LEGO Builds @ Your Library

I love LEGO and the patrons at my Library do too. Our Library has offered programs for kids and teens to stop by the Library and build with our collection of LEGO bricks. They are popular, fun, and easy to run. But in 2015 our Library decided to take our LEGO programs a step further and it started with this book:

The LEGO Christmas Ornaments Book by Chris McVeigh

I showed it to my director, who is also a LEGO fan, as soon as our copy arrived. She said, "We should do that as a program."

Since then our Library has hosted more than a dozen LEGO Build programs where patrons can take home the completed project. I haven't heard of another Library that does it. (But if you do I'd love to talk to you!)

I'm here to share my experiences and give you advice on how you can host similar programs at your Library.

STEP ONE: Pick a Project

• What's your budget? How much do you want to spend per person? $3? $5? $12? How many people do you want to be able to build?
• We usually hold two sessions of our builds and I order 23 kits (1 to pre-build and display for promotion, 1 to build along with at each session, and 10 kits for participants at each session).
• There are endless LEGO projects you can build. If you are planning on just hosting one program you should still look for a couple different options of builds. Some may not fit into your budget. 
• If you are new to LEGO and want to save time, make sure you only consider builds that include a detailed parts list (item numbers save a lot of time!) and step by step photos or diagram of the build.
• Here's a list of resources to get you started:
• LEGO Monthly Mini Builds
• chrismcveigh.com - Chris is the author of The LEGO Christmas Ornament Book. The book contains the part lists and building guides for multiple ornaments. He also has building guides right on his website that are free to download. His building guides are divided into categories: Technology, Food, Gaming, Bonsai, Modular Arcade, Seasonal, and Vehicles.
• Our Library has run programs with these builds from Chris: Classic Camera, Question Block, Bonsai, Arcade Ornament, Flurry Ornament, Cooper Ornament, Platecraft Snowflake, Platecraft Wreath, Death Star Ornament, and Millennium Falcon Ornament.

STEP TWO: Price Out the Bricks

• I always price out my bricks through the LEGO website first. I consider this my "max" cost for each project. There are other websites that I'll mention that resell bricks, often less expansive than LEGO, but your required quantity may not be available.
• You can order individual LEGO bricks from the LEGO website in two different ways and you may need to check both for a particular brick: Pick a Brick and Bricks & Pieces.
• Pick a Brick - LEGO's most commonly requested pieces, you can order up to 999 pieces per brick.
• Bricks & Pieces - Harder to locate pieces, you can order up to 200 pieces per brick.
• Now do some math! Multiply the cost per brick by the number of bricks needed.

STEP THREE: Purchasing Bricks

• My two favorite ways to buy bricks:
• LEGO Website - Pick a Brick and/or Bricks & Pieces
• BrickOwl - LEGO Marketplace with brick resellers. You can usually find parts cheaper and they usually ship faster than LEGO, however you may have to order from multiple sellers to get what you need and price comparison can take longer. 
• You could also try purchasing bricks directly from a LEGO store. Wall of Bricks is a great website to check what bricks are available at your local LEGO store.

STEP FOUR: Preparing Kits

• Since you are creating your own kits you need to sort and bag them yourself. If you have detail-oriented volunteers this can be a great task for them. I order a box of small clear plastic bags, like this, to put bricks in.
• Once your bricks arrive in the mail, sort them. Next, create the kit by adding each of the bricks your participants will need to complete the build.
• Having lots of space to sort and spread out is really helpful at this step.

STEP FIVE: Running the Program: Tips & Tricks

• Our Library has found that these programs work best for patrons in grades 3 and up. We usually divide groups into grades 3-5, grades 6-12, and adult. You could also just do mixed groups with grades 3 to adult.
• We've also found that the program works best with 10 participants per session and two staff.
• In order to save your sanity and keep everyone together we build as a group. Each participant completes step one before moving on to the next. This way you don't have to go from helping someone on step 2 to another on step 12. We also do not allow patrons to have individual instructions and strongly discourage building ahead.  
  

