PVLD Director's Blog

Text messaging the library

I'm at the Internet Librarian conference for the first time.  It's an annual gathering of librarians and others interested in technology and its application in libraries and despite my initial hesitation that it might be too "techie" for me, I'm getting some great ideas.

The last session by Nancy Dowd, Director of Marketing for the New Jersey State Library was about how New Jersey libraries are using text messaging to reach out to different segments of the community.

At PVLD we've talked about using text messaging as another communications tool for hold notifications and other circulation/catalog driven messages, but we haven't really talked about it as a marketing tool.

The New Jersey libraries are using what Nancy called a "boutique" text messaging service called Gold Mobile  to enable them to send, receive, and manage very targeted text messages at a cost of about $50/month/library.  The service itself looked very simple to use, with a web-based tool that library staff can use to compose and send messages and build /manage databases of subscribers to different types of messages.

Some of the ways the New Jersey libraries are using the service include -

• Sending Spanish-language information about library services to Latino community members who were hesitant to approach "Anglo" staff members. 
• Providing program information and reminders to teens, who are notoriously high users of text messaging, and also were prone to forget about upcoming teen activities
• Acknowleding how difficult it is for parents to participate in normal-length adult programs by conducting 10-15 minute long mini-programs on topics of interest to parents and then asking them to sign up to receive more information about that topic (e.g. information snippets, links to websites or books in the catalog) by text message.
• Sending text reminders of upcoming programs to  anyone who signs up to receive them.  This  one particularly struck me because one of the strongest requests from the focus groups we recently conducted was for reminders of upcoming programs a day or two before they take place  and it seems that text messaging might help us achieve that.
• Sending text-message mini-surveys with just one simple question.
• Asking people to send a text message to the library's text message code for a chance to win a prize as a way of building the library's text message contact database.

Nancy also gave examples of some interesting ways that businesses are using text-messaging as a marketing tool.  For example, Pottery Barn partnered with Barnes and Noble to reach out to college students.  They placed posters with an image of a comfortable Pottery Barn chair suitable for dorm rooms or apartments in Barnes and Noble stores near large colleges and universities with the message "Text 78709 for a chance to win this chair".  What a great way to build a list of people who might be interested in your product.

Nancy made it clear that text-messaging is not a panacea.  You need to make people aware that if they don't have unlimited messaging on their cell phone plan the messages could cost them.  You also need to have a targeted and compelling reason for people to sign up, based on their real needs and wants.  She also noted that success does not come overnight.  The New Jersey libraries have used pilot projects and trial and error to find what works.  They also have learned that it takes time for people to "catch on" so you need to be patient.

Caveats notwithstanding I can see how this might be a useful tool for PVLD as we work to improve how we market our services.  What do you think?  Would you sign up?

Feedback to Warm a Library Director's heart

We have a terrific staff here at PVLD, and they work very hard to provide outstanding service to our customers.  Despite our best efforts we occasionally slip up, and when we do it's usually pointed out pretty quickly. The same isn't always true when it comes to incidents of great service.  That's why three messages I received today were so appreciated.

The first was an email from a customer who had been helped by Young Readers Librarian Linda Flint which said -

Thanks very much for the detailed feedback. I appreciate your department's thorough consideration of my request.

 

I am grateful to know of the support for Early Literacy Skills through programs offered by the library and look forward to taking part in some of them.

 

I thank you also for the compilation of the existing library DVDs that support early reading skills.

 

I appreciate your time and efforts on my behalf and the openness of your Department in treating the inquiries of a patron. Not only that, but your second effort to provide me with some helpful alternatives is much appreciated.

 

I am sharing this e-mail with the director of the library so that she will be aware that you, Ms. Flint, and your Department headed by Ms. Henry are functioning at a high level and serving the interests of the patrons of the library.

 

That was followed by an email from a library "regular" with glowing praise for a classical music concert organized by our newest librarian, Ashley Burdick.

