Communicating the Value of Libraries and the Library Profession

1. Communicating the Value of Libraries and the Library Profession Paper for presentation at the Bicol Regional Librarians’ Council, December 20, 2011 Mila M. Ramos Member, Board for Librarians Library Consultant

2. Overview • Importance of Values • The current scenario and the challenge of identifying the value of the profession • The Value of libraries and librarians • The need to communicate the value of libraries: measuring ROI • Marketing strategies: creating a better perception of your Library • Tools that may help to communicate the value of our profession

3. Importance of Values We need to have a clear concept of values because they are the standards by which we can: • assess the relevance of what we do • measure how near or how far we from accomplishing our objectives; and • compare our actions and our statusto others and to the ideals represented by our profession. Source: Gorman, M. Value and values of libraries. http://mg.csufresno.edu/papers/Value_and_Values_of_Libraries.pdf

4. The current scenario (sad but true)…. hurdles to be faced with urgency • Your library is no longer the sole information source in your locality/organization. • Yours may not even be the only library there because the Web offers access to many libraries. • E-resources on the Web alter the way current users access information.

5. A Broader Mission of Libraries “To improve society through facilitating knowledge creation in their communities.” - Robert David Lankes. 2011. Atlas of New Librarianship. MIT Press.

6. The Challenge of identifying and communicating value • Librarians have more complex roles now • In the past, collecting usage statistics was enough, but these metrics do not show how the Library contributes to the overall mission of the organization

7. Other Challenges • The Library needs to be clearly positioned within the overall mission of the organization. • There is a need to justify a library’s existence; ROI need to be measured.

8. The Internet Challenge Some Internet Usage Data Updates/Posts : • Facebook status updates: 700 per second • Twitter tweets: 600 per second • Buzz posts: 55 per second And searches : • Google: 34,000 searches per second • Yahoo: 3,200 searches per second • Bing: 927 searches per second Source:By The Numbers: Twitter Vs. Facebook Vs. Google Buzz Feb 23, 2010 by Matt McGee http://searchengineland.com/by-the-numbers-twitter-vs- facebook-vs-google-buzz-36709

10. ASIA INTERNET USAGE AND POPULATION, June 30, 2011

11. Value of the Library Profession 1. Creation and maintenance of a democratic, interactive space, virtual or traditional, conducive to imparting literacy for people of all ages and walks of life. 2. Stewardship of knowledge: preservation for future generations

12. Value of the Library Profession 4. Imparting Information Literacy to Users a. live library orientations/lectures b. online orientation using Skype, YouTube, Facebook, or SlideShare c. better searching techniques 5. Capacity to “make sense” out of the Internet a. Easing the “information overload” b. Filtering/selection of relevant electronic information sources

13. More Values 3. Organization and Repackaging of knowledge a. cataloging/indexing of electronic resources b. create lists of subject- specific bibliographies 4. Research/Decision-making Support 5. Link to Information =Knowledge sharing = Making information accessible

14. Most Important of all : the priceless human touch of librarians The interface between a librarian and clients is priceless. There is nothing better than a library with a smiling librarian ready to assist readers. Patrons who seek help in selecting a good book could use online reviews, but nothing beats these approaches: ‘Try this one, I’ve read it and I think you’ll like it approach.” or when literature searching “Try using this database, you’ll find it very useful.”

15. A Clear Demonstration of the Value of the Library Profession: IncreasingJob Opportunities for Librarians

16. The Value of the Library Profession has been the Subject for Research One example is SLA’s 2 year Alignment Project which aims to establish and communicate the core identity and value of the information profession and information professionals, which can be read at: http://www.sla.org/content/SLA/alignment/index.cfm

17. What is Alignment? • Focus and cohesion around who you are, what you do, and what you deliver • Communicating with clarity, credibility, and consistency about your value Source:http://www.sla.org/PDFs/alignment/SLA_presentation_ddV12.pdf

18. Why must we align? • Hiring officers do not fully understand the role and value of information professionals • Information science now spans a wider range of career paths beyond traditional librarians and information providers • Information professionals must align their value and contributions with the strategic goals of the organizations • Information professionals must change their professional communications and words to align with their audience or employers Source:http://www.sla.org/PDFs/alignment/SLA_presentation_ddV12.pdf

19. What can Alignment Achieve? •Reveal the identity and the value of the information professional •Clear, compelling communication of the role and value of information professionals • Stronger recognition of information professionals in the marketplace and among employers Source:http://www.sla.org/PDFs/alignment/SLA_presentation_ddV12.pdf

20. Key findings of the SLA study Value of the Information Professional • Make resources available in a timely, convenient, and secure manner - 50% • Create culture of continuous learning- 45% • Save time and money - 40% • Facilitate good decision making - 38% • Provide expert analysis - 36 %

21. Are we convinced Librarians Still Matter in the Digital Age? • If you answer yes, then you definitely recognize the need to communicate the value of your libraries to Management and other stakeholders • If you answer No, then you probably must be ready to take the trip to obsolescence.

22. We must act fast to create awareness of our value • Academic and special libraries in the country often have better-than-Web resources and personalized assistance, but does your community know? • Are you reaching everyone who could use your services and offering the right services? • What's the best way to find out? • What resources and services do users in your community actually want and have you asked lately? • Marketing helps answer these questions!

