Communicating the Value of

Libraries and the Library Profession

Paper for presentation at the Bicol Regional Librarians’ Council, December 20, 2011

Mila M. RamosMember, Board for LibrariansLibrary Consultant

Overview Importance of Values

The current scenario and the challenge of identifying the value of the professionThe Value of libraries and librarians The need to communicate the value of libraries: measuring ROI

Marketing strategies: creating a better perception of your Library

Tools that may help to communicate the value of our profession

Importance of Values

We need to have a clear concept of values because they are the standards by which we can:

• assess the relevance of what we do

• measure how near or how far we from accomplishing our objectives; and

• compare our actions and our statusto others and to the ideals represented by our profession.

Source: Gorman, M. Value and values of libraries. http://mg.csufresno.edu/papers/Value_and_Values_of_Libraries.pdf

The current scenario (sad but true)…. hurdles to be faced

with urgency

Your library is no longer the sole information source in your locality/organization.

Yours may not even be the only library there because the Web offers access to many libraries.

E-resources on the Web alter the

way current users access information.

A Broader Mission of Libraries

“To improve society through facilitating

knowledge creation in their communities.”

- Robert David Lankes. 2011. Atlas of New Librarianship. MIT Press.

The Challenge of identifying and

communicating value

Librarians have more complex roles now

In the past, collecting usage statistics was enough, but these metrics do not show how the Library contributes to the overall

mission of the organization

Other Challenges

The Library needs to be clearly positioned within the overall mission of the organization.

There is a need to justify a library’s existence; ROI need to be measured.

The Internet Challenge Some Internet Usage

DataUpdates/Posts :

•Facebook status updates: 700 per second

•Twitter tweets: 600 per second

•Buzz posts: 55 per second

And searches :

•Google: 34,000 searches per second

•Yahoo: 3,200 searches per second

•Bing: 927 searches per second

Source: By The Numbers: Twitter Vs. Facebook Vs. Google Buzz Feb 23, 2010 by Matt McGee http://searchengineland.com/by-the-numbers-twitter-vs- facebook-vs-google-buzz-36709

ASIA INTERNET USAGE AND POPULATION, June 30, 2011

ASIA INTERNET USAGE AND POPULATION, June 30, 2011

ASIAPopulation( 2011 Est.)

Internet Users,(Year 2000)

Internet Users,Latest Data

Penetration(% Population)

Users% Asia

FacebookSubscribers

China  1,336,718,015 22,500,000 485,000,000 36.3 % 52.0 % 504,660

India 1,189,172,906 5,000,000 100,000,000 8.4 % 10.7 % 29,475,740

Japan 126,475,664 47,080,000 99,182,000 78.4 % 10.6 % 3,812,460

Indonesia 245,613,043 2,000,000 39,600,000 16.1 % 4.2 % 38,860,460

Korea, South 48,754,657 19,040,000 39,440,000 80.9 % 4.2 % 3,697,020

Philippines 101,833,938 2,000,000 29,700,000 29.2 % 3.2 % 25,307,800

Vietnam 90,549,390 200,000 29,268,606 32.3 % 3.1 % 1,674,040

Pakistan 187,342,721 133,900 20,431,000 10.9 % 2.2 % 4,795,200

Thailand 66,720,153 2,300,000 18,310,000 27.4 % 2.0 % 10,612,380

Malaysia 28,728,607 3,700,000 16,902,600 58.8 % 1.8 % 11,221,040

TOTAL ASIA 3,879,740,877 114,304,000 932,393,209 24.0 % 152,957,480

1. Creation and maintenance of a democratic, interactive space, virtual or traditional, conducive to imparting literacy for people of all ages and walks of life.