 

And if that weren't enough, late this afternoon I received a voicemail from a very appreciative customer who had through a series of unfortunate circumstances racked up a substantial bill for a lost book, which she subsequently found.  Unemployed, desparately seeking a job, and in difficult financial circumstances she called to see if she could get any relief from having to pay the full amount owed the library.  Assistant Circulation Manager Melissa Little was able (within our policy framework) to assist her, and you could tell from the emotion in her voice how meaningful this was as she told me that she thinks the Palos Verdes Library District is "the best ever".

 

Of course Linda, Ashley, and Melissa are only three of 80 outstanding employees, every one of whom contributes to providing great service to our customers but few of whom get recognized....but I am very grateful for them all. 

 

The saying "people are our most important resource" has become a cliche, but it really is true.  That's why as we face our budget challenges I will be doing everything in my power to make sure that we don't take actions that cause damage to what I think is our most valuable asset - the employees who work so hard to provide outstanding library services to our community.

 

 

Libraries as "Homes For Ingenuity"

It's Friday afternoon. At PVLD that means casual dress and fewer meetings than most other days.  Don't know whether its the jeans or the "free" time, but I also find that Fridays are a good day to let my mind wander a bit from the day-to-day demands of running the library. 

I'd saved this article from PC World a few weeks ago, and when I read it again it really caught my fancy.  Don't you just love the idea of public libraries as "homes for the human imagination" with the library staff (and volunteers and or even customers) sharing their special knowledge and talents? Of the library as a hive of creative energy and activity? 

Read the article and see if it doesn't get your creative juices flowing...Happy Friday!

The library website as virtual branch....really?

We've invested a lot of time and effort (and a not insignificant amount of money), developing the PVLD website as a "virtual branch" of the library with library services available 24/7 from home or office.  I'm really proud of what our Digital Services team have accomplished in terms of the look and feel of the site, the shift from traditional "databases" to online services such as Value Line, Mango Languages, and Brainfuse, the use of tools like Wordpress blogs and Flickr to both deliver content and make it available via the wider web and not just the library website, and the inclusion of social networking concepts like user reviews and ratings and instant messaging.

And then today I read two blog posts by David Lee King that made me realize how far we still have to go!  The first post asks whether our online question-answering services discriminate against "a growing, younger, web-savvy customer base. Customers who *almost* have all the tools in place to simply ignore you and your grad-degreed, professional information-retrieval services. Especially if they are treated like second class customers when they ask a question using their preferred, and handy, means of communication." when we don't have easy fast ways for them to communicate with us and get timely responses via the web.

David lays out some terrific, but painful (because they hit close to home!) examples of how libraries do this - e.g. by allowing people to email in reference questions, but only committing to answer within 48 hours; by only providing online reference during "normal business hours", etc.  Ouch!  PVLD is guilty as charged -

We don't offer any email reference/question answering service other than via a generic "contact us" web form on our "Contact Us" page that goes to our webmaster regardless of the type of question...and we don't give any indication of how quickly questions submitted via that form will be answered.  My guess is it could be days given that the staff who check the page work mostly Monday to Friday!

In addition to the generic web form the "Contact Us" page gives people the option of emailing the Library Director, or emailing the "website".  Otherwise people can contact various library departments by telephone - definitely not the best option for a generation used to email and text-messaging.  Reviewing this page also made me realize why I get so many questions about overdue books emailed directly to me....I'm pretty much the only option for someone who wants to email a question!

We do offer a "Chat Service" on our home page, but its only available Monday-Thursday from  1-4PM (exactly the hours when our tech-savvy younger customers are in school), and when it's offline there is no obvious alternative way to contact the library.  No wonder it isn't used very much!


That bit of reflection was painful enough, and then I read this companion post on "Doin Stuff At the Library's Website" in which David lists some of the things you can do at the physical library and asks if you can also do them at the library website.  PVLD's website capabilities are noted in italics.

