“Libraries are still a place, whether it is physical or virtual. Both aspects of this hybrid home are managed by people, real live actual people with whom you will have a personal experience. You can ask the Internet a question, but how will it respond?” —Debra Lucas-Alfieri[2]

Every decade or so, I complete a career check. I don’t know if you do the same, but I find it’s a way for me to measure who I am against what I do. Now, since I’m in the fourth quarter of my life’s game, I really shouldn’t bother, but if I don’t stop measuring and evaluating, I’ll stop learning and growing, and that just doesn’t appeal to me. So, I trotted out the old question, “Am I happy with what I’m doing?” and set up my check list.

• #1: I like people of all ages and from all over the world. Each one is a story, and each one has different levels of needs when they come seeking a librarian. I like finding out how I can help.
• #2: I like puzzles, riddles, word games, treasure hunts, mysteries, conundrums, codes, challenges. like searching for that book with the red cover that the patron wants to check out—oh, yeah, it had a funny design on the cover and it was over in that section on the wall when she first found it and it has to do with skydiving but it’s not there now—it’s not just that I like finding and solving things, I sure do want that patron to experience the thrill of a special adventure.
• #3: I like learning. Data is just squiggles and bits unless it provides an answer or fills a gap in my knowledge base, and then it becomes information. And it’s fun! There is still room in the old gray matter to put in something new and see how my brain’s synapses communicate with what is already stored.
• #4: I like organizing information. Classification and cataloging become exciting when I keep Check #1 in mind: the people—patrons, users, customers, clients—whoever needs this information. I try to make it easy, simple, and logical for them to find (Dewey not withstanding!).
• And what I like the most is putting #1, #2, #3, and #4 together.

Sounds like I like being a librarian. Yup, I do.

Above all, it is the people who keep me enjoying the art and science of librarianship,

People who have no idea what they need until I gently guide them through the “reference interview” (still a handy-dandy tool, folks!), people who charm and wheedle, who smile and show enthusiastic appreciation, who love to read, who demand and expect, who are terrified of computers but who need the Internet—I am here to serve and supply them all with information to the best of my training and ability.

But, frankly, the people who keep me motivated are those who ask the craziest, most off-the-wall, and most unexpected questions. I relish a satisfying dialogue, the give-and-take and sharing of information that benefits both of us. Okay, granted, it is a luxury to indulge in and perhaps not the role of a librarian to establish, best left to the classroom, but every once in a while someone gives me that Socrates-inspired fix I had to leave behind when I left teaching. And one particular patron comes to mind.

He always begins, “I was just wondering…” He calls the Reference Desk daily. I am scheduled out of Technical Services to work the Reference Desk on Wednesday evenings and every fourth weekend. I often find that Saturday mornings have quieter hours and fewer requests for immediate help, so when he calls then, for that moment, he has my complete attention. He is truly sincere, albeit sometimes naïve, in his queries. He has no “agenda.” He just wants to know. He sees something and ponders its significance. He hears about something and wants it verified.

I remember when I took his first question. He wondered about an old cast iron cook stove he had seen illustrated in a magazine article. As he described it to me, he told me that his grandmother used something “different-looking” to cook on.

“She made the best corn bread!” he said, “but her range didn’t look like this one. What are those boxes above the burners for?”

I knew immediately about what he was describing and I felt compelled to share my early childhood experience as I watched my mother prepare meals on such a wood burning stove. And those compartments? Warming shelves for plates or food, but my mom used them sometimes to dry newly-born baby chicks or kittens in the cold northern weather!

He chuckled, “Imagine that! Well, I was just wondering…”

He went on to muse about present day gas and electric stoves and I added my observations about Mom banking the fire so that the wood, now turned to almost charcoal, would ignite when fed paper and kindling at dawn. We discussed kerosene and propane gas stoves, and traced their evolution to the modern ceramic cook top. Imagine that!

On another day his question was prompted by a television travel show. “I was just wondering,” he said, hesitating, “How can someone live and work in Europe?” He told me that he had lived and worked all his life in this area and couldn’t imagine working in a foreign country. I confided that I had lived three years in Germany, working and travelling from the toe of Italy to Copenhagen’s harbor. “Well, I don’t know about that…I don’t speak anything but English…might be pretty tough…” I explained how to get along fairly well without knowing the languages, and about passports, work visas, resident permits, about becoming an “ex-pat,” and currency exchange.

“I wondered about all of that. Well, I really don’t want to go anyplace else, though…It would be nice to see, but…it’s perfect right here.” He hopped to another thought. He is a master of linking a chain of questions that hook me into one search after another. “How do you get from Switzerland to Italy? Those are some pretty big mountains, those Alps.”

“Yes, sir, they are.” I quickly Googled a list of all the Alpine passes and provided him some of the lengths and linked cities. I told him that I had driven through both the St. Bernard and St. Gotthard passes several times in the early winter, before they were closed because of the snowfall, and knew what marvels of engineering they were. “Just imagine that! They tell me the Blue Ridge has tunnels something like them, but I’ve never been through one…might be something to see, at that.” I Googled the Blue Ridge and found out about the twenty-five tunnels in North Carolina. “It definitely might, indeed,” I agreed. “I’d like to travel through them, too.”

