Year's end review of GOING BEYOND for our patrons...

November 21, 2019
Topic:  Going Beyond the Expected

Attendees:
Shannon, Hoover
Terri, Vestavia Hills
Deidre, Bessemer
Maura, Trussville
Joan, Avondale
Jeff, Hueytown

NEW:  I'm trying to get you, the reader, more involved in case you miss the meetings.  I've added **comments ** throughout with hopes that you will supplement these meeting minutes with your own experiences and comments!  I know everyone wants to hear your voice!

Bessemer started us off by telling about their "Cut the Cord" programs for adults in January 2020 - meant to help patrons cut the cable and use streaming to get their entertainment.  Good opportunity to have one-on-one digital help for patrons, too.  Deidre also talked about the ongoing success of their Makerspace which has a 3D printer, video and green screen for taping, etc. and Xbox, Nintendo and PS4 for the teenagers.

Shannon brought up that she is acquainted with a Birmingham City policeman, Micah Blair, that has a podcast called BLERD Over which focuses on people of color in the gaming and comics arena.  BLERD=Black Nerd.  Might be an interesting program to reach an untapped audience!  Look up their podcast on Facebook!

Joan from Avondale has brought some innovative programming there.  They had a Game of Thrones party for adults and used eventbrite to promote it.  They are also doing monthly pop-up Trivia nights at ROJO, a local restaurant.  There is lots of community support for this type of programming.  This increases the creativity (using community input) and increases outside funding.  Avondale also holds tech appointments to teach patrons about various technologies and services.  Leslie has had success with her Podcast club - folks listen to a podcast together and discuss it.  Lots are centered around BBC broadcasts.

Here's an idea:  give $5 waived fine gift certificates as prizes!  Here's a great slideshow on Adult Reading Incentive Programs On a shoestring budget:  https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.cla-net.org/resource/resmgr/imported/ReadingIncentivePrograms.pdf

Several of the libraries in attendance have started outreach to neighboring nursing/assisted living facilities.  From doing programs to providing materials for in-house book groups, these are wonderful ways to serve the community.

Jeff has been researching memory care kits through a vendor called "Reading2Connect" (website: reading2connect.org)  From their correspondance with Jeff: 

Here are four examples of how librarians are bringing highly readable books to seniors with dementia.

1. Books to Borrow

Having the books accessible for care partners of elderly seniors (eg, spouses, hired companions, sons/daughters) to use in the library or to take out.  Care partners love having materials that are ability-appropriate and age-appropriate for the older adults in their care.

2. Reading2Connect Time

Providing an in-library space and designated time for care partners and older adults to gather and casually enjoy the books in a kind of "Memory Cafe" fashion.  The books provide appealing, engaging conversational support.  Elderly seniors socialize with their peers, while care partners connect with other care partners in a relaxed, social atmosphere.

3. Reading2Connect Circle

Facilitating a Book Club-like activity for seniors with memory challenges.  Older adults sit in a circle or at a table, each with a copy of the same book.  They take turns reading allowed, commenting, sharing memories, etc, with minimal care partner intervention.

4. Community Outreach to Long-Term Care Sites

Bringing our books to older adults in senior living communities.  The library staff works with the facility's activity staff providing reading and social opportunities for residents.

I was told that in the past Hoover had some type of Memory Care Kits but they rarely circulated.  These might need some targeted marketing to get them wide circulation.  Another source mentioned:  https://meternally.com/

For those on a budget, join the Facebook group:  Birmingham Artcycle  https://www.facebook.com/groups/622393984443231/  It is a trading site for "potential art/craft supplies."  People have some weird but sometimes useful materials that are free to be picked up.  Anything from glass yogurt containers for crafts to donated material, coffee containers, yarn, etc.  Keep an eye out and your next project might be done for free!

We talked about the success of inter-generational programming with volunteer seniors teaching handicrafts while youth and teens teach seniors tech.  Something for everyone!  Avondale has "Teens with Tech."  Charity craft projects are very popular.  **If any libraries out there do similar programs, please post or comment!**  (Here's a great slideshow on the importance of inter-generational programming:  https://www.webjunction.org/content/dam/WebJunction/Documents/webJunction/2018-03/slides-intergenerational-programming.pdf

Hueytown has received $25,000 LSTA grant to update their YA Nonfiction and videogame collection.  They are also doing what they can to enhance their services for the growing Hispanic population in the community by building a small Spanish circulating collection and possibly conversation classes to help enhance English proficiency.  (Not only does downtown BPL have a Spanish collection but so does Pinson and Hoover, and now Hueytown. **Anyone else?**)

Hoover has a small but growing "Rapid Readers" collection which is intended to serve English language learners with short, easy English novels, short stores, etc. that can be more easily tackled.  In Ingram, there is a "high interest category" called Adult High/Low Titles that serve this purpose.

