Future of Libraries Toronto Symposium

1. Today’s Presentation
Overview of FOPL's Statistics Strategies for Influence and
Power
The Future of Libraries Symposium
Toronto, October 20, 2015
Speaker: Stephen Abram, MLS
Executive Director, FOPL
CEO, Lighthouse Consulting Inc.

2. Market Probe 2
What is FOPL: Mission
• Collaborative body offering one loud voice for all
Ontario Public Libraries based on agreed cooperative
strategies, and priorities and research.
2

3. Market Probe 3
FOPL Positioning
• Simply put: Now more than ever before, Ontario’s Public
Libraries play a critical role in the social, educational,
cultural and economic success of the communities in our
province.
• Public Libraries are an essential investment in the future of
our communities and are essential drivers of success in
school preparedness, reading readiness, economic and
employment success, and social equity.
• As the development of the knowledge economy
progresses, public libraries are a vital link for every
resident and every community to ensure success of all
Ontarians, regardless of location or background.
3

4. Market Probe 4
FOPL VIP Talking Points
The Public Library value proposition is strong and
includes (but isn’t limited to):
– Excellent Return on Investment
– Strong Economic Development
– Great Employment Support
– Welcoming New Canadians
– Provable Early Literacy Development
– Ongoing Support for Formal Education and Homework Help
– Serve the whole community equitably
– Affordable access to community resources
– Access to Government Services and e-government
– Questions Deserve Quality Answers
– Support Cultural Vitality
– Recognized and Valued Leisure Activities for majority of Ontarians
4

5. Exercise: What Don’t We Know?
June 2013
Just so you know I am going to fly though some
slides just to make a point and then provide you with
copies of the slides for you to investigate later on.

6. • Advocacy and Influence
• Research with Power
• Marketing Our Brand
• FOCUS: VIP – Value, Impact and Positioning
So, how does FOPL accomplish our
community’s goals?
6

7. Market Probe 7
FOPL embarked on a course to answer the following
• Does our sector know enough about influence?
• What are the components of our ‘brand’?
• What do civil servants, community leaders, & politicians think
they know about public libraries?
• Does our sector know what the general public thinks about
public libraries?
• What do we do? What are our statistics and how have they
changed over time?
• Who are our best partners and who do we want to have a
relationship with?

8. Market Probe 8
FOPL set a strategy and did this in 24 months
• Does our sector know enough about influence?
– Built and recorded a 10 part webinar series on advocacy and influence.
– Participated in one of the most successful MOOCs on advocacy in partnership with the iSchool at
Toronto.
– Planned and hosted 2 symposia on new metrics for libraries in partnership with the iSchool at Toronto.
– Delivered 3 recorded webinars so far on Ontario public library polling and statistical data
• What are the components of our ‘brand’?
– Did a survey of every public library website in the province as well as collecting every social media
account.
• What do civil servants, community leaders, & politicians think they know about public
libraries?
– Did a selective telephone survey of Ontario municipal leaders and CAO’s about their perceptions of
public library value and impact.
• Does our sector know what the general public thinks about public libraries?
– Did a full computer-assisted telephone poll guided by the ‘right’ demographics supplemented by a web
poll using a web panel.
• What do we do? What are our statistics and how have they changed over time?
– Successfully lobbied the provincial government to release the Ontario public library statistics as open
data for 1997-2013.
– Hired the top library statistician to aggregate the open data and build measurements after community
consultation.

9. Market Probe 9
So what do we have now that we didn’t have 2 years ago?
• Statistics, Measurements and Professional Development Strategies
– Published analysis of Ministry data collection for 2001-2013.
– Publish Market Probe opinion polls for 2015 (building on
2001, 2006, 2010 polls)
– Hosted and recorded 20 webinars on influence, statistics,
strategy, legal issues, etc.
– Published the Ontario library branding research
– (So far) Successfully batting 1000 on applying for grants
– Libraries 2025 Summit of all Ontario public library systems.
• Thank you to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport for some support.

