Handout:ALAAnnual2010,“PublicLibraryattheHeartoftheCommunity:NewServiceModelsforaChangingEra”KingCountyLibrarySystem:LooktoYourLibrary,EspeciallyNow
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Summary:LooktoYourLibrary,EspeciallyNow(LTYL)
Nearly89,000KingCountyresidentsbecameunemployedbetweenSeptember2008andApril2009,reachingan8%localunemploymentrate.KCLSconductedanintensiveoutreachefforttoguideresidentstofreeresourcesthatcouldhelpthemadapttounexpectedchangesintheirlives.TheLTYLeffortincludedaddedservicehours,hands‐ondemonstrations,andaspecialWebsectionaspartofacomprehensivestrategiccommunicationplan.TheLTYLWebpagespresentedinformationinuser‐basedcategories,showcasinglibraryandcommunityresources,anddemonstratingourvalueduringthecrisis.Mediaoutreachgarneredpositiveresponsesandunprecedentedvisibilitywithinandbeyondourservicearea.
StepOne—NeedsAssessment
Nearly89,000KingCountyresidentsbecameunemployedbetweenSeptember2008andApril2009becauseoftheglobaleconomiccollapse.InApril2009,theWashingtonStateEmploymentSecurityDepartmentreportedanoverall8%unemploymentrateforthecommunitiesservedbytheKingCountyLibrarySystem(KCLS).Jobs,investments,andretirementaccountsdisappeared.Businessesclosed,marketscollapsed,andanunprecedentednumberofresponsiblehomeownerssuddenlyfacedunemploymentandmortgageforeclosures.
Ourneighborswereoverwhelmed,frightened,anddidn'tknowwheretoturn.KCLSlibrariesheldtheinformation,skill‐buildingopportunities,andjobsearchtoolspeopledesperatelyneeded,butmanyresidentsdidn’tknowtheseresourceswereavailabletothematnocharge.Wefacedacommunity‐widecrisiscreatedbytheglobaleconomicmeltdown,intensifyingthechallengetoeffectivelypublicizethewealthofinformationandresourcesourlibrariesoffered.
CommunityNeedsAssessment:Researchwassimple,andthescopeoftheproblemwasobvious:
1. Newsandanalysisatlocal,state,andnationallevelstoldendlessaccountsofeconomicbreakdownsinaglobalchainreactionthathitourregionhard.Ouroldestremaininglocalbankwasoneofthefirsttocollapse,leavingmortgage‐holdersandemployeesindirestraits.
2. Librarystaffnoticedachangeinpatronbehavior,anincreaseindaytimeusebyprofessionals,andasurgeinreferencequestions.Temperswereshort,patienceinscarcersupply,andcompetitionforcomputertimegrewmoreintense.Ourpatronswereclearlyaffected.
Wecouldmakeasubstantialdifferencetopeopleinneed,butevenregularpatronshadnoideaoftheresourcesandservicesweoffered,despiteourbesteffortstopromotethesefeaturesovertheyears.Weneededamoreeffectivecommunicationandoutreachstrategytoconnectpeoplewiththetoolstheyneededtocopewiththecrisis.
StrategicCommunicationNeeds:Continuinganalysisandevaluationofourstrategiccommunicationsandmediarelationseffortsprovidedbaselineinformationonmediacoverage,marketreach,andthesubstantialchallengesingettingmediainterestinlibrary“goodnews.”
Handout:ALAAnnual2010,“PublicLibraryattheHeartoftheCommunity:NewServiceModelsforaChangingEra”KingCountyLibrarySystem:LooktoYourLibrary,EspeciallyNow
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Wewerecaughtinchangingtimes:fewermediavenues;growingcompetitionfromtheWeb;newaudiencesbothunfamiliarwithlibrariesanduncomfortableaskingforassistance.Whilewewerelookingtothemediatohelpustellthepublicaboutthelibraryservicestheyneeded,newsmediawerehavingacrisistoo.Twoofthethreesurvivingregionaldailynewspaperswereundersevereeconomicpressure,andthedailywhosecirculationmostcloselymatchedourserviceareahadalreadyfailed.Whilewewerepreparingtolaunchourcampaign,theoldestdailyintheregionceasedprintededitionsaltogether,andretreatedtoaWeb‐basedremnantwithlittleroomforlocalnews.Thelargestregionaldailyannounceddrasticstaffcutsandfurloughs,andmanyjournalistswithwhomwehaddevelopedsolidworkingrelationshipswereintheunemploymentlinesalongwiththeirreaders.