Several libraries are encompassing physical activity on a regular basis.  Vestavia Hills has offered yoga in the past but has started Zumba and Tai Chi - even HOT yoga on their patio in the summer!

Avondale offers low-impact yoga once a week.  **What else are libraries offering in the way of physical activity classes?**

Here's a fabulous idea:  the Trussville Photography Club is planning Holiday Family portraits at the library!  The library bought a couple of festive backgrounds and are offering specific times for families to gather for photos  that are then emailed to the family!  This could be a yearly tradition or held throughout the year.  Trussville uses Google Forms to have family reserve their spot.

Lastly, at Hoover, I put together a list/notes on what we do that is " extra" that you might not have thought of before: 

1. We now offer basic office supplies at our Fiction and Nonfiction patron computer stations including stapler, tape, hole punch, paper clips, even envelopes! (We might as well provide them because we know they are going to ask!!!)
2. We revamped our Large Print collection to all books exhibiting a LARGE PRINT call number - in other words, the actual spine label is printed in 18 point font for ease on the eyes.
3. We now have about nine staff people as official Notaries.  We are still trying to work out a scheduling system, but we are trying to cover all of the times we are officially open so that someone in the building can provide notary services. 
4. Hoover offers several "parenting" focused programs, such as a book group aimed at parents for Children's books.  Katie Jane is also holding, in 2020, outreach in local Hoover businesses for parents and kids called "Katie Jane's Rec Reads".
5. We partnered with a local comic book store to hold a monthly RPG event - Role Playing Games such as Dungeons and Dragons are a growing trend.  Here's an article on the surprising benefits:  https://lifehacker.com/the-surprising-benefits-of-role-playing-games-and-how-1684582789
6. We have installed recycling bins in several stations around the library.  Patrons seem to appreciate them.

What do YOU do that is BEYOND the expected??

Please keep tabs on the upcoming 2020 ASRT meetings!  We'd love to have you join in!

September 19, Leeds Jane Culbreth Library, Adult Program Swap

Adult Services Roundtable, Thursday, September 19, 2019

TOPIC:  Adult Program Swap

Attendees:
Shannon, Hoover
Melanie, Leeds
Ramona, Leeds
Leslie, Avondale
Holley, EOM
Michelle, Irondale
Lynn, BPL Central
Maura, Trussville
Sunni, Gardendale
Deidre, Bessemer

Programming for cognitively impaired or "on the spectrum":

• Trussville, along with many other branches, have a successful sensory storytime.
• Pelham & Homewood are partnering with Kulture City to certify the library - Pelham also offers noise cancelling headphones that can be used in the library or can be checked out.
• Trussville has brought drum circles and worked with Independence Place.
• Other places to consider partnering with:  Exceptional Foundation, Glenwood (at Liberty Park), Kulture City and Independence Place.  Irondale's Studio By The Tracks works with adults needing special attention.

Programminglibrarian.org and Programming Librarian Interest Group (Facebook) are must-sees for those interested in adult programming.  Lots of ideas, tips, slideshows, etc.  Recently they highlighted Dollar Tree crafts for Halloween!  By the way, you can buy from Dollar Tree in BULK online - get a much cheaper rate!  Along those lines, Oriental Trading Company's parent company Fun Express - if you are ordering over $200 (total) you can get a much cheaper rate if you go directly through Fun Express.  Along the same lines, Michelle bought pop sockets (for the back of your cell phone) cheap at $.04/piece from DHGate - adult craft decorating them!

Maura pointed out that if your community is involved with any type of festival or city-wide celebration, you must make your library's presence known.  In Leeds, the John Henry Festival was brought back and the library had games and a booth.  Sometimes there are accompanying grants to go along with these events.  Check with your city's Redevelopment Committee to see if there are any community grants open to you.  Maura also mentioned the Trussville Historical Board did a historical program with the museum that garnered record attendance.  Timing is sometimes the KEY to making community events a success at the library.