2. Stewardship of knowledge: preservation for future generations

Value of the Library Profession

Value of the Library Profession

4. Imparting Information Literacy to Users a. live library orientations/lectures b. online orientation using Skype,

YouTube, Facebook, or SlideShare c. better searching techniques5. Capacity to “make sense” out of the

Internet a. Easing the “information overload” b. Filtering/selection of relevant

electronic information sources

More Values

3. Organization and Repackaging of knowledge

a. cataloging/indexing of

electronic resources

b. create lists of subject-

specific bibliographies

4. Research/Decision-making Support

5. Link to Information =Knowledge sharing = Making information accessible

Most Important of all : the priceless human touch of

librariansThe interface between a librarian and clients

is priceless.

There is nothing better than a library with a smiling

librarian ready to assist readers.

Patrons who seek help in selecting a good book could use online reviews, but nothing beats these approaches: ‘Try this one, I’ve read it and I think you’ll like it approach.” or when literature searching “Try using this database, you’ll find it very useful.”

A Clear Demonstration of the Value of the Library Profession: IncreasingJob Opportunities for Librarians

The Value of the Library Profession has been the Subject

for Research One example is SLA’s 2 year Alignment Project

which aims to establish and communicate the core identity

and value of the information profession and information professionals, which can be read at: http://www.sla.org/content/SLA/alignment/index.cfm

What is Alignment?

Focus and cohesion around who you are, what you do, and what you

deliverCommunicating with clarity,

credibility, and consistency about your value

Source:http://www.sla.org/PDFs/alignment/SLA_presentation_ddV12.pdf

Why must we align?• Hiring officers do not fully understand the role

and value of information professionals

• Information science now spans a wider range of career paths beyond traditional librarians and information providers

• Information professionals must align their value and contributions with the strategic goals of the organizations

• Information professionals must change their professional communications and words to align with their audience or employers

Source:http://www.sla.org/PDFs/alignment/SLA_presentation_ddV12.pdf

What can Alignment Achieve?

• Reveal the identity and the value of the information professional

• Clear, compelling communication of the role and value of information professionals

• Stronger recognition of information professionals in the marketplace and among employers

Source:http://www.sla.org/PDFs/alignment/SLA_presentation_ddV12.pdf

Key findings of the SLA study

Value of the Information Professional

Make resources available in a timely,

convenient, and secure manner - 50%

Create culture of continuous learning- 45%

Save time and money - 40%

Facilitate good decision making - 38%

Provide expert analysis - 36 %

Are we convinced Librarians Still Matter in the Digital Age?

If you answer yes, then you definitely recognize the need to communicate the value of your libraries to Management and other stakeholdersIf you answer No, then you

probably must be ready to take the trip to obsolescence.

We must act fast to create awareness of our value

Academic and special libraries in the country often have better-than-Web resources and personalized assistance, but does your community know? Are you reaching everyone who could use your

services and offering the right services? What's the best way to find out? What resources and services do users in your

community actually want and have you asked lately? Marketing helps answer these questions!

Communicating value is urgent

In meaningful ways communicating the Library’s value is imperative for survival

The problem is how?

There are ways to measure ROI

(Source: Tenopir, 2009)

1. Measuring usage through usage logs or vendor reports (typical method, but not enough)

2. Measuring the library’s purpose and value through surveys that measure purpose and value of use – e.g. how often do you use the collection? What is the purpose of your coming to the Library?

More ways to Measure ROI

3. Measuring perceived value through surveys or interviews or oral or written testimonials – what users think about or say about the service, e. g. asking “How has access to electronic resources available over the university computer network and/or from the university library changed the way you work? Please comment.”

4. Calculating ROI using budget, income, and survey data – Budget-Grant comparison; Number of project proposals accepted (with citations gathered from the Library) (Tenopir, 2009)

You may also use a Library Value Calculator

Adding electronic content is not enough

Librarians need to be active participants in the organization rather than just passive sources of information

They need to drive users to their content rather than let them come to it. Follow the catchphrase “Go where the users are”

The positive results of a user survey (although difficult to obtain) provide evidence that the library is aligned with organizational goals (Check out SurveyMonkey from the WWW)

What else can we do to create awareness of library’s content?

