1.
Setting up the
New Stuff:
Planning & Implementing
Library 2.0
David Lee King
Digital Branch & Services Manager
Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library
davidleeking.com

2.
Three Parts
1. Why, What, Who, How, and When
2. Topeka’s Current Experiments
3. Digital Branch Planning

3.
Part 1:
Why, What, Who,
How, and When

4.
Why?

5.
Why set up new
services?
• meet changing customer needs
• stay culturally relevant
• Keep digital space up-to-date

6.
What services to set up?
• Lots to choose from!
• think through goals
• what should the end result look like?

7.
What services to set up?
• Lots to choose from!
• think through goals
• what should the end result look like?

8.
Who does the work?
Patrons? Staff?

9.
How to make it happen
• Admin and Management
• staff time
• do we have
– the equipment
– willing participants
– can we make willing participants?
– Skilled staff?

10.
How to make it happen
• Admin and Management
• staff time
• do we have
– the equipment
– willing participants
– can we make willing participants?
– Skilled staff?

11.
Show Admin...
• the numbers - explain your plan, set goals,
project results
• the money - as in $0 spent
• the participation - real customers adding real
value to the library
• the missing piece - show how it fits into
organizational plan

12.
Ideas from the Top
• Find people who get things done
• Find a champion
• Discover his/her interests
• Tell Stories

13.
When to roll it out
• like, yesterday!
• seriously - some things don't take a lot of time
– blogs, flickr, youtube, IM
– 5 minutes, tops
• depends on you

14.
Content,
Container,
Customer

15.
Content
• Conversational tone
• Create often
• Reuse Content…

16.
inviting participation
Just Ask.

17.
Container
Just the Basics
or
Fancy-Schmancy?

18.
Customers
Contacts
Comments
Creators

19.
contacts

20.
comments
• answer them
• quickly
• default to “comments on”
• edit if needed

21.
creators?
• decide about customer content
– Actual content?
– Comments only?
• who's in charge of content babysitting?
– Doesn’t have to be the “webmaster”
– Definitely not Admin!

22.
Some Specifics…

23.
Blogs, flickr, MySpace,
YouTube

24.
blogs

25.
decisions
Mylibrary.blogspot.com
or
Mylibrary.org/blog

26.
decisions
• reason for the blog
– what's new at the library?
– new books?
– library news?
• who's in charge? who writes?
Who answers comments?

27.
tricks
• link to your stuff
– catalog
– events
• flickr for images
– saves storage space on server
– pic is in two places - re-using content
– two places for comments
• Customer and staff training

28.
staff needs
• a little training on posting
• writing for the web training
• Basic HTML – for flickr, etc

29.
decisions
• Downloadable video?
• Channel Design
• reason for the videos
– what's new/library update videos
– videos of events
– training
– new books?
– library news?

30.
decisions
• YouTube-specific account stuff
• who's in charge? who creates videos?
who watches comments?
• Staff or customer content?
• Everything in Blogs above…

31.
tricks
• channels: link to other relevant channels!
• provide link back to library page
•Embed video on your
website!

32.
staff needs
• training!
• equipment

33.
flickr
http://flickr.com/photos/libraryman/292590660

34.
decisions
• Who takes pictures?
• Who uploads pictures
• Do you need a library policy?
• Tags and sets
• What will you do with flickr photos?

35.
tricks
• Push photos on site
• Profile
• Links from flickr to website
• Use flickr as library’s image hoster

36.
staff needs
• Photography training?
• Camera
• Flickr account (go pro)
• Graphics editing software
• Time!

37.
MySpace

38.
decisions:
• MySpace name, age, sex
• Design/skin
• Reason for the page!!!
• Make use of multimedia?

39.
tricks
• Musical artist account…
• Reuse content
• Customized additions
• Link to your content!

40.
staff needs
• who's in charge of it? who will write for
it? who will check it and comments?
• Time

41.
Part 2:
Topeka’s Current Experiments

42.
blogs
• meetings and wikis used for planning
• created a loose schedule for posting
• anyone can post
• internal and public blogs

43.
general blog guidelines
• be accountable
• write relevant content
• be respectful
• be confidential
• respect copyrights
• obey the law
• remember the handbook

44.
Instant Messaging
• meebo widget
• telephone reference add-on
• “just do it”
• guidelines will come if/when
needed
• Installing trillian on staff PCs

45.
podcasting/videocasting
• Experiments
• video - one
person
• podcasts - a
couple of people
• using YouTube to
host video

46.
Social Networking

47.
Part 3:
Digital Branch Planning

48.
Digital Branch?
• Remove “digital”
• My job
• My “branch”
• My staff

49.
Goals for the branch
• all library services
Staffing
available physically and
digitally
• take advantage of unique
Training
features of the web
• to some, the digital
branch will be their only
Content
library

50.
staffing

51.
digital branch manager
• big picture development
• strategic planning
• trend watching
• Mentoring
• talking to internal and external groups

52.
web dudes
• creating new tools, features, etc for site
• coding, html, css, javascript, etc
• day-to-day stuff

53.
possible oversight group
• big picture future developments
• include patrons: great way to be
customer-centric

54.
Content Creators
• create content for the Digital Branch
• articles, lists, photos, videos, podcasts
communication
• start conversations
• answer questions, respond to comments

55.
Staffing Levels
• minimum 2 people per blog/content area
• minimum 1 person in charge of social
networking site

56.
Finding staff
• for opening:
• Ask for volunteers
• have managers “volunteer” people
• tasks included in job descriptions

57.
Finding staff
• future staff development:
• Training
• hold regular “what we need” meetings
• potential Learning 2.0 program
• continue asking and mentoring
• Goal: to develop 21st century librarians

58.
Training needs
• training for specific tasks/jobs:
• how to post, to specific blogs
• how to add video to youtube
• how to use the digital camera & post to
flickr
• tagging basics

59.
Training needs
• Orientation training
• My expectations
• Web staff train on specifics
• editorial standards
• then train the trainer approach
• Still in development

60.
Content & Conversations
• Sharing the library’s story
• Collections
• Community
starting conversations

61.
Holes to fill
• blogs/subject guides:
• at least 14 of them
• some have default staff
• Services/Department pages
• Social Networking sites
• “Odd Jobs”

62.
style guidelines
• conversational tone
• active voice, written for web
• goal is conversation
• goal is sharing thoughts and content, and to
start conversations
• display content creator’s first name and
headshot

63.
Future Plans and Assessment

64.
Future Phases
• opening day is phase one
• teens, kids sites
• catalog
• potential “mylibrary” personalized services
• beta forever

65.
feedback
• Plan for continued patron feedback
• analytics tracking
• Strategic planning

66.
Thank you!
davidleeking.com