Leslie told us about Avondale's Downton Abbey programs, preceding the release of the movie.  They also have a monthly British TV discussion group that is successful.  They also have a monthly adult craft group that is very popular.  Sand art was especially fun - Leslie bought sticky mandalas from Oriental Trading - the mandalas have removable patches that leave the page sticky for your sand.

We started discussing libraries that have alcohol at their programming.  Emmet O'Neal regularly has alcohol with no trouble.  Homewood has a very successful after hours alcohol program and Hoover has begun their own "Top Shelf" after hours program.  Melanie talked about the beginning of "Tales and Ales" which was initially off-site at Rails & Ales on Sunday but has moved to the library during off hours. These programs reach a different audience and seem very popular.  Tales and Ales now has a steady 10-15 in attendance with BYOB after starting with as many as 50+.  Central has functions, fundraisers and the like, that have alcohol such as their "Read Between the Wines".  Some libraries are prohibited from having any type of alcohol on the premises.  If this is something a library wants to consider, it might be beneficial to adopt some kind of policy.

Talking about Crafting:  Hoover has very popular "Glue Gun Gang" which Deni schedules for at least three times a month (same craft, different times/days - daytime, nighttime and weekend).  Leeds has a Harry Potter focused craft group called "Dumbledore's Army".  Other libraries are going strong with crafting groups for adults!  Some libraries are finding it necessary to charge a minimal fee in order to pay for materials.  Standard is to charge $5 per participant.  This also aids in guaranteeing attendance.

Leeds was lucky enough to receive grant money to do several themed nonfiction programs.  One that will happen in 2020 will be called "Current Events Cafe" and will tackle tough topics such as Fake News, Online Security, Mental Health Issues, etc.  Another series called "Let's Get To Work" will be a formal certification process for those wanting to improve their chances at receiving a job -- Resume Writing, Professionalism in the Interview, Mock Interviews, etc. with an end result being having Melanie be a professional reference (requires attendance at all sessions).  The last nonfiction series will be a cookbook group called "Read Them and Eat."  After exploring cookbooks, potluck dishes will be shared within the group.  Let's all wish her luck on these exciting programs!!

Pinson had the archivist at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, Jason Kirby, come do a program about the Gardens - very popular.

Many libraries have had success doing Mystery Plays at the library.  Some have scripts that make the patrons a part of the play while others just have the action onstage with players.  Emmet O'Neal last year bought "Murder at the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party" that went along with everyone wearing ugly sweaters.  I have available upon request "The Ravenwood Masquerade Murder" and "A Magical Murder at Toadwart Inn" scripts.  Hoover, in October, will be doing an Oriental Express-type murder mystery called "Last Stop Murder" - there are additional audio files and instructions available, if needed.

Gardendale has had success with their adult storytime called the Social Cafe. People just want some reason to connect and be involved in something.  Each meeting is informal and just social such as trivia, potluck, etc.  Each month, a group donates breakfast to the group.

Michelle at Irondale has made contact with a great GED prep person -- he is a college professor and really does a great prep program, Chris Rice.  He can also do SAT prep.  Michelle also works with the Habitat for Humanity's REstore to obtain materials  They provided the materials for the very popular String Art program.  Also worth noting, Home Depot gives out material grants too.  They are called Community Impact Grants.

Michele also mentioned that her program with Astronaut Larry DeLucas was extremely popular and would make a great speaker for others.  She also had a percussionist Walker Wright - he brings plenty of drums for everyone and has such a positive presence!

Deidre has recommended in the past, but here it fits, Laura N. Hill Communications Editor for the Encyclopedia of Alabama -- they have a wealth of information to share for a program.  Phone 334.844.4008.

Holley talked about a successful program bringing Verna Gates, author,journalist, founder of Fresh Air Family and champion liar, to talk about her newest book 100 Things to do in Birmingham Before You Die.  She is very entertaining and personable and library-friendly!

Here are two purportedly free sites for murder mystery games recommended by Programming Librarian Interest Group:
Murder Mystery Games
Murder Mystery Break Out Rooms

If you are interested in furthering the theme of ALABAMA in your library, try the PBS Film, The Bankheads of Alabama.  "For nearly a century, three generations of the Bankhead family from north Alabama distinguished themselves in American government and culture. They were politicians that rose to prominence in Washington, and personalities that commanded the international stage."  Speaker:  Robert Briscoe, Executive Producer, Center for Public Television and Radio.