• check out a book  - yes, a limited selection of audio and e-books are available for online checkout, but the process is cumbersome and requires installation of special software
  
• read a book or magazine - books no, magazine articles yes via databases that aren't very easy to use
   
• take notes and do research - no notetaking capability via the website, you can do research using the library databases but it isn't intuitive or easy
  
• put a public PC on reserve for later - no - our software is capable but we only allow reservations to be made from kiosks within the library. Something to revisit.
  
• pester the reference librarian with questions  - see my comments above
  
• check stuff out when I’m done - apart from the downloadable audio and e-books, not really.  You can put things on hold, but you need to come to the library to get them.
   
• attend a training session or a fun program - again, not really.  You can learn a language using Mango Languages or get live homework help from Brainfuse but these aren't really "programs" in the sense David is talking about...we've talked about online video tutorials, webcasting story times, etc. but these remain future dreams

Again, Ouch!  Is our website a great resource - absolutely.  And we actually do offer some of the things David mentions further in his blog post -  you can browse large parts of our collection online, and we do offer RSS feeds - but to call the website a true "virtual branch" is an overstatement.

As I thought about this I realized that the problem is not with our Digital Services team - two guys who have way more on their plate than is reasonable, and who really get what it means to compete in the web 2.0 world.  The real issue is an entire library organization that (understandably given the roots of our profession) is built around delivering services within our buildings.  Interacting with customers online is treated as an "extra" ...something to do after we've made sure the reference desk is staffed, the physical collection is maintained, and the in-library programs are developed. 

While I absolutely believe that the physical library is both important and in no danger of becoming irrelevent any time soon, like David Lee King I also worry that if we don't find a way to stretch our resources to serve people as effectively using the Internet as we do in the library itself we run the risk of becoming irrelevant to new generations of potential customers.  I'd hate for the library to be having trouble like Borders is having at the same time its online competitor Amazon.com had its best holiday season ever.

This year PVLD will be creating a new 3-year strategic plan, and I can see that figuring out how to truly make our website a virtual branch without diminishing our physical library services is not only going to be essential, it's going to force us to rethink how we do almost everything we do.  Now there's a challenge for 2009!

Empathetic Signage

Two of our Young Readers Librarians also heard Daniel Pink speak at the recent California Library Association and were as taken as I was with the idea of "empathetic signage".  The Young Readers Department happens to be changing its operations to close their reference desk a few minutes before the library closes so they can assist with clearing the library, and CLA attendee Linda Flint saw an opportunity to create an empathetic sign to alert customers, based on the classic children's book Goodnight Moon :

Click here to see the sign - Download Goodnight Library_Rev(3)Flint 

Nice! 

Notes from CLA

I'm writing this from the California Library Association annual conference in San Jose. This year my conference schedule is full of meetings and committee work, so there hasn't been as much time to attend the actual sessions as I'd like.  I have seen and heard some things that I think are worth sharing though.  These are just somewhat random notes and thoughts -

• If the exhibition hall is any indicator, the fiscal challenges facing libraries are pretty severe.  There are fewer vendors than in previous years, and far fewer freebies and giveaways from those who are present.  There are also far fewer conference attendees in the exhibit hall, and the vendors are practically reaching out and grabbing people by the arm to get them to stop and talk.  Not a good sign!
• Carla Lehn of the California State Library and a representative of volunteermatch.org gave a very interesting overview of a new project to enhance the role of public libraries in supporting volunteerism in their communities.  They reiterated that the real challenge ahead is providing meaningful volunteer opportunities to Baby Boomers.  Currently aged 44-62 Boomers already volunteer at a higher rate than the previous generation did at the same age, but are looking for opportunities truly apply their skills and knowledge in their volunteer work.  They probably won't be satisfied with shelving books or setting out newspapers.   Interestingly, indications are that this trend will be amplified with Generations X and Y .
  
  There is already a nationwide shortage of "great opportunities to satisfy the demand for interesting, challenging volunteer work"  and libraries have a great opportunity to engage this new generation of volunteers, but we have to dramatically change how we use volunteers and get over our reluctance to have volunteers do more than the stuff staff doesn't want to do.  My own view is that management of volunteers will be a critical skill for future library leaders.
  