Work towards improving clients’ information literacy and skills so they can use e-resourcesPartner with other units in the

organization to improve information searching and retrieving skills

Promotion Strategies

Successful libraries develop a variety of creative and innovative promotion strategies such as :positive public relations (verbal and non-verbal behavior towards clients)seek out a champion for supporteye-catching announcements/displays (posters, billboards, t-shirts, penants, bookmarks, etc.)well-designed publications (e.g. articles, flyers and newsletters)interactive web sites (Library web sites; search interfaces, ets.)

More strategies

aggressive advocacy, advertising (lectures; newspaper ads, etc.)book exhibits/salesfriends’ groupscontests

Internet-Based Strategies

BlogsWikisPodcasts - multimedia digital files

made available on the Internet for downloading to a portable media player, computer, etcand other social networking

technologies, e.g.

Facebook, Youtube,

Twitter, Google Buzz, etc.

An Effective But Normally Ignored Tool

Knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff members are also great promotion tools!

The Way Forward : Creating

Awareness/Marketing Pays offMarketing is about changing

perceptions about the Library: yours and theirs. The Library must be viewed an asset and not as a cost or expense center Justify the funds invested by Management to the Library. Look for opportunities for collaboration with other units within the organization to fill information needs and train their staff in using available resources

“Let the Sun Shine on your E-Resources” Janice Lechance, SLA CEO

Electronic Resources are useless if users are not aware that they are within reach

Getting the word out about e-resources pays off in

many ways

Value is created each

time someone uses them

Marketing the Library Training Module at

http://www.olc.org/marketing/1intro.htm

Blog Site on Library Marketing

E-book on Library Marketing http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/marketing/Participan

tManual.pdf

Marketing the Library web site http://www.librarysupportstaff.com/marketinglibs.html

Public Library Toolbox at http://cis.washington.edu/usimpact/toolbox.html

E-book on the Value of Academic Libraries at

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/value/val_bibliography.pdf

Literature on The Value of Special Libraries

An Urgent Challenge

• Librarians are aware of the value of the profession but …. awareness must be directed towards stakeholders

• They need to be convinced that the Library gives value in exchange for the budget allocated by Management

• Communicating value is a must and this should be sustained

• There is no surefire effective strategy for letting people know about the library’s value. There are many options. We can use as many as we can and continue using those that prove to be effective.

“I believe that librarians are a noble and vital part of society

and that the future of librarianship is bright – but not if we continually see ourselves as centered on artifacts and behind institutional walls and

waiting to help.”

-R. David Lankes

Thank you.

ReferencesEstablishing Value and ROI: Investing in STM e-journals and e-books http://www.springer.com/librarians/solutions+for+industry?SGWID=1-40475-12-700104-0Gorman, M. 2002. The value and values of libraries. Paper delivered at “Celebration of Libraries” Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford, Sept. 20, 2002. http://mg.csufresno.edu/papers/Value_and_Values_of_Libraries.pdf Landgraf, G. 2011. 10 Ways Libraries Matter in a Digital Age. American Libraries May 2 http://www.americanlibrariesmagazine.org/inside-scoop/10-ways-libraries-matter-digital-ageMassachusetts Library Association. 2008. [Library Services Calculator] at http://69.36.174.204/value-new/calculator.html Oakleaf, M. 2010. The value of academic libraries: a comprehensive research review and report. ALA, 2010. http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/issues/value/val_bibliography.pdf

ReferencesScotti, G.J. Proving value and return on investment. Information Outlook 14(4):22-24. June 2010. http://www.olc.org/marketing/5intro.htm

Tenopir, C. 2009. Measuring the value and returns on investment in academic libraries. ICAL 2009 http://crl.du.ac.in/ical09/papers/index_files/ical-2_158_377_1_RV.pdf

Willeford, S. 2009. Marketing special events; if you market, they will come. … www.swilsa.lib.ia.us/isloc/presentations/marketing.ppt

Zamora, G. and A. Caputo. 2009. Creating the Future:You and SLA . http://www.sla.org/Presentations/Alignment_DCSLA_ZamoraCaputo052809.ppt