  • Having trays on hand make in easy for patrons to see their parts and keep them from mixing with their neighbor's parts. Talk to your local supermarket meat department for some foam trays and line them with felt.
• Have a projector with the LEGO instructions for you to go through step by step. It's sometimes easier to create your own powerpoint of the build.
• Our programs usually vary in length depending on what we are building and how complicated it is.  
• We also let patrons know that the build starts 5 minutes after the program start time. If they have not arrived in time they cannot join the build. It is too complicated and time consuming, as well as unfair to the other builders, to catch up late-comers. We also don't allow late-comers to take kits with them. We usually don't have printed instructions and the point of the program is to build at the Library. 
  

More Helpful Advice I Can Give You:

• Build in enough time before your program date to order bricks, receive them, sort them, and possibly order missing bricks. I recommend a month or more.
• If you order more than 2 projects at once, know that it can be a major time suck to separate bricks from different projects. 
  
  I'd love to hear from you if your library runs similar programs. Feel free to email me with any questions.

5minlib Recommends: Super Library Marketing

Let's talk about library marketing. It is an important part of libraries. It is how we get the word out about our collections, boost attendance to our programs, share with the public the good we do for our communities, and how we bring in new cardholders.

But there are so many different ways to advertise, so many different formats to use, and too little hours in the day to get it all done. We at 5minlib wish we have the perfect library marketing plan for you, however our expertise is limited. But there's good news! Angela Hursh is a content marketing enthusiast and she shares her wisdom on the fantastic Super Library Marketing blog. As she says in the tagline, it is all kinds of marketing ideas for all kinds of libraries. It is one of our favorite blogs and we're excited to highlight it today.

What we love about it:

Hursh has a wealth of marketing ideas from different kinds of social media to signage. She breaks them down into easy, doable steps. She also explains the pros and cons, the do's and don'ts, and provides examples so you're armed with everything you need to know to really up your library marketing.

For example, Hursh is a huge proponent for email marketing. She not only explains why, but gives you tips on how to write good subject lines, content, spam words to avoid, and how to analyze marketing data. Marketing takes up a lot of time, but with Hursh's blog, you can focus your time on the parts that'll really make a great impact.

Our Favorite Posts:

Subject Line Secrets: Get Emails Opened Now!
Five Excellent Ways To Improve Every Sign in Your Library
Boost Attendance at Library Programs–How to Start a Revolution
Four Instant Ways to Improve the Most Valuable Page on Your Library Website
Now Is the Time For Your Library to Get Back to Snapchat

Hot Tips:

To easily find specific topics (like emails, Youtube, Snapchat, signage, etc.), use the search feature on the right. When you click on an article and scroll to the end, you'll find tags which lists the keywords for her categories so you can find more on that topic.

Where to go:

You can go to the website at www.superlibrarymarketing.com. You can also follow Hursh on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Pinterest via @webmastergirl.

Delicious Library Programs

Like many people, the two great loves in my life are good books, and good food. What better way to integrate the two than to do a library cooking program? Of course, there are many ways in which to do this; I've compiled a list of ideas in which cooking can enhance your library.

Cookbook Clubs

There are a couple different ways that I've seen cookbook clubs work in libraries.

1. By Theme: Everyone finds and prepares a recipe that follows a certain theme (for example, cheese, cookies, vegetarian, Food Network Stars etc.). Participants bring their completed dish, along with the book it came from (or a printed recipe), to a meeting, and they can eat and discuss the various cookbooks and what they liked or didn't. Pros: you may get everything from Grandma's cheesecake recipe to the new and exciting Food Network stars. Also, you don't have to find many copies of the exact same book.
2. By Book: Everyone uses the same book (or a choice of two or three pre-chosen books by a certain author or theme), and chooses a recipe to bring. Pros: It's easier to discuss the book itself (Were the directions clear? Does the food actually look like the photos? Did you like how it was organized?) if everyone uses the same book, and you get to try a variety of different foods from the same author. Cons: It may be hard to locate several copies of the same book, and you may have to have a sign-up sheet with different recipes, so you don't end up with everyone bringing the same dish.

Whichever way you decide to go, it's probably a good idea to make sure that there is a copy of each recipe with each dish, so that people who like it may take one or copy one, and also to ensure that any allergies are accounted for.

