Pin Addiction = Great Marketing

Back in April I posted a blog about Pinterest when my co-workers introduced me to it. After taking a look at the library's account, I decided I would like my own account. Since then I realized that posting to Pinterest is not only addicting but as a librarian it can be a marketing and self-promotion gold mine. Plus, it is a nice resume builder.

For example, I posted the following pin in June:

Since that time, you can see how many likes, repins, and comment it has created. This one pin might have brought people to look at my Pinterest account, but people started following the board it was posted in because of my hard work. I created the Paranormal Kind of Love- Teen/YA Readers board after my blog post of the same name. So from the beginning I had a nice list of books, however; if I wanted people to come back to my board I needed to continue to add new posts. 

• Tip*- My personal secret on finding books for selecting purchases is Barnes and Noble, but if I want to stay up-to-date with current books before they hit Barnes and Noble I use goodreads.com. Rapid City Public Library already has goodreads to help show their user reviews (which appear while viewing item records in our catalog).

Another thing I have learned from using Pinterest is that as great as blogs are they are a time consuming- unless you are someone who posts often. Which I personally find is not easy to do with two full-time jobs (librarian by day, devoted mother by night and weekends). I can pin 2-5 items a day and that seems to satisfy the Pinterest main websites categories to keep my account visible enough. Not to mention the crazy Twilight pin that started out silently, but averages 100 new repins a week. 

• Warning: Do NOT forget to select what kind of category your board should be listed under, that won't make the searches as affective. I learned this when I hardly had anyone looking at my boards.

Now that you see it from an individual point of view, let's look at things from a group/organization view point:

Pins + Public Interest = Followers. 

Basic principle but true. By working together the staff at RCPL went from the following numbers on April 5, 2012:

16 Boards

327 Pins

12 Likes

134 Followers

and 186 Following. 

To the current numbers (as of 11pm November 14, 2012):

35 Boards

1,009 Pins

48 Likes

441 Followers

and 257 Following.

• Tip*- Number of "Likes"? Not important. Number of "Following" does not need to be high to be impressive. 
• The truth that can be found in the statistics is how many new followers you have and WHO those followers are. If you have a Pinterest account, go ahead and see how many people you know. Now look and see how many are companies (libraries, groups, etc.) and how many people are unique users that you do not know (or affiliated with you in some manner). If you have any in the latter rather than the former, you are doing great. If not, try looking at this article on what website can help you better understand your Pinterest account. 

Let us not forget the important topic of self-promotion. Whether you are an individual user or a group using the same account, a successful Pinterest account can (in my opinion) only be seen as an asset. Pictures do circulate without the users caring where the original website the image was taken from (beware of malware, viruses, or inappropriate content). Yet, if you are using Pinterest for self-promotion you need to utilize where the pin's attached link takes the users.

For example, RCPL will post an image with a little information about the item. To give users the added value, RCPL staff does not link to a Google image search or a book store, we link directly to the catalog so that the users can place a hold on the item. People are very visually oriented, and as eBooks and downloadable audiobooks become even more popular a patron would like to see the below image, instead of just a name of the book and the author(s).

Tip*- Don't just pin to books or images- Be Creative!

• Share videos of a librarian reading a story or videos doing product comparisons.
• Honor your local businesses and show what they have to offer.
• Advertise events and programs that take the user to link that provide more information (Omaha Public Library has a wonderful board dedicated to this).
• Archive or present historical information that should be saved for future generations.
• And don't forget to search for other important companies/groups that are already on Pinterest: Consumer Reports, American Libraries Magazine- ALA, New York Public Library, SOS Inc Resources, and Coach, Inc. to name a few. Not only might they offer great pins to share, but give you a look as to what they are doing with their Pinterest account.

I am glad I have the opportunity to pin for Rapid City Public Libraries and the Black Hills Knowledge Network. Otherwise, I wouldn't have learn the above information. While the first year on the job is supposed to be the hardest I feel like I have learned much more. Perhaps something I can carry on through the rest of my life. This is just a hint to my next blog posting. I promise it won't take as long as it did for this one.

Please let me know of any comments, questions, and suggestions. I believe the best way to learn is through communication and shared experiences. Thanks for reading!

