Escaping the Echo ChamberLaura Woods and Ned Potter

#echolib

What is the Echo Chamber?…any situation in which information, ideas or beliefs are amplified or reinforced by transmission inside an

"enclosed" space

How does it apply to libraries?We exchange such great ideas about marketing

libraries, but often we only talk to each other. We need to preach to the unconverted.

We need to reach those potential patrons and supporters who are currently indifferent to libraries.

Why does it

matter?Because funding for libraries is being cut on both sides of the Atlantic.

Because there are many more channels for library scepticism than there is for library advocacy.

Because if people don’t know how we canhelp them, they won’t come to use for help.

Yet if libraries were invented tomorrow

PEOPLE WOULD FLOCK TO THEM

three examples of

FAILURE

Exhibit A: the Seth Godin UBER EHCO DISASTER

The response is awesome – more than 50 library bloggers defend

the profession

They are eloquent, passionate, brilliantly

argued posts.

Exhibit B: the Newsnight UBER EHCO DISASTER

April 2010: Libraries are the main feature on Newsnight. Are they ‘an ethos in search of a function?’ asks the correspondent.

Oh dear.

Then they quote some figures….

It was actually 314 MILLION.

Twitter goes MAD WITH FRUSTRATION

But nobody notices except other librarians.

There is no one on the Newsnight panel who can correct the error, and although many librarians write in afterwards, the original audience who saw the misleading report will never know it was statistically wrong to the power of 1000.

Exhibit C: the INFAMOUS KPMG REPORT

Libraries are back on Newsnight again, thanks to a KPMG report.

Exhibit C: the INFAMOUS KPMG REPORT

Libraries are back on Newsnight again, thanks to a KPMG report.

It’s not referenced, as Bethan Ruddock pointed out on her blog.

Exhibit C: the INFAMOUS KPMG REPORT

Libraries are back on Newsnight again, thanks to a KPMG report.

It’s not referenced, as Bethan Ruddock pointed out on her blog.In fact, it’s not true.

Exhibit C: the INFAMOUS KPMG REPORT

Libraries are back on Newsnight again, thanks to a KPMG report.

It’s not referenced, as Bethan Ruddock pointed out on her blog.In fact, it’s not true.

Guess what happened next?

It all feels very familiar

People reach audiences of millions with erroneous information about libraries; our riposte reaches only ourselves...

Now for some

good news...

Successful EscapesToby Greenwalt writes a response to Seth Godin that isn’t on a library blog!

Phil Bradley goes on Radio 5 – twice! – to make the case for information literacy

Successful Escapes

Lauren Smith launches local campaign to save Doncaster’s libraries and gets coverage in the national media, including the BBC

Successful Escapes

Ian Clark writes a piece on libraries for The Guardian’s Comment is Free

Successful Escapes

Lauren Smith writes a piece on libraries for The Guardian’s Comment is Free

Successful Escapes

Successful Escapes

Simon Barron writes a piece on libraries for The Guardian’s Comment is Free

Pro Tip: The Guardian loves

libraries!

Our take-away tips...

Escaping the Echo Chamber

Only librarians read library journals! Write for publications your users read

Don’t just advertise library services in the library! Where will non-users see them?

Go to non-library conferences and events, and make your presence known!

Speak your patrons’ language. Find out what they value and use words that reflect this

Escaping the Echo Chamber

Avoid mixing our messagesDevelop a team of rivals

Respond to attacks using the medium from whence they came...

Escaping the Echo Chamber

Avoid mixing our messagesDevelop a team of rivals

Respond to attacks using the medium from whence they came...

Target our resourcesmore wisely:

Tap into the zeitgeist

And above allWe in the library profession need to TAKE CONTROL OF THE NARRATIVE

Over to you…If you have feedback, ideas, or strategies for escaping the Echo Chamber, we’d love to hear about them and add them to our presentation.

Learn more or get in touch

Click to go to the following links:

woodsiegirl’s blog

thewikiman’s blog

@woodisegirl

@theREALwikiman

or see a more comprehensive version of this presentationON PREZI