Book Clubs with Food

Is your book club getting a little tired of chocolate chip cookies every meeting? Perhaps it's time to add some themed refreshments! This is especially fun with books that have a very definite setting, whether somewhere in the world or in time; Jane Austen-era books would be perfect with tea and cucumber sandwiches, while international books may have regional cuisines that might suit. It would be easier for the librarian to have book club members alternate on who brings the refreshments, which means that each person is only responsible for bringing treats about once a year.

I have done this with children's book clubs; while reading Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me, we made sandwiches (the main character has a part-time job in a deli); when we read Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli, we had Tastykake Butterscotch Krimpets, which feature in the story. This helped the readers to connect to the story in a unique and memorable way.

Cooking Classes

Kids

Cooking classes for kids are lots of fun. Some places are equipped for actual culinary masterpieces, but for me, they were more mixing and assembling than actually cooking anything (rather than baking cookies, we would decorate them). You can choose from the myriad of cookbooks for children that are out there, or use whichever of your own recipes you like. The hardest part was letting every child be sure to add some of whatever ingredient we were using (hint: if you need 2 Tsp of something, that's 8 kids who get to add 1/4 tsp!) Some ideas that worked well for me (tried and tested!) are:

• Whipped cream: you need a hand mixer for this one, but that's easy enough. Amaze the kids (I got a lot of "you can MAKE whipped cream?!") and then have them make ice cream sundaes.
• Make your own ice cream sundaes.
• Marshmallow treats - great for seasonal programs! Melt the butter and marshmallows in the microwave, stir in cornflakes and green dye for wreaths, chow mein noodles for bird nests (top with jelly bean eggs and Peeps), or Rice Krispies and rainbow sprinkles for a birthday confetti theme.
• Decorating cookies or cupcakes - always a blast.
• Dirt & Worms - mix chocolate pudding, cool whip, and oreos; each child gets extra crushed oreos and gummy worms to put on top.
• Melting chocolate and dipping food into it. (Kids will eat anything covered in chocolate - sour cream & onion potato chips, cheese crackers, you name it.)

I always started with the rules: The first step is always "wash your hands," don't put your mouth on anything until we are ready to eat, parents can have some if there's any left once all the kids are served.

Teens

Cooking with teens can be more fun and involved than children's programs are. If you have access to a toaster oven and a microwave, you're in business! A hot plate would be nice, too. Teen recipes can include all the children's recipes as well as:

• Smoothies - I brought my blender in from home for this one.
• Nachos
• English Muffin Pizzas
• Decorating cookies or cupcakes (including Cupcake Wars and other programs)
• Melting chocolate and dipping food in it
• Pancakes (if you have a hot plate)

Adults

Adult cooking classes can, of course, be even more complicated. It all depends on the space you have available, but demonstrations are usually easy enough to set up. Everyone can eat while questions are answered, variations are discussed, or future meals are planned. Some program ideas include:

• One pot meals
• Slow cooker meals
• Pasta dishes

Nutrition Classes

It may surprise you how many people could use, and may enjoy, a class on nutrition. The rules have changed quite a bit over the years, from the 4 Food Groups to the Food Pyramid to the My Plate guidelines, and when you get used to eating a certain way, it's even more complicated. (A recommended serving of pasta is HOW small?) Try to include samples of well-prepared healthy foods, because things can be much more delicious, and therefore inviting, when prepared well. (Have you had roasted broccoli? It's life-changing!)

Food Tastings

Take your taste buds on a ride with some delicious food tastings! Learn about chocolate, and try different brands and intensities (white, milk, or dark). Test different teas and see which one you like best. I went to a library program where different teas were paired with different cheeses - it was delicious!

If you're not sure where to start, perhaps locate a local store that specializes in a certain type of food, and see if they're interested in collaborating. As a coffee fan, I would be very interested if a local cafe taught me the differences between blond roast, regular, and dark roast coffee, or what actually is the difference between a latte, cappuccino, and macchiato.

You could also do blind tastings of different brands; perhaps one cheese pizza from each of 3 different restaurants could be compared, or see if patrons could tell the difference between generic and name brand items.

Have you tried it?

We would love to hear from you! You can leave a comment here on this post, on our Twitter page, or on Facebook.

