Archive for the ‘Offical Sunday Post’ Category

Purple Library #3: Efficiency vs. Identity

Published on October 22, 2006 in Offical Sunday Post and Purple Library. Closed

Over the past few weeks within the Purple Library series there have been reasons why we should change and bad habits that lead to being unremarkable. Today the focus is on a niche evolving libraries tends to overlook- patrons that fear change.

It seems that libraries too often benchmark themselves against large businesses such as Barnes and Nobel or Amazon. We see an amazing website or advanced check-out system and want to do the same. All without realizing the advantages we currently have over a corporate business model. There are two obvious strengths, among others, a library has:

  1. The Power of Free
    The power of free is huge. Think of all your favorite Web 2.0 services and calculate how much you spend for it each month. I’m guessing the dollar amount is zilch. Would you use that service if they charged? Would patrons still come to your library if you charged for every service (think about that)?
  2. The Personal Factor
    The library is building links to your community with every patron served. We all know “the regulars” and provide top quality, one-on-one services to suit individual needs.

It is the personal factor that should be looked at the most when understanding patrons that are afraid to change. This idea is exemplified in the essay, Don’t Be like Pete, on page 60 of “The Big Moo” by the Group of 33, edited by Seth Godin. The following is a quick synopsis:

Pete is a print shop owner who has been doing business the same way for 52 years. Pete is known for friendly greetings, personable service, and getting the job done. In the last two years Pete has decided to expand in order to compete with Kinko’s. Pete invests big bucks into the company’s website and automation. Now, when customers ask for something Pete sends them to the website instead, telling them they can do it all on-line. “Just like Kinko’s!” Pete tells the customers. Now Pete’s customers are unhappy because they miss the personal service Pete had provided in the past.

Pete’s business sounds a lot like libraries over the past ten years. Every time something is automated or digitized is it brining us closer to our patrons? For patrons that enjoy a changing environment and working with technology, I’d argue yes. But for the niche afraid of change it is a much different story. Libraries should have pride in having amazing web services, but must offer the same services in-house.  In this way we are still able to keep it personal.

Why not allow patrons to place holds at the front desk OR online? Why not disable the automated phone service that notifies patrons a book is in, for a while, and give them an actual human voice? Why not hand out cookies at the reference desk for no reason? Also, the best way to find out what changes your patrons disagree with is to ask. If they are afraid of technology, offer a technology crash course. If they don’t like the way a new system is setup, talk to them about the advantages.

My favorite suggestion in the Don’t Be like Pete essay, is to pick out your top three patrons and give them a call. Ask them what the library is doing right, wrong, how the library can improve and what services to offer in the future. Your users are the best advisors!

When others ask why I enjoy working at libraries, I tell them “I feel like a pillar of the community.” A pillar has two main functions- it connects and supports. These traits go hand-in-hand. Without connecting to the community you cannot support it, nor will the community support the library in return.

As libraries evolve and become more efficient we must, also, remember to preserve the identity of the library.  A library is (or should be) recognized for being a reliable institution that serves and connects with its community, and this should never be jeopardized in the name of making things easier for the library.

“The Big Moo” reading assignment: Don’t Be like Pete, found on page 60.

Click here for more information on the “Purple Library” mini-blog series.

I’d like to give credit to Jennifer Macaulay at Life as I Know It for turning my focus to ”knowing our niches” after her response to last weeks Purple Library post.

Purple Library #2: The Library Failure

Published on October 15, 2006 in Offical Sunday Post and Purple Library. 1 Comment

In “The Big Moo” by the Group of 33, edited by Seth Godin, is a list of ways to become a failure in the corporate world.  While some of the ideas apply to library services, I decided to adapt a better list for this weeks Purple Library post.  

How to fail at being a remarkable library:

  1. Keep new services a secret.
  2. Be convinced that your way is right and ignore demand for change.
  3. Create services thinking everyone will buy in- then scrap them when few implement.
  4. Don’t experiment with new ideas.
  5. Don’t ask if a service could be better.
  6. Ignore the niches within your community.
  7. Only pay attention to the needs of booklovers.
  8. Believe that all people are tech savvy, service seeking, and know the library inside and out.
  9. Make “improving the experience of patrons” a low priority.
  10. Believe that you need to get everyone’s approval before you can initiate change.
  11. Never improve.

