O&M News
Outreach & Marketing Tips from SALS
Welcome to the first edition of our newest Newsletter!
Email: LBuckley@sals.edu
Website: www.sals.edu
Location: 22 Whitney Place, Saratoga Springs, NY, United States
Phone: 518-584-7300
Facebook: facebook.com/southernadirondacklibrarysystem
Twitter: @SouthernADKLib
Guess which bookshelf belongs to which library...
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Changes to Facebook
On my visits to our member libraries, I explained to many of you how to use Facebook as your Library Page; this granted you the ability to have a Newsfeed that followed only the pages your site 'Likes'-- keeping your Newsfeed for your page separate from your Newsfeed for your personal profile, and better enabling you to keep in touch with news from your library's community and other organizations in the area.
You can still get to your page immediately by using the upper right-hand drop-down menu, but it will no longer give you the option to switch who you're using FB as.
Now, to view your page's Newsfeed with only Pages you have 'liked' as your site, you can get there from the left-hand side of your Page, just under the number of 'Likes' your page has it will say "View Pages Feed".
When you are on your page's Newsfeed, you will automatically be 'liking' things as your page. You can tell this is the case by the lower right-hand corner of the post-- the icon you see there should be your Library Facebook's icon. When you are looking at posts on your normal Facebook Newsfeed, Facebook now offers you the option to like a post as either yourself or as the library Page you manage (as long as your page has also liked the organization you are following); to do this, you must go to the lower right-hand corner of the post and click on the little grey flag (as you hover over it, it will display the pop-up "Like or comment as one of the pages you manage" with a black background). This is how you can switch to 'Like,' comment, or share a post from your personal Newsfeed as your Library Page.
New Facebook Plugin
If you'd like to generate a code to add this plugin to your website, visit Here or contact me.
Promoting Summer Reading
(Any video that you create can be embedded & played directly from your library website!)
Post Office Outreach
For many new residents of an area, especially those still waiting on an Internet connection, there is a pressing need to visit the local Post Office and submit a Change of Address form. So, why not bring your library to the post office? Partnering with your local Post Office can aid in your library's attempts to attract new patrons.
Ideas for Post Office Outreach:
1) Hold a contest that asks community members to make a model, take photos, do a painting, or make a drawing of the library or the library space for display somewhere at your local Post Office.
2) Have a print-out available at the Post Office explaining how to get a library card & the services/resources offered at the library.
3) Hold a "Coffee with a librarian" session in the post office.
The 'Library Dropbox' has moved! Now visit 'Library Market' for Free Images!
Formerly known as "The Library Facebook Images Dropbox," this site has a collection of images available for free to help libraries increase social media engagement with patrons.
Visit the new Library Market & start sharing images today!
(These images are intended strictly for non-commercial use by libraries on social media platforms. Registration is required.)
Save the date... & Bring your Library 'Outside the Lines'!
Outside the Lines is a week-long celebration demonstrating the creativity and innovation happening in libraries happening September 13-19 this year. You can participate by hosting at least one event or campaign that:
- Gets people thinking and talking about libraries in a different way
- Showcases the library out in the community as well as in the library
- Highlights how your library is relevant to people’s lives
- Represents your local community
- Is active versus passive – gets people engaged
- Is extraordinary and unexpected
- Most importantly, is fun!
Please visit the movement's official website to Sign Up to participate and have your library added to the map of institutions also participating. If you visit Their Website and scroll down, there is a link to officially pledge to participate in "Outside the Lines" week.
So far 79 organizations worldwide plan to participate-- Sign Up & put your library on the map!
Member Library Outreach Spotlight
Little Free Libraries such as this are popping up all over the place...
Click for more information on how to start your own Little Free Library.
Fun Fact: Indian Lake Library also had beach chairs contributing to the fun, light atmosphere of its library space. Could something like this work to set the mood for summer in your library?...
Maybe throw in a beach ball and keep a permanent marker around so patrons can write their favorite book, author, or quote on it?
New Wordpress Themes
If you've tried to embark on this process on your own, you may have noticed that when you tried to use the 'Live Preview' option to see how your current content might look in a new Theme, it doesn't work as it should---instead, the side-panel opens but the timer spins endlessly and nothing loads. This is because the 'Wordpress Firewall 2' Plugin is blocking the preview from loading. As a precaution, JA installed this plugin on your sites when they were initially created. But, you likely also have Akismet and Antivirus installed on your sites, and these also serve the purpose of protecting your library's website. If you deactivate the Wordpress Firewall 2 Plugin once you're logged into your wordpress site, you will be able to see Theme previews.
In two cases, using the 'Live Preview' feature knocked the 'Meta/Login/Admin' section off of a page; if this error repeats on your site after you've been using the 'Live Preview' option, please know that you can always access your site by adding /wp-login.php to your website's address in the address bar. This is also a good thing to keep in mind if you'd like to remove the 'Staff' or 'Meta' section of your website altogether in an effort to shorten the scrolling time to the bottom of your page.