Theregionhadacollectiveheadache,andour"product"couldeasetheirpain.Becausethecrisiswascatastrophicatboththeglobalandlocallevels,mediainterestreachedanewhigh.Wehopedtobeabletoworkcloselywiththesurvivingjournalistsintheregiontospreadthewordeffectively.
Asthecrisisgrew,werecognizedour"teachablemoment:"theglobalfinancialmeltdownprovidedtheperfectopportunitytotieintoaglobalnewscycleandconnectourworriedpublicwithessentialresourcesinthelibrariestheyhavefaithfullysupportedthroughpropertytaxleviesandbondmeasuresformorethan67years.Visibleandeffectiveoutreachduringthecrisiswasessentialtomeetingourpatrons’needs,cultivatingcontinuingsupport,andpromotingthevalueoflibrariesnationwide.
StepTwo—StrategicCommunicationPlanningToday'slibrariesarecomplexinformationcenterswithsuchextensiveresourcesthatmostpatronsaren'tfamiliarwiththefullrangeoftoolsandservicesavailabletothemorhowtofindthem.KCLSwasacutelyawareofthepainfulpersonalcomplicationsforindividualsandfamiliesfacingsuddenlayoffs,drasticlossofincome,andpossiblehomeforeclosures.Wewantedtohelp,yetrealizedtheneedtoclarifyandstaywithinourroleasinformationproviders,notserviceproviders.Wecouldnotguaranteerelief,butwecouldprovidelinkstojob‐searchtools,skill‐buildingresources,businessandfinancialinformation,andsocialserviceagencies.Weneededtorespectprivacyandensurefirst‐timeusersuccess:thenewlyjoblessdidn’twanttodiscusstheirfinancialstate,andalreadyfeltdefeated.Toreachandretainnewvisitorsandbetterservelong‐timepatrons,weneededtomakeitquickandeasytofindqualityinformation.
MeasurableObjectives:Oursuccesswouldbegaugedbymeasurableincreasesof:• Trafficinthelibrariesandonline;• Circulationofrelatedcollection
materialsandonlineresources;
• Positivemediacoverage;and• Feedbackfrompatrons,staff,and
communityleaders.
TargetAudiences:Theneedwasnearlyuniversal,andsowasourmarket.Toreachnon‐usersweneededtosaturatetheregionwithinformationtailoredtoindividuals’needs.Weidentifiedsixspecifictargetaudiences,anticipatedtheirneeds,andassessedtheirpotentialrolesinachievingourobjectives:
• Librarystaff,forsupportandcontinuityofservice;
• Regularlibrarypatrons,toensuretheywereawareofjobsupportresources;
• Non‐users,tobringthemtothelibrarysotheycoulduseourservices;
• Communityorganizations,tocombineoutreachandservicepromotions;
• Opinionleaders,toraiseawarenessofKCLS’effortsinandbeyondourarea;
• Newsmedia,toengagesupportandtellthepublichowwecouldhelp.
Find details at your library,
www.kcls.org or 425.369.3275.*Skykomish, Tukwila and Kirkland Library at ParkPlace Books will open at regular hours.
Across King County people are feeling the economic pinch: layo!s, reduced hours,
decreased bene"ts and mounting bills. To help our neighbors cope and get back on their feet, KCLS is hosting special how-to demonstrations
of the latest job-search and "nancial tools.
May 1–8, 2009: 41 KCLS libraries* will open one hour early all week, giving
you more time to explore the library’s information resources. During the !rst two hours each day that week, librarians will
demonstrate the latest tools and how to use them.
Look to your library…
Just laid off?
Discover resources to help you explore your options.
Searching for
a job?Find tips on résumés, job searching
and online employment sites.
Struggling small
business? Find available resources, tips on writing a business plan and sources for advice.
Bills piling up?
Learn what resources are available to help you cope.
Handout:ALAAnnual2010,“PublicLibraryattheHeartoftheCommunity:NewServiceModelsforaChangingEra”KingCountyLibrarySystem:LooktoYourLibrary,EspeciallyNow
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StrategiesTheirfirstlibraryexperiencehadtoproviderelevantinformationimmediately,orwe’dfailinpatron’seyes.Ratherthanremainapassivearchiveforinformationthatuserscouldfind,wewouldusethefullpoweroflibraryskillstodevelopacomprehensivejobinformationandresourcecenter,bringingtogetherlibrarymaterials,onlineresources,andcommunitygroupsprovidingessentialandcrisisservices.