If you want to do a craft or have a botanical talk, try contacting Kelly Woods, owner of Grace Gardens.  Holley has used her successfully for programs before.  Holley has done several movie + craft events showing a cult favorite or a movie everyone is familiar with along with a fun craft to be done during the showing.  Fun for everyone!  (You might also consider contacting the folks at Sidewalk Film Festival for program ideas!)

Lastly, Kelly Laney from Springville Road was unable to attend the meeting but it should be said she is doing some fabulous work over there!  She went before the AWESOME Foundation of Birmingham at Carrigan's Public House to present her idea for BRAIN JAM.  

Here, she discusses the premise:  "The program I went to Carrigan's about was Brain Jam.  Basically the deal is that there are two areas of the brain where new neurons can be grown:  the dentate lygus and the hippocampus.  This is contrary to everything I learned in my bio/psych classes for my undergrad, but that was also a looooong time ago.  If older people eat nutritious meals and exercise, those two things together cause the formation of a protein called BDNF--brain derived neurotropic factor.  The BDNF is what causes the neurogenesis.  The problem is that if the brain is not stimulated by learning something really challenging, the new cells just die.  If the brain is stimulated, the new neurons integrate into the brain and actually cause it to grow.  There's a good deal of evidence to support that it delays cognitive decline, including dementia and Alzheimer's. 

I've attached the fact sheet from the Alzheimer's Association that is sobering in the extreme.  We're the 3rd highest state in the US in Alzheimer's diagnosis, and it's increased 187% since 2000.   This new research gives us a way to fight back.  Two of the best things to learn are how to play a musical instrument and how to speak a foreign language.  Brain Jam teaches basic music theory, as well as how to play simple instruments.  While I didn't get the Awesome Foundation grant, I did scrape up enough programming funds to get 8 ukuleles, and I caught a sale on some kazoos and harmonicas.   This month we've started beginning ukulele instruction with someone who actually knows how to play, as well as a musician's jam once a month.   I blatantly steal the information Tami Dalton teaches to repeat and augment Brain Jam info, then we get together and play at the Jam.  This dovetails nicely with the weekly nutrition class (Body Changers) and the twice-a-week Bend and Stretch sessions (based on the National Institute on Aging's Go4Life program).  I'm adding Cane-Fu once a month to teach martial arts, balance, and confidence--again taught by someone who knows what they're doing."

Great work, Kelly!  Thanks for sharing and giving all of us something to think about!  By the way, the group at Springville Road also utilize Mango Languages to enhance the elasticity of the brain.

In doing research for this meeting, I came across some programming ideas through Programming Librarian.

• Rethinking Craft Time
• Creating a Cat Cafe
• Coming to America Stories
• "Crafter Dark"
• Books & Bites
• Halloween for Adults
• Program Speed Dating
• Programming Jamboree!
• Click here for many more ideas!

ASRT Meeting Minutes

Thursday, July 18, 2019 / Health and Well Being

Present:

Terri Leslie, Vestavia Hills

Joi Mahand, Vestavia Hills

Deni Owens, Hoover

Leslie Deason, Avondale

Bridget Turner, Homewood

Deidre Sims, Bessemer

Michelle Hamrick, Irondale

Terri opened the meeting with stats from ALA’s website:

People use public library internet access to research resources to improve their diets, find doctors, research their own or others’ illnesses, locate health care insurance, and track down discount medications; 37 percent of users report having looked for health information, treatment options, care givers, or ways to improve their health; 56 percent of these users also reported seeking out these types of information for relatives, friends, colleagues, and others.

Libraries are becoming more and more like community centers and patrons expect/often suggest exercise classes.

We reviewed input sent in by members who couldn’t make it (Kelly and Maura) as well as the handout of resources provided by Shannon.

Group Discussion

Deidre/Bessemer: They’ve used the Alabama Cooperative Extension (other folks chimed in that they have to, with great success) for a “Successful Aging Initiative” programming series. Also, Tammy Young, RN does a program for them for a charge of $50 but she brings all supplies. We also discussed using the Extension or 4H for programs on food canning and preserving programs.

