Author: Catherine

Librarian, writer, cupcake connoisseur, and utility infielder.
Communications & Marketing

“Lousy marketing?” We can fix that!

Catherine

The latest Pew study, Library Services in the Digital Age, is fantastic news for libraries. People like us, people use our services, and people want to know how we can help them next. And because the study came from Pew, it’s has already begun to get extended press coverage further sharing the results.

But not all the news was positive. Reading down to the what users would like to see from libraries reveals a number of services many libraries already offer but were unknown by the public. Publishers Weekly summed it up best: “Libraries: Good Value, Lousy Marketing.”

Marketing is making people realize that an action is in their best interest, not ours. This often brings about a clash of values — ours (as librarians) versus those of our users. Our focus needs to be what’s in it for our users, not why we love a service. David Lee King put a library spin on Seth Godin’s post from last weekend by asking whether what we do in libraries is interesting to us or interesting to our users. While those items may sometimes overlap, it’s likely there is a gap in our perception versus how interesting something really is to non-librarians.

In academic libraries, this often plays out in how we market our research assistance services. Making these services appeal to users requires strong communication and messaging strategies that too often are overlooked in favor of library jargon and hints of ALA standards that show all too well how we as librarians can view ourselves in the research process. Marketing is making people realize that an action is in their best interest, not ours. Our services, such as research assistance, can benefit from a closer look at our audience and their values.

This is ultimately about the students and what they need and believe. Sure, librarians can help you learn a lot about different resources, but is that what students are looking for? Do these messages appeal to what students value during finals time, for example, when the goal is get it done, and get it done fast?

Finals time is a natural communications point for academic libraries, and we need to take advantage of that. What the end of the semester gives us is an opportunity as reference librarians to show off our competitive edge. I will help you find your mandated five scholarly articles for your final paper in half the time. Less time searching online means more time for other activities.

Our marketing needs to address the primary concern of being able to get everything done. Librarians’ ability to meet its goal of enriching learning is dependent on making its services fit students’ needs and expectations, and helping students complete their work better and faster will make them more likely to take advantage of the library’s expertise.

Other

Parting thoughts on #librarystress and great links from the past week(s)

Catherine

It’s been two weeks since #librarystress, and some of the comments are still weighing heavily on my mind. Two more thoughts on this, and I’m done.

1. Sometimes we need to acknowledge that while we are all librarians, not all libraries are the same. Geography matters. Librarians in the UK some very different concerns than those of us in the US. Library type matters. Sometimes, we’re not all in this together, and that’s OK.

2. It was a shame that some of the most serious comments were being labeled as “stress” when they were so much more. #librarystress revealed some AMAZING stories of librarians going above and beyond to serve their communities. These are the stories we need to share EVERY DAY. Proactively get excited about the value of what you do. Don’t wait until you have to be defensive. Get ahead of the game and in control of the message. (I’d like to revisit this point later, but I’ll do it #librarystress free. Promise!)

It’s been a while. Here are some of my favorite reads of the last few weeks:

How to Evolve Your Own Job and Stay Relevant: Evolving jobs? Yep, we’ve got those. Help yourself focus with the questions in this post, starting with “Who uses my work and what do they need most?”

The Key to a Winning Sales Message: Show, don’t tell. What’s in it for your customer?

Never Sit Still: The motivation to keep improving our services and what we do. Comfort is for cozy sweaters, not jobs.

Buy Versus Buy Into: Short and sweet. Having users in general isn’t enough — they have to believe in what we do.

Communications & Marketing

Stress is normal, or, deep breaths everyone

Catherine

Librarians, we have a problem. The reaction to the CNBC article, particularly the martyr-themed #librarianstress commentary, is a public relations disaster. We suck at this folks. And we really cannot afford to do this to ourselves.

Yes, frustrating and difficult situations happen in libraries, but just because your job includes stress does not make it stressful. It makes it normal.

Librarianship is not the only profession to face challenges, changes, and misconceptions. (The article’s author, who also said being a jeweler isn’t stressful, has obviously never met a bride.) I came to librarianship from newspaper journalism, another radically changing profession, and while the sense of worry is still present, the outer focus is on the new things different newspapers are trying to evolve. The constant threat of digital is always present, but it’s reality — nothing more, nothing less. This constant state of crisis in librarianship has to end, and the negative energy needs to be weeded from our emotions. It’s not fair to our colleagues, it’s not fair to our communities, and it’s certainly not fair to ourselves.

I easily have the least stressful job in my family. My younger brother recently passed his air traffic control performance verification, and when I was talking to him earlier today, he made the most perfect comment about the overwhelming stress of this test (the final training exam, essentially): “That’s your life. If you don’t like it, find something different.”

The stresses of librarianship are what they are. Our patrons, our funding struggles, and our reality will not go away just because we don’t like them or because someone sees them differently. Freaking out gets us nowhere. It’s up to us whether we can stop taking the little things seriously and focus on staying positive instead.

(All that said, keep the sarcasm coming. It’s good for us. And if someone can tell me where I’m supposed to shelve Alexander McCall Smith, please help!)

Communications & Marketing

The power of positive messaging

Catherine

Libraries! Take this message from The Nonprofit Marketing Guide by Kivi Leroux Miller to heart in your messaging:

“Even when your organization is struggling, you should always keep your communications focused on your cause and the people you serve, not on your organization per se. Don’t make it about you and how your agency is hurting. Make it about the good work you are trying to do, the people you are trying to serve, and how much your supporters are needed.

