The Good Library Blog

If you don't sell the cakes, noone will buy them...

*Some* cakes might just sell themselves via their sheer cakeness.

In a well managed system you wouldn't have to choose between baking and selling.

If it's about making as much money as possible available to buy books, logically speaking you could sack pretty much all library staff and install machines to issue, return, sort and shelve books.

When and where to do you stop trying to save money?

Pete

It's simple-- you have your best, most experienced, enthusiastic, knowledgeable staff in the libraries- making them open and accessible for as long as it possible, sensible and safe. You have clean smart buildings that are as well stocked as you can afford them to be. You spend as little money on other things as possible.

None of this is about saving money- it is, as you have frequently said, about managing how that money is spent and, in that, it's about giving the public the best service for the money they pay.

In every situation you have to choose between baking and selling-- that is exactly what management means.

Selling is about having a high reputation for the quality of your offering. That is what you are doing by raising the quality.

Of course people object when management decide that the best use of resources means that they need to a different job-- but that's what we expect managers to do - it is their responsibility, especially when the money they spend comes from taxpayers. That is what public duty means.

There's nothing there to disagree with Tim- it's all so nice it's hard to say anything bad.

But I firmly believe that in the end, in the times we find ourselves in, word of mouth will only get you so far. We need to spend *some* money on outreach, marketing, call it what you will. As little as possible yes- but not none, and you should not denigrate such activities so cavalierly.

To give an example of the need for outreach, take your son's musical career. I have no doubt the performances, venues etc are great. But word of mouth alone will only reach those people who know him and then people who know those people. There must be *some* advertising of Oliver's work.

Similarly a great library will generate a buzz, but that buzz will only get so far. And there may well be people who would 'wish to use it' who won't hear that buzz and so never know.

The "outreach" people I know spend quite a lot of their time working *in* the libraries; but also alot of time trying to generate new users. Here at the college we have created a good word of mouth effect, but we know we still have to reach out to some groups who are not part of that newtork.

Ultimately, good service in public libraries is not only about what you get at the counter.

Pete

There is a huge difference between the marketing of the public library service and that of the career of a young cellist

The public library service has one of the best brand names in the world. I would be pretty certain that if you asked 99% of people on the planet and 99.9% of people in this country 'what is a public library?' they would not only tell you, but they would have a very clear idea about what makes a library useful.

The marketing priority at present in this country is to make sure that the reality comes close to the expectation.

I'm not saying you couldn't spend money on all kinds of outreach programmes-- I am saying that you shouldn't-- because by far the higher priority is to restore the quality of the offering.

How to generate users for a college library is not the same question at all.

I agree with you, and so, I'm sure, would most readers- that satisfactory library use is relatively little to do the response one receives at the counter-- but it is an important ingredient over which one has some influence.

The issue was not so muc marketing more of the 'powe' of word of mouth.

Oddly there is evidence though that many people- including vaunted councillors- have little idea of what a public library is, what it can do etc, or why they should use it.

Whilst college and public libraries are different in many ways, there is that underlying similarity; that nowadays one cannot assume that people know of or have a reality based idea of what libraries are for and how they can be of use to them.

Many do, you're right; but not so many as we'd like to think.

And I don't think the Minister was saying outreach has or should have a higher priority; just that it should not be overlooked.
When "rebuilding" a service- outreach (marketing) remains important and anyone with some imagination could see how to expand the bookstock *and* reach out to the public. In budget.

Tim,
Just found your "Blog" so this is my first post.

From my experience, libraries in general are extremely poor in promoting themselves. A few leaflets here and there, perhaps a line or two in the local paper if you're lucky.

Surely outreach and improving bookstock need to go hand in hand.

Regards,
Peter K.

Peter

You are most welcome. Tim