A Storytime for Grownups?

Flipping through Public Libraries this morning, I came across an article entitled, "Thrilling Tales: How to do an adult storytime at your library, and why" - so of course, I had to read it to find out what an adult storytime might entail.  After reading the full article I have decided that the idea is genius and could be adapted to suit smaller libraries, such as yours.


To begin the article, the author David Wright (a readers' advisory librarian at the Seattle Public Library) sets the scene for his noon-hour program - a dimly lit auditorium, couples, seniors and groups with their lunches, needlework and soggy raincoats and the soundtrack from Vertigo playing softly in the background.  He then hooks the audience by suggesting, "Why don't we kill somebody?"  After getting their full attention with this bold opening line, he begins his 45 minute program during which he simply reads aloud to the group.  That's it.  He just reads - and he has an audience of between 45-80 people every time.


The idea is this: human beings are simply drawn to story; we use narrative everyday to explain and understand our lives and this doesn't end with childhood.  Everyone loves a good story, so that's what Wright delivers.


Here are a few ways that you could captivate your adult patrons in the same way:

• present stories that interest both you and your target audience (Wright prefers to use short stories from the suspense and mystery genre, but you don't have to do the same)
• add a discussion - read the story and then use pre-planned questions to get the audience involved
• read the story round-robin style, which each audience member taking a turn
• plan a "story and a movie" night - read a short story aloud and follow-up by watching the movie based on that story (make sure you have Public Performance Rights)
• travel through time - highlight stories from different eras and include music and facts about that time period in the program
• celebrate various genres with a festival or series of readings
• adjust the age range to include all members of a family - keep the stories humorous 
• combine a story with other activities that your patrons enjoy such as knitting or needlepoint

Here's what you need to get started:

1. podium or table to read from

2. a light (so that you can see the words in a dimly lit room)

3. a glass of water (no one wants to hear you clearing your throat for an hour!)

4. chairs for your audience

5. pre-show music to set the mood

6. a couple of great short stories, hand-picked by you with your patron's interests in mind

I don't know about you, but I would love to attend one of these "storytimes" - but then again, I am a bit of a literary geek. 

For more tips on creating a version of this program in your library, read the full article:

Wright, D. (2010, May/June). Thrilling Tales: How to Do an Adult Storytime at your Library, and Why. Public Libraries, 49 #3. Retrieved from Public Libraries Online

Do libraries send mixed messages?

One of my favorite blogs is The 'M' Word - Marketing Libraries (http://themwordblog.blogspot.com/). The authors Kathy Dempsey and Nancy Dowd always have lots of real world scenarios and examples to share. A recent post by Kathy, summarized a presentation she attended at the Texas Library Association's annual conference, by Wayne Disher, director of the Hemet Public Library in Hemet, California. Disher's presentation outlined how he has observed the mixed messages that libraries often send. These he categorized in 4 ways:
1. Attitude
2. Facilities
3. Policies
4. Signage

Every public library tends to want to get out the same kinds of messages. Dempsey lists them as:
"Everyone is welcome in the library!"
"We have experts who are trained to help you."
"The library is a safe, inviting place."
"We have something for everyone."
"We want you to use the library."
"Libraries are still relevant in the age of the internet."

So, Disher encourages us all to think about whether our attitude, facilities, policies and signage support these messages. Here are some examples:

1. Attitude - does staff attitude convey that everyone is welcome in the library, and that we want you to use the library? Are patrons welcomed as they come in? Do they have to step up to the desk and ring a bell to get your attention? Or wait until you are finished with that computer task? Try to acknowledge every customer as they come in. If they have to wait for service for some reason, just let them know that you know they are there. If you seem more caught up in your work then helping the customer many will go unaided.

2. Facilities - do your faded carpet, old shelving, chipped paint, and damaged computer desks actually say that you are still relevant in the age of the internet? Of course we know we are, but what does the average library patron think? Or, even worse the non-patron? Obviously, a lot of this is completely dependent upon available funding, but what a great way to build support for renovations or a new building. Your library needs to look the part of the vital and useful building that it is. One suggestion Disher provided was using "sign twirlers" - those kids who stand along the sidewalk wearing sandwich boards and drawing attention to your business. Disher suggests a moving sign that says "Free Wireless Inside". What a great idea. And completely do-able with just a sign and a young volunteer.

3. Policies - many policies are created with the mindset of what's good for the library, but what about the patrons? Do restrictive borrowing policies really say "we want you to use the library"? How about restrictions on food and drink in the library? Not very welcoming. Disher suggests taking a look at your policies and consider updating them to reflect the times and the messages we want to get out there.