10. Market Probe 10
Selected Webinars in this series
• August 14th, 2015
Overview of FOPL's Ontario Public Library Statistics and
Measurements Report
Speaker: Dr. Robert Molyneux, MLIS, PhD
• August 17, 2015
Overview of FOPL's Market Probe Canada Public Opinion Poll of
Ontarians and Public Libraries
Speaker: Carol French, EVP, Market Probe Canada
• August 28th, 2015
Strategic Use and Insights from FOPL's Ontario Public Library
Statistics, Polls, and Measurements
Speaker: Stephen Abram, MLS, executive director FOPL
10

11. Market Probe 11
Webinars on Influence
• Factors influencing funding decisions by elected politicians at the state/provincial level: a
case study of public libraries in Canada: Part 1 & 2
Instructor: Cheryl Stenström, PhD
• Real Life: Advocacy Practitioners Sharing Session 1: Advocacy in Town and County
libraries Speaker: Sam Coghlan (Retired, Stratford Public Library)
• Real Life: Advocacy Practitioners Sharing Session 2: Advocacy in Urban libraries
Speaker: Ken Roberts (Retired, Hamilton Public Library)
• The Top 6 Best Practices for Advocates in Any Setting
Instructor: Professor Wendy Newman, MLS, University of Toronto iSchool
• Community communication strategy at the Burlington Public Library Panel: Stephen Abram,
host, Kerry Langford, Burlington Public Library Trustee; Maureen Barry, CEO, Burlington
Public Library
• Positive networking techniques and theories Instructor: Ken Haycock, MLS, MBA, PhD,
University of Southern California
• Real Life: Advocacy Practitioners Sharing Session 3: Small, Rural and Mid-Sized Libraries
Panel: Mary Baxter, Georgina Libraries; Claire Dionne, Russell Public Library; Susan
Downs, Innisfil Public Library; Rona O'Banion, King Township Public Library; Cindy Weir,
Owen Sound Public Library
• MOOC: Libraries Unshushed (Wendy Newman, iSchool at Toronto)

12. • Advocacy and Influence
• Research with Power
• Marketing Our Brand
• FOCUS: VIP – Value, Impact and Positioning
So, how does FOPL accomplish our
community’s goals?
12

13. Market Probe 13
FOPL Stat Report Outline
• Ontario Public Library Operating Data 2001-2013: Overview, Primer on
Library Statistics and Collected Tables (81 page PDF)
– Introduction by Stephen Abram, MLS, Executive Director
– A Primer on Library Data by Robert Molyneux, PhD
– Key Ratios for Ontario Public Libraries, 2013
– Population and Circulation at Ontario Public Libraries, 2001-2013, All Reporting Each
Year
– Programs Held and Program Attendance Ontario Public Libraries, 2001-2013, All
Reporting Each Year
– Selected Expenditures at Ontario Public Libraries, 2001-2013, All Reporting Each Year
– Selected Digital Materials, Held by Ontario Public Libraries, 2001-2013, All Reporting
EACH Year
– Circulations per capita and per active cardholder,2013, Ranked by Bands
– Expenditures per capita and per active cardholder, 2013, Ranked by Bands
– Total Operating Expenditures and Materials Expenditures, 2001-2013, [summary and
by bands]
– Active Cardholders as a Percentage of Population (Resident) at Ontario’s Public
Libraries, 2001-2013
– Circulation per capita and per active cardholders, Ontario Public Libraries, 2001-2013
– Sources of data used in these reports
• http://fopl.ca/news/fopl-member-benefit-performance-measures-for-ontario-
public-libraries/
• Each chapter has a separate blog posting as well for June 30-Sept 8.

