Teen Spirit Q&A from the LJ/Polaris Webcast - I Want to Do-O 2.0!! Help Me!
Jen Maney -- School Library Journal, 06/17/2008
The recent LJ/Polaris webcast on teen services drew over 600 librarians, and nearly as many questions were posted during the event. Many of the questions revolved around 2.0 library services, and we asked one of the participants, Jen Maney, virtual library manager at Pima County Public Library (AZ), to answer them.
I Want to Do-O 2.0!! Help Me!
How did you convince admin (yup, the bosses ... ed.) to allow blogging, YouTube, Flickr, etc.?
JM: The first time I pitched a blog idea to administrators, I did a terrible job! I was asking if a branch could have a blog, but I didn't do my homework, and the admin group asked me all kinds of things: what kinds of things will be posted? How often will they post? Who will take it over if the current librarian leaves? I wasn't prepared. I failed miserably.
At my next opportunity, I proposed using a social site. I did my homework and had all those other questions answered, which made a huge difference. I started by writing up criteria for our MySpace profile. This is what you should be prepared to present to administration, or any group that might fund your programs – the Friends, library foundation, or well-positioned local philanthropist. In the business world, it's called the 'elevator speech." Perhaps local MySpace users will run across our profile through their friends or by random searching or browsing.
The library accepts "friend requests" from local citizens, local businesses such as bookstores, library partners or collaborative agencies, and from libraries around the country. You have to convince administration that you're using these things as another tool to reach out to an audience that may not traditionally use the library. You also have to assure your supervisors and colleagues that you won't be making "friends" with inappropriate individuals or businesses. By designating this entire effort as "online outreach," which may resonate with institutional as well as personal goals, you can help administration understand and find value in non-traditional services, such as event notification, community news source, or a career placement center. Good luck! - Jen
Visit the Library Journal archives for the complete Teen Spirit webcast.