People want to feel like they are giving to an organization that’s healthy and that makes a difference. They want to be part of your success, not your failure. If all of your messaging is about how you’re having trouble paying your utility bills and how you may close your doors any minute, you’ll breed more skepticism about your management abilities than confidence in your ability to make a difference. Focus on the impact your supporters can have on the people you’re helping and on your cause, not on the plight of your organization.” (emphasis added)

It’s always frustrated me how libraries have been “in crisis” for 20+ years. The struggles we are facing are not unique. The amazing outcomes of our services are.  Let’s try a more positive, less apocalyptic message. We do great things — it’s time to focus on them.

Other

Expanding the Box: Great Links for Librarians

Catherine

I read a lot each week, and I would like to share the non-library posts I find most inspiring for my work in libraries. I hope this will be a regular series that gives librarians an opportunity to expand their thought circles about how to tackle our toughest issues.

Four Questions Worth Answering from Seth Godin: Answer these questions, then determine what new service to add.

Why Jargon Feeds on Lazy Minds: Someone finally put into words why I hate jargon. We don’t need it.

Five Habits of Highly Effective Communicators: Almost more of a management article, this should be required reading for new MLIS holders (particularly those with little to no experience) who are supervising long-time employees.

(Shameless self promotion) My recap of a recent Girl Geek Dinners event here in Philadelphia. The theme of this talk was “Growing a passion into a biz + maintaining a 9-5 work-life balance.” Great tips for anyone trying to balance work, a side project or school, family, cats, and sanity.

Other

Here we go again

Catherine

Personal branding, the buzzword that won’t go away.

Karen Schneider touts the benefits of personal branding for librarians in this month’s American Libraries. Personal branding, she writes, is valuable, and can help new librarians find jobs and a place in the professional arena. Most of the article focuses on the value toward this group, the newly and unemployed who are selling themselves to employers on a daily basis.

However, this common perception of personal branding as a job search strategy is severely limiting. Librarians need to think about how we can benefit professionally from this concept.

The reality is that all of us have personal brands. The questions are actually whether we know what that brand is and how we use it.

Let’s look at two librarians I know who have strong brands:

1. Ancil, a research and instructional services librarian at my university. Everyone knows Ancil.

Ancil does not have a website; he isn’t pushing his services through social media. But he is popular enough that a reference desk shift can quickly turn into an hour as Ancil’s answering service. Students know him, and students want to meet with him.

2. Miss Jill, a friend who works in the children’s department at the public library. Much like Ancil, Miss Jill is well-loved by her audience. Children ask for her and get excited to see her, both in and outside of the library. Her biggest fans aren’t even old enough to know what a blog is, much less read it.

Both Ancil and Jill are using their personal brands as an outreach strategy. This is part of how they build lasting relationships with library users. It’s nothing more than being awesome at what you do — and being amazing at working and connecting with your users.

That’s not to say a personal brand can’t help with a job search. It can. Job searchers absolutely need to know what potential employers can perceive about them online. And your personal brand might involve social media, a web presence, bookmarks, anything that connects you to your users.

Personal branding can benefit all types of librarians by helping them build and sustain relationships with their users. This is the audience we really need to reach — let’s use our skills to do that.

Other

Designing for Emotion

Catherine

One of my favorite nights out is UX Book Club Philly, where I am usually the lone librarian and one of a handful of higher ed employees. Usually our discussions get me excited about the future of library websites and findability, but the most recent book — Designing for Emotion by Aarron Walter (excerpt: http://www.alistapart.com/articles/personality-in-design/) — had me back on solid ground.

Walter writes that not only should websites be functional and usable, but they should have an impact on users. In many of his examples, the sites adopted playful tones and designs, intended to bring about smiles during even mundane tasks. Other sites, such as online banking or healthcare sites, may not benefit from such treatment, but can still be designed in a way that still affects the user’s mental state.

In our meeting, Walter said via Skype that the crux of emotional design is the answer to this question: “What’s the emotional state of my audience and how do I bring that around to a better place?”

Libraries have been doing this to an extent in our service model design — using emotional engagement to create lasting impressions with users — but how much have we considered emotion in designing physical spaces and virtual tools? How can our learning spaces help students be in the best mental state to study, research, and write?

We recently opened a new space called the Education Commons, a bookless yet library-operated area stocked with group study rooms and collaborative study space.

The design outpaces the novelty value of the nontraditional library space. The Education Commons has huge windows that pour in natural light. Light blue and white paint that soothe. A few beanbag-like cushions mixed with comfy chairs and couches, modular furniture, and booths perfect for studying with friends. (Also for library staff to dreamily state how they would be back with a laptop someday.)

But even more impressive is the comments students leave on their way out — how much the space has helped them study and how perfect it is for their needs. One space down, many more to go.

Next on my reading list: Emotional Design — Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things by Don Norman (Here’s a summary: http://uxdesign.smashingmagazine.com/2012/04/12/building-emotion-into-your-websites/) and Blending The Physical And Virtual For One Much Better Library Experience from the Designing Better Libraries blog.

Additional resources:

How Do We Want Students to Feel About the Library? by Brian Mathews: http://chronicle.com/blognetwork/theubiquitouslibrarian/2012/03/29/how-do-we-want-them-to-feel-about-the-library/

Studying Students: The Undergraduate Research Project at the University of Rochester: http://hdl.handle.net/1802/7520

Other

SBTB reviews!

Catherine

I had the opportunity to participate in this year’s RITA Reader Challenge over at Smart Bitches Trashy Books, and I loved it.

Goodnight Tweetheart

I’m Not Her

These were the first fiction books I have reviewed since middle school! I forgot how difficult it is to review truly great books — you can’t just write “This book is awesome!” over and over.

Thanks to Sarah for the opportunity. SBTB is a fantastic community, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.