14. Market Probe 14
Looking into the Future
• Coming Soon – Next Steps to Making it Happen:
– FOPL Index of Community Engagement discussion paper
– Province-wide Marketing campaign focused on the public
library’s impact and value to communities
– Participate in eBook Pricing Fairness Campaign
– Invited participant in Ontario’s First Culture Strategy
development
– Invited participant in Ontario’s First Community Hubs
Strategy development
– Lobbying ‘our’ ministries for e-resources funding, shared
services development, overall funding opportunities,
Municipal Act issues, etc.
– Library Day at Queen’s Park (Nov. 25th, 2015)
– Continuing to coordinate, communicate, and cooperate with
provincial agencies and associations for joint success.

15. Market Probe 15
Social Media and Ontario Public Libraries
• Public Library Website Presence (n=304)
• 29 (i.e. 9%) did NOT have a website;
• 2/3 (i.e. 19) of those libraries without a website were identified as First Nation
libraries;
• 3 of the 29 without websites were FOPL members.
• Facebook: 144 libraries have a clear Facebook presence(45%): Large urban
(including TPL) have adopted at 100%; Small medium = 85% (55). Of the non-
FOPL libraries, only 24% (29) used FB.
• Twitter: 106 libraries have a clear Twitter presence (33%): 1 FN; 1 Franco; all
the Large Urban; 10 North; 6 Rural; 43 Small-Med.
• 48 libraries have blogs (15%)
• Uptake of media sharing tools was not as robust as the social
networking tools. Too few were using YouTube, Flickr, Pinterest, Instagram,
Tumblr, Goodreads, Vine, Periscope, etc.

16. Market Probe 16
Census of Ontario Public Library Websites

17. Market Probe 17
Webinars in this series
• August 14, 2015: Overview of FOPL's Ontario Public Library
Statistics and Measurements Report
Speakers: Dr. Robert Molyneux, MLIS, PhD & Stephen Abram
http://fopl.ca/news/fopl-statistics-webinar-slides-from-august-14-2015/
• August 17, 2015: Overview of FOPL's Market Probe Canada
Public Opinion Poll of Ontarians and Public Libraries
Speaker: Carol French, Senior Vice President, Research & Client
Services Market Probe Canada
http://fopl.ca/news/todays-webinar-on-the-market-probe-public-opinion-
poll/
• August 28, 2015: Strategic Use and Insights from FOPL's
Ontario Public Library Statistics, Polls, and Measurements
Speakers: Stephen Abram, MLS, executive director FOPL & Dr. Robert
Molyneux, MLIS, PhD
17

18. Today I am going to focus on the strategies we see in our data, polls, and
measurements . . .
These slides will be up on Slideshare and Stephens Lighthouse.
Star =
highlights

19. Market Probe 19
Connecting to the past: the public library continues to deliver value as
patrons’ usage patterns evolve
• Overall opinions and value perceptions of the library remain very strong.
– Its position in people’s minds relative to other tax-supported services is consistent with
previous studies, and reactions to earlier positioning statements have improved
slightly.
– The public acknowledges the library’s role in advancing literacy, equal opportunity, and
quality of life in Ontario communities.
– The value of certain services (e.g., for young children, new Canadians, and the
unemployed) has increased over the past five years.
– A majority of residents feel if their local library were to close, it would have a major
impact on the community (but not necessarily on them personally).
• Potential Strategies
– Each of these is a strong and believable positioning for your library to take.
– FOPL will be issuing press releases to the Ontario media in the autumn. You are
encouraged to re-issue or adapt these for your local media.

