A Book & A Blog Post!

Library Promotions

Promotion ideas that I find the most valuable personally are fundraising and social media crowdsourcing. What I mean by this is when the library fundraising by means of donated or sponsored items that they will then sell to the public or raffle off for profit. This is often bake sales, candy drives and etc. Moreover the use of social media to do the bulk of that crowdsourcing on a much larger scale. This would include making various post about the events coming up or sharing links to the funding portals for the fundraisers. Moreover this is not possible without staff and directors in general willing to back these ideas and see to it that they happen, they deserve to be recognized by name and where possible by photos of theirselves or their work so that it can be displayed for reference and recognition. I think that some of the things that would be "tooting your own horn" can be chalked up to stressing how the promotions are to better spread word of the library itself and not be coming from a shallow place. The overall message to spread in regards to the library is that it is all for the better of the community not any one single person or demographic. Displaying the events and staff members who make it possible is something I feel is appropriate because often patrons who do not think of the person behind the scenes doing the leg work for the community. Some of the things I personally think will aid me in promoting the library I am apart of one day are being very tech savvy and being able to navigate social media space well and appropriately on behalf of the library and myself. Being able to organize and display the information and media above in a approachable way. Some of the things I know I will need to work on are things like finding a way to make it new an engaging all the time as well including people offline who may not have a social media profile. Finding a way to bridge the gap between the people who are not online and still making sure word is spread well enough regarding promotions and fund raising.

Specialized Library Programs

The two specialized services I choose to highlight from my local Library were the events that I found were the Cozy Mystery Club and the children's Story Time. I picked these because they are popular programs that run often and feel very essential to my local library. They are specifically run at certain times at each location consistently and are considered events that are apart of the on going programs list and are not seasonal. The two specialized services I choose to highlight from another branch were something specific to larger areas because of things like funding and need. I choose the Adult Literacy assessment for computers offered by the DC Public Library as well as the Library orientation program. The adult literacy program is one in which patron can get better versed in technology and even take the next step with the NorthStart digital assessment. The Library orientation program is one in which patrons schedule to learn about how the ALRC handles books and other media. As a whole I think these are all great services and feel necessary and essential to all libraries. I think in some capacity it is very essential for patrons to have the option to learn more about the operations of and management of the library so they are utilizing it more. Similarly I think that small things like extra curricular clubs are needed to keep the community ready and willing to think of the library as a safe space for fun. This includes clubs and groups that do things that are not directly related to books. I think the target audiences for all these services are mainly students or adults who want to further the current digital literacy which is something everyone everywhere wants as technology becomes more advanced and it is important. Having it for free within the community makes the library all the more essential. The bulk of public libraries mission statements are there to assist the community and bring it together which is most possible when the community it coming to the library for physical programs and interacting with one another.

Library Services Proposal

List three programs and three services that are not offered by your library that you find interesting. These do not have to be core programs or services. Three services I find interesting and wish my local library had are College and Financial Aid Prep, more Adult literacy and more ranges of computers and printing services to utilize locally. I think that because it is a smaller town there few things that just aren't being funded because they do not think the public in this area has a high demand for these needs. Do you think these programs and services would be good additions to the programs and services offered by your library? Why or why not? How do they support the mission and goals of your library?

Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County

The library I decided to use was the one local to me where I currently live. It is the Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County. Their website can be found through this link https://www.steubenvillelibrary.org/ It is located in Steubenville, OH. In Jefferson county OH which is right outside of Pittsburgh, PA. It was recently reopened after a $3.7 Million Dollar upgrade to ensure it was compliant with Americans with Disability Act. Nearly 10,000 Sq Ft were added as well as two stories in the upgrade. This left plenty of room for study rooms, ample computers and an elevator. The address is 407 S 4th St Steubenville, OH 43952. It was originally founded in 1815 as a subscription library by the Steubenville Library Company in Michael Johnston's Drug Store on 3rd st. There after it took a series of turns before it became what it is today, moving it's location several. It was home to things like the books of school system. Some of the things I love the most about it was how they incorporated their original building into the renovations. Not only did they keep the bulk of the old building they added to it and really opened up it's landscaping with the renovations. They kept the original entrance and closed it off while still keeping the entire first floor and circulation desk of it in tact. That as well as the fact that they even added a sub basement level and ample study rooms as well as additional circulation desk makes it all the better. In between the old building and the added on parts stands a 3 way landing strip of stairs leading from the subbasement to the top of library. I will include my own additional image of the view from the middle level of the library. I love many things about this library but especially how it offers this smaller town a chance to have something really reliable for the community. In addition to their website the library has a number of other social media pages such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I personally follow their Instagram and Facebook pages because they are updates frequently. I see that it may not have a large online footprint but I love it nonetheless, there are literary memes and up to date information about new books and clubs or activities they are hosting. https://www.steubenvillelibrary.org/contacts/ is the link to each branch of the Jefferson County Public Library system. As well as their social media pages if you scroll to the very end of any of their web pages in the bottom left handed side for the social media icons. As a whole I think that them using social media is a great idea and as a whole I think that all libraries who utilize social media will benefit from it. For example, the ability to spread information regarding what events and clubs are being hosted easily and quickly is bound to help promote the events. Similarly the more the digital age booms and audio books and e-books become popular the more access people will need, often they don't realize it is accessible for free through their local library. The more of a social media presence they have the more driven home that point can be.