5 Ways to Stay Passionate Working in Libraries

Our post about librarian burnout was really popular, so we thought we'd start off 2017 with five tips to help any librarian renew their passion to their profession:

1. Each month, make sure you take time to learn something new

We wrote a blog post a few months ago with a great list of  webinars and courses. But even taking the time out to read a library journal or listen to a library podcast would help keep new ideas and information coming in. Don't be afraid to broaden beyond the library world, too -- social media tips that are geared for nonprofits and small businesses will also work for libraries. Design programs will help you make a great birthday card will also make a wonderful flyer. 

2. Connect with colleagues 

Go to conferences and roundtable discussions. Sign up for library email lists like ALA's electronic email lists (If it is too overwhelming to keep up with daily, carve out a weekly time in your schedule to go through the emails). Join librarian Facebook groups. Do whatever you can to connect with colleagues outside of your library, even better if they are working with the same age group as you. In my previous position, I started a YA Collaborative Group, where we met just three times a year. It was invaluable to see people face-to-face, and learning from each other's successes, sharing our future plans, and commiserating with the rough parts of the job.  

3. Keep a folder of comments, praises, positive feedback

This suggestion was shared by one of our readers, MsFrisby, on the Burnout article and we think it is fabulous! Start a folder where you can collect comments, praises, and positive feedback. Don't forget to include drawings from kids, great photos of your patrons having a good time, and those thank you notes. I even take screenshots of positive comments on social media and save them on a folder in my computer.  If you are having a rough day, go to that folder and browse through. You are making a difference in people's lives, keep up the good fight! 

4. Use Your Stats for Competitive Fun

I know most libraries keep track of how many people are coming to their programs and how many programs they've held. But go a step further -- every year, make a list of your top programs. Compare them to years prior. Keep track of your highest attended program and try to beat it the next year. Find books in your collection that haven't circulated and book talk them everywhere. Every month, check up on their stats. Which one is circulating the most? It is even more fun if everyone in your department picks a book to "sell" to patrons. Or find a different small goal and make that your focus for a few months. Think up new ways to beat your previous number, and even carve out some time to research fresh ideas.

5. Bring your hobbies into the library

What do you love talking about? What do you enjoy doing? Find ways to incorporate that into your library programming. Even something as simple as enjoying coupons could lead to a great coupon sharing program. Cooks have brought cookbook programs to the library. Writers run writing workshops. Animal lovers have done collaborative programs with animal shelters and teen/kid volunteers. One of my favorite parts about public librarianship is that it is really easy to justify any idea for a library program. Even if you don't normally run programs or it is for an age group you don't work with, talk with the head of programming to see if it is a possibility. When I was a YA librarian, I was given permission to run a monthly adult writing group. Five years later (and even though I no longer work at this library), we're still going strong. So you never know!

Happy new year, everyone! We hope these tips help. If you have any other tips, please share in the comments below.

Three to Go Library Card: The Benefits of a Limited Access Card

Today, I am going to talk about a different kind of library card that I didn't know could be an option until someone mentioned it on social media last fall.

It is called the "Three to Go" Library Card and it offers limited access to the library. It was created for patrons who may be missing a piece of paperwork (or a guardian) which would normally prevent them from getting a library card.

It was a brilliant idea and I brought it to my previous library. Being a Teen Librarian, I thought it would be perfect for my teens who might not have parents with them. (Or, if we wanted to work with schools to give teens library cards.) However, after we instituted it, we learned that ADULTS loved this option. We didn't realize how many times a week we turn patrons away because they didn't have a piece of mail to confirm their address and get a library card. Suddenly, we had a way to turn those negative interactions into a positive experience!

How It Worked:

1. Patrons filled out the same library card form everyone else did.

2. We put it in a special envelope so we could keep track of these "incomplete" applications.

3.  We created a library card for them and noted on their account that this patron can only have 3 items checked out on this card at all times, until they upgraded. (So, staff needed to remember to check their "Check out" list before they checked out any items.)

4. We upgraded them to full status when they brought in the missing pieces for the application, and moved the applications to the completed box.

