Strenghts; Change; "How Does Your Garden Grow" storytime kit

News &; Views,May  2011  (mp3 file;   6.6 MB;  7:04  min.)
Strengths; Change; "How Does Your Garden Grow" storytime kit



Earlier this week, at subcenter meetings (and those of you going to Clarinda, here’s a spoiler) we asked librarians to share with colleagues what they believed to be the greatest strength that they brought to the library table.  Knowing all of you as I do it was interesting to hear what you think is your greatest strength; sometimes I had something to add, and sometimes colleagues had something to add.  (We don’t see ourselves quite as others do, do we?)   Some spoke first about weaknesses, then spoke of strengths--working with people, finding creative solutions to problems, patience, flexibility, organizational skills, getting things done.  They pretty much sum of characteristics that librarians need to work effectively.

This was an exercise as a part of talking about collaboration, and what makes successful collaborations.   As you think about collaborations and collaborative projects, it’s essential to think about what you are bringing to the table, what you can best contribute to its success.  If you are building a collaborative team, look for colleagues whose strengths would balance areas in which you are not as strong and make sure everyone’s strengths are utilized and appreciated.

The collaborative projects that have been discussed so far in the meetings have great potential and I hope that the teams will follow up with them.

And remember, sometimes we focus too much on weaknesses; remind yourself of your strengths, and give yourself credit for everything you are doing to bring quality library services to your community!


Links from today's podcast:
Switch, by Chip and Dan Heath

Perceptions of Libraries; National Poetry Month; "Funny Bunnies" Storytime Kit

News & Views,April  2011  (mp3 file;   6.25 MB;  6:40  min.)
Perceptions of Libraries; National Poetry Month; "Funny Bunnies" Storytime Kit

OCLC’s “Perceptions of Libraries 2010” is a follow-up to their 2005 “Perceptions of Libraries and Information Services”   and it has some things to tell us about our users, and the world in which they live, work, and play.   You’ll want to read the entire report, which you can download for free; the link is on the blog post.


Sometimes I hear librarians talk about young people as the technology and social networking consumers, but they aren’t alone.  You’ve heard often enough that my 90 year old father is a huge technology (if not social networking) consumer but OCLC reports that 90% of boomers use e-mail and search engines, and more than 50% use social networking sites.  Now, while I don’t consider us boomers to be old, neither do I think we can call ourselves teens and twenty-somethings.   The teens and twenty-somethings don’t use e-mail, they use text, and that’s even becoming passe.


Here are some statistics to give us pause--we sort of know that the numbers using technology and social networking are high, but they’re higher than we might realize:

• Facebook enjoyed a 1300% increase in monthly unique visits between 2005 and 2010
• Mobile access to the Internet doubled to 11% (And I’d be willing to bet that that is climbing at a pretty fast rate.)  
• 93% of Americans own cell phones, and 23% own smartphones (Again, I’m betting that that is climbing ever higher, even as we speak.)  
• According to the report, Morgan Stanley research predicts that shipment of smart phones will exceed shipments of PCs in 2012.  
• In March 2010, Facebook surpassed Google as the most visited site in the U.S.

You all have been rising to the challenge of Internet access--in many of your communities, the library is the only source of public Internet access, and most of you offer free wi fi access.  You keep computers as updated as your budget allows, most offer help with the computers when you can, and some of you offer classes.    It’s hard to keep up with the changes, yet they’re coming at us faster all the time.   How to know what to do, or even what to ask about?

You have limited time to keep up with what you should be thinking about for services for your patrons, but I’m going to suggest that you choose just one or two blogs that you check regularly--once or twice a week.  Find one that has the information you want.  If I could choose just one for technology and libraries, I think it might be ALA Tech Source.  (If you are on Twitter you can follow them there, too.)    You’ll read what other libraries are doing, what’s on the horizon, and some ideas for how you can meet the new trends and services that we’ll all be seeing in the near future.

For now, I’m thinking a lot about mobile services, for all those people who have smartphones and iPads and iPhones and iPod Touches.  How can we begin to serve them where they’re at, when they need our services.  Be watching for some workshops this spring, on mobile websites, QR codes, and using social media sites to tell the library story and get the word out.

Hang in there--you’re doing great work!

