Libraries Online:
At the Centre of Everything Good
Your Presenter: Peter Atkinson
Evolution of The Web
• Web 1.0 was static; site owners posted content,
limited interaction between users
• Web 2.0 is dynamic; Create, Discover, Connect,
Share
• Tools drive innovation, creativity, efficiency
• Web-based applications, apps, open source software
bring opportunities, new ways to learn, connect
• Value creation shifts from site owners to users
– Prosumers, Freemium Model
• Smartphones, tablets deliver the web anywhere
• Web 3.0; The Semantic Web, The Internet of Things
Why Does The Web Matter?
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2.4 billion people online worldwide; 28.5 million in Canada, or 85% of the
population
71% of Canadians average 45 hours/week online - more than they spend watching
television, twice as much as any other country
CheckFacebook. Com; almost 19 million, or over 50%, of Canadians have Facebook
accounts – 14 million DAILY users
o There are almost 1.2 billion Facebook users worldwide; if it were a country, it would be
the third largest in the world. (It’ll be #2 by the end of this year)
o The fastest growing segment of users is those 55 years of age and over
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Approximately 24 hours of video is added to YouTube every minute; it is the
second most popular search engine after only Google
Over 30 new articles are added to Wikipedia every hour
Wikipedia: 31.6 million articles in 260 languages, (4.3 million in English )
o Encyclopædia Britannica Online:120,000 English-only articles
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Just watch...
Why Does the Web
Matter to Libraries?
• Libraries aren’t about books
The Opportunity
• Allows people to connect more deeply than other
communications tools; distance doesn’t mean
separation
• Artists, writers, artisans, businesses, not-forprofits connect with new and existing customers
around the world; location becomes almost
irrelevant
• Goes beyond the physical; we can all have it
• Sites offer free access to drive usage, charge for
additional services; barriers to entry fall –
everything is possible
The Opportunities for Libraries
1. Contact, Connect, Engage
o Patrons
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Not just a Facebook page, a way to communicate and tell our story
o Non-Patrons
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Not just a Facebook page, a way to get more teens into the library
o Community
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Not just a Facebook page, a way to partner with local groups to promote your
community
2. Library 2.0 in Your Community
o Enrich community by driving innovation, communication,
creativity
o Local small business, entrepreneurs, cultural organizations, artists &
artisans, local government
3. Creates The Future for Libraries
Channels
• Channels: the tools that are used to send the messages – e.g. was
newspaper, posters, now website, Facebook, etc.
• You tell the story you want to tell in your own words; no more
hoping for a newspaper article
• Share information that would ordinarily be cost-prohibitive to
create or promote
• Meet patrons on their terms: people who like videos can visit
your YouTube channel, people who like photos can visit your
Flickr photostream, etc.
• Each has its own characteristics – lurk to learn
• Communicate with specific segments of patrons; can have one
Facebook page for the library, another for Local History, another
for Teens, etc.
Content
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Content: What you share through a channel
Content is King, Queen
Good content gets read, shared and is valued
Ideas are everywhere; patrons, current events,
new arrivals, programming
o Informational & Inspirational
o Write from reader’s perspective
o Ok to share content created by others
o Ok to re-purpose and cross-post
Context
• Now emphasis on Context
o Content is King/Queen, but context is the Kingdom
• We know what, but not why; what are they trying to
accomplish
• It’s different online: 50 Shades of Grey – book vs. e-book
• Actions taken/not taken
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Poor design?
Poor content?
Privacy concerns?
Just not interested?
• Hard to pin down
o Accept uncertainty
o Minimize, not eliminate
o Test theories
Keys to Content Success
• High quality content: Timely, authentic, relevant, useful
• Organization!
o Consistent online presence: knowem.com, namechk.com
o Security: LastPass.com
• Decide on a ‘voice’
• Add guidelines if multiple posters
• How to handle questions, negative comments
• Create a content calendar; plan at least 3 months in
advance, (can always add more)
o Establish a consistent schedule whenever possible, (day of
week, time of day)
• Use data tools!
Contact, Connect, Engage
o Marketing!