  Beyond more effectively engaging volunteers within the library, there is an opportunity for public libraries to become the "civic hub" of their community and provide the mechanisms to connect volunteers with volunteer opportunities both within and outside the library.  Volunteermatch.org looks like it might provide a great tool to help us achieve this.
• Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind among other books gave a fascinating presentation on trends that libraries need to pay attention to, followed by an interactive discussion led by my favorite library pundits Joan Frye Williams and George Needham.  I hadn't read A Whole New Mind, but plan to do so and will probably post more about the concepts later.  Today I'll limit myself to some of the practical ideas that were scattered throughout the conceptual discussions.
   
  I particularly appreciated Dan's pitch for "empathetic signage". Examples he gave included a sign above an electric hand-dryer in an airport restroom that said "We know - we hate them too, but they are the most environmentally-sound solution we could find"; a sign on a church lawn that says "Children Play Here.  Please pick up after your dog"; and a sign on the lawn of a military cemetary that says "Honor those who served.  Please do not step on the grass."
  
  During the "George and Joan" discussion members of the audience also shared some great ideas including putting a self-check machine in the children's area to make it easier for harried parents to check things out; having a Friday afternoon "happy hour" in the library with staff in aloha shirts, free refreshments for customers, and fun activities; and changing the employee recruitment process to include an element of play as a means of seeing how a candidate might behave in a culture that values teamwork and having fun.
• On a personal note, conference is a wonderful opportunity for me to reconnect with other library directors from across the state.  I have the pleasure of working with wonderful Trustees, staff, volunteers, and community members.  As wonderful as they are, however, sometimes it feels like only another library director really knows what my world is like.  The opportunity to talk with my peers is worth more to me than any of the conference sessions, and I am grateful that PVLD makes it  possible for me to be here.

And with that, I'm off to a meeting with our CLA lobbyists....

Customers are Real People!

PVLD, like most organizations, puts a lot of emphasis on customer service.  We try to hire people that have a service ethic, do customer service training, and under the leadership of Branch Manager Jennifer Addington, Customer Service/Circulation Manager Eve Wittenmyer, and Assistant Circulation Manager Melissa Little we're about to embark on a project to take our customer service to the next level.

I confess however, that sometimes I wonder whether we spend too much time working on systems and procedures, and lose sight of the fact that if we just treat our customers like we would want to be treated in the same situation we would be 99% of the way to providing truly outstanding customer service. 

Our Digital Library Services Manager, David Campbell, is really good at reminding us that we need to design our systems and procedures for the vast majority of people who do the right thing, not the tiny number who deliberately do the wrong thing....and most of the time we even listen to him!

That's why I appreciated finding a link on Seth Godin's blog to this post on the related Squidblog about remembering that "online people are real people"--it resonated with me, especially the following since it applies to real people everywhere, not just online -

Give people a break.
The break you probably deserve yourself.
People are out to do good, 99% of the time.
You probably are too.
Say thanks out loud and a lot.
Try making someone’s day.
Chances are they’ll make yours in return.

There you have it...customer service in 7short lines!

Changing Roles for the Reference Librarian

 A couple of weeks ago I came across this article by the Stephen Abram.  Stephen is the Vice President of Innovation at library technology vendor Sirsi Dynix, President of the Special Libraries Association, and one of those people who can be counted on to offer thought-provoking ideas about the future of our profession.

In the article Stephen offers a "Baker's Dozen of Scenarios" for the future of reference services, from maintaining the status quo (which he calls "a recipe for fossilization") through 11 ways that Reference Librarians can use their skills and capabilities to deliver differentiated value to the people and organizations they serve.  Some of the ideas (such as the "information commons") are not all that new, and some at first glance seem more applicable to the special or academic library setting ("embedded librarians'), but throughout there are some interesting and sometimes uncomfortable ideas for new service models.

