Marketing Libraries Outside the Echo Chamber‏ event part.4 (conclusion)

So. How was the evening? Well, pretty damn good. I came away from the event feeling totally revitalised and feeling pretty glad what I do. Meeting people like Gary Green, Phil Bradley, Laura, Jo bo Anderson and Bethan Ruddock actually did make feel embarrassed at how little I have done in comparison. It might just push me to do more.
BUT. In response to Ned and Laura, I do say this. Both seemed to be critical of the echo chamber. The echo chamber has its problems. Agreed. But without that echo chamber how would those two groups from the evening of come together. Also echo chambers can act as a meme to users (which I think is a good thing?)
Finally, I should point out Laura has put up a post on the event here.

Marketing Libraries Outside the Echo Chamber‏ event part.3 (Ned Potter)

The real wikiman then took over. He discussed that instances of the echo chamber. He pointed out Seth Godin's article The future of the library, which had librarians jumping bacause of much of its inaccuracies. We responded in our own small, niche bubble, arguing about it amongst ourselves. But not all. Toby Greenwalt wrote a reprisal to Seth on the Huffington Post called To Know the Library Is To Love the Library -- But Who Knows the Library? Ned here is pointing out that we have to reach beyond our circle and inform an educate others where they may or are misrepresenting the profession.
Phil Gave example of others reaching out to the media, which was not in there remit. For example, Phil Bradley (who was actually at the event) had two days talking to radio five about libraries. Secondly, how Chrystie Hill (a librarian) did a talk at TEDx. These are media's you would not associate with libraries and librarians. But, they do make people aware of us. Ned's main point being we all need to be advocates for our profession.
Anyhow, I could add load more, but I will add Ned's closing comment, which was:-

There is no such thing as abstaining from library avdocacy.

Amen to that brother.

By the way, Ned and Laura's excellent presentation can be found here.

Marketing Libraries Outside the Echo Chamber‏ event part.2 (Laura Woods)

Following on from my earlier post (and most likely regurgating Fiona and Ned's post).
Anyhow Laura started the talk by explaining what the echo chamber. It is :-

any situation in which information, ideas or beliefs are amplified or reinforced by transmission inside an "enclosed" space. Observers of journalism in the mass media describe an echo chamber effect in media discourse.

Anyhow, Laura inderlines how librarians on both sides of the atlantic are suffering from fear of closure and how when we discuss this, we seem to discuss it within a 'library bubble' [my quote]. Laura mentioned how we as a profession are an easy target, and that we have many sceptics that see little relevance as now 'everything is online'. Laura felt we should reach beyond our users and make the none users as are (future) advocats. Laura pointed out if we (libraries) were invented today, we'd be seen as something fantastic.

She then said how her an Ned had put out the idea on twitter on getting beyond the echo chamber. Library by day started a post on the subject called Thinking Outloud About The Echo Chamber. In the article she says:-

Are we, the twittering, blogging, technology inclined shouting into the echo chamber? Are we only puffing each other up? Do we care that this defeats our purpose and goals? I guess it depends on your goals. (Some I’m sure, are just happy to have choir to preach to.) But for most of us, its not. If we’re too busy telling each other “right on man” who’s engaging in discussion with those who don’t agree with us? Because let’s face it, they aren’t reading your blog or following you on twitter.

Laura then went on to say we need to hear more about criticism, so we can see how we improve the service and jobs we do. Then Ned appeared from his journey from Leeds (les said the better).