• Understanding what patrons want and communicating
the products and services that best match that
• Starts with branding
o Increase patron knowledge and understanding of,
and their affinity for, the library
o Limitless opportunities to communicate with your
patrons; new channels and tons of content
Contact, Connect, Engage
• Create or Share Content
• Tell your story!
o Announce new arrivals AND link to:
• The book in your catalogue
• The e-book in your catalogue
• Read-alikes and other works by the same author in your
catalogue
• Online print reviews
• A YouTube video of the author doing a reading or an
interview
• A Flickr photo tour of the book setting or the author’s
hometown
o Facebook – respond helpfully to comments
Contact, Connect, Engage
• Remember - both directions
o Like/Follow/Subscribe to others
• Interact!
• Want a friend – be a friend
• Use a channel just for gathering content, e.g. Twitter,
Google +
• Social Listening
o Identify keywords, key people to follow
Channels: The Big 3
• Website: Digital Core
o Design – poor design reflects on organization
o Search ‘Web Design Best Practices’, make any changes
possible
• Facebook
o Has become a must-have
• Blog or Pinterest/Instagram/Flickr
o Blog’s best if you are/have a writer
o OK to post links to other relevant content
o Pinterest – connect, Instagram – original content, Flickr –
storage, organized display
• Use words over images
Other Channels
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Twitter: Twitter-Lite? Just listen?
Video; YouTube, Vimeo – Vine?
Geo-Location; Foursquare, Google Places, Yelp
QR Codes; deliver depth to your info
Identify Tools
• Start with the Big Names; Wordpress/Tumblr/Blogger for
blogs, YouTube/Vimeo for video, Flickr/Photbucket for
photos, etc.
• Google Analytics, Crazy Egg for data
• Pagemodo for content ideas
• Shortstack, Hootsuite to manage content
• Google what you want to use/accomplish, e.g. ‘free online
video editing’
• Get comfortable
o Read online reviews
o Check trustworthy sources: Mashable, MakeUseOf, New York
Times, TechCrunch, Wired
 Check the dates of reviews!
Identify Tools
• Test drive options, if possible
o Ok to use a throwaway email address
• Look for data collection features; automated
collection is always better
• Protect your valuables; look for a way out if
working with high-value resources
• Don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good
Facebook Analytics
Facebook Analytics
Google Analytics
Google Analytics
Google Analytics
Crazy Egg Heatmap
Crazy Egg Heatmap
Crazy Egg Confetti Report
Crazy Egg Scroll Map
Hootsuite
Hootsuite
And in Conclusion…
• You don’t compete, but you are in a
competitive environment
• Tell your story before someone else does
o You tell it best
• Don’t leave a vacuum for other people to fill
o Often negatives
• Connect to engage patrons
In Your Community
• Share Web tools
o Help people achieve dreams, goals
o Library drives artistic, business, tourism, cultural
development
• Puts the library at the heart of the community
• The smaller/more remote your community
the bigger the potential gains
Library 2.0
• Your library can use these 2.0 tools too to:
o Create & share content
o Edit and save archival photos
o Work collaboratively
o Run contests
o Create unique prizes, awards, gifts
o Raise funds; product sales or donations
Library 2.0 in Your Community
• Artists & Artisans
o Build a website with Wix, Weebly, Moonfruit,
Flavors.me, Wordpress or Tumblr
o Sell handicrafts on Etsy, Ponoko
o Build a webstore with Payvment, Goodsie or Storenvy
to sell on Facebook
o Create art with Sumopaint, Inkscape, Gimp
o Design and create your own fabric with Spoonflower
o Create product designs at SoleCreator or SneakArt,
NikeID
o Print and sell your art on anything from t-shirts to
skateboards at Cafe Press and Zazzle
Library 2.0 in Your Community
• Photographers
o Promote a portfolio on Tumblr, About.me or with a website
o Sell prints on Etsy, Ponoko
o Sell photos as stock images on iStockphoto and Shutterstock
o Build a webstore with Payvment, Goodsie or Storenvy to sell on
Facebook
o Store photos on Flickr, Photobucket
o Edit photos with Fotoflexer, Flickr, Picnic
o Add fun effects with Dumpr, BeFunky
o Add paint-type effects with psykopaint
o Create photobooks on Flickr, Blurb, Lulu
o Create tilt shift effects with Tiltshift
o Create photo mosaics at AndreaPlanet