Please know that you can "Install" and "Live Preview" a theme without changing the content of your site, but if you "Activate" a new theme on your current site, the content of your Widget areas will likely be lost. If you have links in a Text panel in your Widget area--- you'll want to backup all that content before choosing to move forward on a redesign on your own. You also have the option of exporting all of your Posts & Pages and downloading them as a single file, just to be safe-- this option can be found under Tools on the Wordpress Admin page.
If you'd like a low-impact way to start making changes on your site, perhaps adding multiple headers to your Wordpress site is a good option if your current theme supports multiple headers. I've already activated this feature on a few library sites, like Cambridge. Adding additional headers to your website can be easy if you use the photos available on Flickr from the album I made of my visit to your library. Contact me if you'd like assistance in doing this, or if you'd like to explore new options for library website Theme.
- Some of you do not currently have a website... in the coming months, I'd like to help change that if you and your library are up for it (31/34 libraries have websites).
- Some of you do not currently have a Wordpress site with SALS-- you used a local web designer or preferred another platform; keep in mind that it's always an option to create one if you change your mind. But, rock on! if you're content.
- Some of you created and maintain your own Wordpress sites. As I find new & exciting things to add to our sites I'll be spreading the word here in this newsletter-- so, if you find something new & exciting first, send it my way & I'll let the system know how on-the-ball and cutting-edge you & your library truly are!!
Heroin Health Crisis: How Can Libraries Respond?
As I conducted my visits, many of you expressed that heroin use in your community was a growing concern. In an October 2014 article, the Huffington Post reported that in much of the country heroin deaths doubled over the previous two years-- with the numbers of overdose deaths for both men and women from all ethnic & socioeconomic groups still on the rise (see article). Studies have shown that the use of Naloxone can cut the number of those deaths by 50% (see article).
Naloxone is a medication that reverses the effects of opioid overdoses and helps the user regain consciousness in minutes. First responders and law enforcement officers now carry them, and very soon 3000 NY School Districts will also have them. According to Governor Cuomo's office, first responders saved over 500 lives in the last year with Naloxone (also known as Narcan- see article).
"Most overdoses are not instantaneous and the majority of them are witnessed by others. Many overdose fatalities are preventable, especially if witnesses have had appropriate training and are prepared to respond in a safe and effective manner. Prevention measures include education on risk factors (such as polydrug use and recent abstinence), recognition of the overdose and an appropriate response. Response includes contacting emergency medical services (EMS) and providing resuscitation. Resuscitation consists of rescue breathing, and/or administration of an FDA-approved drug (i.e., naloxone) to immediately reverse the effects of heroin overdose." (-NYSDOH Fact Sheet)
Several of our larger libraries have hosted community forums on heroin and opioid drug usage and reported large turnouts of concerned citizens. If you'd like to host a community forum at your library, the first step is to get in touch with The Prevention Council (Saratoga), RAISaratoga (Saratoga), The Council for Prevention (Warren & Washington), or the Alcoholism & Substance Abuse Council (Hamilton)--- if you feel such a forum would meet a community need.
The New York State Department of Health offers Opiod Overdose Prevention Programs. As a public service organization, your library is eligible to participate in this program as long as you are able to comply with all regulations and guidelines.
Funding Available for the NYLA Conference!
$250 from the Rural Libraries Round Table (Deadline 7/1)
$1,200 from the Public Library Section (Deadline 6/30)
Additional Scholarships: Leadership & Management Academy 2016 (Deadline 6/30)
Whose Library Bookshelf Was It???
Cambridge!
Hadley-Luzerne!
Argyle!
Pember!
Greenwich!
The New York State Talking Book and Braille Library (TBBL) lends audio and braille books and magazines to eligible residents of upstate New York who have a qualifying print disability-- more information HERE.
Or visit the Library of Congress for more information on the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped HERE.
Round Lake!
Suggested Resources:
- Webjunction's Amazing Website for Forming Strong Community Partnerships
- NYLA is sponsoring a Wordpress Webinar on June 17th: Register Here
- Upcoming Canva Webinar: Learn to design graphics using Canva, June 16-18
- The SALS Website Calendar is a great resource for relevant Continuing Education opportunities
Next issue...
Another Member Outreach Spotlight (will it be YOUR library?)
New Photo Challenge
Delivery to the Home-bound: Q & ATaking Ownership of Your Library's Google Plus Page
A Framework for Technology Tutor Volunteers
Marketing Change to Your Community
More on Social Media Marketing and Changes to Facebook
More Outreach Suggestions and News
More Resources
If you'd like me to cover something specific, let me know...