• We were attending a parade and a man passed by us, saying something to my wife, right up close in her face. Then he walked across the street. He looked rather shabby but was not mean. My wife was uncomfortable when he came back several times saying something to her each time, then walking away. A police department bagpiper came over to stand next to my wife—he had seen what was happening. He started to talk to the man. It turned out the man was homeless. The bagpiper/policeman asked him if he had a place to sleep that night. The homeless man said he did. He also told us proudly what ship he served on in the war. As he said quietly, “I’m just doing the best I can,” then he slid his back down the metal telephone pole he was leaning against until he was sitting on the ground. Our dog, a champion Border Terrier, Duggan, saw this, and went to him, put his paws on either side of his neck and gave him a kiss. The man hugged Duggan back and gave him a few nice scratches. Duggan stayed there with the man for a few more minutes. Tears appeared in my wife’s eyes. Here was a proud man who fought in WWII, was without a home, and found someone, a dog, loving him.
• I recently attended a friend’s brother’s memorial service, and heard stories of a rather remarkable person, not well known with a reasonable job, and never married…but fun, humorous, intelligent, and gracious with others, stories that others will remember for years and share.
• Plateau Area Writers Association launched a “Write Me a Story” contest for middle school students a few years ago, and while I’m not sure I want to remember some of those stories about death and destruction, there were some remarkable entries that caught everyone’s attention; you knew it was from experience; some bad, and some good. The association also has published an anthology Unexpected Heroes, short stories about people who have had great influence on member authors’ lives.
• A few years ago, I received a blank book entitled, Grandpa, tell me your stories. 365 basically blank pages to write a story a day. On each page is a thought or question to start me out, telling my grandchildren what it is like being me.
• At some point I finished reading the first volume of an autobiography of a Tacoma, Washington antique dealer. All the ways I found to Hurt Myself was a humorous look at his life that he could look back and laugh about, but also a bit of history of the area.
• I’m also the holder of a short history of The Alley Cats, a Dixieland band that held forth at many parties on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor; the Savoy in Boston; contest winner of the Arthur Godfrey’s show in New York; and various summer resorts around Michigan between 1949 and 1953. The “history” is entitled, Tales of an Alley Cat: The gospel Truth & Apocrypha: Facts behind the Truth (and also in front of it) by R. Grant Smith (the original piano player, later the clarinetist.) I instigated this work after talking with Bob Milne, the ragtime pianist. Grant writes, “The blame for committing this collection of mind-numbing stories to paper lies solely on the shoulders of Paul Jackson, who urged me to compile this literary ambush. All lawsuits and other legal actions (both criminal and civil) resulting from reading all or any portion of this publication are to be directed to him.” The stories are hilarious, and as ‘designated driver’ in attendance during some of the recited events. I have added addenda facts…err, stories, as I remember them. Grant is also the author of, From Saginaw Valley to Tin Pan Alley: Saginaw’s Contribution to American Popular Music, 1890-1955.

Libraries have many patrons with wonderful stories to tell, and librarians should be working to learn of those, enrich your community by informing others of the great wealth of knowledge among your patrons.

The post Stories Need to be Told first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

For example, one patron’s tattoo read, “It’s just a spark, but it’s enough” with a picture of a lit match in the background of the text. This quote comes from a Paramore song and the patron said that it represents her struggle with depression. The librarian recommended she try:

1. Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson
2. Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and Me: A Graphic Memoir by Ellen Forney
3. This Close to Happy: A Reckoning with Depression by Daphne Merkin.

This got me thinking what I would recommend if I was the librarian assigned to these tattoo recommendations.  For this particular example, I might go with:

1. Truth & Beauty: A Friendship by Ann Patchett
2. Lady Dynamite: Season One starring Maria Bamford
3. Girl Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen

I also wondered what other sort of algorithmic connections we could create in the library in an effort to relate to our patrons. Would it be a stretch to associate pictures of patron’s pets to a reading list for them?  If someone had a bulldog would I have made the thread to recommend Damn Good Dogs:  The Real Story of Uga, the University of Georgia’s Bulldog Mascots by Sonny Seiler, or A Dog’s Way Home by W. Bruce Cameron? Could librarians connect your favorite television show to a book recommendation?  If a patron really likes Twin Peaks, I might recommend The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka or Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.