Several libraries are offering yoga, including Chair Yoga (Irondale). Someone mentioned (sorry, I can’t remember who mentioned this – Michelle?) that Kristen from UAB is a great yoga instructor.

This led into a discussion of working with and being aware of what our individual Rec and Senior Centers are offering – we don’t want to compete with them or duplicate programs. Deni and Michelle have partnered with their respective Rec Centers; Deni publicizes programs at the center and patrons come to the library on a bus to attend. Michelle has offered their library for movies – their Rec Center is bright and light and not conducive to movie watching so they use the Irondale library.

Leslie/Avondale: They offer yoga, coloring, Zentangle and are considering Tai Chi. This led us into a discussion of the value of art, crafting, and music as a source of well-being.

Crafting programs discussed:

Zentangle (it really works; is very peaceful and fun – discussed Darla Williams as a resource as well as is it worth the money to have someone come in and teach), string art (Michelle said her patrons liked the banging, that it was very therapeutic) and Deni said she found a way to do string art quietly using cork squares; Homewood has partnered with the Exceptional Foundation and Bessemer with United Ability to offer programs for special needs adults. Joi suggested the Easter Seal foundation as a possible partner as well. Discussed offering book groups for this group as well.

Deni mentioned that Hoover offers the Neuroscience Café programs which are popular.

Terri and Joi/Vestavia: they have offered Tai Chi with success for a couple of years as well as hot yoga, meditation, Trail Fit, ABCs of Medicare, and Zumba (coming in October).

Leslie asked what print resources everyone offers:

We discussed how Reference in general has declined so rapidly. Vestavia still offers the health series by Omnigraphics (the most requested topics); others noted that patrons frequently ask for information on diets (keto, Hashimoto), Crohn’s Disease, Alzheimer’s, Diabetes and health related cookbooks, and essential oils.

Michelle said they offered a program on the basics of essential oils and partnered with a local business, Retreat Day Spa. They did a good job.

Terri mentioned Noah Lenstra’s blog on programminglibrarian.org which is all about the “Movement” movement in public libraries.  

Also, Vestavia Hills has two stationary bikes in the library that get used quite a bit by patrons of all ages.  They grab patrons' attention (get lots of questions) and they are very popular!

Here are some resources gathered by Shannon for future research:

Page Links:

Health Literacy, Programming, and Consumer Health Information, PLA Initiative, 2019:

http://www.ala.org/pla/initiatives/healthliteracy

Healthy Community Tools

for Public Libraries, PLA, 2019:

https://publiclibrary.health/

13 Resources for Libraries That Are Serious About Promoting Health Literacy, DEMCO, 2018:

https://www.demcosoftware.com/articles/13-resources-for-libraries-that-are-serious-about-promoting-health-literacy/

Health Happens in Libraries, WebJunction, 2019:

https://www.webjunction.org/explore-topics/ehealth.html

Public libraries: A community-level resource to advance population health, Research Paper, 2019: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6329675/

Page Links:

Finding Health and Wellness @ the Library: A Consumer Health Toolkit for Library Staff, California State Library, 2013:

http://www.library.ca.gov/lds/docs/HealthToolkit.pdf

Beyond Books: Public Libraries As Partners For Population Health, Heath Affairs 35, No. 11 (2016): 2030–2036, 2016: 

https://roccitylibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/beyondbooks-article.pdf

BLOG Post: Health and Wellness Programming: Collaborating with Local Businesses, Programming Librarian, 2018:

http://programminglibrarian.org/blog/health-and-wellness-programming-collaborating-local-businesses

Exercise Your Resources: Public libraries partner with academic institutions for health and wellness programming

By Noah Lenstra, American Libraries, 2019:

https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2019/05/01/exercise-your-resources/

From Maura Davies / Trussville

One of our recent health-related programming successes has been a partnership with Birmingham Heart Clinic. The marketing person for their St Vincent's East (Trussville) location has arranged several lunch & learn programs for us. The doctors who have spoken here were very eager to share the latest information, and on a level that was understandable to a layperson. They have other locations in the area.

I have also been in contact with Dr. Robert Sorge of the UAB PAIN Collective (Dept of Psychology) - their website is: https://www.uab.edu/cas/psychology/pain-collective. He and his staff are very eager to share information on their research topics. He came to Trussville in May to do a talk on Medical Marijuana and Diet in pain management, but unfortunately no one came - I later found out that Hewitt-Trussville HS was having their graduation on that same night; not sure if that kept people away, but possibly.