“The Big Moo” reading assignment: How to be a failure, found on page 3.

Click here for more information on the “Purple Library” mini-blog series.

Purple Library #1: Policy Scapegoat

Published on October 8, 2006 in Managing, Offical Sunday Post and Purple Library. 1 Comment

In order to initiate change one must feel that there is a need for change. Or at least that’s what my management professor always told me. These were the thoughts going through my head as I was trying to piece together my first post on the “Purple Library”. It seems every library blog is pushing change in one form or another and the Purple Library is nothing different. The one main difference I wish to present is WHY we have to change. Because finding the “why” is the first hurdle in actually changing.

This week I invite you to think carefully when a patron asks “why” something is done a certain way. Why can’t they use MySpace or an Instant Messenger? Why is Internet time limited to an hour when nobody else is waiting? It may be frustrating to answer questions like this but give the patron reasoning behind what you do. If you find that you are saying, “it’s library policy” there could be a problem.

Sometimes, “it’s our policy” is the ultimate scapegoat. You don’t have to give reasoning because the ever-powerful policy has decreed it to be so. But there is a great negative effect to the policy scapegoat and that’s it purpose. When you use policy as your excuse you are trying to get the patron to give up or leave.

Why would you want to get rid of a possible/current patron?

lz-remarkable2.jpg

I was at Cedar Point this weekend (which is why this post is occurring so late this Sunday). While I was there I noticed a great example of the policy scapegoat:

A family of four boarded a train behind the group I was with. The family was obviously exhausted ready to rest their feet, as was I. There was, however, a slight problem that was pointed out by a Cedar Point employee. After the family boarded the train the employee informed the family that they could not have a ball on the train, unless it was in a bag. The lady in the group tried to stick the ball in her bag at no avail. After seeing the women struggle the employee informed the women that that would not suffice and they would have to throw away the ball or get off the train. The woman, as a last resort, stuffed the ball under her sweatshirt asking if that would work and if not, then why? The employee told her it wouldn’t work and that it was the policy of the theme park. The family angrily exited the train.

What is wrong with that picture? For one, the family was sent away from using a service they wanted to utilize. I could think of a number of actual reasons why there would be a “no ball” policy, but the employee never chose to elaborate. It would have been nice to hear the employee treat the family more like customers. In the end the park was left with upset customers and negative PR from anyone that comes in contact with the family or reads this post.

So, if a patron comes in asking “why” something can’t happen, explain the reasons. If you don’t know “why,” it may be time to change a policy or two.

“The Big Moo” reading assignment: Why Ask Why? found on page 167.

Why Ask Why (.pdf) is provided as a free sample on the Big Moo website.

Click here for more information on the “Purple Library” mini-blog series.

ILL Bags: A Gentle Plea

Published on October 1, 2006 in Offical Sunday Post. 2 Comments

It’s Sunday again, and time for my last regular post before the start of, “The Purple Library: Remarkable is Knocking” mini-blog series.  Today’s post is a bit lighter from the others, but is a topic I hold dear to my heart.

The topic is my frustration with Interlibrary Loan (ILL) bags.  Yes, here in the state of Michigan we still use Jiffylite, Unline, and other padded mailers for our state-wide ILL system.  This means when a delivery of books comes in, you need to bust out the scissors and/or staple remover.

Maybe this subject is so dear to my heart since I’ve received multiple wounds due to the excessive use of staples.  Frustrated librarians must take out all aggression when packaging books by pounding staples in every centimeter.  I have seen over 8 staples used to hold a bag together along with packaging tape (for that extra security).  How much time is this costing your library?

Quick formula: 1.5 minutes * Daily ILL Books Processed = X

So, what is the solution?  You have two options:

Option A:

Stay with the classic bubble wrapped folder.  It’s nice and cheap, but quickly wears out forcing you to buy another batch in bulk.  Time to open depends on how excessively well the lending library decides to package a book.

Option B:

The polyester bags with zippers!  It costs more initially, but after the first purchase you have a bag for life.  If partnering with multiple libraries you can get some great discounts.  They open and close in seconds and include the extra perk of not worrying about stabbing yourself with a staple.  Not to mention it’s an environmentally friendly solution.

