Public Libraries

Two innovative ideas from public libraries

Feb 1st

Just in case you missed them, two great innovative library marketing initiatives have been picked up by the media recently.

First, on a Harvard Business Review (HBR) blog, Grant McCracken (who by the way describes the public library rather wonderfully as ‘a place of possibility’), described the Stuffed Animal Sleepover at his local library.

Children brought in their toys and left them for a ‘sleepover’. The toys were photographed having adventures (being read to, playing on the computers) in the library at night time. The librarians shared the pictures of their adventures with their children the next day. Through this initiative, the children began to see the library as a place of magical happenings and the library was able to do things that digital experiences could not.

Second, a wonderful idea from Slovenia and picked up by springwise.com. Ljubljana City Library ran an initiative offering mystery book packs to customers. The mystery packages simply had a sticker denoting a literary genre and librarians advised them further on their choices. Each parcel provided three books – a contemporary work, a classic and one ‘easy to read’. As Springwise noted, the book packs provided an example of what public libraries do best. They provided an enjoyable, curated and personalised experience to customers.

Books to boost the spirits

Jan 9th

Posted by Val Skelton in Post

As previously featured on this blog, The Reading Agency is a charity with a mission to inspire more people to read more. Research shows that reading improves mental well-being and it was against this background that, in 2011, The Reading Agency launched a promotion called ‘mind boosting books’. Reading groups around the UK identified a range of books to include on a list of recommended reading aimed at people who may have experienced mental health issues including stress, anxiety or depression.

The 2011 campaign reached 50,000 people in library authorities, colleges, prisons and NHS trusts.

For the 2012 campaign (launching this month) The Reading Agency has partnered with Vintage, the publishers of Stop What You’re Doing and Read This which features essays from leading contemporary writers. An additional 26 titles will be promoted during the campaign including classics such as The Secret Garden and The Pursuit of Love. The full list includes fiction, non-fiction, poetry and graphic novels including titles for less confident readers.

The restorative power of reading (in whatever format) is well known to us all, of course and we all have our favourite mood-boosting books (let me nominate Three Men in a Boat as a book that always makes me laugh out loud although I am not sure that this qualifies it for inclusion on the list). Any thoughts or suggestions for mood-boosting reading gratefully received!

Libraries – it’s all about reading, not books

Nov 7th

Posted by Val Skelton in Post

Reading has the power to connect people and to transform lives. The UK charity the Reading Agency exists to help people feel confident and inspired about reading. Speaking at Axiell’s Rethinking Libraries event, Miranda McKeaney (the Reading Agency’s Chief Executive) spoke about some of the Agency’s successes and challenges and shared some transferable ideas and lessons learned.

HAVE – AND BE ABLE TO ARTICULATE – A BIG PURPOSE

It is vital that you have a crystal clear and significant sense of purpose. You must identify and be able to articulate exactly what it is that makes you/your service unique. Do you have a ‘noble sense of purpose’? Why do you exist? With public libraries, a shared articulation can be difficult and it is important not to cling to the past. Libraries exist to support reading, not books.

HAVE A BIG PICTURE

It is important to create a big picture – to think about the future and to begin to shape the future you want. Part if this is identifying what trends are active and working to best thrive in the future these trends are pointing to.

Some UK trends to pay attention to

The number of bookshops in the UK has halved in the past six years
Opportunities in combining ‘live’ experiences with digital
Offering live and social experiences
Digital book sales and loans
Take a lead in social issues – e.g. articulate the social costs of low literacy levels; demonstrate the links between reading and good health

WIN BIG SUPPORTERS AND KEEP THEM HAPPY

It is critical to ensure that partnerships are balanced. You must give your partners and supporters what they need – without compromising your own mission. For example, when the Reading Agency began to develop partnerships with publishers, the outcome would be beneficial to both parties. Public libraries gained access to the type of author events that were previously only available in bookstores. Publishers were gaining access to new audiences and markets.

Finally, tough times should create a spirit of innovation. We should not be afraid to dream or experiment.

HarperCollins, e-books and the echo chamber

Mar 9th

Posted by Val Skelton in E-books

Is there a plus side to the ongoing HarperCollins e-book controversy?

HarperCollins’ decision to limit public libraries to checking out an e-book 26 times before, as Phil Bradley puts it ‘it implodes on itself like a Mission Impossible cassette tape’, has caused a great deal of comment and complaint. Phil Bradley has much to say about this ‘retrograde’ step on his own (not Cilip’s!) blog as do librarians and others around the world. Some librarians are calling for a boycott of HarperCollins. The Library Journal reports that some US library consortia are already boycotting the publisher.

In fact, librarians’ ability to collaborate and comment using a full range of social media has meant that the debate has gone beyond the library ‘echo chamber’. In the US, the story has been covered by ABC news as an e-book backlash led by librarians.

Cory Doctorow, writing in the Guardian, calls the HarperCollins move indefensible. He argues that it is bizarre to import ‘finite durability as a feature’.

The coverage of the story shows that librarians can attract the attention of the mainstream media.

You can follow the ongoing debate on Twitter (#HCOD). HarperCollins’ explains its decision in an open letter to librarians on its blog.

Arts Council performs new role

Dec 9th

Posted by Val Skelton in Public Libraries

The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) is scheduled to be wound up by March 2012. Some of its key responsibilities for libraries will be taken up by Arts Council England (ACE).

The Bookseller reports today that ACE has been tasked with the management of the Renaissance in the Regions programme (which supports regional museums) as well as the libraries improvement agenda. MLA and ACE will collaborate on these programmes until March 2012.