learned-from-neasist/">my notes from the talk on DBL</a>. I'll also feature creativity practices on DBL to help you generate lots of ideas!<br /></div><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></span></span></div></div></div>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9409282.post-38809747456351075602007-11-06T13:24:00.000-08:002007-11-06T14:07:03.273-08:00Using library books as direct marketing vehicles - huh?!This article from the UK's Guardian entitled, "<a href="http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,2205704,00.html">Libraries to be 'new channel' for direct marketing</a>" describes how some libraries have agreed to allow advertisements to be placed next to the due date slips in the books they circulate. To clarify, these ads don't come from the libraries themselves, but from private businesses. Here's what a director at the direct marketing company had to say about this tactic:<br /><p></p><blockquote><p>'"The inserts are put in the book at the first page as you're handed the book to check it out," he explained. "They're going to be inserted right next to the panel with the return date on it, which means that everyone will look at them at least once." </p><p>"We're looking at somewhere between 500,000 and 300,000 a month at the moment," he said, adding that if 300,000 slots were sold a month the participating libraries could hope to see income of around £10,000."</p></blockquote><p></p>There are hopes to take this idea nationwide, though not everyone is happy with it, as noted in the article.<br /><br />I'm not a fan of this approach at all, and I'm a marketing enthusiast! The proponents suggest that this kind of advertising promises big revenues, which may be true, but at what cost? One of our most substantial assets, in my opinion, is our brand - a brand that is based on more than books. Our brand also represents trustworthiness and unbiased information services, which these external ads undermine. No matter how much we need additional funds, we should never relinquish our competitive advantages for short-term gains, particularly when doing so could damage those advantages in the long-term.<br /><br />This direct marketing approach hasn't reached the U.S. yet, but it's not a stretch to say that it could do so in the future. We've already had similar debates over corporate sponsorships and 3rd party entities like coffee shops occupying our buildings. But this crosses a line, in my opinion. I'm interested to know how this might strike you UK readers out there.Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9409282.post-76526548813638846802007-11-01T06:32:00.001-07:002007-11-01T06:39:40.959-07:00Twitter time?Marketing Profs set the stage for a debate over the marketing merits of <a href="http://www.webpronews.com/insiderreports/2007/10/30/microblogging-what-is-it-good-for">microblogging</a>, available in podcast form: <a href="http://www.marketingprofs.com/7/podcast-twitter-valuable-tool-or-waste-of-time-dunay.asp"><span class="pagetitle">MarketingProfs Podcast: Is Twitter a Valuable Tool, or Waste of Time?</span></a><br /><br />Disclaimer: I haven't listened to the podcasts yet, but will try to later today and add any 2 cents I may have. However, I would argue that we have a responsibility to seriously play with all of these Web 2.0 tools, whether or not we choose to implement them for library marketing purposes.Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9409282.post-63927389551158871682007-10-23T13:11:00.000-07:002007-10-23T13:26:03.761-07:00Making the unfun fun: A marketing lessonThis news from <a href="http://www.floridaradiologyimaging.com/">Florida Radiology Imaging</a> should give any librarian a boost of inspiration. The creative people at FRI held a brainstorming session in which they devised a way to persuade women to get those pesky but important mammograms done. Their solution? Throw a party! FRI now offers <a href="http://midnightmammogram.com/">Midnight Mammogram & Manicure</a> sessions where women can invite up to 13 of their friends for an evening of wine, food, pampering, and mammogramming. According to a <a href="http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-mammogram1807oct18,0,630131.story?coll=orl_mezz">local news article</a>,<br /><blockquote>"The idea came about as employees at Florida Radiology Imaging brainstormed for ways to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.<br /><br />"You have heard of women going to Botox parties. Well, we decided this is way more important than that," said Melody Huffman, marketing director for the radiology group. "I have friends myself, moms who work and are so involved with school -- the last thing they do is take care of themselves. But you can always get a girlfriend to go to dinner. So we're trying to make it easy and fun to come out and take care of your health."'</blockquote>The service, scheduled to run through October, is now booked through November, and then who knows? Their event site even features e-mail invitations, easily allowing women to spread the word.<br /><br />Ok, librarians. We have our challenge! If a medical facility can make mammograms fun and actually motivate people to <span style="font-style: italic;">want</span> to have them done, then making libraries fun and rewarding to use should be a snap, right? This is another EXCELLENT example of Triumphs in Marketing. Notice that this had little or nothing to do with promotion, and everything to do with rethinking services so that they appeal to women's needs and preferences. Also notice that this program is the result of a brainstorming session. Brainstorming is not fluff - it can have real and significant consequences and is a technique we should make more good use of. Kudos, FRI.Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9409282.post-5382472562141096082007-10-23T12:04:00.000-07:002007-10-23T12:47:50.008-07:00Bringing in non-users: A report from WLAAs you may remember, I recently got back from a trip to Green Bay, WI to speak at the <a href="http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/conferences/2007/index.htm">Wisconsin Library Association Conference</a>. It was awesome to be back in the Midwest, and in true Midwesterner form, everyone was extremely gracious and welcoming to me - thanks, WLA!<br /><br />I thought you might like to see the PowerPoint presentation I gave in my session called, "<a href="http://www.people.vcu.edu/%7Ejsstover/wla07.ppt">Taking the 'Non' Out of Non-User: Increase Your Library's Reach with Creative Marketing Strategies</a>."<br /><br />I'm sure some of this will make no sense out of context, but you can always <span style="font-weight: bold;">drop me a note</span> if you have questions. I would like to make a couple of points based on some of the questions from the attendees (which I'm quoting liberally here):<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Q: What if you have no money to draw in non-users?</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A:</span> None of the ideas I talked about in the presentation involve a lot of money unless you're thinking about designing new services for completely new patron bases (doing that can take a lot of staff time and resources). The key things I can advise people is to talk to as many people as you possibly can all the time by viewing all of your contacts as means of learning something new, and make the most of the contacts you do have. For example, you could form partnerships with other public or private entities who can help offset costs. There tends to be a lot of goodwill out there for libraries - use it!<br /><br />It's all about building relationships, and that doesn't always involve money. If you're very concerned about cost, branch out slowly. Start looking for patron needs that are related to needs you're currently filling, and then fill those needs in a slightly different way by only modifying current offerings rather than overhauling them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Q: What's the 'big idea' for libraries?</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A:</span> I talked a bit about how important it is to approach potential new users with a sense of excitement and enthusiasm for what you represent (your library's 'big idea'). It may sound cliche but it's absolutely true: If you don't care about what you're doing, no one else will. Someone then asked me what I thought the 'big idea' for libraries is. I then proceeded, in a very bad-marketing-like way, to ramble on about libraries as creativity labs, to which my colleague responded, "I was hoping for a slogan!". I told him I had nothin'. After thinking about it for a while, I did come up with some possibilities:<br /><ul><li>Your ideas. Your library.</li><li>Build ideas @ Your library</li><li>Creativity counts @ Your library</li><li>Your library: Where good ideas grow</li><li>Try something new. Visit your library. [Especially good for non-users, eh?]<br /></li><li>Try-on-for-size; Realize; Harmonize; Patronize your library.</li><li>Libraries are built with ideas. Find yours here.</li></ul>Ok, so these are just some starting points, but don't you hate it when you think of things long after the situation where they'd be useful has passed?! I guess what I'm saying is that I think libraries' big idea is ideas. Unfortunately, nobody in the group had other thoughts on what our 'big idea' is. So, I ask you, daring readers: <span style="font-weight: bold;">What IS the big idea and do you have a slogan to add?<br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9409282.post-64897444283257385612007-10-23T11:53:00.000-07:002007-10-23T13:04:14.926-07:00Some changes on LMHere are some changes on the LM blog I thought you might like to know about:<br /><br />1. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Good Marketing Reads</span> - This widget contains some interesting books from my newly-created <a href="http://www.librarything.com/">LibraryThing</a> account. To be honest, I can't claim to have read all of them YET. I ranked the ones I've finished reading and the others are on deck. Lately, most of my reading has been on creativity in preparation for at talk I'm giving in November, so expect to see some titles that will help you tinker with your thinker (wow, the lack of sleep last night must be catching up with me...).<br /><br />2. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Drop Jill a Note</span> - This Meebo widget will allow you to get in touch with me and/or leave me a message (if you leave me a message and want me to get back to you, please include some contact info). This widget replaces my previous one to the Library Marketing Exchange Chat Room. I'll probably still use the chat room in the future, but I found that a number of people would pop into the room, ask a question, and find no one there. That's not very nice so I thought this was better. So far, it's been working out well in that I've received some questions and comments.<br /><br />Happy reading and thanks as always for dropping by!Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9409282.post-65326329780728860752007-10-17T20:26:00.000-07:002007-10-17T20:40:17.717-07:00Wild Wyoming librariesI was Meebo-ed by an anonymous tipper who asked if I had heard about the <a href="http://www.wyominglibraries.org/campaign.html">Wyoming Libraries Campaign</a> - <span style="font-style: italic;">thanks anon.!</span> I <a href="http://librarymarketing.blogspot.com/2006/03/world-comes-to-wyoming-in-wyoming.html">wrote about it last year</a>, but was glad for the reminder to review their new campaign materials. I think the campaign is pretty funny and relevant for the patron base. I also really like the slogan: "bringing the world to Wyoming." Nancy Dowd has <a href="http://themwordblog.blogspot.com/2007/09/got-mud-flaps.html">some thoughts</a> on the campaign too.Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9409282.post-90105878414147213992007-10-17T06:42:00.000-07:002007-10-17T03:58:48.330-07:00Cultural institutions tackle memory lossGood morning, campers! It's the wee hours of the morning (at least for me). I'm at <a href="http://www.flyrichmond.com/">RIC</a> ready to fly to Green Bay, WI to give a talk on drawing in new users for the <a href="http://www.wla.lib.wi.us/">Wisconsin Library Association</a> - how fun! Ever on the lookout for great marketing inspiration, I had to whip up this post after reading a great story in USA Today. An article called, "<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-10-16-alzheimers-art_N.htm">Alzheimer's program is one from the art</a>" describes how Manhattan's Museum of Modern Art offers special programming to persons with dementia and their caregivers. The program is called <a href="http://www.alznyc.org/events/moma.asp">Meet Me at MoMA</a>. According to the article, the specially-designed tours have been shown to aid recall and open people up who might otherwise be too nervous to express themselves.<br /><br />Not only is this program inspirational, it's brilliant marketing. Great marketing serves important needs. In this case, museums are addressing a significant health issue and nurturing people's well-being, while providing caregivers with a well-deserved respite. Wow! This example is sure to be featured in my talk as a creative example of how we librarians could segment our market and fill unmet needs, even in our overcrowded marketplace. What a wonderful way to draw in non-users and benefit the community at the same time.<br /><br />I hope to blog a bit from the conference and share any marketing-related goodies with you.Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9409282.post-49437938437657115902007-10-09T14:22:00.000-07:002007-10-09T14:59:31.272-07:00Persuasion through educationThe "Small Biz" section of BusinessWeek offers an article called, "<a href="http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/oct2007/sb2007108_051696.htm">Education-Based Marketing Sells</a>" and it is definitely worth a read. In my reference desk experiences, I've often witnessed how teaching patrons about a technique or tool they didn't know they were missing can endear them to the library. It's during those so-called teachable moments that librarians can prove to patrons that they have something to offer that's relevant to their specific personal needs. Education is powerful marketing stuff, as the BusinessWeek article author, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/bios/Christine_Comaford-Lynch.htm">Christine Comaford-Lynch</a> describes. She says,<br /><br /><blockquote>"<span style="font-weight: bold;">Sales is about building rapport</span>, not breaking it. When you sell or pitch, you're often breaking rapport because the prospect may be skeptical—no one wants to be "sold." When you educate, you are building rapport.<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Your credibility is increased significantly when you begin meetings with data that is of value to the prospect</span>. Launch all your meetings by teaching your prospect something or by offering data that establishes that you've done your homework." [Emphasis mine.]</blockquote>[Ok, so this article is laden with overly-businessy terms. Here's a translation that should help:<br /><ul><li>Sales = Service</li><li>Sell / Pitch = Promote</li><li>Prospect = Patron/Customer/User/Client/Whatever Term is Popular These Days</li><li>Meetings = Meetings or Classes or Service Transacations<br /></li><li>Data = Information]<br /></li></ul>These are great points that go along with another marketing principle that I strongly believe in: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Never underestimate your patrons! </span>I never approach service encounters assuming that patrons are unmotivated to learn something new or potentially challenging because if I do so, they'll easily pick up on my low expectations and become disengaged. If, however, I begin every interaction as a teachable moment, I demonstrate my expectation that they should be actively involved and also that I have confidence they can learn unfamiliar material. Not everyone will be enthusiastic about getting a lesson when they ask a seemingly-straightforward question, but I can always adjust my strategy after testing their reactions.