Is your budget tight? Space limited? Have great ideas but just need help getting them going? The library world is full of great thinkers and creative people. Through talking with other libraries across the country, here are some great ideas that were done on a small or no budget at all. Attend this session for tips on how to get your next BIG idea implemented. We will discuss everything from program ideas to cool tech solutions.

1. BIG IDEAS ON
A SMALL BUDGET
Brian Pichman | Director of Strategic Innovation | Evolve Project
Computers in Libraries 2015
Follow the conversation
@bpichman #cildc

2. WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU HAD….

3. MUST HAVE RESOURCES
People who are passionate about the work they do!

4. WHAT YOU MUST HAVE
Be A Risk Taker
Have Passion and Motivation

5. DESIGNING YOUR SPACES
Some great ideas for redesigning your space – at low costs

6. FURNITURE FOR YOUR LIBRARY
• Maker Spaces
• People pay a membership to be part of a
“MakerSpace” where the tools are
provided for them to build
• Community Out Reach
• Ask your community for help
• Ask local businesses to make monetary
donations towards new furniture/rooms
and let them advertise on it
• If Fifty People Donate Fifty Dollars =
2,500 = Very Nice New Couch.

7. ART FOR YOUR LIBRARY
• Have Patrons create your art work
Justin Hoenke – Patron Driven Art

10. COLORS FOR YOUR LIBRARY
• Use Bright Fun Colors
• Ask Staff to help

11. SHELVING IDEAS
• Find books that covers are colorful, and choose the books that coordinate
with that season
• Red and Green Books = Christmas
• Orange and Black = Halloween

12. NEW CIRCULATION IDEAS
Improve your circulation by doing these cheap projects!

13. BUY USED DVDS/BLU-RAYS
• Speak to your local renting Video
Store
• Or Red Box Kiosk Owner

14. CARD CATALOG – SEED LIBRARY

15. COUPON SHARING

16. MYSTERY BAGS

17. THE “POP UP” LIBRARY

18. OFFER OTHER ITEMS FOR CHECK OUT
• Guitars
• Patrick Sweeney was able to get
guitars donated for circulation
• Also started a program with them
• Fishing Poles
• Pots and Pans

19. NEW PROGRAMMING IDEAS
Great New Program Ideas

20. ZOMBIES

21. MINI-GOLF

22. MUSIC
• Ask your local artist to…
• perform at your library
• teach others how to play
• Do a “Battle of the Bands Event”

23. MOVIE NIGHT
• Check out Amazon for Movies
• Sometimes can show a screening before movie theaters do
• Start a “Film Festival”
• Encourage local talent to create or share a movie the created and play it
during the film festival

24. VIDEO GAME NIGHT
• Ask local Video Game stores to borrow equipment to set up a gaming night
• Ask your patrons to bring in video games

25. MINIATURE EVENT

26. A LOCK IN
Lock-In Ideas: http://tinyurl.com/otmqfuz

27. GARDENING SPACE

28. TEDDY BEAR LOCKIN

29. SNAPCHAT
• Have people add your library snap
chat
• Create a “Guess What This Is”
Game
• Take a picture of something close
up
• Set the timer for 5 seconds.
• Allow people to post on
twitter,facebook, etc to your post

30. SUMMER SCHOOL?
• A library in Kankakee, IL started a summer educational program
• They had limited space, and all the spots filled plus the waiting list was maxed
out
• Offered courses on Art, Math, Writing and Video
• Art – Walked through the different art forms through the years
• Video – Used free Claymation and used Flip Cams (Very Inexpensive Cameras)
• Math/Writing – used iPad apps to engage the participants with learning

31. SOFTWARE / HARDWARE
Here are some great Software / Hardware resources for you to try!

32. TEACH KIDS TO PROGRAM
• Hopscotch
Programming made easy No typing.
No syntax errors. Just drag and drop
blocks. Hopscotch is an intuitive,
friendly programming interface
designed for everyone.

33. UPCOMING EVENT TICKER
• Typical cost to have an “upcoming event ticker” is in the thousands. But all
you need is a
• Wall Mounted TV (Buy Refurb)
• A Cheap Computer (Buy Refurb)
• Hook the computer up to the TV and run a PowerPoint slide show.

34. ZAC BROWSER
Zac Browser
Cost: $0.00 + Hardware (750)
AWE Computer
Cost w/ Hardware = $2500+

35. PLACES FOR HELP
Resources for you to help fund a little bit more!

38. SOCIAL MEDIA
Most of the time, try to remain positive when
talking on twitter
When Asking For Things
• Sell your idea to them. Don’t let them sell their
product to you.
• You are picking their product to be in your
library.
• Explain your market share (IE patrons, how
many visitors each day, etc)

40. CROWD-SOURCE FUNDING
• People across the world group together to fund new projects and ideas
• People are encouraged to donate towards “awards” based off the amount
they donate.
• Kickstarter.com
• Indiegogo.com

43. SCHOOLS, COLLEGES,
UNIVERSITIES

44. BONUSES FOR YOUR PATRONS
• Comcast Internet Access $10 a month (Internet Essentials)
• http://www.internetessentials.com
• For the folks in school, using your @edu address get:
• Free Microsoft Products at www.dreamspark.com
• Free AutoDesk Products at http://students.autodesk.com
• DropBox
• Free Storage Space for Backing Up Your Data
• If you have to filter internet / protect from web based threats
• OpenDNS.com

45. MORE IDEAS
• Knitting Club – Get people together to knit together.
• "Sniff Off" contest with tea blends from a local tea shop to celebrate National Tea
Month
• "Dog Listener" from a local kennel / animal shelter
• Library Literary Speed Dating Program: bring 3 favorite books to talk about
• "Parkin' lot pickin'” with 20 local musicians in the library parking lot, each performing
for 10 minutes
• Jigsaw puzzle exchange
• Dial-A-Story – Set up a voicemail box and read a story for patrons to call in and
listen too.
• “Ask A [Expert]” Locate your community experts like Laywers, Accountants, etc and
ask them to do a workshop for your patrons.
• “How To Faire” – Similar to a Maker Faire, but learn how to do things (planting,
fishing, sewing, comic book drawing…)
• “UFO” – Unfinished Objects – repair broken tech
• “Break and Make” – take apart technology and put it back together

46. THOUGHTS?

47. THANKS FOR ATTENDING!
Brian Pichman
815-534-0403
bpichman@evolveproject.org
@bpichman
Be sure to tweet me and keep
the conversation going