Public library issues & reflections

Moderator: Aaron Schmidt
Participants: Greg Schwartz, Sam Davis, Joy Marlow, Sarah Houghton-Jan, Andrew White, Zeth Lietzau

Here are the questions that came up during this session, with comments by the panel for some, but not all, of these topics.

Question about the meaning of a quote: “The job is not to convince people that they need libraries, but to convince libraries that they need people”

Question: library branding: In looking at libraries and branding, how do you create a personal library brand?

Question: personal info on your library blog, etc. how much do you want to include? how much personal information about yourself? decide how you feel about personal visibility for blogging in terms of communication. Define your personal and professional identity and where you want the division to be for privacy.

Question: How do you go about redesigning a website for your library for teens? Get input from teens directly and add contributed poems, stories, art, etc.

Question: What do you do about administrators who are non-believers in web services and the part these have in libraries? Show examples of what you would like to add from other libraries, and connect them up to the administrators of these libraries. Help people see how a technology can help them personally or professionally.

Question: The social catalog: why should public libraries get involved with comments, reviews, etc. on the website? For some people, the library is the most community-oriented website that they have, and thus it can have more value for them than global sites for information as a way to connect with others.

Question: If you could pick only one social media, what would it be: Answers: flickr, facebook