o Create seamless panoramic images with Autostitch and Clevr
o Resize multiple images for uploading with Fotosizer or SmushIt
Library 2.0 in Your Community
• Writers
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Write with and organize with Storybook, Protagonize
Self-publish on Lulu, Blurb
Upload books as e-books and sell on Amazon or Chapters
Create a blog on Wordpress, Six Apart or Blogger; use Zemanta
to find free images
Create illustrated children’s stories with Storybird, MeeGenius,
ePubBud
Build an audience at Scribd
Hone your craft at Fickly and 50WordStories
Create your own comic strip with Strip Generator
Publish your own magazine with issuu or Press Jack
Contribute to Kibin to access their free editing service
Library 2.0 in Your Community
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Businesses
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Create a listing for Google Places, FourSquare
For restaurants, let customers pay with their cell phones via Tabbed Out, list restaurant menus on
MenuSpot.ca or build a website using Bistro Square
Let customers schedule appointments on Google Calendar
Create a loyalty program with Punch Tab or Punchd
Manage your business with free web-based tools at Google Docs, Microsoft Skydrive or Zoho
Manage your books with FreshBooks or Mint
Collaborate with Asana, Podio
Create professional invoices with Billable.me
Collaborate online with Notable, Flowdock of Freedcamp
Create electrical or system diagrams, flow and organizational charts with Gliffy and LovelyCharts
Create PDF forms at FillanyPDF, online ones at Wufoo
Create memorable presentations with Prezi
Create e-business cards and e-flyers with Hyplet
Accept payment online with Payvment, Pay Pal – accept credit cards anywhere with Here, Stripe
Build a webstore with BigCartel, goodsie or storenvy
Accept payments by mobile phone with Zong
Stay organized with Todo.ly, RemembertheMilk and Evernote
Host webinars and remote presentations with Vyew, Tokbox, Skype
Organize your trips with TripIt
Backup and share important documents with Dropbox, SugarSync or Box.net
Create customer surveys with Survey Monkey
Use Mail Chimp to manage, build and send marketing emails
Library 2.0 in Your Community
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Music and Video
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Financial
backers &
Product Design:
Kickstarter
Quirky
IndieGogo
Create a TV show at Viddler, ubroadcast
Create a YouTube Channel
Edit videos with Clip Converter or Lightworks
Edit and convert file formats or create ringtones with Audacity
Compose at JamStudio or Ujam
Write music using MuseScore
Create and share a radio station on Last.fm
Build an audience by adding music to Last.fm
Sell music on iTunes, Amazon and more with Tunecore, Bandcamp and Nimbit
Build custom Facebook pages with RootMusic
Build a webstore with Payvment to sell on Facebook, goodsie or storenvy
Create web tutorials with Greenshot, 5min, Screenr, ScreenJelly, Screentoaster
Heritage & Cultural Organisations
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Build your own website with Wix, Weebly, Google Sites, Wordpress, Moonfruit
Create online maps of local sites/cemeteries/historical architecture with Google Maps
Build your own website with Wix, Weebly, Google Sites , Moonfruit
Accept donations online with CanadaHelps.org
Sell tickets with Eventbrite
Share photos, videos, interviews online through the many channels available
Library 2.0
• Sound exciting?
• So why the resistance?
Technology is Frustrating
• 2010 study conducted by Harris Interactive
and sponsored by Intel, eight out of ten
American adults get frustrated waiting for
technology
o Yelling or cursing out loud when their technology can’t
keep up with them; 62%
o Hit their computer mouse; 29%
o Bang on their computer screen and keyboard; 24%
Technology is Frustrating
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Often managed by departments with different priorities; budget, security
o Web-based applications are accessed through a web browser; most don’t require any
download, minimal computing power
Often perceived as expensive
o Most web-based applications offer free access to a limited range of services that are
sufficient for most users. Costs for full access tend to be very affordable, usually ranging
from $2 to $5 per month.