Usage Statistics:

After six months, we ran a statistics report to see how this program was faring. We were surprised to see that they fell almost equally into three parts:

• 1/3 of these patrons later upgraded their cards.
• 1/3 of these patrons had no fines and were using it appropriately.
• 1/3 of these patrons had late or billed items.

What We Learned:

1. Patrons loved this option! Before, we had to turn new patrons away because they were missing a piece of the application, and so many of them were disappointed because they really wanted to check something out during this visit. Now we could say yes, you can use the library.

2. Not all patrons came back to upgrade their card. We realized this could be due to many reasons, such as:
   a. They only intended to use the library once.
   b. They were temporary residents, so they only needed a temporary card.
   c. They wanted access to our online collection which this card granted.
   d. They were content with only checking out three items at a time.
   e.  They weren't able (or wanted) to get their parents to come to the library.

3. We realized that #2 is a segment of our population we were not serving when we didn't have this limited library card. Before, we were turning these patrons away, and, for many of them, this could have been their one and only negative interaction with the library.

4. We did realize that it was important to get all Circulation Staff on board with this program. They were the ones who had to offer it to people who couldn't complete an application AND they needed to remind patrons at each checkout that they can upgrade their card when they complete the application. (We did have a patron who forgot and thought he would always be limited to three items.)

5. While it is disappointing to not have items returned, we were pleased that the library AND two thirds of participants were benefiting from this program.

Perhaps this limited card may also work for you and your library.

Does Your Library Transform Lives?

A few months ago, ALA announced their new public awareness campaign called Libraries Transform.

WE LOVE THIS.

From the clean and bright design to the message behind it. It is so positive. It moves the conversation from how libraries are obsolete to how libraries are making a difference in people's lives RIGHT NOW. This is so desperately needed today as we fight to stay open and to change public perception of who we are.

This design says the message loud and clear:

Examples of some of their signs.

But since it was announced back in October, I haven't seen any libraries in my area jump on the bandwagon. I follow many listservs and I don't even see this campaign mentioned in their email signatures. And I wonder why not.

• Do people not know about this campaign?
• Did it fall off of our to-do list, as we try to squeeze a million things in our day?
• Or, perhaps, people have opted to not participate?

If the latter is true about opting out, that's fine. But it'd be a real shame if people aren't participating because they haven't heard or forgot about it. If that is the case for you, let's take five minutes to talk about what you're missing out on.

1. An Awesome Key Message

We do transform lives, but we don't do a great job letting the public know about it. Not only will this campaign give us an opportunity to do so, but banding together will make our message stronger and consistent. 

2. Free Posters, Bookmarks, and More!

You can register for a free account to have access to their toolkit of FREE posters, bookmarks, web banners, and postcards that you can just download and post around your library. You can use their logo on your flyers. You can add their tag line to your email signatures. It doesn't take much to participate in this campaign.

3. An Upgrade to Your Outside Walls

You can also order window clings and banners to place around the library. And you can create custom create buttons for staff. You can have a lot of fun with this theme!

4. A Fun, Meaningful Patron Interaction

Patrons can participate, too! They can go to ilovelibraries and share their story. Maybe a fun idea for National Library Week?

OK, I Am In, Now What?

ALA and ilovelibraries.org has you covered. You can visit their website and make a free account to access all of their great materials. They have everything from a full-fledged campaign to changing your email signature. You can get as involved as you like! Here are some ideas they suggest that we love:

• Tweet about your most innovative and impactful services using the #librariestransform hashtag. 
• Download and print “Because...” posters and them around your community. Think about posting them in unexpected places. 
• Download and print the postcards and send them to your stakeholders with messages about new, innovative programs and services at your library. Or, use them to reconnect with lapsed cardholders, inviting them to re-visit the library. 
• Include Libraries Transform messaging in your community newsletters, e-newsletter or regular email blasts to stakeholders. 
• Invite your community members to share their stories of how “libraries transform” on your social media platforms – Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, etc.

So, it doesn't have to take much to participate. If you can take a few minutes out of your day, it could make a world of a difference. In marketing, there is the rule of seven. They say that customers need to see/hear something seven times before they remember it. So, let's get this message out and say it loud and clear.

Because we do transform lives.

Every.
Single.
Day.

