library projects

Libraries: Scalable Projects and Ideas© 2012 Webbmedia Group, LLC http://www.webbmediagroup.com

Updated1.5.20121

LIBRARY PROJECTS

Scalable Projects and Ideas For Public Libraries


Updated1.5.20122

INTRODUCTION

Webbmedia Group worked with the Chicago Public Library to re-imagine a library for the future. One of our tasks was to develop a broad list of projects that could be implemented using a range of resources and time. Our goal was to harness technology for the purpose of:

• enabling libraries to have greater impact on their communities• engage with a wider range of patrons• cross-collaborate with other city/ county departments• bringing a more diverse group of people back in to the physical library

space for a variety of purposes• expanding the number of library supporters and sustainers• readying the libraries for change as the media landscape continues to

evolve

We developed an initial set of 70 di!erent projects. The CPL sta! selected 20 of those projects for us to outline. We drafted project descriptions using the following template:

• Description: short explanation of what the project is• Recommendations: why we advocate this project• Objectives: what a library can achieve with this project• Task Description: what steps need to be taken for this project• Beneficiaries: who, besides the library, will benefit from the project• Challenges: what known or potential obstacles are there• Partners: who could the library partner with to make this project work• Rating: how much time will the project take to plan and launch, how

much will it cost, and how many people will it impact

This report includes three of those projects. The can be scaled and replicated by any library.


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Project: Adopt a LibrarianProposal DescriptionLibraries are not places to get books; they are places to get information. In recent years, as more and more people get information through technology, and expect that their librarians are experiences with information technology. Furthermore, as Americans struggle in a down economy, many people look to the library as their only connection to technology. However, decreased budgets and sta! have led to a workforce that is unprepared to provide patrons with guidance around accessing and using technology. The Adopt-a-Librarian program will pair technology whizzes with branch librarians in a program that will keep librarians up to date on emerging technology trends.

RecommendationsLibraries should create a program where patrons who have experience with technology can “adopt” a librarian and mentor them on emerging technology trends. It is something of a reverse reference, giving librarians access to information they might otherwise not have. The technology mentors could visit the library once per month to meet with their adopted librarian in an “o"ce hours” like setting, demoing new products and tools, and answering questions that the librarian might have.

Objectives• Keep librarians up-to-date on emerging tech trends, giving them the tools

they need to serve their patron’s needs

• Create a broad community of technologists who are invested in and become strong supporters of the library

RationaleLibrarians need to stay up to date with emerging tech trends. It is a field that is always changing and adapting, and Libraries needs a systematic way of keeping librarians engaged in this world. Furthermore, Libraries need to build advocates and proxies within their local communities, and giving technologists a way to give back creates a strong bond between the individual and the agency.


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Task DescriptionsProgram Development

• Develop program timeline

• Prospective adoptive technologists enters the program each year

• Adoptive technologists (ATs) are provided with a packet of information about the library and its challenges

• ATs come into the library at least once a month to have an “o"ce hours” session with their librarian

• After each session ATs and librarians complete a feedback form

Beneficiaries

• Librarians who will better understand technology

• The patrons who they serve

• Libraries would have increased brand and fundraising potential

Challenges• Volunteer organizing takes at least a part time sta! person, which might be

di"cult to allocate given recent budget cuts

• Libraries may mitigate this challenge by creating an “adopt-a-librarian” kit that is distributed to branches that might want to take on the challenge

Partners

• Local technology firms• Google (local representative)• Facebook (local representative)• Twitter (local representative)• Microsoft• Local universities

RatingCost: $10k - $50k initially, then minimalTime: 3 monthsCommunity Impact: 3000+


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Project: Backstage Tours

Proposal DescriptionMost library patrons engage with the things we want them to see: our public buildings, books, records, computers, and workspaces. However, there is a whole other side to libraries that remains hidden to the general public, but which is of upmost interest to many. The library’s “backstage,” where books are stored and sorted is endlessly fascinating to many, particularly those in the technology and information sectors. Libraries should create a backstage tour to bring in high-profile technology and information leaders throughout their regions. This type of activity would help them better understand the complexities, challenges, and opportunities in running a large library system, provide them with networking opportunities with peers, and potentially turn them into library advocates.