I stepped gingerly through some recent questions: “When did dinosaurs die? How old is the earth? Does the Bible mention them?” I avoided the sensitive topics of evolution versus creationism, but focused on the several theories derived from fossil analyses and what scientists do agree upon. We discussed possible small, feathered descendants and a reptilian cousin, the Komodo dragon. “Imagine that! I wonder if the preacher knows,” came his hushed reply. His next call: “I was just wondering…those Siamese boys…those twins…they traveled with the circus…someone told me they’re buried around here.” During my quick search I suggested that we have a book or two he might like to read about circus performers, and then I provided a few details about Chang and Eng Bunker’s life after Barnum & Bailey. “They’re buried in White Plains, NC. About a four-hour drive away.” “Well, no, I wasn’t thinking of going there. I was just curious. They must have had quite a time of it…and I didn’t know that they were tobacco farmers. Just imagine that!”

And, sometimes, we laugh together. “I was just wondering if…well, you don’t know, really, do you? Well, maybe you do…Does a wild duck taste the same as a farm duck?” I chuckled loudly. I couldn’t resist. “Well, it depends on where the buckshot hit.” I told him that back in the Midwest our home was under the fly-way for migrating ducks and geese from Canada to Florida. Sometimes the wild ducks—mallards—would land in among our few Long Island whites to eat the corn we fed ours. Wild duck are not as fatty as farm-raised ducks, and what ducks eat in the wild affects how the meat tastes. “That’s real interesting. I never thought of that.” “Yes. Just imagine the taste of the ducks that live along a riverbank and eat crayfish and clams!” “Imagine that! They got duck on sale at the store…might go buy some and try it.”

He continues to call regularly, wanting clarification about a confusing new concept he gathered from his friends or family or seeking song lyric he can’t remember in its entirety. He slowly digests answers, still apologizing for asking. Yet, through his queries, he gives me glimpses of what it was like growing up here…valuable information for me, a transplant.

He has never offered his name. I don’t want to know it. I want him to stay a disembodied voice. I am never annoyed by his calls. I am well-aware that he wants to keep asking more and more questions, and I allow him the time I have whenever possible. I suspect that the human interaction he receives is just as gratifying to him as the answers he gets. However, he demurs when I invite him to come to the library to learn our OPAC and online library databases so he could do his own searches. Is all that beyond his comfort level? Is it even possible for him?

Regardless, isn’t it wonderful that he turns to his public librarians? He validates why I chose librarianship. Check!

I, like him, am a “wonderer.” We wonderers hope that our questions lead to a satisfying give-and-take dialogue. I happily travel on his thought-strings because we both learn so much more about the world we live in along the way.

References:

[1] Emma Crag and Katie Birkwood, “Beyond books: what it takes to be a 21st century librarian,” Guardian (Manchester), January 31, 2011.

[2] Debra Lucas-Alfieri, “Tips on marketing the 21st-century library: How to show the world why libraries are still relevant,” Elsevier, June 23, 2015.

Further Reading:

Karen Pundsack, “Customers or Patrons? How You Look at Your Library’s Users Affects Customer Service,” Public Libraries Online, March 2, 2015.

Meredith Schwartz, “How to become a 21st century librarian,” Library Journal, March 20, 2013.

The post “I Was Just Wondering…” first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

“The gate count is over 1,000!”

On August 8, 2015 we were two hours into our library’s first ComiCon and attendance was surpassing anything we had imagined. By the end of our four-hour event, over 1,700 had come to share their love–correction, passion–for everything that the heroes and villains of Sci-Fi, fantasy, comics, games, graphic novels, and gaming meant to them. Community “geeks,” obsessed with their hobby, had discovered our library!

How did four young library staff members, who share their love of geek culture and the literature that inspires this fandom, manage to stage such a fantastically successful event? Never have I met committee members on any project who spoke in such concert, who agreed on their goals from the start, and who never faltered in what they hoped to achieve. What follows is their collective voice relating how they brought the first Electric City ComiCon to our library. Perhaps the specific details and the actual process they went through will inspire you to host a Comic Con at your library.

OUR MISSION
We are fascinated with the geek culture, especially when fans bring their favorite characters to life from literature. We all promote literacy and already had formed a bond through social media. When we found out two years ago that the 2015 theme for Summer Reading would be “Heroes,” it hit us that a comic convention or Con would be the ideal way to culminate the program. Some of us had been to Cons and were already familiar with how they worked, but they were more adult-oriented. We wanted to offer a safe place to our library patrons in real space for their passion and interests, and what place better represents a safe haven to our community than our library! And, more importantly, we wanted to focus on our younger patrons, our Tweens and Teens. We wanted parents to come with their kids to find out what we have to offer, and we insisted that our Con be “family friendly.”

PERMISSION AND PLANNING
We pitched the idea, first, to the Head of our Children’s department. She gave us overwhelming support, became part of the initial planning stage, and was integral throughout the process. Next, we had to convince our library director, Faith Line. She was reluctant to let us hold such a venue without a lot more research on our part. Did we really know what we were getting into? As we worked on gathering more information, she took a leap of faith and gave us the go-ahead. She was a very exacting mentor, and we learned to think more from her position as director and to consider all the issues involved: Library Board approval, security, staffing, and a hundred logistical matters. Well in advance of our Con we had to write our photography policy and post it publically. We wanted to have those who attended in costume have the opportunity to be photographed digitally against the green screen with the background of their choice. Those photographed were advised that their digital photo might be posted on any of our social media sites.

Our learning curve was huge and the planning took us over a year to complete. We deeply appreciate the guidance Faith gave us and the hard work she put in with us, right up through the day of our event.

FINDING FUNDING, PARTNERS & SPONSORS
Faith sent some of us to Spartanburg, SC, to attend their SpartanCon. Their organizers graciously shared all their planning notes with us, but it was obvious from their event that they had a substantial budget while we had zilch to spend. We concentrated on where to find funding. Friends of the Library gave us money and we wrote an LSTA grant tied into the Summer Reading program to help pay for publicity. The Children’s department purchased a green screen for us to use for the photography part of the venue.