Often perceived as hard to use
o Advances in user experience, software have significantly improved usability. And with
free access its easy to experiment to confirm
Often perceived as faceless machinery
o Technology does not design or build itself. All technology is designed, created, managed,
maintained by people; bad technology or bad technology implementation just means
decisions by people with other priorities, other information, other perspectives
Often perceived as a threat/unnecessary/compared to past failures
o Technology is sometimes implemented without sufficient planning/impact on current
processes; guarantees failure/resistance
Sometimes technology itself is not the real issue…
Beloit College Survey
• Each year provides a comparative review of the world/arts/culture of
the freshman class
• For the class of 2016:
 Czechoslovakia has never existed
 Robert De Niro is thought of as Greg Focker's long-suffering father-in-law,
not as Vito Corleone
 John McEnroe has never played professional tennis
 Bill Clinton is a senior statesman of whose presidency they have little
knowledge
 They have never seen an airplane “ticket”
 Ice skating competitions have always been jumping matches
 ‘Viewer Discretion’ has always been a warning on TV shows
 American companies have always done business in Vietnam
 Fergie is a pop singer, not a princess
 They never twisted the coiled handset wire aimlessly around their wrists
while chatting on the phone
Change!
• People Don’t Like Change!
• Rate of Change is accelerating
o Medieval peasant wouldn’t have a hard time adjusting to 1900; still an
agrarian society, limited pervasive technology
o Someone from 1970 would struggle today; HIV, human rights advances,
terrorism, Internet & computers, recycling
o William Gibson; future is here, there is no present time
• Constant state of mild anxiety; what’s unknown? What’s coming next?
• People Don’t Like Change
o Really?
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Got married
Went to school
Moved
Changed jobs
Had children
Change!
• People don’t like IMPOSED change
• Change Management; considered one of the most important skills
today
o Regain Control:
o Educate yourself; get the facts
o If possible, become part of the process
o Make an informed decision, avoid pure emotional evaluation
o Reframe:
o How critical is it that you like this new thing?
o Does it improve a process?
o Learning new things keeps work interesting
o Accept:
o Only way to improve something is to change it
o Decisions are made for many reasons; understand the big picture
o You will get comfortable with the new thing in time
Wise Words on Change
• If you always do what you always did, you’ll always get
what you always got, (Various)
• The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single
step (Chinese proverb)
• A good plan today is better than a great plan tomorrow
(General George Patton)
• How do you eat an elephant? One piece at a time
(Any precocious six year old)
Building Your Social Media Plan
Ready, Fire, Aim
or
Ready, Aim, Fire?
Building Support
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Identify a problem/opportunity
Identify a solution
Craft a vision
Build a plan but sell the sizzle
o Elevator Pitch
Choosing Projects
• Answer the 5 Ws:
o What is the project and what resources are needed?
o Why are you doing this? (The outcome)
o Who is involved? (Who this is for - e.g. Staff, Teens,
Local Historians - and who will actually do it?)
o Where will it be?, (Where will people experience it,
e.g. your website, Facebook, public computers login
screen)
o Make sure the channel fits your target audience
o When does it need to be ready? (Any time constraints,
e.g. a connection to a particular event, a start and an
end date?
Planning
• Define the scope!
1) Set Goals & Objectives
2) Identify Tools
3) Evaluate resources
4) Decide how you’ll measure success
5) Build and implement your plan
6) Evaluate and communicate
Goal Setting
• If we know what’s important we can prioritize
• If everything’s important, nothing’s important
• Don’t ignore the big picture of what’s
important to your library, your community
Set Goals & Objectives
• The SMART goals acronym:
o Specific: “Increasing circulation” is not as clear - or as
valuable - as “increasing circulation by 5% through posting
read-alikes on Facebook”
o Measurable: Know when a goal is accomplished, the impact
of your project
o Attainable: In addition to being demoralizing, unattainable
goals waste resources. Be ambitious but realistic
o Relevant: Libraries offer such a range of services wanting to
appeal to the broadest possible segment of their
communities that it can be easy to stray from the mission
statement. Some of the least exciting goals can be the most
valuable
o Timely: A deadline creates a sense of urgency that helps
match the goal to organizational priorities. If a goal isn’t
worth a deadline, it may not be worth doing
Evaluate Resources
• Simple approach for small projects, more
detailed for larger
• Resources are finite but not necessarily fixed
• Include the abilities and interests of both staff
and volunteers
Evaluate Resources
• More detailed method:
o A decision matrix
o Decide criteria
o Establish what worst, middle and best-case outcome
looks like
o Then decide on the most likely outcome
o Evaluate against resources to determine viability
o Consider weighting criteria
o Especially effective if done with a small three to four
person group; additional perspectives and expertise
can deliver a more realistic set of parameters.