Links from today's podcast:
OCLC's Perceptions of Libraries, 2010

ALA TechSource blog
Academy of American Poets (sponsors of "Poem in your pocket day")
SWILSA's Events page: National Poetry Month (incl Poem in Your Pocket mini-poster)

Out and About,

News &  Views, March 2011  (mp3 file;   4.3 MB;  4.34  min.)
Out and About;  "Pockets" storytime kit

On my twitter feed earlier this week I saw a post about a village in Cornwall that has used an old phone booth--you know, those wonderful red, British phone booths--for a library.  A mobile library visits the village every couple of weeks, but that just couldn’t keep up with some readers.  It’s very tiny, but it shows some ingenuity in meeting a need.


And that started me thinking about library outreach, in general.  How do libraries in SW Iowa do outreach?  How do you put the library out there in the community, in addition to having people come to visit in the library building?  I know many of you take programs to preschools, and books to care and retirement centers, and to the homebound.  Some partner in doing after-school programming.  Those are all terrific outreach activities--”good on ya” and keep up the good work.


It’s good to sometimes revisit what we’re doing for outreach.  Is what we’re doing still working as we want it to, doing what we want it to do?  Does any of it need revising, or tweaking?  Times change, people change...do any of our current outreach services need changing?


And, just for fun, think about a new outreach program or two--even if you don’t have the staff or money to implement it all as you’d like, you might find seeds of ideas you CAN do, or partner with someone to do.  Open up the outreach services, air it out, see what might drop by.


A good place to start is looking at the unserved, or underserved.  Who ISN’T using your library, and why aren’t they?  Are they commuters or people working a different shift, and the library building isn’t open when they can use it?    What are some ways--however wacky they may seem--that you could find to serve those current non-users? Technology offers some good options for 24/7 service, for some people and it’s a good time to explore those, if you aren’t offering them already.  But think about some non-tech options, too.  If you have a manufacturing plant in town, and some workers can’t use the library because of their shift hours, could you put a collection of books in the plant somewhere?   What about the grocery store?   I know a librarian in Wisconsin who would take a cartload of books to the local grain elevator, when farmers were waiting to unload their crops.   Think about YOUR community, its people--those who using your library but also those who aren’t and their needs.


What kinds of outreach are you providing now?  Share on the blog, and we can learn from each other!

Share the Success!

News &  Views, February 2011  (mp3 file;   4.7 MB; 5  min.)
Share the Success!; Marketing; "Baby, It's Cold Outside!" kit

It’s been a little while since I’ve suggested stepping back, taking a breath, and remembering all the great things you’ve accomplished recently.   January always seems like a good month, but with the holidays wrap up and the weather, who has had the time?  Take a few minutes now to think about new services you’ve started--or “old” services that you’ve added to or enhanced or marketed better.  What programs--for adults, children, teens, multiple generations--have you sponsored that you’re proud of, or that were successful?  What ideas do you have running around in your head, if only you had time to put it into being?


And, then, immediately pat yourself on the back and say, “Well done!” It IS, after all, well done!


Then think about taking another step:  call or e-mail or text a librarian in a neighboring town (or across the state or the country or the world) and ask her (or him) what  she has done in the past year about which she’s especially proud, or felt was especially successful.  Tell her “Well done!” and then ask if you can use her idea, or adapt her idea.  Then tell her about one of your successes, and let her know that she should fee free to use it.


And one of those ideas floating around your head?  Ask if she’s interested, too and, if so, suggest you talk about collaborating on it.


Spread the wealth of successes!  And, really:  Well done!!!

Links from today's podcast:
"The Role of Marketing in Revitalizing Library Services in Rural Communities", by Patricia D. Taylor.  Rural Libraries Journal, Volume 27 No. 2, 2007; (On WebJunction website)

Early Childhood Literacy website

Upcoming events; Library Lover's Month; Fuzzy Wuzzy story kit

News &; Views, January 2011  (mp3 file;  4.55 MB; 4:51 min.)
Upcoming events; Library Lover's Month; Fuzzy Wuzzy story kit



Upcoming Events:

•  Iowa Small Libraries Online Conference  January 20, 2011
  Register in CE catalog (one registration, whether you attend one session, or all!)
• WILBOR Audiobook/eBook Consortium information session
  late February or early March (watch your e-mail)
• Online Classroom for Public Programming information session
  January 24, 2011
  10:00 a.m.
  (watch e-mail for link to classroom)

Links from today's podcast:
Library Lover's Month bulletin board idea
Printable bookmarks for Library Lovers Month
Library Lovers Month