23. Communicating value is urgent In meaningful ways communicating the Library’s value is imperative for survival The problem is how?

24. There are ways to measure ROI (Source: Tenopir, 2009) • 1. Measuring usage through usage logs or vendor reports (typical method, but not enough) • 2. Measuring the library’s purpose and value through surveys that measure purpose and value of use – e.g. how often do you use the collection? What is the purpose of your coming to the Library?

25. More ways to Measure ROI • 3. Measuring perceived value through surveys or interviews or oral or written testimonials – what users think about or say about the service, e. g. asking “How has access to electronic resources available over the university computer network and/or from the university library changed the way you work? Please comment.” • 4. Calculating ROI using budget, income, and survey data – Budget-Grant comparison; Number of project proposals accepted (with citations gathered from the Library) (Tenopir, 2009)

26. You may also use a Library Value Calculator

28. Adding electronic content is not enough • Librarians need to be active participants in the organization rather than just passive sources of information • They need to drive users to their content rather than let them come to it. Follow the catchphrase “Go where the users are” • The positive results of a user survey (although difficult to obtain) provide evidence that the library is aligned with organizational goals (Check out SurveyMonkey from the WWW)

29. What else can we do to create awareness of library’s content? • Work towards improving clients’ information literacy and skills so they can use e-resources • Partner with other units in the organization to improve information searching and retrieving skills

30. Promotion Strategies Successful libraries develop a variety of creative and innovative promotion strategies such as : • positive public relations (verbal and non-verbal behavior towards clients) • seek out a champion for support • eye-catching announcements/displays (posters, billboards, t-shirts, penants, bookmarks, etc.) • well-designed publications (e.g. articles, flyers and newsletters) • interactive web sites (Library web sites; search interfaces, ets.)

31. More strategies • aggressive advocacy, advertising (lectures; newspaper ads, etc.) • book exhibits/sales • friends’ groups • contests

32. Internet-Based Strategies • Blogs • Wikis • Podcasts - multimedia digital files made available on the Internet for downloading to a portable media player, computer, etc • and other social networking technologies, e.g. Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Google Buzz, etc.

33. An Effective But Normally Ignored Tool Knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff members are also great promotion tools!

34. The Way Forward : Creating Awareness/Marketing Pays off Marketing is about changing perceptions about the Library: yours and theirs. The Library must be viewed an asset and not as a cost or expense center • Justify the funds invested by Management to the Library. • Look for opportunities for collaboration with other units within the organization to fill information needs and train their staff in using available resources

35. “Let the Sun Shine on your E-Resources” Janice Lechance, SLA CEO • Electronic Resources are useless if users are not aware that they are within reach • Getting the word out about e-resources pays off in many ways • Value is created each time someone uses them

36. Marketing the Library Training Module at http://www.olc.org/marketing/1intro.htm

37. Blog Site on Library Marketing

38. E-book on Library Marketing http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/marketing/ParticipantManual.pdf

39. Marketing the Library web site http://www.librarysupportstaff.com/marketinglibs.html

40. Public Library Toolbox at http://cis.washington.edu/usimpact/toolbox.html

41. E-book on the Value of Academic Libraries at http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/value/val_bibliography.pdf

42. Literature on The Value of Special Libraries

43. An Urgent Challenge • Librarians are aware of the value of the profession but …. awareness must be directed towards stakeholders • They need to be convinced that the Library gives value in exchange for the budget allocated by Management • Communicating value is a must and this should be sustained • There is no surefire effective strategy for letting people know about the library’s value. There are many options. We can use as many as we can and continue using those that prove to be effective.

44. “I believe that librarians are a noble and vital part of society and that the future of librarianship is bright – but not if we continually see ourselves as centered on artifacts and behind institutional walls and waiting to help.” -R. David Lankes

45. Thank you.

46. References • Establishing Value and ROI: Investing in STM e-journals and e-books http://www.springer.com/librarians/solutions+for+industry?SGWID=1-40475-12-700104-0 • Gorman, M. 2002.The value and values of libraries. Paper delivered at “Celebration of Libraries” Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford, Sept. 20, 2002. http://mg.csufresno.edu/papers/Value_and_Values_of_Libraries.pdf • Landgraf, G. 2011. 10 Ways Libraries Matter in a Digital Age. American Libraries May 2 http://www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org/inside-scoop/10-ways-libraries-matter-digital-age • Massachusetts Library Association. 2008. [Library Services Calculator] at http://69.36.174.204/value-new/calculator.html • Oakleaf, M. 2010. The value of academic libraries: a comprehensive research review and report. ALA, 2010. http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/value/val_bibliography.pdf

47. References • Scotti, G.J. Proving value and return on investment. Information Outlook 14(4):22-24. June 2010.http://www.olc.org/marketing/5intro.htm • Tenopir, C. 2009. Measuring the value and returns on investment in academic libraries. ICAL 2009 http://crl.du.ac.in/ical09/papers/index_files/ical-2_158_377_1_RV.pdf • Willeford, S. 2009. Marketing special events; if you market, they will come. … www.swilsa.lib.ia.us/isloc/presentations/marketing.ppt • Zamora, G. and A. Caputo. 2009. Creating the Future:You and SLA .http://www.sla.org/Presentations/Alignment_DCSLA_ZamoraCaputo052809.ppt