<br /><br />In fact, most people appreciate it when I point out a helpful advanced search tip or other extra tidbit of information. I suspect that some of this desire for educational opportunities relates to the trend that TrendWatching calls <a href="http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/status-skills.htm">Status Skills</a>. TrendWatching defines Status Skills as:<br /><blockquote>"In economies that increasingly depend on (and thus value) creative thinking and acting, well-known status symbols tied to owning and consuming goods and services will find worthy competition from 'STATUS SKILLS': those skills that consumers are mastering to make the most of those same goods and services, bringing them status by being good at something, and the story telling that comes with it."</blockquote>In short, education is empowering. By empowering our patrons through education, we gain their trust, respect, and repeat use. The question, then, that librarian-marketers should keep in mind as we interact with patrons in classes, presentations, meetings, and on the desk is: <span style="font-weight: bold;">What can we teach patrons in this moment that will give them an edge in their projects?</span> In doing so, we give ourselves an edge over the competition too.Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9409282.post-27780336734664420132007-10-02T07:26:00.000-07:002007-10-02T11:10:55.332-07:00Need some inspiration?If your creativity needs a jump start, take a look at <a href="http://www.springwise.com/">Springwise.com</a>, billed as " required brain food for entrepreneurial minds." Springwise, a sister site of <a href="http://www.trendwatching.com/">TrendWatching</a>, enlists springspotters who scour the worldwide business landscape to unearth the neatest of the neat business-to-consumer (B2C) endeavors. Here's more from the site:<br /><p></p><blockquote>"Springwise scans the globe for the most promising business ventures, ideas and concepts ready for regional or international adaptation, expansion, partnering, investments or cooperation. Ferociously tracking more than 400 global offline and online business resources, as well as taking to the streets of world cities, digital cameras at hand...So whether you’re a budding entrepreneur, head of a start-up, management consultant, marketing manager, business development director, trend watcher, or anyone else interested in creating or expanding companies, Springwise will instantly inspire you by getting the world’s most promising young ventures right in front of you."</blockquote> <p></p>They also offer a <a href="http://www.springwise.com/newsletter/">free weekly newsletter</a> so you can easily keep up with all of the innovative ideas being put into practice. For librarian-marketers, you can scan their idea database by topics like <a href="http://www.springwise.com/education/">Education</a>, <a href="http://www.springwise.com/nonprofit_social_cause/">Non-profit/Social cause</a>, and <a href="http://www.springwise.com/marketing_advertising/">Marketing & Advertising</a>.<br /><br />This is quickly becoming my favorite Web site because I always feel recharged after seeing all of the inspiring ways in which businesses are serving customer needs. For example, the <a href="http://www.springwise.com/weekly/2007-09-26.htm">latest newsletter</a> contains an article about a moving company that helps senior citizens relocate with a suite of specialized service options. It's a fascinating example of how one could target this booming demographic by adding special touches to existing services.Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9409282.post-81781133251199790782007-10-01T08:24:00.000-07:002007-10-01T08:47:48.723-07:00User-generated libraries<a href="http://www.trendcentral.com/trends/default.asp"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">IG</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">TrendCentral</span></a> reported on a new social networking/media sharing site called <a href="http://uber.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Uber</span>.com</a>. Here's what <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">TrendCentral</span> had to say about the online community:<br /><blockquote><br />"The sleekly designed, user-friendly site offers innovative functions and features currently unrivaled by other popular social networking sites. Not only can users discover, publish, collect, store, and share all forms of content (e.g. art, photos, videos, blogs, and bookmarks) all in one place, but the site also provides them with capabilities to consolidate, manage and store profiles, pages and media from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">YouTube</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Flickr</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">MySpace</span>, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Facebook</span> all in one place. In other words, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Uber</span> is a virtual library where users can store their digital footprints.<br /><br />Inspired by community members’ ideas and fueled by their desire to create, express and share, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Uber</span>’s unique Visual Index is organically generated through the compilation of user-generated pages. As such, the platform is quickly evolving into a next-generation media publishing company that, by fostering creative collaboration, allows users to emerge as stars."