20. Market Probe 20
56%
54%
50%
46%
34%
32%
31%
30%
29%
28%
26%
26%
25%
19%
Most Ontarians acknowledge the public library’s role in advancing
literacy, equal opportunity, and quality of life in their communities
Public libraries are important because they promote literacy and a love
of reading
By providing free access to materials and resources, the public library
plays an important role in giving everyone a chance to succeed
Having a public library improves the quality of life in a community
Public libraries are welcoming, friendly places
The public library is the only affordable place where the average
Ontarian can go for information
Public libraries provide many services people would have a hard time
finding elsewhere
The public library provides valuable resources to increase health
literacy within the communities it serves
The public library is the best place for people of all ages to go to pursue
lifelong learning
Public libraries have done a good job of keeping up with new
technologies
The public library serves as an important meeting place and focal point
within the community
The public library is continually expanding the services it offers
It is very easy to find whatever you are looking for at the public library
Now that information is available from so many different sources,
people need public libraries more than ever
By providing access to information from a wide variety of sources,
public libraries promote an understanding of political issues
% Strongly Agree
Believability of Positioning Statements
42% 65%
47% 59%
39% 60%
35% 52%
25% 35%
24% 37%
24% 31%
25% 30%
22% 36%
22% 28%
23% 28%
18% 30%
20% 25%
17% 17%
By Age
18-34 55+
Change

21. Market Probe 21
47
39
42
36
25
24
28
33
The public library is the only
affordable place where the average
Ontarian can go for information
The public library is the best place for
people of all ages to go to pursue
lifelong learning
Bottom 6 Ratings
(1-6 on a 10-pt. scale)
Top 2 Ratings
(9-10 on a 10-pt. scale)
36%
50%
11%
3%
37%
49%
11%
3%
25%
56%
16%
4%
22%
55%
20%
3%
Top of list
Middle of list
Bottom of list
Don't know
2015
2010
2005
2000
Ontarians’ overall opinions about the public library have held steady, and
perhaps even improved slightly, since 2010
68%
32%
65%
35%
65%
35%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Yes
No
2015
2010
2005
2000
Benefit of Public Libraries Relative to
Other Municipal Tax-Supported Services Believability of Positioning Statements
Bottom 6 Ratings
(1-6 on a 10-pt. scale)
Top 2 Ratings
(9-10 on a 10-pt. scale)
Age 18-34: 29%
Age 55+: 40%

22. Market Probe 22
Connecting to the past: the public library continues to deliver value as
patrons’ usage patterns evolve
• Numbers of library users have remained consistent, but usage patterns
have changed.
– The number of library non-users has been extremely steady over the last 15 years.
– Library card ownership has increased; still, household usage levels may be softening
slightly.
– Reported in-person library visit frequency has remained the same over the years, but in
2015, the number of people using the library both online and in-person has surpassed
the number of in-person-only visitors.
– Usage of many services is lower than reported previously, indicating that library users
may be becoming more selective in choosing which services to use.
• Potential Strategies
– Decide if you invest in traditional service marketing if you really can increase
satisfaction or growth.
– Non-users seem to be a clear core group but the majority has used their public library
in the past.
– A focus on cardholder growth, value and usage is indicated.

23. Market Probe 23
The Traditional Library Service Proposition has Plateaued
• Traditional services have plateaued at best and some have declined.
• Reasons include:
– Google anything
– eBooks and licensing issues
– Decline of the CD-ROM and DVD and adoption of streaming media
– Personal Pocket & Tablet devices with data plans
– Reduced leisure time, lower fertility, increased option for time spent (time not money is
one big limiter of use)
– Inadequate marketing and promotion
– The audience is fractured in the digital realm.
– Ubiquitous WiFi
– Etc.

24. Market Probe 24
64%
45%
36%
26%
26%
25%
19%
13%
12%
9%
7%
6%
4%
72%
55%
49%
25%
35%
28%
15%
13%
14%
12%
10%
8%
2015
2010
Similarly, at the total respondent level, household usage of nearly all
library services has declined since 2010
Lender of materials
Assistance in finding information
Reference centre
Focal point or meeting place
Place to study
Help with school projects or homework
Local history collections
Training in how to access information online*
Early literacy programs
Government services through library-based
kiosks
Information for the unemployed
Resources for small business and entrepreneurs
Services to new Canadians
Web panelists reported
lower household usage of
almost all services shown,
especially obtaining
assistance in finding
information
Past Year Usage of Library Services
by Someone in Household
* Wording changed in 2015.