This was a brand-new library event and we had no track record to convince potential partners or sponsors. We developed a sponsorship packet, which didn’t turn out as effective as we wanted because we started too late in the year to approach big corporate sponsors. We had no way to judge how popular our ComiCon would be, so we couldn’t make solid projections or promises of return for their participation or advertising. We did a lot of pleading to our sponsors,and they too, had to take a leap of faith.

Books-A-Million and Planet Comics agreed to be our major partners. Smaller local businesses donated gifts for the panelists or food for our Green Room. The Independent-Mail, the local newspaper, provided free ad space. An up-scale downtown inn, The Bleckley, provided lodging for one of our guest panelists. People’s Bank, BlueRidge Security, Forx Farm, (ever taste goat’s milk fudge? Wonderful!), and the SC  State Library sponsored us in significant ways. We were fortunate that, as we evaluated the costs, we only had to use library funds for prizes for the FanArt and Cosplay contest.

PLANNING PROGRAMS
As lead-ups to our ComiCon, we engaged regional artist Enoch Vaughn to hold three Super Hero Creation workshops aimed at teens to adults. We also decided to sponsor a FanArt Contest, which we initiated two months ahead of the Con. FanArt is a huge part of the geek culture, as you can see when you go to Instagram and Tumblr and search the hashtag #fanart. Artists are constantly reimagining characters or placing characters in weird worlds and having character cross-overs. Although FanArt contests are not typically held at ComiCons, we used the contest as an inexpensive way to advertise our Con and to get our community engaged in the world of heroes. We were hoping it would appeal to our teen demographics; however, our contest was open to all ages. Entries would be judged on the day of the ComiCon. Two weeks before the Con, we only had a dozen entrants and we were worried that it wasn’t being well-received. In that last week the entries flooded in and we were blown away by their quality, in all age divisions.

We weren’t sure if the patrons understood what “cosplay” was—that it’s a combination word: costume + role play, not intended for a stage production. Our director bought a dozen or so books on cosplay topics and we set up a display. Those books were checked out immediately! To heighten interest we contacted Sybil Todd of White Knight Cosplay—who knew we had such an expert in our own backyard?–and she presented two “Getting Into Costuming and Cosplay” workshops for teens in early July.

GETTING PANEL PARTICIPANTS
Since our ComiCon was the culminating event of the Summer Reading program, we planned two sessions for our local young heroes in the Children’s Department on “How To Be a Hero.” These were presented by Heroes in Force, a regional group specializing in motivational activities for kids. Thanks to them, Batman made an appearance at our Con and wowed the kids. We scheduled their programs so that panel sessions would not be competing with them.

We sought experts for the authors, cosplay, and artists panels who understood heroic characters for young adults, and we wanted local or regional authors and artists. We also wanted artists of comics and graphic novels who could speak to young people about combining art with words.

We contacted local cosplayers to talk about cosplay etiquette, how to approach weapons and mask making, what steampunk costuming is, and what cosplay design involves. We already had been going where authors, artists, and cosplayers were appearing—the DragonCon and AnachroCon in Atlanta, SC Comicon, and other regional Cons—in order to make personal contact with them. We attended book signings. We sent them brief inquiries via email and told them what we were planning. We also sent out letters and made myriad phone calls inquiring whether stated fees could be waived. We worked on the philosophy of “why not ask?” and took a chance. Our mantra became, “They can’t come if you don’t invite them.” The trick was to get them all to come for free!

One of the most pleasant surprises was to find out how willing authors, artists, and cosplayers were to work with us once we told them our objectives. Those who responded “yes!” are great advocates of libraries and literacy and we were thrilled to have them as our panelists. We owe special thanks to David Weber, Megan Shepherd, Delilah S. Dawson, Robert Venditti, Tara Lynne, George Farmer, Allen Swords, Marla Roberson, Gypsey Teague, and Amanda Finley for their support of our event. On the day of our Con, we were very disappointed when Robert Venditti cancelled due to illness. Enoch Vaughn agreed to substitute and the panel went on as planned. ComiCon people do form a very cooperative community.

STAFFING AND DIVISION OF RESPONSIBILITIES
We shared the responsibilities and all of our decisions were made by consensus, although we each had specific tasks we worked on. We didn’t move forward until we all agreed that what we were going to do met our basic goals. And we also knew that there was no way our library could hold this event without the help of staff.

The Summer Reading/Electric City ComiCon staff T-shirts were designed by Sara Leady. With special ALA approval, she modified the official library logo by dressing the Big L in a green superhero cape with mask. Each staff member who worked our Con wore a special T-shirt, with the same logo on the front as the Summer Reading T-shirt, but with the logos of all our sponsors on the back, a salute of thanks to them for their support.

VENDORS
You can’t have a ComiCon without vendors, but we had to get Library Board approval to waive the rule of no commercial activities in our library. We started looking for potential vendors almost two years ago. We visited vendor booths at all the major Cons, craft fairs, and through location-based searching on the internet. We narrowed our list of over one hundred down to thirteen—the number determined by our space limitations. One advantage for the vendors was that we did not charge a booth fee. The authors had booths and their books were available for purchase and autographing. Some of the cosplay panelists had booths dedicated to costume accessories. Our IT department installed an additional access point to our Wi-Fi so that vendors had internet access from their locations.

