Board Development

Are you looking for more resources to help develop your board? If so, you may want to check out some of the workbooks created by the Board Development Program. These workbooks cover topics ranging from recruiting & developing effective board members to drafting & revising Bylaws. And the best part about these workbooks? They're available online! Here's the link: http://culture.alberta.ca/bdp/workbooks.aspx

Location Based Social Networking

We all know that social networking is becoming a more and more popular way to market ourselves to audiences of all ages. The advancement of technologies in this area makes for ever more interesting ways to ensure we have a presence in this important form of media.

In a recent edition of Ideas 4Success - a marketing e-newsletter put out by my favorite promotional materials company, 4Imprint - they talk about location based social networking (LBSN) and how it can be used by any organization to increase their presence in social media and to get more people in your doors.

Did you know that on November 5, 2010 international clothing retailer Gap, gave away 10,000 free pairs of jeans to US customers? With no catch other than visiting a local Gap store and virtually 'checking in' to the location using Facebook's Places application. “Check-in” with a smartphone sends the customer’s physical location to the Facebook Places application. If the location matched that of a Gap store, the check-in was valid and a free pair of jeans was rewarded. Gap's giveaway was intended to build awareness, develop a stronger customer base, boost sales and foster positive word-of-mouth marketing (a very popular buzz word these days) among consumers and the media.

Wouldn't we all like to do those things? Here's how it works to help market your library. After users check in, an update is posted to their account profile on the chosen LBSN. This allows other LBSN contacts to see where their friends are and where they’ve been. If users so choose, they can also link their LBSN profile to other social accounts, such as Twitter or LinkedIn, to share location updates with multiple online social networks. Pretty soon your location is broadcast to dozens, hundreds or even thousands of people.

Here is how to get started:

1. Choose a LBSN and get registered. There are more sites than just Facebook that offer this technology. BrightKite, Foursquare, Gowalla and others are all being used in this way. However, Facebook Places (www.facebook.com/places/) is likely the most recognizable at this time. You will need to either 'Claim' your organization's Facebook Place or create one if it doesn't already exist. The complete guide for using Facebook Places to advertise your business is available at: http://ads.ak.facebook.com/ads/FacebookAds/Places_advertisers.pdf, and it's easy to do.
   
2. Set goals for your marketing efforts. What do you want to achieve by marketing in this way?
3. Identify incentives and/or promotions. LBSNs work best when you can offer an incentive or promotion to get people in the door. The more people that advertise that they are at your library, the more successful your marketing campaign will be. Here are some suggested incentives/promotions provided by 4Imprint:

- Use it as a 'loyalty card'. A discount or promotion is given for every 'x' number of checkins (similar to the paper version of a punch card). For example, after 5 checkins at your library they get a free book bag.
- Use it as an upgrade mechanism. Give a free add-on to a current service or product purchase simply for checking in. Maybe they get an extra month on their library membership? Or $5.00 forgiven in fines?
- Use it to boost traffic on slow days or special days— If you’re launching a new product or service, or holding a special event, consider rewarding those who check-in during the specified time or date. A GREAT idea for our next Snapshot Day!
- Use it as an incentive for first-time users of LBSN. Operating a LBSN mobile application to check-in to a place for the first time can be a bit daunting. Who will see my update, and will anyone care? Ease the trepidation by offering a great first-timer perk.
- Use it as an incentive for repeat visitors. Many businesses reward their most “loyal” customer (the individual with the most check-ins) during a given period of time. This super-user is often referred to in LBSN language as the location’s “mayor".
- Use it as an incentive for bringing friends. Consider giving perks when a user checks in with more than one person. This is the idea behind Foursquare’s current “swarm badge”—a game-piece graphic, shaped as a badge, awarded to users who check in to a place with 50 or more other users at the same time.

4. You will need to set up the 'deal' you'd like to offer with your chosen LBSN. This won't be free, but it is not very costly either. Social networks tend to be one of the cheapest ways to market yourself.

5. Promote, promote, promote! Time to get people in the door.

Don't be afraid to be the first library to try this out. If you have questions or would like assistance in setting this up, please contact Terra.

Open Sesame!

At the recent Alberta Library Conference, I attended a session entitled "Open Sesame: Taking Programming Outside of the Program Room" by Donna Bedry and Jeri Maitland from Calgary Public Library.  Donna and Jeri introduced the group to the concept of "open space" programming which takes library programming outside of the program room and into open spaces - either within the library or outside.  By moving programs out into the open, CPL has found that more people attend their sessions and they are able to draw in a mixed and unexpected audience.  Open space programs are much more relaxed, enabling people to stop in for the whole program or for 5 minutes as they are passing through.  They get people to the program who may have missed it in the program guide or people who simply happen to come across it while they are picking up holds or browsing the collection.


Since these programs allow people to come and go as they please it is a bit more difficult to gather stats on program attendance.  However, Donna and Jeri advised libraries to simply wait until a peak moment in the program and then count the number of people participating.  They also suggested focussing less on the number of people attending and more on outcomes - the stories that patrons share about the program experience.


Think you want to try NOT using your program room?
Here are a few tips from Donna and Jeri:
1. Encourage staff to invite people to participate.
2. Leave enough space around the program area for people to leave if they choose.
3. If you expect 30 people, only put up about 15 chairs and add more as you go.  Making it look busy draws more people in.
4. Put up a "Please Join Us!" sign.  Some patrons may not feel comfortable joining a program in progress unless they are invited to do so.
5. Plan open space programs at predictable times - CPL holds them on Wednesdays from 12 - 1 PM, but you may want to choose a time when you are busiest.  Just be sure to schedule the programming consistently - your patrons will get used to it and anticipate when things will be happening.  The idea is to instill in your patrons that "something's always going on at the library!" and that the library isn't always a "quiet place."


They did point out that there may be a few times when open space programming isn't the best option:
1. For programs that involve babies - those little ones need to be corralled!
2. For presenters who are too quiet or programs that require quiet.
3. For "private" topics.
4. For programs that involve food.  


Donna and Jeri not only shared tips on carrying out open space programming, but they also shared some of the great sessions that they have done:

• Spring Plant Exchange - they advertised this program weeks in advance, but they still had people rushing home to dig up plants to share after seeing the exchange happening.
• Ecopalooza - they brought in local environmental groups to showcase new stuff like a blender powered by a bicycle!  This program also involved a walking hawk display - a hawk handler actually wandered the library with a hawk on his arm!
• Aldermanic Meet and Greet - patrons had the chance to ask questions and even people passing by could hear the answers
• Music in March - local musicians played near the circulation desk every Wednesday in March during the lunch hour
• Fibre Arts Fair - patrons could not only admire all of the quilts and other fibre creations, but they could also learn to knit, weave, hook, etc.
• Lego Tournament - prizes for winners sponsored by the local Lego store
• Teen Takeover - teens take over the library for a day
• On the Go story times - unscheduled story times for anyone who cares to take part
• Bike workshop - local bike repair expert brought in to help tune up patron's bikes
• Coffee & Conversation - this program was especially favoured by CPL's immigrant population
• Antiques Appraisal Day - used an estate appraiser to do their own version of "Antiques Road Show"
• Single in the Suburbs - a great chance for like-minded singles to meet and mingle

All of these programs sounded great and could easily be adapted for use in your libraries.  If you would like more details on a specific program, let me know and I can contact Donna or Jeri.  

So, the next time you plan a program, consider taking it outside of your program room and out into the library!  Open sesame!