25. Market Probe 25
In-person library visitors are engaging in fewer activities, with use of the
library’s wireless network being the only one to register increased usage
Reasons for Personally Using the Public Library
84%
56%
34%
28%
26%
25%
23%
23%
16%
14%
10%
90%
70%
41%
33%
26%
17%
33%
23%
13%
21%
16%
88%
73%
38%
31%
32%
18%
9%
21%
16%
88%
77%
47%
19%
32%
17%
9%
24%
18%
Borrow books, CDs, DVDs or other materials
Get information on a topic of personal
interest
Read or study
Access the Internet using library computers
Relax or socialize
Use the library's wireless network
Access databases / other electronically
stored info*
Take a child to a program or activity
Attend a lecture, program, meeting or
training session
Work assignment or keep up-to-date at work
School or class assignment
86%
59%
44%
35%
31%
31%
27%
25%
18%
21%
27%
Total Household Usage
(2015)
68%
32%
65%
35%
65%
35%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Yes
No
2015
2010
2005
2000
Web panelists indicated
fewer reasons in total and,
in particular, were much
less likely to mention
borrowing materials and
getting information on a
topic of interest
* Wording changed in 2015.

26. Market Probe 26
Raw Circulation for Communication
26
We’re
growing!

27. Market Probe 27
The Management Number for Attention
27
Inside the
tent: We have
an issue!
Cardholder growth lags population growth

28. Market Probe 28
Cardholder growth strategies
• At the FOPL collaboration level:
– Invest in a marketing campaign about the role, value and impact of public libraries
– Review our branding and marketing position
– Call to action: Get, use and value your library card membership
• At your system level:
– Cardholders are valued community members
– Focus on certain niches
» New Canadians
» Moms and kids
» High School (School starts next week – call the principal and have a card sign up day at the
local school(s) in the cafeteria, library, lobby, auditorium…)
» 18-40 year olds
» Men
» Seniors
» Digital citizens
» your community target
– Invest in apps and portable cardholder sign up devices
– Review barriers in your policies – consider saying ‘yes’

29. Market Probe 29
View to the future: the library needs to determine which investments to
make (and which to skip) in the face of technological and social change
• Regular review of strategies and tactics becomes even more important as
technology, channel, and media preferences change.
– Electronic access is complementing, not replacing, in-person usage; therefore,
duplication of hard copy and electronic materials, plus increased channel costs, will be
the norm for the foreseeable future.
– Ensuring compatibility with an ever expanding array of electronic devices will continue
to pose challenges.
• Potential Strategies
– Get better at presenting your digital resources
– Digital goes well beyond text content now
– Focus on:
» Images
» online learning (e.g. Lynda.com, MOOCs, etc.)
» Programs
» Podcasts and online story time
» Video marketing
» streaming music and TV/movies
» etc.
– Build attention for new services that are in their early adopter phase but work on
awareness and benefits (not just logos and jargon)
– Focus on the ‘right fit’ target and don’t over communicate (i.e. 140 characters with link!)

30. Market Probe 30
Use of the Internet to access the public library is complementing, not
replacing, in-person visits
2010
37%
1% 1%
13%
12%
In-Person
Internet
Phone
33%
2%
2015
27%
1% 1%
20%
11%
In-Person
Internet
Phone
36%
3%
Ways Users Access the Public Library
Significant differences among
web panelists (2015):
In-person only 19%
In-person / Internet 49%
In-person / phone 3%
Hybrid
Users

31. Market Probe 31
The Adoption Cycle
Exercise: Where is your community with e-books, databases,
Hoopla, Zinio, Freegal, IndieFlix, Netflix, etc.?