TacticsCatalogsearchesthatseemsimpletostaffandregularlibrarypatronsrequirealeveloffamiliaritybeyondafirst‐timeuser'sskills.Stressedvisitors—andjournalists—hadnopatienceforatrial‐and‐errorapproach.WewouldusespecialWebpages,extraopenhours,on‐sitedemonstrationsandclasses,PR,marketing,advertising,socialandmassmediainacomprehensivestrategiccampaigntoinformallpotentialpatronsaboutouremploymentresources,jobskillstraining,smallbusinesssupport,crisisservicesresources,andinnovativewaystouselibrarymaterialsandprogramstoenhancetheirqualityoflifeinhardtimes.StrategicMesssagesOurcampaigntitleLooktoYourLibrary…EspeciallyNow,invitedthepublictoturntousforhelp.Theunwrittenmessageswouldbeprovedthroughouractions:we’rehereforyou;wemakeiteasytofindwhatyouneedtosurviveandthrive.
BudgetOurcommunicationsbudgetwas$34,500forPSAsandairtime.Wereceivedin‐kindsupportfrommediapartnersvaluedat$61,000,andtheKCLSFoundationprovided$5,000forstaffT‐shirtstohelppromotetheoutreacheffortandencouragepeopletoaskforassistance.
StepThree—ImplementationWehadtheinformation,thepublichadtheneed,andtheeconomiccrisisgaveusaremarkablyhigh‐profileplatformforanunprecedentedcrash‐courseonlibrariesandhowtousethem.Totakeadvantageofthisopportunity,theLooktoYourLibrary(LTYL)campaigncombinedthefullrangeoflibraryresources,staffskills,andstrategiccommunicationstoolsinacohesive,community‐wideoutreachtoserveourneighborsduringacrisis.Wealsoseizedtheopportunitytodemonstrateourvaluetothepublicandnewsmediabydoingwhatgoodlibrariesdo:provideessential,reliableandrelevantinformation.
CommunicationsToolkit:OurcomprehensivestrategiccommunicationscampaignusedthefullrangeoftoolswithourLooktoYourLibrarymessageandvisualbranding:internalcommunication,staffinvolvement,mediaandpublicrelations,marketingandadvertisingontheWeb,radioandTV.
PublicRelationstoolsfeaturedindividualfeatureofferstokeylocaljournalists;calendarreleasesandfeatureoutreachtocommunityweeklypapersandmediacalendarsections;generalinterestpressreleasesdistributedthroughanationalmediaservice;theKCLSonlineNewsRoom;socialmediatoolsonTwitter,FaceBook,YouTube,LinkedIn,NING,listserves,staffandorganizationblogs;andnoticestolibraryprofessionalpublications.
WealsoincorporatedthreeatypicalresourcesdevelopedthroughcollaborationbetweenCommunityRelations,PublicServices,andWebServicesstaff:
• AdedicatedWebsectiontodirectuserstospecificcrisis‐relatedresources.Tomeetusers’immediateneedsquicklyandeasily,wepresentedtheinformationincategoriestomatchtheirspecific
Handout:ALAAnnual2010,“PublicLibraryattheHeartoftheCommunity:NewServiceModelsforaChangingEra”KingCountyLibrarySystem:LooktoYourLibrary,EspeciallyNow
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circumstances.Weofferedinformation,skill‐buildingtools,andlinkstooutsideresources,organizedinfiveuser‐focusedactioncategories:
o Justlaidoff?Focusedonunemploymentbenefits
o Searchingforajob?Detailedjob‐findingresourcesandskills
o Strugglingsmallbusiness?ListedSBAresourcesandotherguides
o Billspilingup?Providedemergencyreferralinformation
o Moreresourcesbecameaguidetobroaderlibraryresourcestoenhancequalityoflifeinhardtimes:homeworkhelpforstudents,career‐buildingopportunities,cost‐cuttingtips
• Enhancedservicethroughaddedhours,specialprograms,andindividualcoaching.Throughvoluntaryscheduleshiftsweprovided246additionalhoursofoperationwith528hoursofhands‐onpublictrainingonkeyjobandbusinessresearchtools,withoutadditionalcosts.
• PartnershipswithcommunityagenciesincludedWeblinks,andon‐siterepresentativesinthelibrariesfromgroupsprovidingunemploymentbenefitinformation,emergencyassistance,temporaryinsurancecoverage,foodandshelterforfamiliesinneed.