</blockquote>I've played around on this site a little bit. You can log in with your <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Facebook</span> account. It's really neat to see people experimenting with photography and other media, and to see the collections people are putting together. I'd love to see libraries allow patrons to do something similar on library sites with library materials. For example, libraries provide the resources and information for patrons to produce their own media, and then provide a forum like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Uber</span>.com so that they can share their collections with others in a library-hosted platform. The idea appeals to me because it's a great way to demonstrate how information resources are brought to life, and to showcase patron's creative efforts at the same time. (Not a bad marketing strategy either...).Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9409282.post-72305434290385189632007-09-19T07:18:00.000-07:002007-09-19T15:41:16.660-07:00Marketing: It's more familiar than you thinkNot to toot my own horn, but the kind people at the <span style="font-style: italic;">Readex Report</span> featured an article I wrote for its <a href="http://www.readex.com/readex/newsletter.cfm?newsletter=149">Fall 2007 newsletter</a> on the similarities between marketing and teaching called, "<span class="Titlebig"><a href="http://www.readex.com/readex/newsletter.cfm?newsletter=150">Worlds Apart? The Relationship Between Teaching and Marketing and What It Means to Academic Librarians</a>." The point of the piece is to demonstrate that librarians are conducting activities that resemble marketing practices in their instructional roles, at that these commonalities ought to encourage librarians to embrace marketing as a familiar friend. This piece expands on a <a href="http://librarymarketing.blogspot.com/2007/05/everything-i-need-to-know-about.html">blog post I wrote</a> with the same theme. I hope the article will help to win over reluctant colleagues who may not understand how marketing works in a non-profit context. I welcome your thoughts on this, as always!<br /><br />My "big move" into my first home is this Saturday, so I'm hoping that I'll have more time to blog once I get settled (there's so much great marketing stuff to write about and so little time!). That is, if I can break away from painting the walls...<br /></span>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9409282.post-72707982864321988652007-09-11T05:47:00.000-07:002007-09-11T06:22:59.529-07:00Creativity as responsibility?I'm excited to be taking a Marketing class on new product development this semester. What's most intriguing is that our instructor is emphasizing creativity and innovation, which has never been directly addressed in any previous course I've taken.<br /><br />My professor made one comment on this topic that stuck with me ever since. He said that most companies seek small innovations. These innovations typically revise existing products, but don't result in anything dramatically new. This makes sense because these types of incremental innovations are low-risk and relatively cheap. He added that this approach prevents companies from exploring the more risky and costly <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innovation#Incremental_innovation_v_Radical_Innovation">radical innovations</a> that could result in new product categories. As a result, companies are neglecting opportunities to improve society with breakthrough products.<br /><br />His words made me think that <span style="font-weight: bold;">librarians have a social obligation to be creative and to innovate</span>. This obligation may entail approaches to service that are dramatically different from what we've done in the past. Continually revising services may not be enough to achieve the benefits modern patrons seek.<br /><br />This week, I'll make a guest post available from a librarian who is helping to radically redefine library services, which will lead into further discussions about libraries as creativity labs.Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9409282.post-15274762633786931662007-08-31T14:58:00.000-07:002007-08-31T15:10:56.952-07:00Get a dose of this Tylenol promotionI saw a Tylenol ad on T.V. today that features employees promising to do right by customers. Nice idea and all, so I went to check out the <a href="http://www.tylenol.com/promise/">Tylenol "Promise" Web site</a>. Here, you can find employees talking about their work and perspectives. Overall, it appears generally unscripted. What struck me most is what a fantastic idea this format would be for librarians. As you well know, we suffer from some fairly annoying stereotypes (like the glasses-wearing, bun-sporting, shhh-ers). I think it would be nice idea if patrons could find their librarians talking about the issues they're concerned about, projects they're working on, hobbies they have, and so on, to put a friendly face on our services. I realize there are privacy issues implicit in this, but I just like the idea of patrons getting to see a more-well rounded version of us has human beings rather than one-dimensional bookish-types. And what a great tool for recruiting to the profession! Just a thought. Have a great Labor Day weekend!Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9409282.post-42536533187054380982007-08-31T13:05:00.000-07:002007-08-31T13:16:16.573-07:00Flying high on outstanding customer serviceThe CBS Early Show aired a segment this morning called <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/31/earlyshow/living/travel/main3224269.shtml">The Friendliest Skies</a>. The star of the piece is a United Airline pilot, Captain Denny Flanagan, who takes it upon himself to bring customer service up to a whole new level. Here are the highlights:<br /><br />Flanagan...<br /><ul><li>buys McDonald's hamburgers for passengers on delayed flights.