32. Market Probe 32
Relatively few of those who access the library’s electronic materials were
familiar with the new electronic channels or services some libraries offer
27%
22%
15%
13%
13%
Zinio
Hoopla
AskON
Indieflix
Freegal
Familiar with
Channel
Accessed via
Library Account
Accessed
Elsewhere
Familiarity and Use of New Electronic Channels
7% 9%
9% 2%
3% 3%
1% 2%
4% 2%
Early
Adopters

33. Market Probe 33
E-books, fiction and non-fiction, are clearly the most widely used
electronic resources obtained from the library
41%59%
Yes (%)
No (%)
39%
28%
15%
14%
14%
9%
8%
6%
E-books fiction
E-books non-fiction
Digital movies
E-newspapers
or journal articles
E-magazines
E-audiobooks
Digital music
E-local history or
genealogy information
Checked the Library’s Online
Catalogue, Downloaded an Item,
or Accessed Other Materials via
the Library’s Website
Telephone respondents
indicated a significant
increase in their use of
fiction e-books over the
past five years, and a
directional increase in
non-fiction as well
E-books fiction
E-books non-fiction
Digital movies
E-newspapers or journal
articles
E-magazines
E-audiobooks
Digital music
E-local history or
genealogy information
Specific Types of Electronic Resources
Used on Library’s Website

34. Market Probe 34
View to the future: the library needs to determine which investments to
make (and which to skip) in the face of technological and social change
• Communicating about new service offerings will be as important as
providing them.
– Traditional library services are not increasing in usage or perceived value.
– Interest in new services is fragmented, meaning trade-offs will need to made.
– Communications about new services will have to be geared to the proper segments to
create sufficient awareness, interest, and take-up.
– People’s preference for email suggests that creation of contact lists, user groups and
advisory panels may be required in order to maintain a dialogue with library users.
• Potential Strategies
– Upgrade and update your member registries.
– Work towards being CASL compliant in 12 months (You’ve got about 18)
– Fine tune your strategies to your local conditions
– i.e. does your summer population have different expectation to your winter residents?

35. Market Probe 35
66%
51%
45%
35%
34%
30%
26%
19%
8%
Communication preferences also differ by age, but email does rank
highest among all groups
Email
Articles in the local paper
Information on the library's website
Social media
Notices at the library
Notices in community centres or other public places
Inserts with your tax bill or other local government
mailings
Notices in schools
Talks / presentations to community groups
Best Way to Inform about What’s Going On at the Library
59% 73%
40% 63%
36% 48%
46% 22%
31% 34%
28% 32%
20% 32%
21% 12%
6% 12%
By Age
18-34 55+

36. Market Probe 36
View to the future: the library needs to determine which investments to
make (and which to skip) in the face of technological and social change
• How the library can best serve a future generation of users remains
uncertain.
– Older people’s respect for the heritage and social contribution of the public library
system will not necessarily be passed down to a younger generation.
– Not every library can afford to be all things to all people; there may be an increasing
need to develop centrally and deliver locally.
– Younger populations are ready and eager for ‘more’
• Potential Strategies
– Work on scalable strategies and programming
– Collaborate with other libraries in your region to develop and deliver key programs
– Hand-knitting each and every program isn’t optimal
– Record and rebroadcast and promote your key programs – podcasts, streaming media,
video…
– Partner with like-minded organizations

37. Market Probe 37
Other Strategy Considerations
• Clearly understand the differences between your digital and in-person
user/member
– It appears that for most libraries digital touch-points exceed in-person touch-points
– Primarily digital users have different demographics and different digital literacies.
– Your in-person user is more likely to be older, female, less digital, etc.
• Potential Strategies
– Focus your digital marketing on the nature of the digital user.
– They use a different mix of devices.
– Review your digital presence and evaluate how responsive the design is to current
needs for multiple devices
– Dig into your Google Analytics and see what you learn.