Marketingmaterialsincludedbrandednewsletterfeatures,flyers,posters,on‐sitesignage,andstaffT‐shirts.DuringthefirstweekofMay,41librariesopenedanhourearly,andall44librariesscheduledspecialon‐sitedemonstrations,withdesignatedstaff‘greeters’toinvitepatronstoparticipate.
Advertisingincludedbrandedspotsonradio,TVandcablechannelsinEnglishandSpanish,promotingservicesinfourkeyactioncategories,with$46,000ofin‐kindsupportfromLongTelevisionandComcast.
StepFour—Evaluation
ResultsoftheLTYLcampaignmetourobjectivesandexceededexpectationsforlibraryuseandvisibility.Thoughourcampaigncoincidedpreciselywiththecollapseofnewspapers,wetargetedabroad,internationalaudienceinprintandonline.Ourpressreleaseswerewrittentoberelevantwellbeyondourservicearea,andgarneredunprecedentedcoverageonnational,international,andprofessionalmediawithinandbeyondthelibraryfield.
Comprehensivebrandingunitedandreinforcedourefforts,offeringafull‐scalelearningexperienceforall,fromlong‐timeandnewpatrons,staffandthegeneralpublic.TrackingshowedsubstantialincreasesinuseofLTYLresources,continuinguseofthededicatedWebsection,increasedcirculationofrelatedcollectionitemsandonlineresources,unprecedentedmediacoverage,andpositivefeedbackfrompatrons,staff,andcommunityleaders.
Keylocalmediaranexclusivefeatures,andwewerementionedinmanynewsstoriesabouttheeconomicmeltdown.WeleveragedmediacoveragethroughlinksonourWebsite,onlineNewsRoom,PRNewsWire,Twitter,blogs,NING,FaceBook,LinkedIn,YouTube,listserves,andprofessionaljournals.
Handout:ALAAnnual2010,“PublicLibraryattheHeartoftheCommunity:NewServiceModelsforaChangingEra”KingCountyLibrarySystem:LooktoYourLibrary,EspeciallyNow
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Wereceivedunprecedentedcoverageontelevisionnewsbyprovidingdirectassistancetoreportersdoingfeaturesoncomputerskillstrainingforjob‐seekers.
MeasurableObjectives:Results• The25LTYLWebpageswereviewedatotalof29,571timesinthefirstfivemonths,and
continuestodrawuserswithatotalof34,617visitstodate.
• TurnoverfortheitemsintheLTYLsubjectsincreased89%duringtheLTYLperiodcomparedtoallof2008.InthesecallnumberrangesKCLShas1,139titles.Bymid‐Augusttherewere1,430holdson277LTYLitems.
• MediacoveragebeyondtheKCLSserviceareaincludedWebpostingson:CBS,AOLMoney,FoxBusiness,SmartMoney,InternationalBusinessTimes,NightlyBusinessReviewXChangeBlog,MarketWatch,LaborNews,andInternationalEmploymentNews.
• Awarenessandperceptionsofvalueofwerenotformallymeasured,butextentofmediacoveragebeyondourserviceareaindicatesrecordvisibilityforKCLS.
Drawnbyunavoidablemarketsaturation,theGatesFoundationaskedustoshareourstrategicplantoserveasamodelforlibrariesstatewide.Librarysystemsacrossthecountryalsoaskedpermissiontouseouruser‐focusedactioncategoriesintheirownpromotions.
Justastheeconomiccrisisrivetedpublicattentionglobally,librariesgarneredlong‐overduemediaattentionaspeopleturnedtotheirlibrariesingrowingnumbersforhelpinhardtimes.KCLSwasabletoleverageourconnectionwiththisnewstogainunprecedentedvisibilityfortheLooktoYourLibraryproject.Wehavereceivedstrongpositivecommentsfromnotonlythosewhotookadvantageoftheresourcesoffered,butalsofromnewandregularlibrarypatrons,thegeneralpublic,mediathroughouttheservicearea,thelibraryindustry,andastrongnationalWebpresence.
TheLTYLprojectwasafinalistandwonHonorableMentionintwocategories(webpagesandmediarelationscampaign)fortheNonProfitPRAward,sponsoredbyPRNewsandGeorgeWashingtonUniversity.TheeffortalsogarneredaJohnCottonDanaLibraryPublicRelationsAwardinJanuary2010andthePublicServiceAnnouncementswonaBronzeTellyAwardin2010.