4. Signage - this element goes hand-in-hand with policies. Disher suggests using signage with positive messages rather than negative ones. For example, instead of saying "No cell phones", how about a sign that says "Please take your conversations to ... (wherever might work in your library)". Many libraries will put up signs displayed in ALL CAPS telling their patrons what they can't do. Instead, tell them what they can. For example instead of "NO FOOD OR DRINK ALLOWED", how about a sign that invites your patrons to go sit in your coffee area or on your patio? Try to use signage that invites your patrons to use the library.

If you would like to read the full post just go to The 'M' Word blog at: http://themwordblog.blogspot.com/

What about tweens?

By now, many of you have heard about the benefits of creating a teen advisory committee for your library. Teen advisory committees give teens a voice in regards to library policies, programs, and materials that relate to them and by listening to their suggestions, libraries are often able to draw more teens into the library...which is always a good thing! Many libraries have already picked up on this and have started their own Teen Advisory Committees, but what about "Tweens"?

For those of you who may not not know, a tween is vaguely defined as prepubescent between 8 and 13. A child becomes a tween when they start to reject more childlike images and associations and aspire to become more like a teen. I'm sure several of you, parents or not, are familiar with this age...when Disney Princesses take a back seat to Hannah Montana and iCarly? I read an article recently about a 10 year old girl who noticed the teen advisory committee meeting at her local library and wondered why there was not something similar for her age group. So, she took action. She approached library staff with a written list of suggestions and with that, the "For Kids Only" youth advisory committee was created. The committee received funding from the Friends of the Library and local rotary clubs to purchase new books, games, and other materials for tweens...all this from the mind of a ten year old girl!

So why not gage the interest of tweens at your library? They may even still be coming to the Summer Reading Club...you know them...the older brothers and sisters who roll their eyes when you sing five little monkeys or pull out the finger puppets? Pull them aside and ask them what they'd like to see in the library. Even if you don't form an actual committee, their ideas could prove to be invaluable to your library.

Some light, summer weeding ...

Experience and knowledge sometimes combine in wonderful ways. The other day, while brainstorming about a database I am designing, I turned to our OPAC for some informative reading material. In a basic search for "database design" (no quotations in my actual search) I stumbled across a handful of technology-focused resources more than 10 years old.

Now I know that deselection is a complex and nuanced art. I fully admit that I have no idea when any of these items were last checked out, how often they circulate, or what their general condition is. However, a provocative article I read in American Libraries a few days earlier inspired me to advocate for weeding in this post.

In Weeding Grows the Garden, Brian Mathews lists the accomplishments of Michael Sawyer, Director of Calcasieu Parish Public Library, Louisiana and weeding evangelist. Sawyer explains that not only do public libraries "have a responsibility to provide the most accurate and up-to-date information possible," he also espouses that weeding boosts circulation. By removing the dross from library collections patrons can more effectively see new and engaging materials - and check them out!

I'm sure that many of you have heard this before and that many of you are in the process of weeding right now. But for those of you that view weeding with a distasteful eye or feel the need to cling to titles of the past, take heart! A brutal and rousing round of weeding can freshen your collections and your bump circ stats!

Matthews, B. (2010, May). Weeding Grows the Garden. American Libraries, 41 #5. Retrieved from http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/columns/next-steps/weeding-grows-garden

Cool Web Tools

Last week I attended the Canadian eLearning Conference at the University of Alberta to present a poster session on RISE and our new videoconference service.  Throughout the conference I was feeling a bit out of my league as most of the delegates were university staff and faculty, but despite my lack of “e-Learning” knowledge, I learned of a few interesting tools.

Here they are:

1. Diigo (www.diigo.com) 

• Diigo is a browser plug-in that allows you to highlight, bookmark and put sticky notes on web pages
• You can also share your annotated pages with others and create a “Group Knowledge Repository”
• Use it on your own to keep track of your interests online or share your bookmarks and notes with others

2. Animoto (www.animoto.com) 

• You supply photos, videos, music and text and Animoto creates a video piece just for you, with minimal effort on your part
• Use it the next time the library hosts an event; share your video with other libraries or on your website

3. Prezi (www.prezi.com)

• A cool alternative to Powerpoint presentations
• Rather than moving slide by slide, Prezi allows you to you’re your presentation along a path

4. Connexions (www.cnx.org) 

• View and share educational material in small chunks called “modules”

Try some of these out and/or share other cool web tools in a comment.