From Kelly Laney / Springville Road

I've found a good resource for ideas, info, and handouts from the National Institute on Aging's website, specifically the Go4Life program. They will send nice booklets on exercises for seniors that increase endurance, strength, balance, and flexibility, and even have free PDF's you can download and print on all sorts of health issues.

Below are resources for those who are considering doing programming with Adults with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities:

Not a Kid Anymore:

How and Why to Serve Adults with Disabilities in the Adult Department

Development includes ‘Intellectual Disabilities Disorder” or IDD. (preferred over “Special Needs”)

Benefits: literacy increases as does vocational opportunities, conversational skills, education, sense of belonging

The Next Chapter Book Club

·        A national campaign; has guidelines but costs $350/year to participate.

·        Read the book at the meeting using trained facilitators

·        Members make all of the decisions, providing agency to participants

·        Has to be in a public space, out in the open

·        Can partner with community agency

Can use elements to customize a local book club.

General Ideas

·        Youth and Adult Librarians can partner together

·        Create an IDD collection (house in Juv or Adult Dept? Other?)

·        Appropriate developmental engagement

·        Age respectful – talk about book’s theme

·        Visual Schedule is important

·        Can do fiction or nonfiction

·        Use handouts, and/or project book pages on a screen

·        Create kits for IDD; can check out to use at library or take home.

·        Marketing: strictly to adults (“adult program for adults of all abilities”)

·        Plan for a range of abilities. Communicate with their caregivers.

·        Caregivers should be required to attend.

May 16, 2019
Topic:  Marketing and Public Relations

Attendees:
Shannon, Hoover
Todd, Hoover
Ryan Godfrey, APLS
Selina, Wylam, BPL
Heather, Homewood
Deidre, Bessemer
Elizabeth, BPL
Mary, Homewood
Leslie, Avondale
Michelle, Irondale
Laura, Homewood
Jennifer, Five Point West, BPL
David, BPL
Cristina, Homewood
Debbie, Leeds
Nancy, Leeds
Maura, Trussville
Lynn, BPL
Tracie, BPL

A show of hands determined that many area libraries utilize social media in the form of:
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, GoodReads, Meetups, YouTube channels, Pinterest and a few use SnapChat.  For us, Birmingham 365 is a must-use even though it is not easy to navigate (and not a guarantee that your event will be featured.)  Libraries are also often using area newspapers and free publications such as Hoover Sun, Western Star, etc.

Elizabeth Swift at BPL utilizes MyEmma to send out e-blasts to patrons with emails attached to their cards or those who sign up for news.  Some libraries pay extra in order to get just their patrons to send to. Contact Elizabeth if you are interested in learning more about e-blasts.  If you send her an image and text, she will send it out (total emails to about 35,000 addresses.)

We went "round robin" style to hear how various libraries are successfully marketing their services and collections.  Hopefully there will be some ideas that will catch on in your library!