38. Market Probe 38
88%
35%
22%
11%
4%
A desktop or laptop
computer
A tablet
A smartphone
An e-reader
An iPod or MP3
player
E-readers are less popular than other devices for accessing library
materials
33%67%
Yes (%)
No (%)
Devices Used to Access
Resources from the Library
E-reader ownership
(among those who have
not used an e-reader to
access library resources)
30% 70%
Yes (%)
No (%)
Ever tried to download
public library e-books
using an e-reader
A desktop or laptop
computer
A tablet
A smartphone
An e-reader
An iPod or MP3
player

39. Market Probe 39
87%
83%
44%
42%
41%
23%
17%
88%
83%
50%
23%
26%
21%
2015
2010
While Internet penetration has not changed in the last five years, the ways
in which people access the Internet have shifted
Higher among
web panelists
99%
86%
84%
73%
56%
33%
24%
23%
6%
Any Internet
Access
At home
At work
At other places in
the community
using a smartphone
At other places in
the community
using wireless
access
At your public
library
At school
Regular Use of
Internet
Search for specific
information of
interest
Use e-mail, a chat
room or IM
Access the news
Access social
networking sites
Stream movies,
music or other types
of entertainment
Download movies,
music or other types
of entertainment
Download books or
magazines
Create content
Ways Internet Was Accessed in the
Past Year Uses of Internet

40. Market Probe 40
Other Strategy Considerations
• Think long and hard about target audiences
– It is important to recognize that the softening in our value proposition in kids, teens, and
18-34 year olds is major.
– We cannot rest on the love of 50+ cohort.
• Potential Strategies
– We’re good with the positioning with the 50+ cohort. Invest in the rest!
– Review what you’ve done in the last 6 months.
– Is it generic or targeted?
– Is it clear who its for?
– Does it go beyond books and suggest learning, community, individual support?

41. Market Probe 41
Other Strategy Considerations
• New library services offer significant opportunities to re-engage with 18-34
year olds and males.
– Business, Dads and Kids, Maker, digital creation, - some even for the 55+ cohort.
• Potential Strategies
There is significant interest in these services among young adults and web based users:
– A program that allows people to try out the newest tech devices or applications, such as 3D
printers or laser cutters
– Library kiosks located throughout the community where people can check out books, movies
or music without having to go to the library itself
– A personalized online account that gives you recommendations based on your past library
activity
– A cell phone app that allows you to access library services from your mobile phone
– An online research service where you could pose questions and get responses from librarians
– A cell phone app that helps you locate material easily in the library using GPS
– E-book readers already loaded with the book you want to read
– Instruction on how to use handheld reading devices and tablets
– Classes on how to download library e-books to handheld devices
– A digital media lab where you could create and upload new digital content like your own
movies or e-books

42. Market Probe 42
19%
15%
15%
16%
10%
12%
12%
9%
9%
7%
36%
35%
35%
29%
33%
27%
26%
26%
24%
24%
55%
50%
49%
44%
44%
39%
38%
35%
33%
31%
Very Likely Somewhat Likely Total
Interest in new library service concepts varies, in most cases based on age
A program that allows people to try out the newest tech devices or
applications, such as 3D printers or laser cutters
Library kiosks located throughout the community where people can
check out books, movies or music without having to go to the
library itself
A personalized online account that gives you recommendations
based on your past library activity
A cell phone app that allows you to access library services from
your mobile phone
An online research service where you could pose questions and get
responses from librarians
A cell phone app that helps you locate material easily in the library
using GPS
E-book readers already loaded with the book you want to read
Instruction on how to use handheld reading devices and tablets
Classes on how to download library e-books to handheld devices
A digital media lab where you could create and upload new digital
content like your own movies or e-books
Likelihood of Using Different Library Services
64% 46%
57% 39%
61% 39%
62% 24%
43% 37%
54% 19%
45% 34%
31% 40%
30% 38%
42% 21%
By Age
18-34 55+
Early
Adopters