For more information:

10 Amazing Pinterest Tools To Help You Get The Best Out Of It by smashinghub.com.

http://smashinghub.com/10-amazing-pinterest-tools.htm

20 Ways Libraries Are Using Pinterest Right Now by edudemic.com.

http://edudemic.com/2012/03/20-ways-libraries-are-using-pinterest-right-now/

In Defense of Pinterest by Wired.com

http://www.wired.com/design/2012/10/st_thompson/

Pinterest and Academia

Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) webcast 9/18/12. http://www.slideshare.net/joseph.murphy/pinterest-for-academic-libraries-webcast-murphy-acrl

Pinterest for Business- "We are cataloging and archiving everything we can find that will help grow your business with Pinterest."

http://pinterest.com/pinterestbiz/

Pinterest for Business (Pinterest Board for statistics)

http://pinterest.com/pinterestbiz/pinterest-statistics/

Use Pinterest to Promote Your Programs And Services by Library Journal.

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2012/02/industry-news/use-pinterest-to-promote-your-programs-and-services/

What's Your (QR) Code?

QR (quick response) codes are becoming more popular and though it might appear only as a trend, the information it provides are quickly becoming an essential part of life for this social media era. Unlike classic bar codes that are restricted to only 20 numeric digits, QR codes are matrix barcodes and can contain thousands of alphabetic and numeric characters. Other names for QR codes include “2d codes, 2d barcodes, or mobile codes” (November 2010 College & Research Libraries News vol. 71 no. 10, pgs 526-530). The Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) article continues,

“The QR code typically appears as a small white square with black geometric shapes, though colored and even branded QR codes are now being used. QR codes can hold much more information than a regular barcode. The information encoded in a QR code can be a URL, a phone number, an SMS message, a V-card, or any text. They are referred to as QR because they allow the contents to be decoded at high speed. QR codes were developed in 1994 by Denso-Wave, a Toyota subsidiary.”

For an easy to understand video, please visit: Common Craft (unfortunately I am unable to add this directly to my blog, as this is becoming a membership website). When learning a new topic I personally like how Common Craft is able to explain in a quick and simple manner. If you would prefer a YouTube video, please use the following link: http://youtu.be/wmak6uKxr2M to watch the University of Nebraska Omaha Criss Library explanation (1:20 minutes in length).

Library Success: A Best Practices Wiki provides a list of ways libraries are implementing QR codes at libraries. Below is a list created in the College & Research Libraries News  article previously mentioned. (Please refer back to Library Success Wiki to find the correlating link to the below examples).

• Library exhibits that include a QR code link to songs, videos, Web sites, surveys, contests, etc. or other information that augments the exhibits.
• Codes in the library stacks/end caps or magazine/journal areas that point to online electronic holdings of print materials or related subject guides.
• Linking to library audio tours for orientations.
• Code added to print handouts for additional information on mobile friendly sites.
• QR code with text that loads the library’s text message reference service and other contact information into the patron’s phone.
• Art shows or permanent art in libraries with a QR code linking to the artists’ Web sites.
• In catalog records to offer patrons basic info about an item, including the location and call number. Users can scan the code and head to the stacks rather than writing or printing.
• Taped to video/DVD cases, linking to mobile-friendly video trailers.
• Code placed on staff directory pages and research guides that go to mobile friendly sites for later reference.
• Code placed on audio book cases for author interviews or books for reviews.
• Code placed on study room doors connecting to room reservation forms.
• Library video tutorials—individual videos or create a QR code to a YouTube playlists of videos, which create a great mobile home screen app that can be saved for easy access, as needed.

More Information:

Keremer Kan- QR Code and 2D Code Generator

“This page is an online two dimensional code generator which is written in PHP. It can generate QR Code, Data Matrix, Aztec Code and Micro QR Code for the time being. Because QR Code is much more popular than the other code formats, it is separately named in the page title. If you need more information on two dimensional bar code systems, I strongly suggest that you take a look at Roger Smolski‘s comprehensive blog on QR Code and two dimensional bar codes. Also you should check out John Hopkins‘s extensive iPhone QR Code reader roundup. Lastly, if you would like to help a student with his university expenses, you can try Michael Schade‘s QR Business Cards service.”

Examples of QR Codes in use:

15 Beautiful and Creative QR Codes [PICS] by Mashable Tech.

Business Cards by Library Scenester (and what information should be on the cards).

Campus News Updates at University of Pennsylvania.

For Teachers in Classrooms, article by The Daring Librarian.

Help in Museum. Wikipedia Launches QR Code Creation Service to Assist Museum Visitors, article by

PanARMENIAN.Net.

