Bracketology

March Madness style brackets for library programs

Alvin DantesHead of Access

ServicesSUNY Oneonta

The Bracket

Banned Books Week 2012

Banned Books Week 2012

• Banned Books Week Banned Books Month–Weekly matchups– Culminating events during Banned

Books Week in October

• Prizes for most accurate brackets

Website

Website

• https://www.oneonta.edu/library/bannedbooks/

• Website for Banned Books 2012– Contained information on our events as

well as Banned Books information in general

– Updated weekly with new polls and bracket matchups

– Link to website on all physical materials and QR codes posted throughout the library

Google Form

Google Form

• Weekly votes with Google Docs form– Embedded into web page– Tied to Google Spreadsheet for easy

data manipulation or export

Physical Bracket

Physical Bracket

• Physical bracket hung in the library–Marketing– Regular updates– Reusable• Made with large format printer• Book titles attached separately with sticky

tack• Empty bracket still available for future

events

Marketing

Marketing

• Each flyer for the events had a bracket printed on the back that could be filled out to win prizes

• Combination of in-house materials and pins/posters/t-shirts from ALA (all of which were used as prizes)

• Exhibit space in the library devoted to promoting Banned Books Week

Mistakes Made

• 2nd week of voting only had 17 votes• Bracket submissions were due early

in September, though classes had just been in session for a few weeks– Bracket participation low– Could not capitalize on later interest

• Timing off during the last week of voting

Outcomes

• Captured campus interest– 100+ votes each week for matchups– At least two faculty using banned books

and censorship in curriculum

• Innovation award from the South Central Regional Library Council

Do It Yourself

Preparation

• Plan things out way ahead of time• Give yourself a big launch date and

promote it• Tie the program with other programs

occurring during the same time period

• It’s never too early to prepare for a culminating event

The Bracket

The Bracket

• We used a large format printer– Easy (for us) to make– Easy to use and reuse– Lack of modularity– Still relatively small

The Bracket

• Alternatives– Use individual pieces of paper and link

them with string or yarn–Make it virtual with a dynamic website

or a kiosk • www.betterbracketmaker.com

– Other ideas?

What to Put on the Bracket

• Banned books• Favorite authors/illustrators/creators• Literary character showdowns• People of historical significance

Voting

Voting

• Google Forms– Embeddable into external websites– Allows multiple submissions– Integration with Google Spreadsheets

for easy data manipulation– Lack of web analytics

Voting

• PollDaddy• SelectSurvey• EasyPolls.net• Twitter/Facebook/other social media• Other ideas?

Marketing

• Word of mouth– Brackets are adversarial. Instant

discussion– Seeding creates upsets, underdogs, and

Cinderellas

• Social media• Be visual

Marketing

• Update the bracket on a schedule– Perhaps turn the update into an event in

itself

• Keep a website/blog up to date with information regarding your bracket– Link to the website or to the vote

wherever and whenever possible

• Book talks/discussion groups

Things to Keep in Mind

Things to Keep in Mind

• Timing is everything–We did not correctly anticipate the

timing of the bracket– Remember to build momentum over the

length of the bracket– Have a predictable schedule of updates

Things to Keep in Mind

• Marketing is everything else– Find additional stakeholders– It’s a long process, you need momentum– Advertise before it starts if you want

people filling out brackets