Comments on: What Are You Most Interested In At The Moment? http://www.libraryman.com/blog/2009/04/15/what-are-you-most-interested-in-at-the-moment/ Libraries, Community, Technology and PEZ Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:30:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.2 By: Rob Carle http://www.libraryman.com/blog/2009/04/15/what-are-you-most-interested-in-at-the-moment/#comment-31505 Rob Carle Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:04:27 +0000 http://www.libraryman.com/blog/2009/04/15/what-are-you-most-interested-in-at-the-moment/#comment-31505 Wolfram | Alpha as a new reference source. This will be available in May and I can't wait until I see this work. For more on this: http://www.hplusmagazine.com/articles/ai/wolframalpha-searching-truth Wolfram | Alpha as a new reference source. This will be available in May and I can’t wait until I see this work.
For more on this:
http://www.hplusmagazine.com/articles/ai/wolframalpha-searching-truth

]]> By: Kathy Dempsey http://www.libraryman.com/blog/2009/04/15/what-are-you-most-interested-in-at-the-moment/#comment-30760 Kathy Dempsey Fri, 17 Apr 2009 23:46:45 +0000 http://www.libraryman.com/blog/2009/04/15/what-are-you-most-interested-in-at-the-moment/#comment-30760 Well Libraryman... our brains are in different places, but I'll chime in here anyway. Since I resigned from editing Computers in Libraries, I've been a lot less concerned w/ technology. not that it's not important! but I've now made more time to concentrate on my own library passion: marketing and promotion. I try not to let folks forget that, no matter what your library has and how great it is, you need to tell people about it! you gotta communicate your lib's greatness to different groups of people, always in ways that are appropriate to (that will be heard and digested by) each group. you know, target markets, communication channels, paying attention to customer needs, that whole thing. I don't know if this will fit into your friend's work at all, but I hope so. We in libraryland have to give up the "If you build it, they will come" mindset, b/c it's just not true. oh, sure, a few folks will always discover what you have, b/c they care and they're looking for it. (or b/c you've done great SEO) but what of the thousands that don't seek us out? It doesn't do any good to spend thousands on value-added info and cool technology and brilliant info professionals if they are not all employed and enjoyed to their fullest potential. To achieve that, librarians need to pay a lot more attention to solid marketing practices and serious promotional work. (this is not only to draw in patrons, but to create advocates, to win or keep funding, to educate board members, etc.) So that's what I'm most interested in now; that's what keeps me up at night. And (full disclosure:) that's what I've just written a book about. The best library projects might still fail w/o good marketing. It is the Alpha and the Omega... OK, not quite. now I'm just getting carried away. ;-> Well Libraryman… our brains are in different places, but I’ll chime in here anyway. Since I resigned from editing Computers in Libraries, I’ve been a lot less concerned w/ technology. not that it’s not important! but I’ve now made more time to concentrate on my own library passion: marketing and promotion.

I try not to let folks forget that, no matter what your library has and how great it is, you need to tell people about it! you gotta communicate your lib’s greatness to different groups of people, always in ways that are appropriate to (that will be heard and digested by) each group. you know, target markets, communication channels, paying attention to customer needs, that whole thing.

I don’t know if this will fit into your friend’s work at all, but I hope so. We in libraryland have to give up the “If you build it, they will come” mindset, b/c it’s just not true. oh, sure, a few folks will always discover what you have, b/c they care and they’re looking for it. (or b/c you’ve done great SEO) but what of the thousands that don’t seek us out? It doesn’t do any good to spend thousands on value-added info and cool technology and brilliant info professionals if they are not all employed and enjoyed to their fullest potential. To achieve that, librarians need to pay a lot more attention to solid marketing practices and serious promotional work. (this is not only to draw in patrons, but to create advocates, to win or keep funding, to educate board members, etc.)

So that’s what I’m most interested in now; that’s what keeps me up at night. And (full disclosure:) that’s what I’ve just written a book about. The best library projects might still fail w/o good marketing. It is the Alpha and the Omega…

OK, not quite. now I’m just getting carried away. ;->

]]>