Power of Place (Tamworth, NSW)

libraries building community inside outside & online Country Public Library Association of NSW Annual Conference 2008 power of place

................... where i’m from

pubs community builders

documents community builders

“ Life is easier in a community blessed with a substantial stock of social capital. In the first place, networks of civic engagement foster sturdy norms of generalized reciprocity and encourage the emergence of social trust . Such networks facilitate coordination and communication , amplify reputations , and thus allow dilemmas of collective action to be resolved. When economic and political negotiation is embedded in dense networks of social interaction , incentives for opportunism are reduced … [they] broaden the participants‘ sense of self, developing ‘I’ into ‘we’ … ”

capital & networks community builders

What are my friends doing?

individuals community builders

something is wrong . . . . .

................... library landscape

“ it’s a story about community and collaboration on a scale never seen before ”

[u] Here’s what I’m doing.

[u] What are my friends doing?

[us]

Blogs Wikis Podcasts Mashups Social Networks RSS [23,000 or so tools]

What people are doing there… Browsed for info on a search engine 86% Browsed for or purchased books (ALL) 56% Sent or received instant messages (ALL) 51% Used a social media site, such as YouTube 32% Used a social networking site, such as Facebook 37% Used a library web site (ALL) 20%

where is the library?

Uh-oh.

what is a library?

what is a library? Place Stuff Support Interaction Values

“ I wish we could call FEMA. this feels like a natural disaster to me ” -library director Jackson County, OR

................... building community

[social capital] the collective value of social networks and their inclinations to do nice things for each other [social network] our connections with people [trust] connections over time

“ libraries must be part of society's thinking about how we develop and nurture social as well as information networks ” - Jean Preer American Libraries, September 2001

“ librarians have made retrieval and accuracy a god—disregarding what users’ preferences are ” -associate university librarian OCLC Environmental Scan 2003

library = books

Ages 14-21 My friends use the same site 80% The web site is fun 56% To network or meet new people 39% Ages 22-49 My friends use the same site 63% The web site is fun 40% To network or meet new people 39% Ages 50+ My friends use the same site 40% To be part of a community 38% The website is useful 33%

What are my friends doing?

learn ...................

“ libraries should be about the people they’re for, not about the services we think they need ” -Barbara Fister Gustavus Adolphus College, Minnesota

hi. i’m michael. and here’s what I’m doing.

“ stop making it feel like church ” - 47 year old from the UK OCLC Perceptions Report 2005

“ libraries should look at community spaces like Starbucks and Borders, and also look at the value of online tools like Google, and they should try to be more relevant in the current age ” - 51 year old from the US OCLC Perceptions Report 2005

share ...................

“ books and materials are secondary in a public library. the most important aspect is the human interaction . the library experience cannot be viewed as just an information transaction, but rather as an opportunity to touch and connect lives ” -Cheryl Napsha Director, Bethel Park Public Library

“ don’t get hemmed in by thinking things aren’t ‘what libraries do’ we don’t just provide books and internet services – we help the community. we can do that in more ways than we’re used to doing. ” -Mary Doud Kalamazoo Public Library

engage ...................

“ markets are conversations . their members communicate in language that is natural, open, honest, direct, funny and often shocking. whether explaining or complaining, joking or serious, the human voice is unmistakably genuine ”

-cluetrain manifesto 2000

“ I’m so glad you joined the twitter world. MRRL is always doing what’s relevant ” -tab MRRL MySpace friend, Missouri

“ let me start a new mantra … people formerly known as patrons. by opening this conversation we can begin to create the programs and services our customers will use ” -Nancy Dowd The M Word: Marketing Libraries

What are our friends doing?

................... iterate

“ project met goals. participants were satisfied. the library made some money. as far as measurement, I ask people in the community how we’re doing. that’s it. I believe that touching the lives of marginalized populations can’t be measured in any true way. ”

End Results

Processes & Practices

Learning & Growth

Leadership & Engagement

“ just commit to it. make it a high priority ” -Catherine D’Italia Hartford Public Library, CT

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside

outside

& online

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“ we are building community daily in a manner we never would have imagined a year ago ” -Teen Services Librarian Seattle Public Library

“ the web is changing libraries can change too ”

Country Public Library Association of NSW Annual Conference 2008

panel questions

interviews today

surveys anytime

i’d love to hear from you

Country Public Library Association of NSW Annual Conference 2008 [merci] [email_address] librariesbuildcommunities.org webjunction.org facebook/chrystiehill flickr/chrystiehill friendfeed/itgirl twitter.com/itgirl