I fully intended to write a blog to follow up my Kiddie Cafe, but I ended up writing an article for OCLC's WebJunction website. You can read it here: http://webjunction.org/news/webjunction/ifought-the-ipads-and-iwon.html or watch for it in their April newsletter the Crossroads. I will work on a follow up article that will share more personal tales of working with the children and parents as well as deciding apps.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. If I even help one person from the frustration I felt when trying to set up an iPad on display from out of the box, it was well worth it.
Showing posts with label libraries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label libraries. Show all posts
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Appy iPads: Kiddie Café
The project I manage for
months began with a desire to replace a kinderloft. To replace a much
beloved, but non practical, structure with something children would
enjoy just as much. I volunteered for the project because I wanted to
get rid of the kinderloft
and I enjoyed working on the reference floor reconfiguration. Using
some of my knowledge gained from my child development degree was a nice
bonus.
Although it seemed like it would be an easy project it seemed to take on a life of its own. I ended up working with vendors and companies, several different library departments, and learning to roll with changes which included complications, timing for signs and staff, budgets, and more that was unpredictable.
It took me awhile to figure out what to do for the children's area and I asked staff for their opinions. I wanted to make sure I knew what the problems we already had for the youth services area and what improvements we could easily make. One practical solution was to set up a space that was a little bit bigger just for children. And another concern was that we wanted to include a Wii station for teens, but wondered where the best place to put it would be. I learned a lot from this project especially to be patient, to seek the advice of others to gain knowledge, but in the end hard decisions must be made with the best information possible.
Although I have worked with vendors and companies before, this is first time I was able to contact and get pricing for items as a staff member working for Rapid City Public Libraries. I enjoyed picking out individual pieces and figuring out what additions we could add to excite children. Our staff was very excited to see a change but at one point there was a thought to put in large steps. The step idea had staff wonder about concerns whether or not it would be too loud, how much it would cost, or if it was even practical at all. The steps were then surely scrapped and a better idea emerged- kiddie cafe.
An idea sprang about from a co-worker's recent visit to an urgent care clinic. There at the clinic were iPads for children to use while they waited. Once this idea came together I was able to work quickly with facilities and a contractor. It was amazing to see ideas I drew on paper come to life. The finished product was even better than I imagined. Children loved the wall desk even before we put in iPads.
The next phase after getting the iPads was setting them up. I'll continue my story soon with iFought the iPads and end with stands and displays.
Although it seemed like it would be an easy project it seemed to take on a life of its own. I ended up working with vendors and companies, several different library departments, and learning to roll with changes which included complications, timing for signs and staff, budgets, and more that was unpredictable.
It took me awhile to figure out what to do for the children's area and I asked staff for their opinions. I wanted to make sure I knew what the problems we already had for the youth services area and what improvements we could easily make. One practical solution was to set up a space that was a little bit bigger just for children. And another concern was that we wanted to include a Wii station for teens, but wondered where the best place to put it would be. I learned a lot from this project especially to be patient, to seek the advice of others to gain knowledge, but in the end hard decisions must be made with the best information possible.
Although I have worked with vendors and companies before, this is first time I was able to contact and get pricing for items as a staff member working for Rapid City Public Libraries. I enjoyed picking out individual pieces and figuring out what additions we could add to excite children. Our staff was very excited to see a change but at one point there was a thought to put in large steps. The step idea had staff wonder about concerns whether or not it would be too loud, how much it would cost, or if it was even practical at all. The steps were then surely scrapped and a better idea emerged- kiddie cafe.
An idea sprang about from a co-worker's recent visit to an urgent care clinic. There at the clinic were iPads for children to use while they waited. Once this idea came together I was able to work quickly with facilities and a contractor. It was amazing to see ideas I drew on paper come to life. The finished product was even better than I imagined. Children loved the wall desk even before we put in iPads.
The next phase after getting the iPads was setting them up. I'll continue my story soon with iFought the iPads and end with stands and displays.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
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:
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.
20 Ways Libraries Are Using Pinterest Right Now by edudemic.com.
In Defense of Pinterest by Wired.com
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."
Pinterest for Business (Pinterest Board for statistics)
Use Pinterest to Promote Your Programs And Services by Library Journal.
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