Library Association of Ireland and CILIP keynote

1. Re-Imagining, Recovering,
and Resilience - Building
better libraries Post-
Pandemic
Stephen Abram, MLS
November 2021
Ireland

2. 2
Experienced global library and
information industry leader
Expertise in:
• Advocacy, Influence, Lobbying
• Strategic planning & marketing
• Facilities and Master Plans
• Product & Service development
• Technology & training and marketing
Stephen Abram

3. WHAT DO WE HAVE?
WHAT IS ITS VALUE?
WHERE ARE YOUR PROOFS?
Do we measure libraries or human impact?

4. THE LENS
EROI,SROI,IMPACT,OUTCOMES,...

16. Deer in headlamps slide here.

17. WHAT IS AN EXPERIENCE?
What is a library experience?

18. Fiction
Non-Fiction
Reading

21. WHY DO PEOPLE ASK
QUESTIONS?
Calculators

22. The nasty facts
about Google &
consumer search:
SEO / SMO
Content Farms
Advertiser-driven
Geotagging

25. 1. Statistics are not enough!
2. Measurements are two or more statistics which, in
combination, show directionality, insight, or highlight
a point.
3. They are best kept short, large and visual.
What is measurement?
www.lucidea.com

26. Telling Our Stories
What do we use measurements for?

27. In his book The Springboard, Steve Denning
describes these stories as “less a vehicle for
communication of large amounts of information
and more a tiny fuse that ignites a new story in
the listeners’ minds, which establishes new
connections and patterns in the listeners’ existing
information, attitudes and perceptions.”
What is a story? Highly recommended reading:
The idea of a springboard story was first
explained in the book, The Springboard: How
Storytelling Ignites Action in Knowledge-Era
Organizations published by Butterworth
Heinemann, in October 2000.

28. In libraries:
1. Testimonials
2. Elevator stories
3. Water cooler / meetings prep
4. Coffee break stories (Starbucks)
5. Lunch stories (or hot dog cart)
6. Presentations
7. Corporate events conversations
8. Social media hits
What is a story?

29. 1. To connect our emotional brain with our logical brain.
2. To move minds, and connect with users and decision-makers on their level of
goals and dreams.
3. To prepare to ASK
What is a story’s purpose?
www.lucidea.com

30. Crafting a springboard story
1. Must be a “story” with a beginning, middle and end that is relevant to the listeners.
2. Must be highly compressed – the original springboard story contained 29 words.
3. Must have a hero – the story must be about a person who accomplished something notable or noteworthy.
4. Must include a surprising element – the story should shock the listener out of their complacency. It should shake up
their model of reality.
5. Must stimulate an “of course!” reaction – once the surprise is delivered, the listener should see the obvious path to the
future.
6. Must embody the change process desired, be relatively recent, and “pretty much” true.
7. Must have a happy ending.

31. The Virtual Handout
The Value of School Libraries
http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/06/the-value-of-school-libraries/
The Value of Academic and College Libraries
http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/07/value-of-academic-and-college-libraries/
The Value of Special Libraries
http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/07/value-of-special-libraries/
The Value of Public Libraries
http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/06/the-value-of-public-libraries/
Library Advocacy: Save the Library Campaigns
http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/04/01/save-the-library-campaigns/

32. Libraries
Are Social
Institutions

33. LEARN THE LANGUAGE OF
SOCIAL RETURN ON
INVESTMENT

34. THE BIG QUESTION
WHAT IS IT THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DO
TODAY, THAT IF WE COULD, WOULD
FUNDAMENTALLY IMPROVE OUR
SUCCESS?

35. AND MORE IMPORTANTLY
YOUR COMMUNITY
Users, students, seniors, scholars, researchers, businesses, …

38. Every Day in every way libraries are throwing
pebbles

39. The Library as Sandbox

40. Focus and
Understand on
the Whole
Experience
Know your user journeys
Member
User
Scholar
Researcher
Student
Decision-maker

41. CHANGE IS….
INEVITABLE

42. DO YOU LIKE CHANGE?
Does it matter?

43. WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF NOT CHANGING?

44. ‘New’ Library Cultures
Support Your Team
Toxicity

45. Accept that change
is an attitude

46. BEING OPEN TO CHANGE

47. BE INSPIRATIONAL

48. A
Clean
Slate

49. Tell Your Story:
Until lions learn to write their own story,
the story will always be from the perspective
of the hunter not the hunted.

