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May 10, 2007
Five Why Nots
Tony Tallent (Yes to Know Blog) started a meme of Five Why Nots, and Helene Blowers followed suit. These are just a few ideas to try in a library...a quick brainstorm of possibilities. Here are mine.
Why not...
- Hold classes at the Library pulling on the expertise of your existing staff (does someone run a knitting circle, have their own digital photography website, experience with yoga, expertise in pastry cooking, romantic dinners, etc.). Use the strengths and interests that your staff have! Let them show off and create programming at the same time!
- Let people eat and drink in the library. What do you think they do with our books and other materials when they take them home...???...???
- Invest in cool-looking library cards--something with local landmarks, natural scenes, local artists' artwork, and more. Give people another good reason to covet that library card.
- Create a library-wide directory of who has knowledge or expertise in what areas. Don't limit this to librarians. For example, my areas of expertise would be web services, Star Trek, vegan cooking, homeopathic pet care, and chronic pain management. Then, when users come in with questions about things, tap that local knowledge!
- Put up a big banner at the curbside entrance to your library advertising something new for that month--change it up each month, even having a set of rotating banners for the whole year.
So, what are your five?
May 10, 2007 | Permalink
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Comments
Many libraries allow food and drink throughout the library, and none of them have exploded with stains and smells. I've visited several during open hours, and have never found a smell or dirtiness on a table. I think the "it'll smell and they'll leave messes" theory is a possibility, but probably not a reality. If the "smell" issue is so serious, then address it a different way. Your library might be one that already has policies about patrons that are exuding an offensive odor. You could consider McDonald's to be an offensive odor (I do). Or, just have it in your policy and on your "We welcome your food and drink--feel at home!" sign...something added like "If your food exudes a strong odor (fish and fried things as examples), please do not bring it into the library as it will distract the other users." Re: the staining, that is what building maintenance is for. Libraries should have carpeting that comes in blocks, so if a burn/tear/rip/stain happens, that block can be ripped out and replaced easily. If you're really that worried, have volunteers occasionally walk around the library, in addition to their regular duties, making sure there aren't any coffee rings or Dorito piles. I do think you'd see, though, that the fears of stains and messes are really unfounded, and the benefit to customer service would outweigh it exponentially.
Posted by: Sarah Houghton-Jan (LiB) | May11, 2007
Why not ... allow people to eat and drink in the library?
No, it's not primarily the damage to the books it's:
a) the smell of food will linger in the premises for days - just try our church building after the youth club have had a fish'n'chip supper!
b) if you spill your coffee at home you wipe it up (I hope) - if you spill it in a café or a library then you expect the staff to wipe it up.
By all means set aside an area for eating/drinking if you have the space - and provide free water for those studying in the library - but personally I wouldn't want the books mixed up with the food.
That's me as a "user" (of the library not heroin) since I actually don't HAVE a library.
Posted by: Hazel | May11, 2007