43. Market Probe 43
Other Strategy Considerations
• Social media is an opportunity to connect with different communities but
e-mail rules.
– Urgent: Update your ILS registry files
• Potential Strategies
– Develop a 90 day campaign at check-out! Ensure your core regular users have their
own cards and don’t share.
– Know their gender and birth year (birthday if possible).
– Ensure that you have voluntary access and permission for e-mail, mobile, text, etc.
– Get your social media act in order and build;
– Use Hootsuite Pro
– Ensure you have and build community engagement with:
– Facebook (for all) and specific groups (e.g. Moms, genealogists, teens, etc.)
– Twitter (for all)
– Pinterest – primarily for women
– Instagram and Tumblr for primarily teens
– Reddit for males, youth and digerati
– LinkedIn for business and government users as well as job seekers (and other
librarians).

44. Market Probe 44
Other Strategy Considerations
• How far is your library and branches from your users
– Use your ILS registry files
• Potential Strategies
– Do a Google map of your use around each branch using the postal codes of your users
borrowing transactions
– What do you see?
I made this for free in
less than 30 minutes
using
http://batchgeo.com/

45. Market Probe 45
Other Strategy Considerations
• There are a number of cautions in these data
– Softening of value proposition Young Adults, homework folks and 18-34 year olds
– Differences between online and telephone cohort.
– The gap is widening between individual and household attachment to PL’s
• Potential Strategies
– Household mailers (your tax base is often mostly householder based)
– Sharpen up your targeted communications to key groups (18-34)
– Sharpen up communications to digital users
– Balance the marketing between program and book promotion with value and impact
positioning and PR.

46. Market Probe 46
Respondent
Only
27%
With Others in
Household
42%
Other
Household
Member(s)
Only
7%
No One
24% Respondent
Only
28%
With Others in
Household
41%
Other
Household
Member(s)
Only
10%
No One
21%
73%
68%
65%
65%
Yes
2015 2010 2005 2000
Household use of the public library may be slipping slightly, despite a
reported increase in library card ownership
Total Household Usage of the Public Library
2015 2010
49%
26%
22%
8%
50%
31%
23%
8%
47%
27%
19%
7%
51%
24%
17%
9%
Children
Spouse/partner
Others
2015
2010
2005
2000
In Household
Used by Others
(net)
19% among
web panelists
27% among
web panelistsTotal Users
70%
Total Users
69%
Past Year Use of Public Library
by Other Household Members
68% among
web panelists
3% among
web panelists
Have a Library Card

47. Market Probe 47
Traditional library measures are steady
• OTOH: New things are growing
47

48. Market Probe 48
48

49. Market Probe 49
49

50. Market Probe 50
50

51. Market Probe 51
51

52. Market Probe 52
52

53. Market Probe 53
53

54. Some samples follow that might be useful in strategic planning …
How might you analyze the data?

55. Market Probe 55
Sample Regional Cohort Analysis

56. Market Probe 56
Sample Selected Peer Cohort Analysis

57. Market Probe 57
Sector Analysis i.e. First Nations Libraries

58. Market Probe 58
Onward! 2013 Key Ratios!
• FOPL has the master spreadsheet as well as a spreadsheet that summarizes
the major measurements.
– Thirteen ratios, all libraries
– The ratios are largely those we focus on in the rest of the report.
– As the Primer showed, per capitas allow apples to apples comparisons of libraries of
vastly different sizes
»You may be small, but you may be doing a better job with what you have than bigger libraries.
You can compare your operational data to others as well as your population bands.
You can compare your funding per capita and per population.
You can set benchmarks to track the progress of your strategic goals.
FOPL looks forward to acquiring the 2014 data being collected and input now.
58

59. Questions?
Stephen Abram, Executive
Director
B: 416-395-0746
C: 416-669-4855
stephen.abram@gmail.com
www.fopl.ca
StephensLighthouse.com