It's about time that people knew about it. :)

Spoilers, Sweetie

I am excited to announce a new segment to the 5 Minute Librarian titled: Spoilers, Sweetie!. This segment will be very different from our other ones because we're starting it with a call for help:

We're looking for readers who can help us write spoilers! Here's your chance to join the 5minlib team and help librarians everywhere! If you like to read and your soul doesn't die when you share a spoiler, this is for you!

Scandalous, I know. But let's look at the facts:

#1. More Books are Published Than You Can Read in a Year

Even if you read a book a day, you won't be able to read every single new book that is published. (Just in YA Lit alone, Goodreads lists over 1,400 YA books were published this year.) That doesn't even cover all of the books that are currently in your collection that you haven't even read yet. If you are a new librarian who isn't familiar with previous publications, good luck to you! 

#2. Librarians Aren't Paid to Read

Wouldn't it be wonderful if all we did was sit, read, and then recommend? We all love reading -- you can't get into this profession without it -- and we're expected to know our collection, but reading must be done on our own time. I get it -- it is hard to justify paying someone to read when librarians are needed for circulation, ordering, programming, teaching classes, patron help, etc. But this is our FREE time we're talking about and many of us are also balancing second jobs, families, and so many other commitments. How many books can we realistically read? It is never enough.

#3. Librarians Don't Love Every Genre or Book They Read 

Not only do you need to read on your own time, but it's also in genres and titles that you don't even enjoy. Wouldn't it be nice to read a bunch of spoilers and then pull the book off the shelf to read a few chapters for the reader's advisory info? It doesn't take long to figure out the pacing and style of writing. Five minutes and you have a new book under your belt that you can booktalk for the appropriate audience.

#4. Why Spoilers?

Let's be honest. Librarians have NEVER read every book that is published. It isn't possible! So, many people have found other ways to build their RA toolbox. I've heard of reading lots of reviews to skimming books to bouncing around on audio books. We're putting in so much time and effort to become acquainted with as many books as possible. 

But it isn't a perfect system. For starters, if you are anything like me, as you're trying to skim, you become hooked in the book and end up reading it anyway. If I knew the spoilers ahead of time, I wouldn't have that problem. Other people struggle with this because they worry about content warnings -- how much sex, violence, and death are in this? The only way to know for sure is to finish the darn book.

#5. Are You Worried You'll Kill the Love For Reading?

All of our posts will list the titles at the top of the page and we'll link them to their spoilers and back up to the top. We don't want to spoil anything you really want to read. In fact, we are hoping that this series will free up your evenings so that you CAN actually read what you want to. Because we love reading. We already have To-Be-Read book lists that we'll never finish. But we all also have genres we're not interested in and popular books that we just cannot make ourselves read. Let us at 5minlib do that dirty work for you!

#6. What Can I Do?

If you enjoy reading and willing to write up spoilers, please fill out this form: http://goo.gl/forms/vnyNHujIfO. We are going to begin this series by spoiling the award-winning books. You'll get to pick what book(s) you want to read and must be able to submit spoilers within a reasonable deadline (one month). It is simple, and the more people who participate, the quicker we can share these spoilers with everyone and possibly branch out to other niche-genres. You will be credited for your work!

#7 And What is With this Title? 

For those of you who don't know, I'm about to up your geek cred a little bit:

On Doctor Who, the amazing BBC sci-fi series, the Doctor has a (super awesome) love interest named Professor River Song. Since they are both time travelers, they don't tend to meet in the right order - one may have already had an experience that the other has not yet had. In order to keep things exciting, River Song discourages speaking about these things, with the warning: "Spoilers, Sweetie." We love that phrase and decided to name our series after it.

Why Your Library Needs A Mascot

Publicity is a wonderful thing, but blatant self-promotion is seen as a negative trait. What’s a library to do? One of the easiest ways to publicize your library is also one of the silliest: get a mascot, and have it do the work for you.  Here are some tips to help make the most of a mascot.

Make it Memorable

My library has a turtle; her name is Spike, and you will see a lot of her in this article. I have also worked with frogs, stuffed dogs, and a wooden alligator. This mascot will be one of the faces of your library, and one of the goals is to make it a recognizable symbol of the work you do. What makes it special enough that people will remember that this creature belongs to your library? Even if it’s just a generic teddy bear, taking photos of him in a library setting will help people associate him with your library. This photo is a great example; here, Spike rests next to a stack of books.