MAPPING THE FLOW
We mapped what we thought would be effective crowd flow. We had no idea how many people to expect and how much open floor space in our two-level library we would need for crowds. We wanted everything located in logical, accessible places, with freely-flowing traffic between events, without blocking the day-to-day routines—we performed normal library operations during our Con! For weeks prior, we posted signs throughout the building warning our patrons to expect a lot of noise on Con day.

We debated how we would set up the vendors and eventually agreed to assign them all to one space to allow equal access to the attendees. We had to deal with the main stairway and elevator ingress/egress to the upper level when locating the FanArt display, the panel tables, and audience seating. We were concerned that the activities in the Children’s area on the main level would be overlooked by those immediately going upstairs to the panel presentations and the gaming stations in the Teen Center. Our fears were unfounded. The huge attendance meant that all areas were visited by large numbers of people.

SECURITY
One major concern, of course, was security. Since our building is County-owned, our director arranged for two additional county deputies (three in all) to be on duty throughout the event. One deputy manned the main entrance as a weapons inspector. In cosplay many participants come with prop weapons as part of their costume, and we did see several really convincing Uzi’s in the hands of storm troopers! The deputy inspected and tagged each one to reassure us that they were not real.

The other two deputies circulated through each level during the event. They commented how well-behaved the crowd was. We understood why. For the most part, those who attend Cons come seeking others to bond with, to meet up with others who they may have already communicated with via various social media avenues. We saw several teens from several different schools laughing and talking with each other about their costumes. After all, a Con is a community of fellow-fans geeking together. We also planned a combination vendor supply room and public first aid/lost and found station adjacent to the vendor area and near the main entrance.

FOOD & REFRESHMENTS
We discussed having a public food concessions but our director nixed the idea for valid reasons. We had already bitten off a big hunk of this Con to manage, and having to deal with food, inside or out, would add another responsibility or headache, not to mention burden the clean-up crew. We decided that a Green Room for panelists and vendors would be sufficient for this year.

POST EVENT ANALYSIS
For us, the Electric City ComicCon was a mind-blowing success! We already have our second Con calendared for August 6, 2016, from 10-5. We learned a lot about how to improve our event:

HOURS AND ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING

• Add three more hours to avoid overlaps in the schedule and provide more time between panels.
• Relocate the panel stage to avoid crowd noise and traffic.
• Add a steampunk panel.
• Have an Artists Alley with prints and posters for sale.
• Host more lead-up events for Tweens and Teens.
• Provide more cosplay workshops.
• Have more comic books for sale.
• Readdress the location of photo station and traffic flow by it. It was such a popular activity that traffic got jammed up and blocked access to other areas for children.

STAFFING

• Involve more geek volunteers. (We had one enthusiastic volunteer this year.)
• Involve more staff in the preplanning.

PROMOTIONS

• Create a brand for our Con that is used on all our advertising and everything we print, display, or digitally broadcast.
• Consider selling Con T-shirts. Many, many attendees wanted to buy our staff T-shirts.

FUNDING

• Start early to solicit corporate partners and sponsors for next year. Funding will always be the big issue, but fortunately we’ll have this year’s impressive gate count to entice more sponsors for 2016!

OTHER ISSUES

• Consider shuttle buses to and from city parking lots to address limited parking issue.
• Investigate providing ATM access.
• Print more programs. We only printed 500 and had to run off copies on-the-fly.
• Encourage survey returns. We had a survey on our website and included a printed survey in the tri-fold program. Although the survey results were overwhelmingly positive–Bigger! Longer!–we didn’t get back a significant percentage of them.

We overheard one of our attendees say enthusiastically, “The library is interested in what I’m interested in!” That’s why we held our own ComiCon, not only to have people come through our doors, but to shift the attitude held by so many of what they think a library is into what we know it can be for them…to see the possibilities of libraries…the possibility of their library. For more information, contact us at: electriccitycomicon@andersonlibrary.org

Resources:

Banaszak, Mark. “Library Articles. Convention Development: Creating A Mini-Con At The Library.” Diamond Bookshelf. January 20, ? http://www.diamondbookshelf.com/Home/1/1/20/181?articleID=130000 (accessed August 28, 2015).

Cruz, Rebecca. “Comics, Super Heroes, Pop Culture, and Libraries.” Public Libraries Online. August 17, 2015. https://publiclibrariesonline.org/2015/08/comics-super-heroes-pop-culture-and-libraries (accessed August 28, 2015).

Hamdan, Kate Denwiddie and Kareemah. “We Put On a Comic-Con (And So Can You!).” Virginia Libraries. July-September 2013. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/VALib/v59_n3/pdf/denwiddie.pdf (accessed August 28, 2015).

Lynne, Tara. “Introducing Electric City Comic Con!” The Geekiary. June 3, 2015. http://thegeekiary.com/introducing-electric-city-comic-con/25050 (accessed August 31, 2015).

MacDonald, Heidi. “How to Throw a Comic Con at Your Library.” Publishers Weekly. April 18, 2014. http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/comics/article/61940-how-to-throw-a-comic-con-at-your-library.html (accessed August 31, 2015).