 

I would love to see a day when ALL libraries go with option B.  But until that time happens, I’d like to lay down some ILL packaging etiquette:

  1. Don’t use 8 staples when 3 will do.

  2. High-Capacity Staples are overkill.

  3. Staples OR Tape… not Staples AND Tape.

  4. Package it as if you’re receiving it.

Finally, there is one downfall to option B- getting your mailer back.  Which is why the adoption of such a bag would have to be endorsed on a consortium level.  Has any library out there had success in this area?  If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comments or by email.

Library 2.0 Thoughts

Published on September 24, 2006 in Library 2.0 and Offical Sunday Post. 4 Comments

What an adventure it is to explore the concepts of Library 2.0. When I started on this topic I had planned on giving a nice write up. As time went on I found myself scribbling down thoughts. All these ideas arose while reading, “What is Web 2.0” by Tim O’Reilly. I would love some feedback to any or all of these thoughts. Before you start reading think about your library and the services currently being offered.

  1. Are you using Interlibrary Loan to its full potential to fill the needs of your patrons? Do you allow patrons to easily request items?
  2. Do you know what book was the most popular at your library last year? Amazon knows what theirs was and can recommend 4 other books that you’d like as well, automatically.
  3. You are already serving a niche. Your community is different from every other library community, but then again how can you reach out to non-readers?
  4. Should public libraries of the future be more like community centers to reach those niches?
  5. Could I please have better search results? I want results to resemble an Amazon product page. This information IS useful:
    • Anonymous patron gave title A, 4 of 5 stars.
    • 98% of people that check out this book, also, checked out title B.
  6. I’d love to see a day where mini-barcode scanners (you know, like the price-checker at Wal-Mart) can display information on the book you scan as well as patron reviews, recommended reading, and location of recommended reads.
  7. Most Web 2.0 services are found by word of (digital) mouth. Is your new service worth talking about to anyone besides the professional library community?
  8. If you do have a great new service that can be shared and developed is it on Sourceforge?
  9. If trying to be like Amazon or Netflix, realize their success is in their community and the sharing of recommendations. Is your reference desk willing to allow users to recommend books?
  10. Users are what give a service its value. If a service is not being used it’s not Library 2.0, it’s a product/ technology that is there for the sake of saying you have it.
  11. Have you created an online community? Is it so restricted that the flow of ideas between users is affected? It shouldn’t just be about the library connecting with the patron. It should be about connecting your patron with their niche community.
  12. Can you think of 5 patrons that are always reading a book and love to tell you about them? Would you consider giving them a blog on your libraries website?
  13. Library 2.0 is about information. How can you gather and interpret data to make your library more aware of a user’s wants and needs?
  14. Amazon has an Internet Movie Database. Why haven’t libraries formed an Internet Book Database? And no, WorldCat doesn’t count. I want to see what’s upcoming, what readers have to say, what books have received awards, etc.
  15. Google constantly filters out spam and bad links. Is your library keeping up on inventories to make sure information is accurate?
  16. New organizations can easily create a 2.0 atmosphere since they don’t have old habits. If your library has old habits, it’s time to question everything.
  17. Flickr has built an amazing online community because it allows users to interact. How can you allow your patrons to interact without creating a privacy issue? And how do you reach those that don’t use and/or enjoy the Internet.
  18. I lived on a university campus that provided a community board where a question was posted each day, and students responded. What if you put a whiteboard up that reads, “What is your favorite book of all time and/ or this week”. Then pull the books listed nightly and create a perpetual display?
  19. I can’t spell. Why can’t all e-catalogs be like Google and have a “Did you mean” with the correct spelling?
  20. When you launch a service does it stay the same forever? Or is it is evaluated and improved continuously?

If you have gotten nothing else from this bits and pieces, let this final part influence you the most.

  • Library 2.0 is about constantly improving yourself, your institution, and the way you reach out to your users.

Library users are not going to change the system; they will seek other outlets and means of getting the information they need. Be like George!

And when you’re finished creating an exceptional user experience for your patrons, head over to gapingvoid for other pictures (like the one above).