• Avondale uses Facebook to promote their very popular craft and ukelele programs.  Recently they did well with a Game of Thrones program too.
• Michelle at Irondale utilizes MyEmma to target the 6,000 residents of Irondale.  Her last e-blast had about 14 people request to be on their ongoing mailing list!
• Selina from Wylam uses Facebook and has worked with McDonalds and Burger King for prizes.  Her branch also uses Roy Williams (head of PR for BPL) for press to a larger group.
• Five Points West has successfully utilized Instagram.
• David from Central talked about their very outstanding Passport Fair.  They produced 112 passports in 7 hours.  Lynn added that they had a TV spot and used Facebook Marketing as well.
• Christina from Homewood often posts to Instagram -- Homewood uses just one account on Instagram, while Hoover has both a children's and all-around account.
• Hoover has discovered a new free online tool called GIMP which is an open-source free version of Adobe Photoshop for photo editing.  Still using the free version of Canva.com for a lot of publicity deliverables.
• Heather at Homewood talked about a sold-out Adults Potion Class for those Harry Potter fans -- they scheduled a second one and 871 were "interested" on Facebook with 60 "going".  Huge success!  There was even fake scalping of the tickets!
• Mary Eller from Homewood kids dept talked about doing story times out in the community (like Urban Cookhouse and Magic City Sweet Ice)  during the summer - very successful effort.
• Gardendale also does pop-up storytelling out in the community with good success.
• Speaking of "out in the community":  JCPLA had a table at the Mutt Strutt to advertise the digital collection -- dogs wore JCPLA tee shirts and the humans had a great time!
• Deidre at Bessemer had several people to her 3D printingg program -- everyone seemed to learn a lot.  Bessemer also got LSTA Funding for a 60" HG TV and 8 laptops with which they will be taking into nursing homes to teach residents how to use.
• Nancy from Leeds talked about their successful pop-up at Rails & Ales called "Tales and Ales".  They've also done story time at Chick-Fil-A and Green Up.
• Debbie from Leeds also talked about how they utilize the Leeds Tribune -- don't forget those smaller, local newspapers or free publications for free publicity!  Leeds was able to secure 12 Alabama Humanities speakers (one for each month) for celebration of the Alabama Bicentennial.  Those have been hugely popular.
• Lynn from downtown talked about how circulation puts targeted bookmarks in each book as they are checked out.  Easy and simple!
• After that note, Elizabeth Swift informed us that with the newest Sierra upgrade, we will begin to implement "Return on Investment" on each checkout slip -- in other words, the checkout slip will reflect the costs of checked out materials to show how much a patron "SAVED" by using the library!  Can't wait!!!
• Maura from Leeds has used bookmarks in the checked out books for informing patrons of new services or about their Device Day, etc.

Ryan Godfrey from APLS specializes in marketing of public libraries showed a slideshow about keeping your message simple and not being overwhelmed by the multitude of options available for marketing your library.  That slideshow can be accessed here.

One important point Ryan made is to begin marketing your library like a business and to distill your message.  It is very hard to capture people's sustained attention but if you convey the bare bones - it will resonate with people.

If at all possible, create a brand for your library that will be consistent, on message and recognizable to your patrons.  Above all, use STORY as a marketing tool.  If you have patrons who have used the library to get a leg up in business or get their degree, utilize their personalized story as your success story.

Also, don't take things for granted - patrons don't always remember that we have a fax machine, craft programs, drivers manuals, voter registration, etc.

You might even want to push the use by patrons of the Amazon.com extension that allows you to see if a resource is currently available from their public library.  It's called "Library Extension" and can be found for Chrome or any other browser.  

There was a brief discussion of tracking the number of clicks on links shared on social media -- even though it was brief, more can be found by reading this article:  2 Ways to Track Bit.ly

Tray to stay relevant and timely.  When Doris Day died, did you pull all of her movies and display them?  Have you put out a beach read display for your summer readers?  Keep in mind that social media is FLUID -- to learn more about doing a better job at marketing, follow other libraries, innovate and try new things.  

One great idea is to keep an Idea Journal -- something you can jot down ideas you read about or come across that might turn into real success stories for the future.  Keep track of your success and failures so that others can follow your examples (and share these with the adult services roundtable group!!!)

Todd from Hoover, who was instrumental in re-branding the Hoover library talked again about Story.  Bring the stories from within the library and those created by your patrons.  Track any numbers you can and use these things to convert people into users.  Once they become used to all that the library can do for them, they become your advocates.

Todd has taken inspiration from all kinds of sources such as "People of Alabama", "Humans of New York", anything that shares relateable content.  Keeping things simple and consistent is KEY.  For marketing purposes, if you are creating flyers or posters and they will be for use inside the library, don't overburden it with addresses and phone numbers, etc.  Keep any URL links short and pretty, if you can.

Take advantage of tools out there like NextDoor, Yelp, Google My Business.  And if you get any money to put towards marketing and public relations, get something that will stand the test of time and will always remind patrons of the library and its many FREE uses.

Below is a handout on general PR & Marketing resources:

Elements of Public Relations & Marketing (General Resources)

Advocacy: ROI/return on investment, data on the value of libraries to the community

Performance Measurement: how to measure the impact of programming

Disaster Recovery: bans, protests, bad press - how to handle things in a crisis

All of this is addressed on the PLA website

Great slideshow & resource listing

Marketing Strategies/General Guides

For the Love of Libraries: How Libraries Use Content to Tell New Stories

Please share your stories in the comments!!!