Tag Archives: #10MinuteInternationalLibrarian

The 10-Minute International Librarian #43: Think about your brand

Libraries traditionally benefit from a largely positive public opinion.

However, general warmth about libraries as an idea is not the same thing as a clear impression of why our institutions matter so much.

Ensuring that people know clearly what they gain from having libraries – and what they would miss if they didn’t – can help not only in your own local situation, but also more broadly.

This is what marketers seek to do when they try to build up a brand around their company or product, ensuring that it stands out and gets noticed.

They work hard to understand what people think about them, and to shape these reactions through advertising and other forms of communication.

So for our 43rd 10-Minute International Librarian exercise, think about your brand.

What impression do your users have of your library? What words would they use to describe it?

And what impression do you want your users and community to have of you?

You can use your ideas subsequently to think about how you can communicate your work.

Let us know your most effective ways of ensuring positive perceptions of libraries in the comments box below, and check out the work of IFLA’s Management and Marketing Section for more ideas.

Good luck!

 

This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! 4.4 Increase our visibility through excellent and innovative communications.

As we publish more ideas, you will be able to view these using the #10MinuteInternationalLibrarian tag on this blog, and of course on IFLA’s Ideas Store! Do also share your ideas in the comments box below.

The 10-Minute International Librarian #42: Assess your community’s needs

Libraries and library workers have a fundamental mission to meet the needs of the communities they serve.

This is not only about developing a collection that is relevant, but also designing services and even spaces in a way that maximises the good that libraries can do.

This is made clear in the IFLA-UNESCO Public Library Manifesto, and beyond.

But to respond to needs, you need first to understand them.

Especially at times of budgetary constraints, ensuring that you’re focusing your resources where they will count is particularly important.

Being able to show that there are challenges that need to be addressed can also support you in your advocacy for adequate support.

So for our 42nd 10-Minute International Librarian exercise, assess your community’s needs.

Clearly, this can be a process that takes a lot longer than 10 minutes!

But you can already think about your own experience and local knowledge, what your users tell you, or available statistics.

Are there challenges around internet access, digital literacy, broader literacy or a lack of space for civic activities?

Are these areas where you are in a position to provide a response? If not, could you do so with additional support?

There are some ideas of how to start in IFLA’s Storytelling Manual.

Let us know what needs you have identified in your communities in the comments box below.

Good luck!

 

This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! 3.3 Empower the field at the national and regional levels.

As we publish more ideas, you will be able to view these using the #10MinuteInternationalLibrarian tag on this blog, and of course on IFLA’s Ideas Store! Do also share your ideas in the comments box below.

The 10-Minute International Librarian #41: Check out the research

IFLA is all about providing spaces for exchange and learning.

But its not possible to be in every meeting, and even catching up afterwards online can be a lot.

Fortunately, many of the reflections and ideas shared in conferences also find their ways into articles and books that explore key issues facing our field in depth.

We are lucky, in the library field, to have such a wider range of people studying the field, as practitioners, teachers and academics.

They dive into key questions, evaluate programmes and initiatives, and compare experiences and practices.

Their work represents a great resource for everyone else, answering questions, sharing ideas, and providing evidence you can use in advocacy.

So for our 41st 10-Minute International Librarian Exercise, check out the research!

One great source is IFLA’s own library of papers, presentations and posters from past World Library and Information Congresses.

You can also look around the IFLA Journal, or other journals and publications in the field, which can both help answer questions which you may have, or provide you with arguments that you can use in your advocacy.

Let us know which is your preferred source of research information about the library field in the comments box below!

Good luck!

 

This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! 2.1 Develop standards, guidelines, and other materials that foster best professional practice.

As we publish more ideas, you will be able to view these using the #10MinuteInternationalLibrarian tag on this blog, and of course on IFLA’s Ideas Store! Do also share your ideas in the comments box below.

The 10-Minute International Librarian #40: understand your users’ expectations

Librarianship is all about providing service.

Our institutions are there to help people find the information they need to make decisions, and to take part in economic, social, cultural and civic life.

As a result, we have a strong focus on working to identify and respond to user needs, both in terms of building collections and developing services and wider communities. User needs are of course also key when designing libraries in the first place.

But in addition to needs, it’s also worth thinking about what users expect of the library. This matters, because how libraries match up with users’ anticipations will affect overall experience.

So for our 40th 10-Minute International Librarian exercise, understand your users’ expectations.

What do they want from the library in terms of type of service, and how it is delivered. What is it that they want to do in the library, and how can you make this simpler?

