This document outlines plans for setting up new digital services at a public library. It discusses why new services are needed to meet changing customer needs, and provides guidance on determining goals and desired outcomes. It also covers determining what services to offer, who will do the work, and how to implement services. The document then details the library's current experiments with blogs, instant messaging, podcasting and social networking. It proposes creating a "digital branch" and discusses staffing, training, content creation and community building considerations. Future phases and assessment are also mentioned.

1. Setting up the
New Stuff:
Planning & Implementing
Library 2.0
David Lee King
Digital Branch & Services Manager
Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library
davidleeking.com

2. Three Parts
1. Why, What, Who, How, and When
2. Topeka’s Current Experiments
3. Digital Branch Planning

3. Part 1:
Why, What, Who,
How, and When

4. Why?

9. Why set up new
services?
• meet changing customer needs
• stay culturally relevant
• Keep digital space up-to-date

10. What services to set up?
• Lots to choose from!
• think through goals
• what should the end result look like?

11. What services to set up?
• Lots to choose from!
• think through goals
• what should the end result look like?

12. Who does the work?
Patrons? Staff?

13. How to make it happen
• Admin and Management
• staff time
• do we have
– the equipment
– willing participants
– can we make willing participants?
– Skilled staff?

14. How to make it happen
• Admin and Management
• staff time
• do we have
– the equipment
– willing participants
– can we make willing participants?
– Skilled staff?

15. Show Admin...
• the numbers - explain your plan, set goals,
project results
• the money - as in $0 spent
• the participation - real customers adding real
value to the library
• the missing piece - show how it fits into
organizational plan

16. Ideas from the Top
• Find people who get things done
• Find a champion
• Discover his/her interests
• Tell Stories

17. When to roll it out
• like, yesterday!
• seriously - some things don't take a lot of time
– blogs, flickr, youtube, IM
– 5 minutes, tops
• depends on you

18. Content,
Container,
Customer

19. Content
• Conversational tone
• Create often
• Reuse Content…

28. inviting participation
Just Ask.

29. Container
Just the Basics
or
Fancy-Schmancy?

30. Customers
Contacts
Comments
Creators

31. contacts

32. comments
• answer them
• quickly
• default to “comments on”
• edit if needed

33. creators?
• decide about customer content
– Actual content?
– Comments only?
• who's in charge of content babysitting?
– Doesn’t have to be the “webmaster”
– Definitely not Admin!

34. Some Specifics…

35. Blogs, flickr, MySpace,
YouTube

36. blogs

37. decisions
Mylibrary.blogspot.com
or
Mylibrary.org/blog

38. decisions
• reason for the blog
– what's new at the library?
– new books?
– library news?
• who's in charge? who writes?
Who answers comments?

39. tricks
• link to your stuff
– catalog
– events
• flickr for images
– saves storage space on server
– pic is in two places - re-using content
– two places for comments
• Customer and staff training

40. staff needs
• a little training on posting
• writing for the web training
• Basic HTML – for flickr, etc

42. decisions
• Downloadable video?
• Channel Design
• reason for the videos
– what's new/library update videos
– videos of events
– training
– new books?
– library news?

43. decisions
• YouTube-specific account stuff
• who's in charge? who creates videos?
who watches comments?
• Staff or customer content?
• Everything in Blogs above…

44. tricks
• channels: link to other relevant channels!
• provide link back to library page
•Embed video on your
website!

45. staff needs
• training!
• equipment

46. flickr
http://flickr.com/photos/libraryman/292590660

47. decisions
• Who takes pictures?
• Who uploads pictures
• Do you need a library policy?
• Tags and sets
• What will you do with flickr photos?

48. tricks
• Push photos on site
• Profile
• Links from flickr to website
• Use flickr as library’s image hoster

49. staff needs
• Photography training?
• Camera
• Flickr account (go pro)
• Graphics editing software
• Time!

50. MySpace

51. decisions:
• MySpace name, age, sex
• Design/skin
• Reason for the page!!!
• Make use of multimedia?

52. tricks
• Musical artist account…
• Reuse content
• Customized additions
• Link to your content!

53. staff needs
• who's in charge of it? who will write for
it? who will check it and comments?
• Time

54. Part 2:
Topeka’s Current Experiments

55. blogs
• meetings and wikis used for planning
• created a loose schedule for posting
• anyone can post
• internal and public blogs

56. general blog guidelines
• be accountable
• write relevant content
• be respectful
• be confidential
• respect copyrights
• obey the law
• remember the handbook

57. Instant Messaging
• meebo widget
• telephone reference add-on
• “just do it”
• guidelines will come if/when
needed
• Installing trillian on staff PCs

58. podcasting/videocasting
• Experiments
• video - one
person
• podcasts - a
couple of people
• using YouTube to
host video

59. Social Networking

60. Part 3:
Digital Branch Planning

61. Digital Branch?
• Remove “digital”
• My job
• My “branch”
• My staff

68. Goals for the branch
• all library services
Staffing
available physically and
digitally
• take advantage of unique
Training
features of the web
• to some, the digital
branch will be their only
Content
library

69. staffing

70. digital branch manager
• big picture development
• strategic planning
• trend watching
• Mentoring
• talking to internal and external groups

71. web dudes
• creating new tools, features, etc for site
• coding, html, css, javascript, etc
• day-to-day stuff

72. possible oversight group
• big picture future developments
• include patrons: great way to be
customer-centric

73. Content Creators
• create content for the Digital Branch
• articles, lists, photos, videos, podcasts
communication
• start conversations
• answer questions, respond to comments

74. Staffing Levels
• minimum 2 people per blog/content area
• minimum 1 person in charge of social
networking site

75. Finding staff
• for opening:
• Ask for volunteers
• have managers “volunteer” people
• tasks included in job descriptions

76. Finding staff
• future staff development:
• Training
• hold regular “what we need” meetings
• potential Learning 2.0 program
• continue asking and mentoring
• Goal: to develop 21st century librarians

77. Training needs
• training for specific tasks/jobs:
• how to post, to specific blogs
• how to add video to youtube
• how to use the digital camera & post to
flickr
• tagging basics

78. Training needs
• Orientation training
• My expectations
• Web staff train on specifics
• editorial standards
• then train the trainer approach
• Still in development

79. Content & Conversations
• Sharing the library’s story
• Collections
• Community
starting conversations

80. Holes to fill
• blogs/subject guides:
• at least 14 of them
• some have default staff
• Services/Department pages
• Social Networking sites
• “Odd Jobs”

81. style guidelines
• conversational tone
• active voice, written for web
• goal is conversation
• goal is sharing thoughts and content, and to
start conversations
• display content creator’s first name and
headshot

82. Future Plans and Assessment

83. Future Phases
• opening day is phase one
• teens, kids sites
• catalog
• potential “mylibrary” personalized services
• beta forever

84. feedback
• Plan for continued patron feedback
• analytics tracking
• Strategic planning

88. Thank you!
davidleeking.com