RecommendationsLibraries should organize quarterly tours for members of the local technology elite. These tours will take approximately two hours, and end with a mini-reception in a big space within the library. The mini-reception will be a place to discuss what was learned as well as some of the challenges that Libraries face in implementing technology projects. These tours will have an element of exclusivity and intimacy, and build up a community of library proxies within the community’s technology elite.

ObjectivesTurn members of the technology community into library advocates, proxies, and financial supporters.

RationaleInternet entrepreneurs and librarians are in the same business: connecting people to information they want and need. Technologists are also very active online, and tend to have their own audiences. Building up supporters in this community could lead to advocacy for library services and direct and indirect financial support.


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Task DescriptionProgram Development

• Develop tour content• 2-3 hours• Experts describing the most interesting elements of “Backstage at the

Library”• Designate a sta! person to be a historian who can record and take

photos during the tours (doesn’t need to be a professional)• Designate a hashtag for the event• Create tour handouts• Develop mini-reception talking points• Develop training session for tour guides

Participation guidelines:• Each participant needs to write a blog post or tweet or take photos or

develop some kind of content related to their experience• Each participants should bring a guest – someone who is similarly awesome

in the technology space

Logistics:• Develop tour calendar (quarterly tours for a select group)• Develop Eventbrite to manage registration• Each person invited can come, but has to bring someone else in the tech

community with them• Develop form to collect feedback (use library computers so that participants

can get a sense of tech)

Marketing:• Develop press packet and social media content to promote the series of

Backstage Tours• Reach out to partners to promote the event (universities, etc)• At the end of the year, create a video using the content captured during the

tours

Beneficiaries!Your budget!Technology community!Senior leadership


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ChallengesOutreach to this community might be di"cult at the beginning of the project.

Partners• Librarians• Other local city/county/university departments

Rating Cost: $500 - $10kTime: 3 monthsCommunity Impact: 3000+


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Project: Geeks in Residence

Proposal DescriptionProvide access to shared workspace to local geeks and start up technologyentrepreneurs in exchange for time volunteered to train sta! and engage withpatrons.

Recommendations• Identify available space. Identify a library branch with available space that

can be dedicated to co-working for a selection of geeks. Start with one branch with the view to scale based on success.

• Identify geeks for the program. Create a nomination form where geeks can nominate themselves and others - requires references/recommendations. Use a digital platform to source nominations (eg. Google Doc and Forms). Cross promote with local media/social media.

ObjectivesEngages a new audience of tech savvy, entrepreneurial geeks to spend time in the library

• Creates a reciprocal arrangement of mentoring• Positions the library as a hub for ideas and engagement

RationaleAs information needs shift, it is important to start to position the library as a hub for geeks.

Task Descriptions• Identify available space. Identify a library branch with available space that

can be dedicated to co-working for a selection of geeks. Start with one branch with the view to scale based on success.

• Identify geeks for the program. Create a nomination form where geeks can nominate themselves and others - requires references/recommendations. Use a digital platform to source nominations (eg. Google Docs and Forms). Cross promote with local media/social media.


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Beneficiaries• Libraries sta!• Libraries patrons• Geeks and local tech entrepreneurs

Challenges• Identifying space• Sourcing geeks • Policing volunteering

Partners• O"ces of entrepreneurship/employment/labor• Local CTO o"ce• Local Universities

RatingCost: $500 - $10kTime: 3 monthsCommunity Impact: 500 - 1000 people


Updated1.5.201210

Contact Us

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About Webbmedia GroupWebbmedia Group, LLC is an international digital strategy consultancy that advises Fortune 500 and Global 1000 companies, media organizations, law firms, foundations, associations, governments, startups and universities worldwide. We study disruptive technologies and track the emerging digital trends that will prove most game-changing in the near and mid-future. We advise our clients on how to take best advantage of what's next, giving them critical insights and points of view to push them far ahead of their competition. The company is directed by Amy Webb, CEO.

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Headquartered in Baltimore, Webbmedia Group has team members in more than a dozen cities, including Miami, NYC and Kyiv (Ukraine). We also partner with BYO Consulting and iStrategy, community engagement firms that specialize in gaming and high-profile participatory events. Our virtualized o"ce and distributed platform allows Webbmedia Group to draw on a wide variety of disciplines to serve our worldwide client base. Members of our sta! are fluent in Spanish, Russian, Japanese, French and English.

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