Library Service Win

We really didn't do anything special.  It was just the Adult Services staff doing what we always do.  But we made a difference...
Last Tuesday an older woman came to the desk asking to use a public access computer.  She was shaking like a leaf.  And she told us her story. 

The night before she'd gotten a phone call from someone claiming to warn her that her PC was in danger of crashing.  When she went to her PC her cursor was moving seemingly by itself.  The man on the phone said he could "fix" the problems with her computer, but she'd have to pay him.  She pulled the plugs on her computer, hung up the phone, and called the police!! 

And now she was in the library hoping to access her email and online accounts to make sure everything was okay.  She asked if we could recommend someone to help her with her computer, so we gave her the number for the local Geek Squad.  We also recommend Norton Anti-Virus.  Then I logged her onto a computer.  And when she was too nervous to log into her email account, I helped her get there, too.  When she opened her email and everything was still there, I could see her visibly relax.  Later one of my co-workers helped her with something else, and then I was with her again helping her print some documents. Every time we worked with her she told us her story again.

So that's it.  We did our jobs and we listened.

Yesterday, when I got to work there was a gift bag addressed to me on the counter.  It was from our patron.  A thank you note to me and the rest of the staff (my name was the only one she remembered) and a delicious box of cookies, to let us know she appreciated our efforts.

What a great feeling. 

Saving Money the Library Way

I love LinkedIn.  I just found this great article there: How the Library Helps You Cut Corners from The Epoch Times.  Lots of great reasons to love you library and go there more often.

Wikipedia Loves Libraries

Who knew?

Every year the creative folks at Wikipedia sponsor Wikipedia Loves Libraries events.  These are Wikipedia friendly activities that include library tours, meetups for local Wikipedians, and workshops to teach people how to write for Wikipedia.

It sounds like an absolute blast!!

What Librarians Make ... a Difference

Wow!
Someone just shared this on one of the LinkedIn groups I belong to.  This School Library Journal Blog post is a couple of years old, but as timely and relevant as the day it was written.  And tho' written by a school librarian and school libraries it is just as relevant to public libraries and the librarians who work there.
The post "What Librarians Make : A Response to Dr. Bernstein and an Homage to Taylor Mali" was written by librarian Joyce Valenza in November 2010.  It seems that Dr. Bernstein, Superintendent of schools in Valley Stream, NY, had written an opinion piece in Newsday calling for Governor Cuomo to ease the burden on school districts by getting rid of those antiquated rules about mandatory librarians and library collections at the high school level.  The truly frightening thing to me is that  this man manages to be a school superintendent while being completely ignorant about such an important aspect of the education process, but that is neither here nor there.  Ms. Valenza's response to Dr. Bernstein was excellent and well worth your time.
Because the bottom line is that what librarians make is A DIFFERENCE.  We make a difference in the lives of our patrons.  We connect people with information ... correct information ... the answers they really need.  We connect job seekers with free computer access, resume writing books and classes, job fairs, and skill building classes, online sources, and (yes) books.  We connect children with literacy skills and a love of reading that will enhance their ability to learn.  We connect the community with programs and outreach services.  We connect readers of all ages with books that educate, entertain, challenge, touch, and help them.  We build bridges across the digital divide providing access to resources  that not everyone can afford on their own.
It is mind-boggling to me that we are still having this argument.  That there are authors, publishers, and education professionals who think that librarians are a relic from the past is sad.  It's sad for them, sad for us as librarians, and sad for the community.  Libraries provide a valuable service to their communities and the most valuable resource they provide is LIBRARIANS.

Helping the Mentally Ill Patron

Found this on LinkedIn this afternoon.  Mental Health First-Aid an excellent article by Kelly Bennett at the blog Library Lost & Found.  Kelly offers some sound advice on how we can better empathize with and serve our patrons who may be suffering from mental illness.  This is something we all have to deal with in a public library setting.

Do Surveys Matter?

Here's a great article from Illinois Libraries Matter discussing the need for surveys at the library.  How can we possibly know what our patrons know about their library or want from their library if we don't ask them? 
But how do we get them to fill out and return a survey form?

Why do we still need libraries?

Ever been stumped when someone asks this question?  Here's a blog post that'll give you the answers you need to never get stumped again. 

What Color is Your Library?

Here's a link to an article by Pam Dyer at SocialMedia Today about the use of color in marketing.  It includes two excellent infographics from the Logo Company and Kissmetrics depicting how color affects consumers and how marketers can more effective use color in branding.

Dyer also quotes statistics that show that color:

• Increases brand recognition by up to 80%
• Improves readership as much as 40%
• Increases comprehension by 73%
• Can be up to 85% of the reason people decide to buy

Something to think about when creating posters, handouts, bookmarks, and bibliographies in the library -- the colors we choose can affect how receptive people are to our messages.

The Lost Art of Letter Writing

I brought this up in meeting I attended the other day, that I still, occasionally, set pen to paper and write a letter to a friend.  In this article, author Susan Evans McCloud explains why email and IM can never replace the personal, intimate act of writing a letter.  (Just one more reason to keep teaching cursive in public schools.) 
Maybe not really a library issue, but I'm wondering, could we do a program on letter writing? Something to think about.

Welcome to the Library

There's a great discussion going on at the Marketing Public Libraries Think Tank group at Linkedin.  Do we send out welcome emails to new card holders?  If so what do we include in the message?  Some libraries give out welcome packets with each new card including the latest newsletter, library hours, etc.   No consensus yet on what the goals are and if you're not sure what you're going to accomplish how can you measure it?
We try to get an email address for each new patron who signs up for a library card.  It comes in very handy for email notifications about holds, upcoming due dates, programs and the like.  And, of course, all the notifications from Overdrive about downloads go through the patron's email address.  But we don't send out a welcome to the library message.  What would we say?  Should we have a welcome packet?  I like the idea of a refrigerator magnet complete with our web address, hours, and phone number. 
But what about an email?  Will they read it?  Or will they just hit delete and toss it out with the spam?

There are no stupid questions

Patron: May I ask you a question?
Librarian: Of course, what may I do for you?
Patron: Can you tell me who wrote Bram Stoker's Dracula?
       pause
Librarian:  Bram Stoker.  Would you like me to check to see if we have a copy available?

It was very awkward.

What do you do?  How do you help someone save face?  It happens almost everyday.  Someone can't find a book on the shelf and when they follow you back to the stacks you find it instantly ... right where it belongs.  Or they can't find the start button on the copier.  Or ...

I have several stock responses.  "Oh, it happens to everyone."  "Sometimes it just takes a second pair of eyes."  I want people to be comfortable coming to the desk.  But if they're embarrassed once, will they come back?  And how do we prevent it? 

Spanish for Librarians

How cool is this.  Mango, the language self-instruction program we offer at the library, is offering librarians something special.  Spanish for Librarians.  Excellent.  Here's the link to the website. I love the Mango programs.  I've used the Spanish instruction a few times, trying to remind myself of my college Spanish.  Also, just for fun they have a short course on speaking pirate.  My kids got a real kick out of it.  Something to remember since Talk Like a Pirate day is coming up in September.
I've just started working with Spanish for Librarians.  We started with the basics.  Hello, good morning.  My name is ...  Always a great place to start.  I can't wait to see where we end up.