Virtual Variety: Remind Them What You Have!

Lindy Liedl from the Rice Lake Public Library returns with her monthly column on all things virtual to help you connect with your teen patrons!

Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

Ever noticed that walking past something over and over again eventually makes you ignore the thing altogether? It’s the same with library signs, posters, social media, and services. This is your reminder to regularly remind your patrons/community what you have to offer, AND to change things up in your physical space to re-catch visitors’ eyes.

You have new library users all the time!

The library regulars know about fines, or the absence of late fees. They’ve heard you mention take-home kits, and what days you have storytime, but your new visitors haven’t. Any of your patrons could be visiting a library for the first time ever. Someone who just moved to town may have just started following you on social media. So it’s important to reshare those regular things that we’re all very familiar with.

Photos are a beneficial addition, especially on social media. I’m gonna scroll right past a square covered in text, but I’ll pause to look at a cool device that you have, or a group of people having fun in your space (with permission to take pictures of patrons of course).

Here’s some things to talk up to patrons or reshare online:

• Do you have a check out limit?
• When was the last time your Storytime schedule went up on Facebook?
• Are your open hours easily located on every online platform you have?
• What special collections do you have?
• What’s in your makerspace and what ages is it for? Share a picture of someone using it! (with their permission)
• Do you have video games? Do you loan out gaming consoles?
• How long do DVDs check out for? Share a picture of your newest ones!
• What does your toy area look like?
• What digital resources do your patrons have access to, and how do they use them?
• Do you have a quiet study space?

Change up those signs for the regulars!

Think of something you see nearly every day–something that never changes and is so familiar that you don’t even see it anymore. I’ve walked past our staff entrance door approximately one million billion times, but I couldn’t tell you what notices or cute cards are on it. If you have posters and signs around your library (or regular social media posts) that haven’t been changed up in a year or so, consider redesigning them–Or at least changing the color scheme. Canva is an amazing tool for saving designs for later to easily change things up. If you make library posters and don’t use Canva, you’re seriously missing out! It’s super easy with some practice and poking around. 

Bonus article just for you: Poster Layout and Design

Remember: What’s normal for you is news for somebody else!