CIL2010: Building Communities & Engaging Clients

Social Networking in a Work Group
Nancy Linwood DuPont

Information and computing technologies, the IT and research (library) branch, as such they are able to work with Social Networking to help keep people together and to properly use the networks. While they found people acting responsibly, there were definite cultural and generational differences.

(Slide content) Need to create a community: Build a global community and demonstrate the business value of social networking for communication.

(Slide content) Librarians role: Help implement best practices in Knowledge Management and Define taxonomy and structure for the community.

Pilot project (50 people) indicated there were needs for computer upgrades, training problems due to geographic areas and skill sets of users, and a lack of joint projects to facilitate building the communities. They did not see what purpose it served, "what's in it for me?"

Project is still in place, but changes have been made including identification of team projects, smaller roll-out, and an upgrade to software being used. What they learned (slide content):

• Teams need to have a business need to form collaborative communities
• Work groups need commitment from leadership

Marketing Journal: An "ant's eye" View of Library Marketing
Mimi Vollstedt, Law Librarian, U.S. Department of Justice
Melanie Michaelson, Law Librarian, U.S. Department of Justice

Project inspired by the movie Julie and Julie, they kept a journal through a year's worth of marketing in their DOJ (9) libraries. They wanted to "get the word out" as in some cases their patrons do not even know where the library is - or who the librarians are. Each library serves a different purpose and is charged with different reference duties; each division has it's own intranet. There are technology issues due to concerns with proprietary information.

1. Marketing vs Promotion
   Flyer's, table tents, handouts, bookmarks, info wrapped in Hershey's Kisses, and post-it notes to promote their library. After researching, they learned they were doing only 1/2 the job. They created a brand: Marketing+Outreach=Promotion or M.O.P. Committee and spent time branding and working with staff and patrons/users. It is a hidden marketing, finding a way to promote the library inside and outside the library.
   
2. A New Mindset
   Learning who users are and what they want as well as marketing to staff. Provide opportunity for staff to contribute to the M.O.P. Committee
   
3. Pull Information into the Library
   Get to know your targets! They determined a target would be new hires and train them in library use, something they would take with them throughout their careers. Started with a quick growing division and asked to do a presentation for them. Librarians needed to learn what the attorneys were doing before promoted what they could offer. Created a virtual pathfinder (internal) to help guide users.

Understand your competition, why use the library and not Google? They broke the task into smaller "chunks" and "stayed focused on what works for you."

Efforts are continuing to pull information "in" to the library; posters for National Library Week were already created. They are looking at digital efforts to collect more information. Why? They are looking to build the role of the librarian and move beyond the traditional reference desk.