Virginia Tech's Newman Library, Rebecca K. Miller’s blog, explaining QR codes and offering her office hours by code.

How-to:

A Quick Guide to Creating Library QR Codes by iLibrarian.

Q&A: Make a Quick QR Code by New York Times.

How QR Codes Can Grow Your Business by Social Media Examiner (QR Codes 101).

Make Links to Your Website from Anywhere by Gigaom (QR Codes 101).

Make a Google Favorite Place.

Print QR codes on Everything (for Marketing and Advertising): http://www.qrstuff.com/.

Create QR Codes for Free

http://myqr.co/ (Can make two toned QR Codes, like the one located on my blog).

“Paste any URL into the box below. myQR will shorten it, and display your QR code in the box to the right. Create QR codes for your Facebook profile, your LinkedIn page, or any other website you can think of.”

http://qrcode.kaywa.com/ (Choose Content type, URL, and size for code).

http://www.qrstuff.com/ (Select: Data type, text, and background color for free. Other printing options available for a fee).

 “Not everyone is happy with just being able to create a puny little GIF file that's only good for pinning to a web page, so we've extended the possibilities to include handy ways to get your QR Code out into the "real world" where it can actually work for you:

• Generate QR Codes in printable formats - either a single code or as an array of codes - and then you print them out yourself.
• Generate a QR Code and then email it to someone.
• Generate QR Codes that are good enough to use as artwork for a t-shirt and allow you to actually buy the shirt with your custom QR Code on it via the Zazzle print-on-demand website.
• Generate unlimited numbers of high resolution QR Code artwork files for graphic design use at up to 25.4cm (10 inches) at 300dpi by opening a subscription account. More info about subscriptions here.

 Generate unlimited numbers of high resolution QR Code artwork files for graphic design use at up to 25.4cm (10 inches) at 300dpi by opening a subscription account. More info about subscriptions here.”

http://quikqr.com/

“Quikqr is a free QR code generator with added cool bits. Once you have generated your code you can save it, print it, email it, share it with your friends or make fun things like t-shirts and Moo cards. Quikqr is totally free and you don't need to sign in.”

http://www.qurify.com/en/

“How to make a QR Code?

                                                1. Type your message

                                                2. Click "Qurify!" to qurify the message.

                                                3. Download the QR Code image.

                                    4. QR Code Done!”

Readers

QR code Readers Explained: http://2d-code.co.uk/qr-code-readers/

Library Certificates & Library Education

After receiving my Library Certificate (Level 2- Professional) from the Library of Michigan and the Michigan Department of Education, I wondered if there was a National Librarian Certification. I’ve quoted a brief understanding of this link below. Unfortunately, there is not an overall librarian certificate at a national level (without specializing), but I did find other options that I thought I would share.

The American Library Association- Allied Professional Association provides two certificates, the first is the Certified Public Library Administrator(CPLA). The second is for those who only have a high school degree (or equivalent) and have “worked (paid or unpaid) in Libraries for at least one year” and is called the Library Support Staff Certification Program (LSSC). Further information about certificates can be found on this ALA-APA webpage, which includes State/Regional Certifications (primarily for public library staff). This last link is important as it gives you an idea of the differences between states (for example: range of price (free in Michigan), whether mandatory or voluntary, etc).

History of why there is no National Librarian Certification:

“In 2006, the American Library Association–Allied Professional Association is launching its first national certification, for public librarians who have three or more years of supervisory experience. The goal of the Certified Public Library Administrator (CPLA) program is to improve the quality of library service through the provision of practical knowledge and skills essential to successful library management.”

Some Organizations that do have certificates (may require fees).

From the ALA-APA website:

“Organizations listed below have issued formal statements about their views on certification for the profession:

·       American Association of School Librarians (AASL)

·       Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL)

·       American Library Association (ALA)

·       Library and Information Studies Education and Human Resource Utilization Statement (LEPU)

·       Library Support Staff Interests Round Table (ALA)

·       Medical Library Association Academy of Health Information Professionals (AHIP)

·       Special Library Association (SLA)“

Another resource for those seeking information about School Library Media Certification by State provided by School Library Monthly. 

Although this post is mostly for those who already have their Master’s degree, do not give up if you do not. The Library of Michigan offers several levels of certificates, the lowest levels require a workshop to be completed.

When choosing to receive a Librarian degree, make sure to receive on that is ALA approved as most employers require this when applying.

Here is the link to ALA approved schools:

General Information

Directory

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)