Advocacy - Invite Reviews!

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

Recently, YSS Board member Peter Blenski wrote a great post on the ALSC blog on how to encourage patrons to post an online review when they give you a thumbs up.

Pete writes: "Personally, whenever I get something like this [ed. note: positve comment] after a story time, I thank them.  But then I ask them to please find us on Google and leave a review; I’d be more than happy to help them if they need help finding it.  I do love hearing those comments, but I’m not the one that needs to hear them.  Everyone else does.  Indirectly, your story time grown ups are already evangelizing about you, talking to their friends or writing on Facebook groups.  All that you’re doing here is directly asking them to do it."

Click here to read the whole post with ideas and tips on how to ask for this kind of support! [Rate, Review and Subscribe. Blenski, Peter. ALSC blog. August 1, 2024]

Registration Now Open for Wild Wisconsin Winter Web Conference

The winter hounds have been released! 

Mark your calendars for Wednesday and Thursday, January 24-25, 2024.

You can now register for any of the 14 fabulous online sessions during the Wild Wisconsin Winter Web Conference. Outstanding speakers - both from in state and nationally known - have prepared a wide range of topics to inform and enlighten participants.

The tracks this year are:

• internal communications
• marketing
• management
• programming

Kudos to Jamie Matczak and her team of Leah Langby and Jean Anderson for planning another amazing continuing education opportunity for WI library staff. And a big thanks to WI library systems for supporting this effort to keep this conference free for all participants!

For all the deets, please stop by the WWWW website.

Create an Interactive Digital Bookshelf

Today's post comes from Youth Services Consultant Kimberly Niesing, who wrote up the following blurb in a youth services info newsletter for her library system. 

Have you seen or made a digital interactive bookshelf? It's an innovative way to market your library collection—you could promote books on a theme or just books newly added to your library collection. Here are three tools you can try. (Note, I have not used any of these tools for this purpose, so I can't recommend one over the other.)

1. Genially. 
1. I really like the look of this tool. They have a set-up that is specially designed for interactive images. 
1. Here is one example of an interactive bookshelf made with Genially. And here is a second example. 
1. Note the two different styles of links on Genially: The links on example #1 automatically direct you to a separate web browser tab. The links on example #2 open a pop-up box with more info and a web link. 
2. Here's a brief how-to guide. 
2. Google Slides
1. This might be a good option if you are already familiar with Google slides.
2. Here's a how-to video. 
3. Canva
1. This might be a good option if you are already familiar with Canva. 
2. Here's a how-to video.

Promo Video from CSLP

Did you know CSLP (Collaborative Summer Library Program) provides a promo video libraries can use to promote their summer library programs to schools and communities? It is a one-minute video on the Oceans of Possibilities theme, and it is meant to be generic enough that all libraries can use it. You can use the video as it is, or you can edit the video file to add your library name and logo to it. The "base" files you can edit are available in CSLP's online manual.

View the videos here:

English-language version of video

Spanish-language version of video

Even if you don't want to edit the video file as described above, you can go to the online manual to get a downloadable version of the video.  

Accessibility Marketing Material for Libby

Did you know Libby has a library of ready-to-use print and digital marketing resources? You can view them here.

Here is one collection to highlight—the "For Every Reader" collection. There are nine social media graphics in this collection, including graphics featuring accessibility tools great for kids and teens. 

Here are six of the nine graphics:

               

 

Hopefully this resource helps you tell your families about the great features in Libby!