</li><li>takes pictures of pets stored in cargo to reassure passengers.</li><li>makes sure children flying alone get window seats; calls their parents if there are unexpected delays.</li><li>asks passengers to play in a contest in which they write down their best or worst flying experiences; he later posts them on United bulletin boards so that employees can learn about customers' experiences. (Contest winners, by the way, get a bottle of fine wine).<br /></li><li>writes personalized thank-you notes on the back of his business card for first-class passengers who are frequent fliers.</li></ul>Flanagan insists it only takes a minute to provide these little extras that put the "service" back in customer service. Makes one think about what small surprises we can add to our own services to make them exceptional.Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9409282.post-73534910976562733582007-08-28T17:02:00.000-07:002007-08-28T17:17:54.665-07:00Playing the marketing game...and winningOver the weekend, I put up a post on the Designing Better Libraries blog called <a href="http://dbl.lishost.org/blog/2007/08/26/playful-design/">Playful Design</a>. I'm sharing it with you on LM as well because the post's theme is highly relevant to librarian-marketers. In it, I outlined 12 learning principles discussed by <a href="http://gaming.techsource.ala.org/index.php/Libraries%2C_Gaming%2C_and_the_New_Equity_Crisis">James Paul Gee</a> at the <a href="http://gaming.techsource.ala.org/index.php/Main_Page">Gaming Learning and Libraries Symposium</a>. These learning principles can be applied to library services to make them more enjoyable and widely-used. Play is a serious consideration as we develop meaningful patron experiences. Employing playful elements in our services can:<br /><ul><li>Create a feeling of community; Bring together people of various backgrounds</li><li>Engage and excite users by making them active participants<br /></li><li>Nurture word-of-mouth communications</li><li>Increase the value of educational services by improving learning outcomes; Teach patrons how to effectively use our services</li><li>Make using the library fun. :-)</li></ul>Let's get game and play around with our services!Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9409282.post-66810580292428635842007-08-27T06:15:00.000-07:002007-08-27T06:40:59.408-07:00Building a community creativity labIn case anyone's been wondering what happened to me, I did not fall off the earth! It just feels that way since I've been wrapped up in beginning of the school year craziness and starting my second-to-last Marketing class before completing my certificate - yeah! While it's been insanely busy, I've still been cooking up ideas for the blog and I think there are some exciting developments in the works.<br /><br />The next project I want to tackle is building on the concept of a community creativity lab as a model for library services. I got some fairly good <a href="http://technorati.com/search/http%3A%2F%2Flibrarymarketing.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F07%2Fforget-about-being-third-place-be-first.html?sub=jscosmos">responses</a> to my <a href="http://librarymarketing.blogspot.com/2007/07/forget-about-being-third-place-be-first.html">previous post</a> on the topic, so I decided to take the concept a bit further. I can't claim to be the first to come up with this general idea, and there's already a lot of outstanding work being done along these lines. However, I thought it was a little unfair to say that libraries should become creativity labs without giving any specifics as to how they could work in reality.<br /><br />So, in a series of posts, I'm going to tackle questions like:<br /><ul><li>What would the founding principles and purpose of a creativity lab be?</li><li>What would it look like in terms of physical spaces, both public and non-public?</li><li>How would the community be involved?</li><li>What services would be offered?</li></ul>You get the idea. Since there's already evidence of these labs taking shape, I'm going to start with examples I've seen and point out their key elements and build up from there. (I already have a guest post or two coming up that describe some outstanding initiatives). I have no idea how many posts it'll take to fully explore this idea or how long it'll take, but I'm just going to keep plugging away at it. At the end, whatever that may be, I'll assemble the posts into a document that you all can do with what you wish.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Care to be involved?</span> I would really love it if you readers would contribute your thoughts and ideas as we go along. Please comment on any post of interest and I'll incorporate your thoughts into the final paper. If you want to be involved sooner, <span style="font-weight: bold;">please send me examples you've seen in libraries or elsewhere that you think resemble "creativity labs."</span> I'll feature them in my posts and use them to define this concept.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Final note:</span> What does any of this have to do with marketing? Faithful readers will know that in marketing, the most important piece of the marketing mix is the <span style="font-weight: bold;">product</span>. This series on the library as creativity lab will essentially explore new product ideas for libraries that resonate with today's patrons and their increasingly sophisticated needs. Here's hoping it works! :-)Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09831759940834361548noreply@blogger.com2