October 2008 Archives

Here are a couple of interesting takes on branding that might inspire some thoughts on how we can effectively brand and market the Libraries.  The first comments on how web 2.0 is making an impact on what people buy, while the second discusses how the brain actually reacts to branding.

1. Tom Smith explores how Web 2.0 is impacting consumer purchases in the report, When did we Start Trusting Strangers, which is available from a synopsis of the report, Study: Social Media Transforming our Influences on What to Buy.  Equally intriguing are Tasha Saecker's comments about the article and what that means to libraries in her blog post, Word of Mouth becomes Word of Tweet.

2. The Fast Company article, Buy.ology: Why we Buy What We Do,  discusses some of the results found by Martin Lindstrom, who researches branding by studying the brain. 

Virtual Reference is getting a face lift at many institutions and librarians are starting to take notice of the fact that students are constantly using their cell phones for texting.

Here are some examples:
California State University Monterey Bay
University of Pittsburgh
Southeastern Louisiana University
College of Charleston

Technology that can be used to create a texting service:
Text A Librarian (fee)
Digsby
txtDrop
Pidgin

For unique ways of using texting to market the library see the Library Bytes Blog.

Please see the note below from the WebOPAC committee and then share your feedback with them. Currently these changes will be for the University Libraries scope (red version of the current Library Catalog).  If you have any questions you can contact Kristen Costello, Chair of the WebOPAC working group.

The WebOPAC Committee is going through the process of updating the look of the template for the WebOPAC. We recently conducted a side-by-side poll which generated a great number of patron responses, and we want to give those faculty and staff who haven't responded already another chance to weigh in.  Results from the previous poll can be found on the news blog. Keep in mind that this face-lift does not affect any underlying function or features and that the exact same content will be returned from both interfaces.

Please visit the following link to send us your feedback about which template you prefer.  Extra comments are always appreciated!  If you've already voted during the public poll, you don't have to vote again.  

You are also invited to save the date for Nov 14 at 2pm in Amargosa. The WebOPAC Committee will host a live demonstration of the template followed by a question and answer session.  We will send out the link to the interface prototype a week prior to this demonstration. We will be asking for your help in testing this interface to make sure it functions smoothly for everyone's needs!

In addition to your feedback, The WebOPAC committee and WDS would like to offer their services to assist any content providers who may want to update their materials that relate to the WebOPAC. If you have documents relating to the WebOPAC that will need updating, please contact Kee Choi (kee.choi@unlv.edu). We would like to compile a complete list of documentation that needs updating, and then proceed to update those documents in a systematic way. This will allow us to launch new documentation along with our new interface, providing the best experience for our patrons.

Thanks for your time, participation, and feedback!

The WebOPAC Committee

More and more libraries are creating contests to get students engaged with the library and for marketing.  Here are some examples:

MSU Libraries Digital Videos Contest
Library System of Lancaster County  Laugh Out Loud @ Your Library Contest
Perkins Library Contest Rules and 2008 Winner
Cornell's Book Collection Contest
College of DuPage Picture Your Library
Eastern Washinton University "Make Your Mark" Bookmark Contest

This blog post from A Wandering Eyre is only loosely related to technology, but it relates quite well to the discussion at the last faculty meeting about how we are perceived as librarians on campus.  How much is our organization valued for more than just being a repository for books?

This Code4Lib article takes a look at the creation of LibraryH3lp  at several libraries in North Carolina and provides background of how virtual reference services have progressed over the years.  Note how successfully they increased chat (300%) when they added a widget to their web pages and that even before the new LibraryH3lp was unveiled. What could a widget do for online reference at UNLV?

The New York Times brings us simple tips to make computing easier.

An excerpt from a Fast Company article: How Innovation Led HTC to the Dream

"The way to get a great idea is to have many ideas. By definition, most of your ideas will fail. You want to be able to generate ideas very fast, very cheaply and fail very often but at very low cost."

How can the Libraries create a model to support this type of idea generation?  Would it lead to greater success?

The Movers and Shakers of the library world talk about what organizations can do to encourage creativity and innovation: http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6598080.html