33 priorities for engaged information & library services
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Despite terrific advances in some quarters, libraries, librarians, and library services are under threat, seriously underestimated and largely misunderstood. From my position as head of a modern, highly engaged and successful information and library service, this presentation details what I personally consider to be key priorities for libraries everywhere, in order to ensure that they are focusing on the right things, appreciated, and - more importantly - very well used.
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33 priorities for engaged information & library services
- 1. priorities for engaged forward-thinking information & library services Andy Priestner
- 2. Whatever we might think, 99% of people still think we just ‘Stamp, Shelve and Shhhh’ – we must seek to dispel traditional perceptions and expectations at every turn
- 3. We should be talking about the library as a boundary- less service rather than just as a physical space
- 4. However good a single act of apparently game- changing advocacy, the default view reasserts itself rapidly, so constant marketing is essential
- 5. We are living in ‘the age of the individual’ so we must respond with a highly tailored service
- 6. Our approaches to customer service must incorporate choice & flexibility, as they are now the expected norm
- 7. Users expect greater personal control, so where we can we must allow them to have that
- 8. Most users now expect to self-discover and will only ask for help when they are desperate – this is why we must be as visible and approachable as possible
- 9. We should be grabbing user attention with ‘wow’ images: ‘a picture tells a thousand words’
- 10. We can learn a lot from tabloid newspapers, in terms of content hooks and headlines
- 11. We need to be more realistic about attention spans and write more concisely than we are predisposed to
- 12. We need to get better at selling a few planets (relevant service components) rather than the whole galaxy (every possible service a user might need)
- 13. We should continue to develop true awareness of the real needs of our users rather than assuming that we know what they need
- 14. We should actively listen to our users at all times, providing as many opportunities as possible for feedback and discussion
- 15. We must target as much communication as we can to specific users/user groups and avoid generic emails
- 16. We should seek out and test new technology, developing a reputation as new media experts always in the know about ‘the next big thing’
- 17. We need to be present on each and every communication platform, as all the individual communities add up to our user base
- 18. We must offer seamless access to services wherever our users are and whatever device they’re on
- 19. Broadcasting does not lead to engagement but to users switching off – we must have conversations instead
- 20. We should regularly take statistics on everything, to offer proof of value and in readiness for factual defence of our services (the time WILL come)
- 21. We should constantly evaluate our activities, identify tasks that add no value and drop them
- 22. We should never be afraid to experiment - we must try new ideas, tools, and initiatives, even if we’re not initially sure of their relevance and value
- 23. As teaching preparation takes a long time, we should plan to repeat sessions, repurpose content and share it beyond the classroom
- 24. When we are teaching, we must tell stories in preference to delivering facts
- 25. We should promote end results and success, and avoid database names and library jargon
- 26. Our services should always be delivered at point of need, and at the user’s convenience not ours
- 27. • . Offering a responsive, agile service is key - it may create expectation, but it also creates engaged users
- 28. We need to ‘embrace the informal’ – if we dress too formally it promotes the impression of barriers and discourages interaction
- 29. Humour, fun and ‘cute’ start conversations that you wouldn’t otherwise have and also demonstrate our humanity, but we must keep the ratio in check
- 30. Our content should make an emotional connection with our users in order to foster learning, prompt them to think about us and engage with us more
- 31. We should always seek to innovate and improve our services, for the sake of our users and our reputation
- 32. We must seek to create ‘moments of truth’ when customers are delighted, ensuring their return (and ideally their advocacy)
- 33. We need to align our service with the goals and objectives of the institutions we work for and regularly demonstrate that we are aligned
- 34. Our number one priority should be spending time building relationships with our users