Speak Up! Advocacy Tips

Eyetracking and Your Website

steve.poppino — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 18:26:56 -0400

Using sophisticated gadgetry, researchers have determined that most people look at web pages in predictable ways. This has important implications for the design of our library web pages.

The Eyetracker III project measured the visual patterns of people reading news wesites, both real ones and some experimental designs. You can read about their methods and results at http://poynterextra.org/eyetrack2004/main.htm

Gary Strong: Library Innovator and Advocate

steve.poppino — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 16:39:06 -0400

Feeling a little tired of shouting from the rooftops? Need some inspiration or a few pithy thoughts to share? Read this interview with Gary Strong, the University Librarian at UCLA. He is experienced, energetic, and articulate, and has a good sense of humor.

http://www.oclc.org/news/publications/newsletters/oclc/2004/266/garystro...

Expanding Your Story, Finding Their Stories

steve.poppino — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 17:39:47 -0400

WebJunction is wonderful online space, hosted by OCLC, where librarains can share experiences and insights about today's library world. I'm just beginning to explore it myself. Today I discovered a series of three articles by Walt Crawford illustrating his idea of the "storied library": every library has stories to share with its public, and the public is full of personal stories of the difference that the library has made.

Branding and Re-Branding

steve.poppino — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 18:29:46 -0400

What do your patrons and the rest of the public think of when they think of the library? What does the "library brand" mean to them? According to OCLC's 2005 report, "Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources", the most common library image is the printed book. If the public is going to pay any attention to us in the near future, we have to persuade them to think of us differently, to re-brand ourselves. Take a look at these articles, available in the InfoTrac OneFile database:

Marketing Resources

steve.poppino — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 16:51:53 -0400

Getting the word out about your library in new ways takes imagination and effort. This article from WebJunction suggests ways in which we can make use of current marketing trends:

"What's Marketing Got to Do with It? Marketing Trends Present Librarians with Promising Opportunities." Jill Stover. 2006. (http://webjunction.org/do/DisplayContent?id=14411)

Here are some more articles that may give you some fresh ideas. All of them are available through LiLI in the Academic OneFile and InfoTrac OneFile databases.

Attracting Teens: "Give them some control"

steve.poppino — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 14:00:44 -0400

This lively article highlights public and school libraries around the US that have successfully attracted and involved teens in a variety of activities. Among the resources that they point out is a study from 1999 called "The Coolness Factor", published by the Urban Libraries Council, that doesn't sound as dated as you might think.

ALTA Advocacy Alert Webpage

steve.poppino — Mon, 21 May 2007 12:59:17 -0400

The Association for Library Trustees and Advocates (ALTA) is a division of the American Library Association. One of their pages is devoted to library advocacy resources. They provide links to lists of hot issues and downloadable training materials that you can use to put on your own advocacy workshop.

http://www.ala.org/ala/alta/altaadvocacy/advocacy.htm

What does it matter?

michael.samuelson — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 02:00:00 -0500

"What does it matter?" "So what?" Keep these questions in mind anytime you are writing a news release, talking to one of your patrons, or working with your board. People want to hear how your library's resources, services, and spaces affect them personally. Think of some talking points that you can share at the opportune moment. "LiLI databases matter because: 1, 2, 3". "A grant for publicizing health information will make these differences in our community: 1, 2, 3".

PNLA Leads

michael.samuelson — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 02:00:00 -0500

Last week I had the opportunity to participate in PNLA Leads, a week-long leadership institute for library staff persons (professional and paraprofessional). First organized in 2004, PNLA Leads is based on the premise that anyone can lead from any position. You don't have to be the boss, you just have to cultivate the ability to exert influence. Isn't that what library advocates are working towards?

Social Capital

michael.samuelson — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 02:00:00 -0400

According to Robert D. Putnam, the author of Bowling Alone, social capital is “…the social networks that contribute to the welfare of both individuals and communities.” Across the country, many communities are suffering from the decline of participation in social networks. According to Jeanetta Drueke, a librarian at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, libraries can help to build up social capital by filling their traditional role as aggregators of information, in this case, compiling and publicizing lists of local organizations.