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Escaping the Echo Chamber Laura Woods and Ned Potter #echol ib
| Date post: | 18-Oct-2014 |
| Category: |
Education |
| View: | 5,187 times |
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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:
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