Make it Fun

This is also the time to experiment with costumes and accessories.  Here, Lucky Dawg shows off his tie dye in preparation for the annual Tie Dye Party at the Lawrence Library in Pepperell, MA. If you are using a live animal, I find it’s easier to tape a piece of paper to the tank or cage and then position the camera to look like they're interacting with their environment, than to actually try to get them to wear an outfit. 

Make it Timely

The library wishing you a happy spring is nice. Your mascot in sunglasses, soaking up the sunshine, will get noticed. There is literally a holiday for every day of the year, so there is not a single day that you couldn’t post a mascot photo if you didn’t have an idea already.  Here, George Frog wishes everyone a happy Talk Like A Pirate Day. Silly? Yes. Memorable? Also yes.

Be Active on Social Media

Studies have shown that the use of mascots in social media content will boost the number of likes and shares on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media websites. This is likely because people would rather interact with a cute, memorable creature than a “faceless” marketing person, particularly if the mascot is acting as if it’s a member of the staff. (I call this the “He Thinks He’s People” Effect.) Tallulah and Blanche, the gerbils at the Cambridge Public Library, have a Facebook page. Fred, the turtle at the Framingham Public Library, has a blog. Our turtle, Spike, has a series of posts on the library Facebook page that each tell fun facts while reminding patrons of upcoming programs and holidays. Even if there is no specific news, just the appearance of the library in your patrons' news feed will remind them about the library, and perhaps start a conversation.

Make News More Exciting

Have your mascot interact with its surroundings; on a slow news day, perhaps your mascot can check out the New Books shelf, play with the toys in the children’s room, or listen to an audio book. Instead of posting a reminder that you have a movie screening at 6, perhaps post a photo of your mascot sitting with a bowl of popcorn, with a comment that they can’t wait for the movie.

This photo was posted on Facebook to drum up interest in a big announcement we had for new circulating items. It was so popular, we actually had several patrons pop by the library to ask what was in Spike’s box; it’s doubtful we would have had this response had we just said, “we have some new items coming soon!”

Revitalize Waning Interest

Is there low attendance at your story times? Is your reading challenge not getting many participants? Try making it mascot-themed! Our turtle-themed children's reading challenge had over 100 participants (in January!), and turtle-themed story time got a whole new crowd into our monthly Pajama Story Time. I have even done the same program multiple times, but with a mascot theme. A Back-to-School Ice Cream Party got a respectable number of people, but turning it into George Frog's Birthday gave it a whole new life. 

All in all, a mascot can do wonders for your PR. If done right, it can revitalize lagging social network traffic, create interest in under-performing programs, and show the lighter, more fun side of your workplace, causing a subconscious link in your patrons between the library and happiness – the ultimate end goal.

A Few Tips

• Because we do so much with Spike, I took the time to make a small album of photographs of her. In some of the more generic poses (as opposed to standing next to books, eating popcorn, or wearing sunglasses), I erased the scenery, so Spike is isolated on a white background. It makes crafting posters with her image so much easier!
• This blog has sung the praises of Canva before, but it bears repeating. By creating a template with her photo in it, we have made it simple to use her likeness on posters, social media posts, and the like. 
• If you do get a live animal (see below), be sure to learn everything you can about their species - not only to give the best care, but also to answer the myriad of questions you will get about them. Posting an FAQ is always helpful.
• Have fun with it!

Considering a live animal? A few things to think about.

There are several pros and cons of having a live animal in your library.  On the plus side, live animals are a huge draw, particularly for children. They are more likely to want to visit the animal, and therefore visit the library, and you will start to hear, “we just wanted to see how [Mascot] was doing.” The novelty of the animal is great for public relations; our turtle has gotten us television and newspaper coverage, and is the first thing new visitors comment on.