Anderson County, SC website: http://www.andersonlibrary.org/

Electric City ComiCon Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/electriccitycomicon

Spartanburg, SC Spartancon website: http://www.infodepot.org/zReaders/Spartancon.asp

David Weber’s website: http://www.davidweber.net/

Megan Shepherd’s website: http://meganshepherd.com/

Delilah S. Dawson’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DelilahSDawson

Robert Venditti’s webpage: http://www.dccomics.com/talent/robert-venditti

White Knight Cosplay: https://www.facebook.com/whiteknightcosplay

Heroes in Force website: http://www.heroesinforce.com/

Enoch Vaughn: https://www.facebook.com/enoch.vaughn

George Farmer’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ArtofGeorgeFarmer

Gypsey Teague’s website: http://www.gypseyteague.com/

Amanda Findley’s Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/AmandaFinleyCrafts

AnachroCon, Atlanta, GA: http://www.anachrocon.com/

DragonCon, Atlanta, GA: http://www.dragoncon.org/

The post Geeking @ the Library: Con is Community! first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

According to the Pew Research Center, these Millennials “are relatively unattached to organized politics and religion, linked by social media, burdened by debt, distrustful of people, in no rush to marry”—yet optimistic about the future. They have placed themselves in the center of self-created social networks, and over 55% have posted a “selfie.” Ironically, they express a lower level of social trust in spite of their social networking and have detached themselves from traditional institutions. However, as in any generational group, they insist they are not all alike, and hold a wide variety of opinions on political and social issues. As for their educational status, over a third of them have a four-year-degree or higher. The Pew Research Center concludes that they are the most racially diverse generation in American history, with 43% of them non-white (i.e., Hispanic, Asian, African-American). In addition, the 2014 Millennial Impact Report reveals that approximately 80 million Millennials live in the U.S., and by the year 2020 they will comprise 50% of the work force.

Frankly, I didn’t pay too much attention to the Millennials’ impending arrival. Many decades ago I burst shouting out of the “Silent” or “Seniors” Generation—a part of the Greatest Generation—and have been working alongside members of other generations ever since: the Traditionalists (1900-1945), the Baby Boomers, (1946-1964), and the Generation Xers (1965-1980). We have shared a great deal of collegiality in both the educational and the library world, along with a deep passion for the mission of libraries in general. I assumed I would relate in the same way with this Next Generation (1980-2000).

However, my curiosity about them was piqued when I spoke recently with a “newbie,” a part-time clerk who had stopped by Technical Services to deliver something to me. I asked her how she liked her first-time public library position. Her response was almost bombastic.

“I have talent and capabilities that aren’t being acknowledged! No one understands how to work with me.”

“And how is that?” I inquired.

“Give me something to do that’s not busy work, work that means something that can do some good, and then let me do it!”

She told me she expected to be approached as an equal, no matter what title or position that she or anyone else held, and to work on projects that allowed her to move beyond the status quo. I reassured her that several collaborative projects are strongly in motion and that she could easily become a member of those committees already making a difference in patron programming.

“But, I can see so much that needs to be completed that I could do myself. I’m a Millennial!”

I hadn’t encountered too many individuals who identified themselves so strongly with their generation. She used the word Millennial as though it were the only key to understanding her, a password that would open doors just for her. She made me wonder if our other staff Millennials held the same view about themselves. In our library system we have seven professional librarians who definitely belong to the Millennial Generation, and another three who fall on the cusp between the GenXers and the Millennials. In addition, there are six young Millennial staff members who are either full or part-time. Determined to know more about what they feel about technology and their attitudes about how they are perceived, I asked them if they would be willing to participate in a survey, and that I would use their responses in this blog. Fourteen of the sixteen responded in the affirmative.

I used the free template at www.surveymonkey.com, which meant I was limited as to the size of the survey. I asked them to respond to ten statements, paraphrased from several sources and relating to either librarianship or technology, by either agreeing or disagreeing with the statement, or to select “no opinion.” If they were not degreed librarians, I asked them to consider the statements in view of what they did in their library job. I also provided a text box for their comments. All survey results would be anonymous. I followed this survey with two additional questions, to be answered “yes” or “no,” with opportunity to provide additional responses.

I admit that my survey is flawed. I provided no way to compare them in light of their ages and length of library experience. I did not provide a distinction between those who are classed as professional librarians and those who are not, thus risking skewed results. I should have refined the third statement, as it deals with two concepts. The survey statements, the follow-up questions, and the results with their comments, are as follows:

Survey statement #1: Technology was a major factor for a Millennial when deciding to become a librarian.

Results: 64% disagree

Technology itself is not why I chose this field. It’s like saying “Oxygen is part of the atmosphere, [but] is that part of the reason you became an air-breather?” Technology is available and present everywhere, in all job fields, and [in] all aspects of life.

Survey statement #2: Millennials have more interest in libraries because of the way information is accessed, stored, and applied.

Results: 77% agree

I became a librarian because I like books, I like learning things, I wanted a job where I could do many different tasks, and where I could help people. Technology is a tool to accomplish that.

Survey statement #3: Millennials believe that they can quickly learn any new technologies, but they are not used to creating it or understanding its infrastructure.

Results: 43% agree

…people my age are tenacious and dogged in learning new skills.

…a lot of new technologies are created by Millennials.

Survey statement #4: Millennials want to transform libraries into technology-enhanced spaces.

Results: 86% agree

(No comments on this statement. I think it spoke to the obvious.)

Survey statement #5: Millennials are not “wedded” to particular technologies because something newer and better will always come along.

Results: 64% agree

Comments:

“Millennials are more wedded to a brand, not a type of technology (example: Apple vs. Android). Technology updates are making devices outdated and unusable within 2 or so years.”

“…every generation is going to have a technology paradigm that they are most comfortable with. Ours just happens to be a very morphable and accepting paradigm. If there is a fundamental shift in tech provision or access, I think a lot of Millennials who think themselves open to changing technologies are going to realize they are actually rather comfortable with the status quo.”

Survey statement #6: Millennials like to work in teams to accomplish goals that matter to them.