51. Libraries core skill is not
delivering information
Libraries improve the
quality of the question
and the user experience
Learning Libraries are about
building life competencies

53. Re-frame
Excuses
Versus
Reasons

55. Library Magic
What are your magic tricks?

57. Failure to Reward Risk

58. Digital risk has raised the bar on risk taking in library land.

59. Smelly
Yellow
Liquid
Or
Sex
Appeal?
The Complex Value Proposition

60. Are you locked into an old library mindset?

61. A Verb . . . an Experience, enlivened for an audience

62. A Noun . . . A foundation but not sufficient with professional animation

63. Grocery Stores

64. Cookbooks, Chefs . . .

65. Chefs . . .

66. Meals

68. The solution lies in measuring and
proving Impact and then using
testimonials and stories

71. “INFORMATIONLITERACYIS A CRUCIALSKILLIN THEPURSUITOF
KNOWLEDGE.IT INVOLVESRECOGNIZING
WHENINFORMATIONIS NEEDEDAND BEING ABLETO
EFFICIENTLYLOCATE,ACCURATELYEVALUATE,EFFECTIVELYUSE,
AND CLEARLYCOMMUNICATEINFORMATIONIN VARIOUS
FORMATS.”
Wesleyan University

72. Alone Together Collaboration

73. 21st Century Vital Literacies
Critical 21st century skills, all agree on four critical areas for development:
◦ Collaboration and teamwork
◦ Creativity and imagination
◦ Critical thinking
◦ Problem solving
◦ Flexibility and adaptability
◦ Global and cultural awareness
◦ Information literacy
◦ Leadership
◦ Civic literacy and citizenship
◦ Oral and written communication skills
◦ Social responsibility and ethics
◦ Technology literacy
◦ Initiative
Literacy:
Reading literacy
Print literacy
Computer literacy
Web literacy
Device literacy
Tool literacy
Information literacy
Cognitive literacy
Credulity

76. Proven Library Impact
The Public Library value proposition is strong and includes (but isn’t
limited to):
◦ Excellent Return on Investment
◦ Strong Economic Development
◦ Great Employment Support
◦ Welcoming New Americans
◦ Provable Early Literacy Development
◦ Ongoing Support for Formal Education and Homework Help
◦ Serve the whole community equitably
◦ Affordable access to community resources
◦ Access to Government Services and e-government
◦ Questions Deserve Quality Answers
◦ Support Cultural Vitality
◦ Recognized and Valued Leisure Activities for the majority

77. Current Proofs on Having an Impact (just a
selection)
◦ Fiction and Empathy
◦ School Readiness
◦ College Readiness
◦ Social Isolation
◦ Different Abilities
◦ Economic Impact
◦ Entrepreneurs
◦ Lifelong learning, adult education, e-learning
◦ Access of all kinds – leveling the playing field
◦ Research Impact
◦ Decision Making Quality

79. 79

80. 80

81. Now over to you . . .
Throw Your Pebble!

82. lucidea.com 82
Heads up!
Free eBook
Lucidea Press
©2018 Press
Download as Kindle or Print
https://www.amazon.com/Succeeding-World-
Special-Librarianship-
Stephen/dp/1718600682/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&
qid=1528125070&sr=8-
1&keywords=Succeeding+in+the+World+of+Spe
cial+Librarianship

84. Contacts
Stephen Abram, MLS
CEO, Lighthouse Consulting, Inc.
Blogs:
Stephen’s Lighthouse
http://www.stephenslighouse.com
FOPL: http://www.fopl.ca
Email: stephen.abram@gmail.com
Twitter: @sabram
Facebook
LinkedIn