Marketing Libraries Outside the Echo Chamber‏ event part.1

This evening I went to Marketing Libraries Outside the Echo Chamber‏. I got there in good time and meet Gary Green and Jo Bo Anderson (apologies for my directions the previous night). We started on time and were presented to the people who worked at City Business Library (whose name I could not remember). All very nice.
Anyhow, the event started with Bethan Ruddock and Jo Bo Anderson. It was suppose to start with Ned and Laura Woods were supposed to start the event, bit Ned was in traffic from Leeds with a 3 month old child (I think most people would call that hell).
Bethan and Jo discussed there work on Voices for the Library which is trying to put public libraries on the map. It started on twitter with a hashtag of #pling. A group of librarians felt that public librarians were under attack and started using social media to contact each other. The group started on twitter and discussed the website and had it up by September of this year. They felt the need for speed to get there message out. They did this all via social media (whoops, repetition). Anyhow, it was mentioned this was the first time four of the group had been together in the same physical area.
Voices for the Library wanted to discuss positive stories of the public libraries. Voices for the Library used facebook and Flickr to get users on board.
Voices of the library sent major press release to all news organisations. Left comments with email on blog post, newspaper organisations etc. They have attempted to use the website so people can say how well we, as libraries are doing. So its shows how a successful campaign can be done via the social media.
There profile has increased and they are getting more hits and attention. They've contacted Unison who have sent out 40000 members about libraries.
Both Bethan and Jo discussed problems of Voices of the library whether it should be affiliated etc. The problem of money. The problem of time. The problem of not meeting in person.
Jo talked about reaching beyond groups you expect to reach and that she'll be talking to the WI (womens institute and not game console) the following day.
The successes as they see it is more press coverage. More people who are not librarians discussing there experiences of libraries and why we needed them.
This is just a brief synopsis. But one final thing. Gary Green mentioned he was the only member of Voices of the library who worked in public libraries, He was glad to have support from fellow professionals.
Both Bethan and Jo are passionate about libraries and it was really an awe inspiring presentation.
I'm now going to listen to the opening first day of the ashes. Oh my life is this.

How to arrange going to an event

I will going to the Marketing Libraries Outside the Echo Chamber‏ tonight.
I thought I'd point out a few things you should do before going to an event.

1. Make sure you have a place booked for the event.
2. Make sure you know where the event is. Check maps and transportationon how to get there.
3. Make sure you get the day right. Which I didn't when I walked to City Business Library last night.

Oh well. At least I know where it is now.

Echo chamber? All I hear is good news about libraries

Recently Wikiman had an interesting blog discussing the echo chamber within libraries.

Plenty has been talked about the image of librarians and libraries etc, but how do we go about addressing the misconceptions on a wider basis? At the moment, I reckon a very (very) crude representation of library advocacy might look a little like this:

The point being, the library skeptics aren’t really being reached, and many of the excellent ideas we have are going into the echo-chamber of our own Information Professional community.

This maybe true but recently all I seem to hear are positive things about libraries and librarians. For example, Librarian by Day has a post entitled Librarians Play a Vital Role in 21st Century Literacies which points to two papers one from the Report from the Knight Commission:

Recommendation 7: Fund and support public libraries and other community institutions as centers of digital and media training, especially for adults.

And a white paper from the MacAuthor Foundation

If anything, these traditional skills assume even greater importance as students venture beyond collections that have been screened by librarians and into the more open space of the web. Some of these skills have traditionally been taught by librarians who, in the modern era, are reconceptualizing their role less as curators of bounded collection and more as information facilitators who can help users find what they need, online or off, and can cultivate good strategies for searching material.

These seem to show were succeeding in some area's at least.

These along with Marilyn Johnson's book This Book is Overdue seem to represent libraries in a positive light. Johnson's book is getting a lot of deserved coverage (i'm half way through it already) from a wide audience.

But then, I don't think we are aklways that good in praising ourselves or selling ourselves at times.

Library advocacy in a digital age

Woodsie girl and wikiman have been discussing how to create library advocacy and the dangers of the echo chamber.
Woodsie girl says on her blog:-

Following a conversation on Twitter this morning, me and thewikiman (@theREALwikiman) are trying to find out if anyone has any good ideas for overcoming the “echo chamber” effect in library advocacy. It’s easy to spend time preaching to the converted, but how do you reach people who don’t use the library, aren’t interested in what you have to say and don’t think you have anything to offer? Any thoughts, please tweet using the hashtag #echolib, or leave a comment here. We’ll be blogging anything interesting we find out.

Well, I had an idea, which maybe good or most like not. I am presently reading Charlene Li's Book Groundswell. In it she discusses how Mini was sold in the USA, whilst Honda and Volkswagen were entering the market in the mid 2000s. This would have eaten into there market share as there product was older. Trudy Hardy, who was in charge of mini marketing wanted to increase or retain market share. So was she did was she listened to mini users, sent out items only they were allowed to recieve along with other idea's (read the book). Anyhow, what she did was she listened to her present users and made them feel unique. Uniqueness and listening are both highly important in any organisation business, but if we make our present users seem unique then there word of mouth will gain us patrons. Its not an original idea, but it's my thoughts on it.