Results: 57% agree

Comments:

“Accomplishing goals that matter to me is important, regardless of whether or not I’m working on a team.”

“Millennials like to work individually on projects that matter to them, and to have those projects linked to other projects to create a larger whole. A small difference, but we’ve been “teamed up” all through school and life, and all of us are familiar with the strain of carrying someone else’s weight. Work life is a chance to stand on our own and be judged on ONLY our own work.”

“I enjoy working alone.”

Survey statement #7: Millennials rely on peer influence to attend events, participate in programs, volunteer.

Results: 62% agree

Comments:

“It’s so much a part of me to text, to facebook, to twitter, to instagram others…I get input, but basically I make up my own mind.”

“I am not influenced by peer pressure.”

Survey statement #8: Millennials don’t want to work in an environment that is not exciting or rewarding to them.

Results: 92% agree

Comments:

“Many of us are unemployed or underemployed in an economy that the older generations ruined. Studies say that we don’t live for our work, but want a job where we earn a fair wage, are happy, and then can leave at the end of the day so we can pursue our hobbies. We just don’t want to sacrifice our health and happiness for a job that pays us poorly and makes us miserable.”

“I would not thrive in a less rewarding and unstimulating work place.”

Survey statement #9: Millennials want immediate feedback on how they’re performing, not annual reviews.

Results: 92% agree

Comments:

“Tell me right away how I’m doing. Then I can fix anything that’s not right.”

Survey statement #10: Millennials use multiple methods of self-expression [social networking, getting tattoos; posting videos online], but most have protected their social media profiles.

Results: 77% agree

Comments:

“We use these tools because they’re there, and they’re useful for different purposes. If other generations were as familiar and comfortable with these platforms and with the relaxed culture of self-expression, they’d be all over it as well.”

“We don’t do these things to make other people look at us; we do them to make ourselves match our ideals of how we want to be. Our “self-expression” is more self-examination and self-inspection, rather than narcissism.”

Follow-up question #1: Have you ever referred to yourself as a Millennial or describe yourself in terms of the generation in which you were born?

Results: Yes: 55%   No: 45%

Comments:

“I sometimes refer to myself as a “Millennial” to be funny…as a joke.”

“I’m comfortable with who I am. I don’t need a generational label to define me.”

Follow-up question #2: Are generational classifications important or useful to you in your job or in your life

Results: Yes: 35%   No: 65%

Comments:

“I think individual differences in work styles play more of a role.”

“Yes, if only because understanding the different generations makes it easier to understand how/why some people treat me in certain ways.”

This is funny to me: so many times I hear older people complain that we are always on our phones or at the computer, but the second they can’t figure out their email suddenly we are the omniscient Tech Gods who can work wonders with their virus laden PCs running Windows XP and Internet Explorer.

“I have trouble sometimes with how other “generations” define me, but in my job, I deal with all age levels…they come to me to help them figure out how to use their tablets or cell phones. I like that age-gap interaction, and they see me in a different way when they get my help. I’m not such a mystery to them, then.”

The results of my humble survey about our Millennial colleagues seem to agree in large part with the most recent research. Technology is ubiquitous for our Millennials; therefore, technology was not the motivating force in choosing their library career. However, because technology is inherent in library work, they want to use their technological skills to improve the access and delivery of information. They want to enjoy their jobs and perform tasks that mean something.

I perceive all our Millennials to be intelligent individuals, collaborative and creative, who work well within the existing institution. Yet they are also able to apply their technological skills in new and exciting ways to provide service to patrons of all ages and to promote more innovative library services. They participate in both their social media world and in the community. They get a little annoyed at how they are portrayed in all the surveys and articles, and are irritated that they sometimes are put in the position of having to defend why they use technology. One respondent told me she doesn’t have to defend why she drinks water, so why does she have to defend her use of her smartphone! They did not abandon one information resource to replace it with newer digital formats. To them print materials are just one way that information is stored. They are not hesitant to use existing technology as another vital tool to help them succeed. They are relieved and happy to use what they know to help others. I have not heard them complain that they are not involved in doing something worthwhile in their library job.

Our Millennials take the steps through the digital environs that the rest of us don’t know how to. They do what the rest of us don’t dare to—or care to—do, and they do so with ease. One of our staff Millennials is our Digital Librarian, responsible for getting the word out about our programs on all possible social media venues and on our website. Another is active in digitally promoting Tween literature and is deeply involved in the Summer Reading program centered around superheroes. The Millennial Librarian in charge of Adult Programming, with the collaboration of our seasoned Community Services director, has obtained a substantial LSTA matching grant—I’ll tell you more about that excitement in a future blog! Three of our Millennials were instrumental in planning and organizing our August ComiCon. And all of them use devices—Apple or Android—at the service desks and carry them into the stacks to help our patrons navigate our system

I feel at this point that I need to mention the obvious: our Millennials thrive at our library because our director and assistant director are not threatened by innovation and creativity on the part of the staff. Millennials blossom under transparent leadership when the hierarchy is bendable.

The 2013 Millennial Impact Report states: “We don’t study Millennials because they’re a part of the culture. We study them because they’re defining the culture.” I firmly believe they are the reason why we should feel so optimistic about the future of public libraries. And I, for one, am going to have a blast having them help me redefine my corner of the library world.

