President's Message(June 2009)

OK So I’ve been behind the times, out of the loop, and a virtual dinosaur when it comes to social networking. I admit it. I’m not a technophobe—far from it! I’ve loved teaching classes on using Internet resources, co-creating our library’s first website, being addicted to email (both personal and professional), and authoring our electronic newsletter, librarEmail, which reaches over 5,000 subscribers.

But until attending several recent training sessions that sparked my imagination over the past few months, I seemed never to find the time to enter into the social networking fray. I think my procrastination had to do with the fact that I just didn’t fully appreciate why libraries needed to be active in this arena at all.

Well now I am a convert. Twitter is my new love—and I am sure that Facebook, Flickr and perhaps even MySpace will win me over soon. Most of my friends and colleagues know that I am a great believer in the power of marketing to boost our image and our audience. These new viral media are the keyboarding equivalent of the best sales tool—word of mouth recommendations.

Where’s the downside of developing a library presence online via social networks? Well, one is the need to devote precious resources currently employed elsewhere. After all, with demand for our services growing extraordinarily, there simply aren’t a lot of folks on staff lolling around at their desks wondering how they will fill the hours remaining for the workday.

This potential call on limited resources reminds me of the days when we used to wonder if we could support new formats for materials as they evolved. Would we be able to purchase the latest best seller, not only in its regular print version, but also on tape (then CD), in large print, as part of a downloadable package, and eventually as a Playaway? The answer was and is yes—somehow we manage.

Providing materials in the formats our customers prefer (and in some cases, need) is part of our mission, and stretching limited funds or reprioritizing spending or fundraising, while not fun, is a challenge we all have met. Commitment of the human resources needed to develop and maintain social networking (and marketing) tools cannot be underestimated. Yet--what better way is there to bring the news of our collections, programs, and services to new “friends” or “followers?”

Seven years ago, I discovered Constant Contact and talked to the head of our technology department (a department of one at that time) about switching from paper to email for our library’s newsletter. She was enthusiastic as well, but had no time to devote to the task—and nobody else on staff shared our enthusiasm. I took it on and as the library has grown over the years, so has the job of writing and editing our electronic news. What’s the cost? Well, it takes about eight hours of my time each month. But the reward is a long list of subscribers, tremendous publishing flexibility, and immediate feedback or response.

Our business is connecting people with information, building community, and facilitating the quest for knowledge and understanding. New methods of connecting, building, and facilitating are no longer simply on the horizon or even on our doorstep; they are knocking on the door! We must find ways to afford the price of employing them in order to reap the significant rewards.

And, speaking of communication, this is my final “pontification” as CLA president. I have loved every minute of my term—and surprisingly, the responsibility for writing each month has proved not a burden, but real fun. Thank you all for the opportunity to serve, and write!

Kathy Leeds is Executive Director of the Wilton Library Association. Contact her at kcleeds@wiltonlibrary.org.