I read the article with mixed feelings.  On the one hand I was pleased to note how many of these ideas we are already using at PVLD.  For example "partners in action" is about teaming up with schools to improve student performance, something we have been working with our School District to achieve for a number of years.  Our Twitter feed, Chatstat Instant Messaging Service, library tool bar, etc are all aimed at the "remote librarian" and "virtual librarian 2.0" models.

On the other hand, some of Stephen's comments hit uncomfortably close to home.  I think as a profession we have a long way to go before we (as Stephen puts it ) "decloak" -

"That is to say, that as professionals they will give their names — real names. They will have pictures of themselves on their pages. And, most importantly, they will have the confidence to state clearly the nature of their expertise. No more will libraries promote the generic, unnamed librarian as all for one and one for all — vanilla flavor only. If someone is the best in the system at genealogy, then find them — the same for storytelling, local history, business reference, and more. We then place ourselves in the spaces where our users are — the intranet, websites, SEOed on Google, Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Ning, and more. And we connect to other experts such as consumer health hotlines or poison control!

How many other professions hide behind their institutional identities without balancing it with individual professional and personal positioning? I can’t think of a single other profession that doesn’t invest heavily in the personal positioning of experts in addition to the professional branding. For us to succeed in the world of socially networked users, we must adapt to this new reality."

At PVLD we've moved some way towards having our staff be real, identifiable people (we all wear name tags with at least our first name or last name if not both, some of our employees have taken the brave step of having their pictures and/or profiles in our newsletter or on our blog, and we do have at least one librarian who is recognized by name in our community as an expertsin her field - Local History specialist Marjeanne Blinn), but we still tend to participate in online services and networks under pseudonyms and to treat the librarians as interchangeable when it comes to serving on the reference desk or even collection development.

We also have a ways to go in getting out from behind the reference desk to deliver service where our customers are - whether in the stacks, at a public computer workstation, or outside the library altogether.

All-in-all though it was nice to see the extent to which our staff have at least started to implement pieces of many of the models outlined in the article....and I know from conversations with other Library Directors that we are fortunate to have a staff that embraces change the way ours does.

Unattended Children

A little humor goes a long way!  Thank's to Stephanie Weaver of the Experienceology blog for sharing this gem.

Messages that warm a Library Director's heart

Its been pretty crazy around here lately between being short-staffed in some departments, heat-stressed customers, persistent computer issues....so it sure gave me a boost to get these messages over the past couple of days!

1.  From an email send to Circulation and Customer Service Manager Eve Wittenmyer - "the PV Library is so much better than the Redondo one" (it's not a competition, but it is nice feedback)

2.  From Yelp - another window decal to reflect the 5-star rating of the Peninsula Center Library

3.  A phone call from a volunteer Information Greeter tp tell me that a gentleman stopped by the Greeter desk to deliver effusive praise for our library.

4.  And this priceless email exchange between Assistant Circulation Manager Melissa Little and a customer showing what happens when serendipity meets great service -

From Melissa -

HI, (customer name) 

 

I wanted to let you know that we have Tape 3 of Noah Webster here at the library.  In a bit of synchronicity, I was at 24 Hour Fitness on PCH last night and found it in the drink holder on the elliptical trainer that I was going to use.  How fortunate is that.

 

It will be at the Circulation Desk if you have not finished listening to this cassette.  Or we can match it up when you return the item.  If you would bring it into the library rather than putting it into a drop, it would be very much appreciated.

 

Thanks for your patronage.

 

And from the customer in reply -

 

Dear Ms. Little,

Thank you so much for the e-mail and returning the tape. I would have noticed it today.  That's actually the best thing that's happened around here in a long time.  I wish you could follow me all the time at the gym.  Thank you so much again.  You'll be glad to know that I always brag about how nice the people who work at the Palos Verdes Library District are.  You've very nicely proved my point.

                                   Thank you so much,

 

 

Thank you to our fabulous staff for generating feedback like this!