Resources:

1. Anderson (SC) County Library System
2. Mind the gaps : the Deloitte Millennial Survey 2015.
3. Inspiring the Next Generation workforce : the 2014 Millennial Impact Report, Six-Month Research Update.
4. Inspiring the Next Generation workforce : The 2014 Millennial Impact Report.
5. Caraher, Lee. Millennials & management : the essential guide to making it work at work. Brookline, MA: Bibliomotion, Inc., 2015.
6. Cummings, Bethany. “How millennials are redefining the role of public libraries.” com. October 23, 2014.  (accessed July 21, 2015).
7. Emanual, Jenny. “Digital Native Librarians, Technology Skills, and Their Relationship with Technology.” Information Technology and Libraries, September 2013: 20-23.
8. Hais, Morley Winograd & Michael D. Millennial momentum : how a new generation is remaking America. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2011.
9. Henig, Robin Marantz Henig & Samantha. Twenty something : why do young adults seem stuck? New York: Hudson Street Press, 2012.
10. Huang, Belinda. “Why Millennials May Save Our Libraries.” Emertainment Monthly. Entertainment News from Emerson College. September 29, 2014.  (accessed July 21, 2015).
11. LePage, Evan. “Why Millenial [sic] is Meaningless for Social Media Targeting.” June 6, 2015.  (accessed July 21, 2015).
12. McClary, T. M. “Marketing the Public Library to Millennials.” NJ State Library. April 24, 2014.  (accessed July 21, 2015).
13. “Millennial Impact Research : The 2013 Millennial Impact Report.” 2013. http://casefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/MillennialImpactReport-2013.pdf.
14. Pew Research Center. “A Portrait of “Generation Next” : How Young People View Their Lives, Futures and Politics. Summary of Findings.” PewResearchCenter : U.S. Politics & Policy. January 09, 2007. (accessed July 21, 2015).
15. —. “A Snapshot of Reading in America in 2013.” PewResearchCenter: Internet, Science & Tech. January 16, 2014. (accessed July 21, 2015).
16. —. “Millennials: Confident. Connected. Open to Change. Executive Summary.” PewResearchCenter: Social & Demographic Trends. February 24, 2010. (accessed July 21, 2015).
17. —. “Millennials in Adulthood: Detached from Institutions, Networked with Friends.” PewResearchCenter : Social & Demographic Trends. March 7, 2014. (accessed July 21, 2015).
18. —. “Younger Americans and Public Libraries.” PewResearchCenter: Internet, Science & Tech. September 10, 2014. (accessed July 21, 2015).
19. Pollak, Lindsey. Becoming the boss : new rules for the next generation of leaders. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2014.
20. Schawbel, Dan. Workplace Trends :The 2015 Millennial Majority Workforce Study. (accessed July 21, 2015).
21. Schawbel, Dan. “Talent management : 10 ways millennials are creating the future of work.” forbes.com. (accessed July 21,2015).

The post Millennials Among Us first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Our committee is a cross-section of talented staff from all departments and all levels, with a vibrant interest in our ACL MakerSpace project. We convened at the end of last year, and began by sharing what we knew. We first focused on gathering information, bringing examples from other libraries who have successfully built their MakerSpaces. After a month of envisioning where our MakerSpace would physically fit best and how we could finance it, suddenly we were stymied. We found ourselves considering a detour from our original direction. Why did we move from a project focused on Come-Do to one that invited How-To?

We couldn’t answer a major question: what would our adult patrons really want in the ACL MakerSpace? We already have some MakerSpace activities in both the Children’s and Young Adult Departments, like squishy circuits and Lego® challenges, but an adult-centered MakerSpace would be far too expensive to mount if based entirely on the philosophy of build-it-and-they-will-come. Our staff reflects the demographics of adults, ages 30 to 50, that we wanted to target, so months earlier we polled them about what they thought our MakerSpace should be. We found that although they showed a high interest in 3-D modeling and other technology-based activities, the majority chose more craft-based topics, more prescriptive and dependent on a set of ordered rules or directions. Would those activities lead to collaboration and experimentation inherent in an ideal MakerSpace? Again we wondered if we were heading in the wrong direction.

How could we reach our patrons easily to find out what they want to see in our library? One of our committee members suggested we hire someone to build a revolving, free-standing, four-sided, white dry-erase board kiosk, on which we would write questions to solicit patron input. It now stands in the space across from the Circulation Desk, and our Adult Programming Librarian monitors it. As appropriate messages are posted, she captures the input digitally and then erases the posts. She writes new questions on each side on a regular basis. We have gleaned a lot of patron opinion this way.

But what about our wider Anderson community? How could we reach them? A new business incubator project, e-Merge@The Garage, was coming to life in the remodeled City of Anderson garage. Its focus is to build and grow local and regional entrepreneurs, and is heavily funded with heavy-duty sponsorships. We invited the founder of e-Merge to share his vision with our committee. He offered his Grain Ideas, an open forum at his local pub, to help us find out what his clientele—who fit our targeted demographics—would like to see in ACL’s future MakerSpace. The forum was fun, and we established another community business ACL supporter, but unfortunately we did not gather enough representative feedback.

Each committee member had been searching for ideas as to what other libraries are doing to attract more residents to come to the library. Among all the interesting information we gathered was the article in American Libraries about Louisville (Ky.) Public Library’s first How-to Festival. Their schedule of presentations inspired us. If we held a similar venue, would it draw a large attendance? We could use our “How-To” to ask citizens what they thought a future ACL MakerSpace should be. “Yes!” we all agreed. “Let’s stage a How-To-Fair.”

Then cold reality hit us. The ACL calendar was already heavily booked with upcoming major events for the year: our Friends of the Library Spelling Bee, the Children’s Book Carnival, the Summer Reading Programs, the ComiCon, and our Friends of the Library annual three-day Storytelling Festival in the early fall. The only time when all our conference and meeting rooms were available on one day was in late April. We had less than two months to get it accomplished!