While this may sound like just a fun one-off situation that the library did, in the grander scheme of things, it speaks to making person-to-person connections with our library community. It’s wonderful that computers can algorithmically link one title to another based on data, however having a discussion with the patron may lead you to realize that just because a person liked The Hunger Games doesn’t mean they will also like The Divergent series. There is not any replacement for the human interaction with our patrons.

References

Powell, Erin. 2017. 9News. July 17. Accessed August 14, 2017. http://www.9news.com/news/local/next/denver-public-library-offers-personalized-reading-lists-based-on-tattoos/457480079.

The post Tattoos are the Newest Form of Algorithm at Denver Public Library first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Suzzallo Library on the campus of University of Washington has partnered with Starbucks to provide students two things they need: information in a quiet study area and coffee. There is even more to the story.¹

The Starbucks team worked with the library to create a unique space. This isn’t just another coffee shop stuck into a library, but the design honors the rich history and legacy of the library itself, so library patrons don’t just get a cup of coffee, they get an experience. This ‘experience’ is why students and others have given up studying at the library, and opted for coffee shops instead. There are a few simple reasons:

• It’s more comfortable.
• There is food and drink available
• The Wi-Fi is better.

What can libraries learn from coffee shops, and how can they come back as the go-to studying and learning location?

Programs, Programs, Programs

This is not new information for libraries. PLOnline has covered the free graphic design instruction offered by AGI.² Libraries offer everything from free community education courses to maker spaces and CPR and first aid certification.³

Coffee shops have incentive to entice patrons as well. Apps reward regular customers, live music keeps them entertained, and some even offer community classes on a variety of topics and other ways for their patrons to interact and engage.

The library, much like the coffee shop, has become a community center. E-book lending means patrons don’t even have to visit the library, so program directors must give them reasons to do so. The good news is, libraries are doing this with great success. The Meridian Library District near Boise, Idaho has Ladies Nights, book clubs, and even recently held a Revenge of the Fifth Star Wars Party (on May 5, following Star Wars Day on May 4).

All these programs mean more patrons, which means a more compelling argument for funding, but it also makes the library an essential element of the community.

Comfort and Coffee

Quiet is something the library has that sets it apart from the average coffee shop. While background noise can work for some, others put on noise cancelling headphones or use other devices to isolate themselves from the noise of the environment around them. Why are they not at the library, where it is quieter in the first place? In some cases, the answer is as simple as comfort. Hard backed wooden chairs and tables vs. couches and lounge chairs isn’t that tough of a choice. And while some libraries are more lenient than others, many still have a no food and drink policy, one that makes sense in certain sections (like reference rooms or special collections) but not everywhere. In fact, you want patrons to want to stay, and you don’t have to give the coffee away, as the University of Washington and other college library projects prove. Your library can earn a cut of what patrons are going to spend anyway, and keep them in your space rather than down the road.

A study of British libraries, where many are slated for closure, stated bluntly: “The Wi-Fi connection should be delivered in a comfortable, retail-standard environment, with the usual amenities of coffee, sofas and toilets.”⁴ This doesn’t have to be the whole library, but it certainly should be a part of it. If libraries want patrons to stick around, they need to provide them with what they want and need to stay put.

Technology and Convenience

It’s about more than just WiFi. Those busy coffee shops filled with students that sit just down the street don’t have loaner laptops and iPads like many libraries do. They lack a research section and helpful librarians. Unfortunately, sometimes so do libraries.

The world of Google and Google scholar, online digital libraries, and even access to magazines, journals, and white papers online makes many research librarians feel underappreciated. However, there is no better resource than a friendly, knowledgeable librarian who can send you  in the direction of the right research, whether online or in person. In the same room with the technology needed to access that information? Priceless. However, on the flipped,  libraries may have sub-par WiFi, aging computer systems, and staff members that are more grumpy than helpful. Is it any wonder our patrons flee to the local coffee shop?

Integrating a Starbucks into your library may not be the right thing for you to do, but libraries must do something to keep patrons engaged and coming back.

References

¹http://www.washington.edu/news/2017/04/11/university-of-washington-and-starbucks-to-create-unique-coffeehouse-destination-at-suzzallo-library/

²https://publiclibrariesonline.org/2017/01/free-courses-offered-to-libraries-by-american-graphics-institute/

³http://www.onlinecprcertification.net/onlinecprcourseandcprclass.php

⁴http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/12/18/371650738/book-news-the-future-of-the-public-library-may-lie-in-the-coffee-shop

The post Retail Co-Location: Coffee at the Library first appeared on Public Libraries Online.