SPL @ MLA, part 2

The Southfield Public Library, Outreach Department workshop audience overflowed into the halls of Grand Traverse Resort and Spa. Librarians were interested in learning how to increase circulation and keeping patrons at the library using branding and visual merchandising! Pictures were taken of our props, our brochures flew off of the table and many questions were asked. I can honestly say we made a positive impact and have librarians of Michigan thinking differently about their facilities.

Our Prezi is complete! Please review our Prezi and brochure. (Click on brochure to view.)

Graphic Designers for Libraries!

If you didn't know, some libraries now have graphic designers on staff! We establish and carryout the library's brand; design signage, flyers and displays; sometimes construct and maintain the library's website and whatever else creative that needs to be done!

Friday, November 5, I had the pleasure meeting Donna J., brand consultant for a public library in Texas. Our lunch meeting consist of buffalo wings (from Sweetwater Tavern, Detroit) and a hot topic discussion - 'HOW DO WE GET PATRONS BACK TO THE LIBRARY?' The world has quickly evolved to depend on technology as a resource for everyday functionality, so why are libraries still needed??? That's the million dollar question. . .

READING a good book with a paperback cover will never be outdated; seeking knowledge and credible resources cannot always be found on the internet; having social meetings while drinking coffee is more intimate in person then having a live video chat; and you can't rent your favorite CDs and DVDs for free with Netflix.

Adopting the culture of both bookstores and coffee (cafe) shops, libraries can have more to offer patrons then just a quiet place to read and study. (Why should you go to the library? - Donna explains.) The library is a place of opportunity to explore. . . Being the 'one stop shop':

• Have your business meeting in a study room (free of charge), while your children are being entertained with story time in the youth library
• Borrow the latest underground Neo Soul album for FREE
• Enjoy your favorite latte with a muffin while reading a good book

All of these ideas are just a few things that were discussed and can be accomplished with the help of graphic designers reestablishing the ideology of libraries. Taking the old concepts and making it original, libraries are redesigning their culture. Instead of having the stereotypical image of the librarian with the pinned up bun and cat eye glasses, displayed next to her a huge sign stating: NO talking, NO eating, NO drinking, there is a new marketing strategy: Enjoy a hot coffee in the Cafe while reading a new release book from our catalogue. (Think as an entrepreneur: always quality and consistency, give the best customer service and provide your patrons' wants and needs.)

When changing the culture for a business or creating one for the first time, branding and merchandising is needed. Branding and visual merchandising is a marketing tool used by retailers to get customers to buy and/or use their services; the same concept can be used in the libraries. This is where graphic designers are needed. We visually create the cohesive brand: websites, flyers, posters and signage. Graphic design doesn't consist of just talent, but a skill that is needed to compose effective work and bring patrons back to the library.

Southfield Public Library @ MLA

SPL is going to 2010 MLA (Michigan Library Association) Annual Conference! This year, the MLA Conference will be held in Traverse City, Michigan from Wednesday, November 10 - Friday, November 12; SPL's Outreach Department is honored to be invited. My co-worker Katherine, boss Kelly and myself will be hosting our own workshop, Selling Your Library: Merchandising Made Priceless, on how to apply merchandising and design techniques to public libraries' facilities to entice patrons to use libraries' services. To reflect this, Katherine searched the web to find a more creative way of presenting instead of a linear PowerPoint.

Prezi.com is an amazing way to illustrate a simple, yet effective non-linear presentation for any subject matter. Prezi uses ActionScript (Flash) coding to create an endless palette format that draws a non-sequential path, both manually and default settings, panning across the viewing screen in random direction(s). With the options of twisting and turning, zooming in and zooming out, your audience can easily get motion sickness. However, having patience along with trail and error, you too can make an impressive Prezi. Though I read and watched all Prezi tutorials, it took me losing my Prezi, asking for technical support and reading other Prezi users' comments to understand and execute my Prezi.

Prezi's Flaws:

Don't be fooled! Yes, Prezi may give the impression that is has infinite amount of working space, but zooming in too much can result in losing it all! ~ MY LESSON LEARNED. Prezi is a new development and still has a lot of kinks to workout. With this, the explanations of 'Do’s and Don’ts' are not articulated well in their tutorials. Some things will be discovered through by your own experience and viewing other Prezi users' comments. Just like with any other new technology/software you will have problems but it's up to you to find out the limitations and have the willingness to learn how to manipulate the program.

Prezi's Pros:

Just the name Prezi sounds like fun! Prezi keeps the audiences entertain with movement, images and video. With Prezi you can add video links, such as YouTube.com, to give you viewers more then written and jpg examples. Another asset of Prezi is the option to upload SWF files. Knowing how to use Adobe Flash as an animation program, I was able to create some really cool animations for our Prezi presentation. One great example of that is:

I was overly excited to know that I was able to personalize and BRAND our Prezi through by both images and videos. But not everyone is capable of creating his or her own movie. I suggest going to one of my favorite resources for purchasing photos, video and vector images - iStockphoto.com. Using this site can get kind of pricey, but it's well worth the expense. Finally, the usage of Prezi is FREE, but you are given a limited amount of space (500 MG) and your presentation is open to be viewed by the public unless you decide to upgrade by purchasing hosting through by Prezi, which can get expensive.

Another benefit for attending our workshop on Wednesday, November 10, all librarians will be given a brochure, Merchandising: Tips & Ticks that will have both explain and have visual examples on how to apply all that was taught during our Prezi presentation.

Southfield Library Prezi:

Please checkout Southfield Library's Prezi named MLA Presentation. Feel free to make comments and/or select the like button! NOTE: Our Prezi is still a work-in-progress!