NaNoWriMo

Want a great library program for the month of November? Want to draw in all those emerging writers, or just those who love to write? Why not participate in NaNoWriMo - or National Novel Writing Month? Here's the concept:

NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30. Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces participants to lower their expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.

In 2009, there were more than 165,000 participants around the world. Participants can meet and discuss via the online forum available at the NaNoWriMo website: http://www.nanowrimo.org/

So, how can you participate as a library?

• Advertise the month at your library and lead people to the website for more information (flyers are available on the NaNoWriMo website for printing at http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/node/1005807)
• Set aside writing space for participants
• Have weekly programs that invite participants to come in and work together
• Hold a video conference with other libraries so that even more participants can work together
• Hold a reading at the end of the month where each local participant gets to read a passage from their novel
• Post a comment on this blog to share your unique ideas for participating in this event

A Library Outreach Guide and free Library kits are available from the website at: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/library

This is a great way to connect with emerging writers in your community, and just a fun event for your library that can be held with very few resources.

Customer Focused Service: Say Yes, Not No

Last week, the entire staff at headquarters participated in a day long workshop focused on customer service training. The workshop, conducted by Brenda Robinson of the Robcan Group, introduced some interesting concepts to the staff here including the idea that internal relationships affect your external service. One of the major focuses of the day, however, was the idea of always communicating positively with your customer. Here are a few points that I took away from the day:

• The first 8 words of an e-mail or phone message are the most important. A lot of people will not read beyond those first 8 words without being given incentive. So make them positive and reassuring.
• When faced with a challenging situation or dilemma, ask yourself "what would work"? Brenda gave a very humorous anecdote relating to the differing ways her and her husband like to fold towels. They ultimately decided that stuffing the towels in the cabinet was all that was really needed - it got the job done and eliminated the arguments. When thinking about how to best serve your customer think about "what would work"? Sometimes existing policies impede our ability to serve our customers well; perhaps its time to review and revise them.
• Good customer service must include, involve and engage. Involve and engage your customers in deciding how to best serve them.
• When you have to say 'no' to a customer, don't start with the word 'no'. Give them the 'why' first - the reason you are ultimately having to say no - and they are more likely to hear you.
• Don't stop there though - give them options and alternatives if you have to say no. Make them feel like you've done everything you can to help them, even if you can't give them exactly what they've asked for.
• And lastly, don't actually say the word 'no'. Use positive language. We are all so accustomed to saying 'sorry' that we don't realize it actually has a negative effect. Avoid words like: sorry, unfortunately, regret, can't, inconvenience, rule, only, have to. Instead use positive words/phrases such as: I'll do everything I can, the next step is, etc.

The kind of thing Brenda was describing reminded me of a blog post I wrote a few months ago called "Do Libraries Send Mixed Messages?" . It involved the use of signage in libraries, and that instead of telling our patrons what they can't do, we should be telling them what they can. In many ways consistent use of positive language is a whole new way of thinking. How often do we say 'sorry' or 'unfortunately' in a day? It may take some real effort but in the end we will end up with happier, more satisifed patrons.

Quick Computer Training

Looking to brush up on your computer skills?  Check out this article from ALA's Learning Round Table for websites offering free tutorials, webinars, screencasts and more.
http://alalearning.org/2010/09/25/5-library-sources-for-quick-computer-training/

Taking back ebooks!

On Wednesday, September 29, 2010, Terra Plato and I attended “ebooks: Libraries at the Tipping Point,” a virtual summit. In what I would describe as a highly unique experience, we both logged in to our individual computers and proceeded to listen and watch different presentations throughout the day.

Besides the exploration of such issues as what the future of reading will look like and scenario planning for ebooks, I was comforted hear much discontent from the panelists about the current software and structures offered by ebook vendors. Sarah Houghtan-Jan, techie librarian and writer of the blog Librarian in Black, complained bitterly about how user-unfriendly most of the ebook vendor interfaces are. Her thoughts were echoed by a number of other panelists, some quite revolutionary.

Which brings me to my favourite session, the closing keynote address, “The ‘New Librarianship’ in the Age of the Ebook,” by David Lankes, Director of the Information Institute, Sycaruse University. Coming out swinging, Lankes argued that the current situation with ebook publishing is both librarians’ problem and opportunity. Not only did he call for strong political action, but he also stated that in order for libraries to take control of offerings, they must innovate and build a platform to serve their own needs. “Waiting for publishers to figure out the ebook model of the future is like waiting for heroin addicts to develop methadone,” Lankes asserted and I couldn’t agree more. Almost breathless through his impassioned speech, I felt incredibly hopeful for the future of libraries and ebooks.

We have had our own struggles with ebook distribution, but knowing that we are not alone and that there is a strong desire to change is heartening. If libraries can forge their own way into the world of ebooks, we will be able to better serve the needs of our communities apart from current consumer models. With so much concern, change is inevitable and I, for one, will welcome it with open arms.