What did we need to do first? Find presenters to donate their time and talents? Advertising? Scheduling? All of it! One committee member quickly developed flyers to explain the nature of the event and to solicit presenters. Other members delivered them personally to community businesses as ACL ambassadors of the How-To Fair. We sent out emails to all staff members for suggestions as to anyone who knew someone who could do such-and-such. We made hundreds of phone calls and inquiries throughout the community. Key members of the committee created a presenter application form, a patron survey, the events schedule, plus a mapping of tables and locations, inside and outdoors. Within a month over 30 community presenters made firm commitments, and in less than two months our program was written in stone. With some trepidation and great anticipation, we held our first ACL How-To Fair on April 23^rdfrom 2-8 p.m. .

A local blacksmith set up his forge and made square nails. A local dog trainer demonstrated canine handling. The beekeepers association gave tips on local bee husbandry. Our genealogical staff helped visitors use online databases for family research. Reference librarians in our computer lab showed how to use Novelist and Mango. Rabbits cuddled in a conference room and chickens clucked in the Children’s patio area, as their breeders offered their expertise. Master gardeners talked compost, flower arranging, pruning, and heirloom seeds. Home Depot demonstrated cordless tools, how to make a sink backsplash, and summer garden preparation. Backpackers shared their love of trail walking. Lowe’s helped DIYs with deck treatment. AnMed Health sent a representative who spoke on advanced directives planning. There were demonstrations on making balloon animals, quilting, crocheting, origami, fabric bracelets, scrapbooking, how to brew the perfect cup of coffee, digital photography, how to pack a suitcase, how to repurpose junk, and how to jumpstart your creativity. The local theater group showed how to audition. Yoga sessions, kicking a soccer ball, and salsa dancing lessons added to the excitement! The Teen room ran continuous activity stations, like underwater painting, and the Children’s Department had Lego® challenges. Committee members were assigned areas to direct traffic, answer questions, and provided a hospitality room with refreshments for the presenters. It took every staff member who wasn’t at a service desk—our library maintained normal operations!–to work the Fair.

As one committee member commented, “We didn’t know where we were going, but we sure had fun when we got there.”

But, to where?

In our post-event analysis, we found that we had these positives:

• a collaborative and talented committee, seriously dedicated to staging the event, and newly emerging leaders;
• a successful and fierce social media blitz to advertise the event;
• enthusiastic presenters and attendees—a good start to amplifying community relations;
• a wide-variety of sessions of interest to a large cross-section of attendees;
• encouraging survey responses from both attendees and presenters, with calls for “do it again” next year!

But what about any 2^nd Annual ACL How-To Fair? What should we do the next time?

• Establish a How-To Fair Committee.
• Brand our How-To Fair and develop a logo for advertising, and even emblazon it on staff T-Shirts.
• Consult/contact other library systems that have held a How-To event. There is a lot of practical advice online from other libraries, but we reinvented the proverbial wheel. Learn what they learned.
• Plan far in advance. . . at least six months. Two months is not enough time to advertise effectively, communicate with potential presenters, and allow for last-minute scheduling adjustments.
• Appoint or elect a committee member to be the clearinghouse for presenter applications and contacts.
• Restructure the schedule to avoid clumping events in too narrow a time frame.
• Allow attendees more time to get from one presentation to another.
• Refine the presenter application and questionnaire.
• Encourage presenters to give multiple sessions.
• Consider soliciting local business sponsorships, perhaps to help with advertising, the hospitality room, etc.

Did we find out what our community wanted for the ACL MakerSpace? No, not really. We made the assumption that the public-at-large would know what a MakerSpace is, because we librarians know. MakerSpace terminology is so much a part of our active vocabulary that we neglected to provide something at the How-To Fair to explain it to our public. When we asked our attendees to fill out a survey as they left the venue, their focus and emotional involvement was with this How-To Fair and not necessarily with providing input for a future MakerSpace. We do know, however, that this sort of event truly appealed to them, and that alone was worth the effort.

And our ACL MakerSpace Committee’s future plans? We have refocused and are considering. . . ah, but that’s for me to tell you in a future blog.

References:

1. Kristin Fontichiaro & the Michigan Makers, University of Michigan School of Information, “What’s In Your Patron’s’ Dream Makerspace?” accessed May 20, 2015, http://fontichiaro.com/uploads/2014/booklist-makerspace-list.pdf.

2. “Grain Ideas-Growler House, Anderson,” accessed May 20, 2015, https://roundtown.com/event/2712891/Grain-Ideas-Growler-Haus-Anderson-Anderson-SC.

3. Judy Rosenfield, “Barbecue? Flamenco Dancing? Learning Gets Interactive in Louisville,” American Libraries, October 30, 2012, accessed May 20, 2015, http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2012/10/30/barbecue-flamenco-dancing-learning-gets-interactive-in-louisville/.

4. “eMerge @ The Garage: Driving entrepreneurship,” accessed May 20, 2015, http://www.emergeandersonsc.com/#!about_us/cjg9.

5. Website for Anderson (SC) County Library System: http://www.andersonlibrary.org

6. Link to Anderson (SC) County Library System’s How-To Fair: http://www.andersonlibrary.org/how-to-fair/

7. Facebook event page for Anderson (SC) County Library System’s How-To Fair: https://www.facebook.com/events/1593649477548555/

8. Facebook album for Anderson (SC) County Library System’s How-To Fair: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.952981931400316.1073741828.354814934550355&type=3

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