Simple Decision Matrix Example
Project
Digitize
Historic
Photos
Criteria
Worst Case
Middle Case
Best Case
Likely Case
Time to scan,
edit if needed,
upload
60 hours (30
hours/week
for 2 weeks)
30 hours
(10
hours/week
for 3 weeks)
20 hours
(5 hours/week
for 4 weeks)
25 hours
(5 hours/week
for 5 weeks)
Interest from
local
community
None
100 visits to
photo pages
in the first
month
200 visits to
photo pages
in the first
month
100 visits to
photo pages
in the first
month
Media
Coverage to
increase
awareness
None
Story in 1
local media
Story in 3
local media
Story in 1
local media
http://bit.ly/
LibraryMatrix
Decide How You’ll Measure Success
• Try to control this – match the outcome to
your project vision
• Use data over opinion whenever possible, (“A
lot of people said they liked it” vs. “85% of our
responses were positive”)
• Multiple measures is ok; e.g. visits & shares,
views & requests for a copy
• Time element is ok, (X after 30 days, Y after 60
days, Z after 90 days)
Build and Implement Your Plan
• Relax; you can’t plan for every possible
situation
• Allow wriggle room for dependencies
whenever possible
• Any good plan is flexible
• Stick to the project scope!
• Don’t get analysis paralysis; at some point you
have to launch
Evaluate and Communicate
• You’ll have sceptics to overcome and
interested parties to encourage
• Use your measures of success
• Don’t leave a vacuum
• Keep stakeholders informed; communicate
even small wins
• Even bad news means you understand your
project
Pilot Projects
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Can be useful, low-pain ways to gain support
One at a time
Keep it simple
90 days max: end it, change it to a new pilot
project or make it official
Next Steps
- Make friends with change; it can be good. Really good.
- Go play; remember it’s really, really, really hard to break
your computer
- Experiment to understand website design principles; click
on logo for homepage, search in top right, right-click,
hover- overs
- Worried about privacy? What are you really giving away?
(compared to say, the phonebook)
- Figure out what level of tech is right for YOU
- Experiment with free stuff connected to something you’re
passionate about
- Find a local artist/student/charity/business to
mentor/partner with on a project
And Finally…
• The best way to predict the future…
• Just because you can’t do everything…
• If you feel uncomfortable, you might be on the
right track
• Ask for help; use resources
• Remember to breathe
• Do something
Websites!!
• Website Builders; Wix, Weebly, Google Sites,
Flavors.me
• Blogs; Wordpress, Tumblr, Google Blogger &
Zemanta
• Wikis; Wikipedia & Wikimedia FAQ for
Librarians
• Collaborative Consumption; SharedEarth,
Thredup, Swap
Helping Us Understand
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Oakland Crimespotting
Information is Beautiful
How Big Really
UN Data
It Gets Better Project
AcademicEarth
WikiHow
Rollyo
Interesting Ideas
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Star Wars Uncut
Internet Symphony and In B Flat
Swisstrains.ch
Brickarms.com
HistoryPin
We Feel Fine
Midomi
Gazelle
Customise & Personalise
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M & Ms
Shoes of Prey
Moja Mix & Me and Goji
Slant Shack Jerky
You Bars
Gemvara
Chocri
NikeID & MiAdidas
Red Moon Pet Food
Lego Design by Me
The Perfect Shirt
Questions? Comments?
Opinions? Suggestions?