Don’t forget that these expectations can be affected by experiences of other services, both public and private. What makes these attractive or easy to use? Can you replicate ideas?

Let us know your about your experiences of responding to user expectations in the comments section below.

Good luck!

 

This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! 2.3 Develop standards, guidelines, and other materials that foster best professional practice.

As we publish more ideas, you will be able to view these using the #10MinuteInternationalLibrarian tag on this blog, and of course on IFLA’s Ideas Store! Do also share your ideas in the comments b

The 10-Minute International Librarian #39: Seek diverse viewpoints

IFLA works to build a strong and united global library field.

But this doesn’t mean that it should be uniform. We benefit hugely from our diversity, and all the different experiences and perspectives this brings.

It allows us not only to find new solutions to existing problems, but also to identify areas for action that we might not have been aware of previously.

By doing this, we can improve our ability to power literate, informed and participatory societies.

There is some great work already taking place both at the national level, and within IFLA, notably in the Section on Libraries Serving Multicultural Populations.

This helps us both to think about how libraries themselves can serve diverse user groups, and how we can build diversity within our own profession.

So for our 39th 10-Minute International Librarian Exercise, seek diverse viewpoints.

Identify a key processes or decision points, and think about how you could ensure you are open to this.

Who could offer you new ideas, but is not currently being heard? What is holding them back? What can you do about it?

Think about the way you are seeking ideas, and how you can make additional steps where needed.

Of course, putting your ideas into action will take more than 10 minutes. It will be a learning process. But it is important to start!

There are lots of resources out there on how to do this better – share your suggestions below.

Good luck!

 

This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! 4.3 Increase, diversify and engage our membership.

As we publish more ideas, you will be able to view these using the #10MinuteInternationalLibrarian tag on this blog, and of course on IFLA’s Ideas Store! Do also share your ideas in the comments box.

The 10-Minute International Librarian #37: Think of a learning resource you can create

We all have knowledge and experience that we can share, just as we all have things to learn from others.

If you completed our 31st 10-Minute International Librarian exercise, you will already have thought about what it is that you can offer.

Of course, effective sharing of knowledge can be as much about the way you do it – your technique – as the knowledge itself.

So it’s worth thinking about the way in which you present what you want to share, so that you are as effective as possible.

And in particular in times that digital tools are the main – even the only – way of teaching and learning, developing materials that can work well online is more and more important.

So for our 37th 10-Minute International Librarian exercise, think of a learning resource you can create.

It doesn’t need to be complicated or long. Indeed, the simpler you can make it, the better!

Think about how you can lead the learner through the process, step-by-step. Bear in mind that they may not have much time, or brain-space to be able to deal with large amounts of information.

Think about your own learning style, and those of people you know. What will work best for them.

Of course, actually creating a resource will take more than 10 minutes. But if you are able to do this, you can then share it on a website or Open Educational Resources learning platform!

Share your best experiences of learning resources – or links to resources you have created yourself! – in the comments section below.

Good luck!

 

This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! Key Initiative 3.4: Provide targeted learning and professional development.

You can view all of our ideas using the #10MinuteInternationalLibrarian tag on this blog, and of course on IFLA’s Ideas Store! Do also share your ideas in the comments box.

The 10-Minute International Librarian #36: Think of a new communications tool you can use!

The pandemic has forced so many of us to think differently about communications.

Traditional means of getting messages across – notice-boards or in-person conferences – have become less effective during lockdowns.

Meanwhile digital tools have become ever more dominant, although with the volume of information available, it has arguably become harder to get noticed.

Yet for potential users to know about the services that libraries – and library associations – provide, it is vital to think about how we can do this most effectively. From newsletters (electronic and physical) to different social media platforms or e-mail, there are plenty of options out there.

So for our 36th 10-Minute Library Advocate, think of a new communications tool you can use!

Write down which tools you use currently, both physical and digital. Which audiences do they reach? What sort of message do they allow you to send? What benefits do they offer you and your users?

Then think about what gaps you might have and how new tools might allow you fill them! And also whether existing communications tools may not be having the impact you want.

You don’t need to do everything, and of course you know your users best. Focus on what could work best for you!

Let us know in the comments below which tools you have recently adopted, and are working well for you.

Good luck!

 

This idea relates to the IFLA Strategy! Key Initiative 4.4: Increase our visibility through excellent and innovative communications.

You can view all of our ideas using the #10MinuteInternationalLibrarian tag on this blog, and of course on IFLA’s Ideas Store! Do also share your ideas in the comments box.