There are considerations, though. First and foremost, the care of the animal must be a priority. The animal must be taken care of even when the library is closed for weekends or holidays. Will it be okay alone, or does it need to go home with somebody?  Also, allergies have to be taken into account in any public building, which is why our library decided against any pet that has fur. There is also the issue of mortality. With a smaller pet, like a fish, you might be able to replace it without fuss, but a larger or more unique animal will be harder to hide, and the issue may have to be dealt with publicly. On the other hand, some animals, like our turtle, can live to be 50+ years; that's a huge commitment! You have to make sure your library staff and director are on board with this choice.

Does your library have a mascot? Tell us about him in the comments!

Update: We recently wrote a follow-up article of all the mascots we heard about on our Facebook post. 

Check out the different ones here: Library Mascots, Part 2.

17 Ways to Accomplish Summer Reading

How do you run your summer reading program? There are so many different ways to encourage patrons to read, we decided to compile a list for you:

Game Challenges

•    Bingo/Card Game.  Each space has a required action, which can be related to reading or to the library. When they complete 5 in a row, they win a raffle ticket or prize. If they do a cover all, they win another prize. Or, if you want to go more free form, you can make a generic card with more than five rows and allow patrons to earn prizes when they complete at least 5, 10, and 15 goals on the card (in no particular order).
•    Game Board. For each day patrons read, they get to roll on the game board. They collect stickers, raffle tickets, and sometimes prizes as they go around the board.
•    Themed Challenges. Give out small pieces of an activity that, when completed, will give patrons a raffle ticket. For example, one year, patrons received a letter tile for each book read. When they came up with a word, they turned in the tiles for a prize and a raffle ticket. This summer, the plan is to give out super hero puzzle pieces and patrons will get a raffle ticket when they complete the puzzle.
•     Challenge Booklet. The booklet has 50 challenges for teens to complete with four different point values.  For every five points they earn they receive a prize entry form.  Usually each branch draws for prizes at their location and then there is a grand prize for the system. Entries can be submitted at a branch or in email and we upload it all to our Tumblr (http://hmcplteens.tumblr.com/). The booklet because it encourages creativity outside of reading and every year the teen advisory boards rewrite half of the booklet to keep it fresh and interesting for the participants.

Instant Wins!

•     Scratch Tickets. Create your own scratch tickets where teens can win small and medium prizes instantly. If they lose, they can put that ticket into the grand prize raffle. (We explain this program in more detail here: http://www.5minlib.com/2015/03/scratch-tickets-for-win.html).
•     Prize Wheel. Once a child has read x pages, they get to spin for a chance to win: free cookie, French fry, books, etc.
•     Prize Machine. Every book a teen reads, they get a token to put into the prize machine. They could win small prizes like candy, erasers, etc. or they could get a piece of paper (tucked into plastic balls) that will give them chances to win the bigger prizes or a fun quote… 
•     Tiered Prize System. Something where the first two levels are simple and easy to give out to everyone, but the next levels are limited to the first x who reach it.  For example, when people sign up, everyone will get one prize. When they read 5 books, they all get a candy bar. When they read 10 books, they win $5 to Starbucks (First 20 Teens), 20 books – free book (First 15 teens) etc… (for more details, check out http://www.teenservicesunderground.com/challenge-monday-srp-prizes/)    

Raffles/Auctions

•    Specialty Tickets.  Earn a ticket when you visit the library, two tickets for a short book review, and three tickets for attending programs.
•    Weekly Raffles and Contests. There are many different variations, but it could be as simple as show the librarian your book log and earn one ticket to enter the raffle. Or it could be more complex like every book, magazine, or audiobook read will earn a ticket for the weekly drawing. Losing tickets go into the grand prize raffle at the end of the summer.
•    Prize Auction. Earn library dollars (coming for events, reading, etc.) that patrons can use in a prize auction at the end of summer. 

Community Engagement

•    Community-Based Rewards and Experiences. Instead of winning items, patrons can get tickets to local places like the sports team and coupons for free food to their favorite hangouts. Many local businesses are happy to donate these prizes and coupons, especially when it means the winners will be bringing additional customers with them when they use the prize.
•    Earn Money for the Library! Friends of the Library (or any other organization) promises to donate $1 to the library's materials fund for every book read.    
•    Community Reading Goal. Ask the community to read a total of 1,000,000 minutes and keep track of everyone’s reading time on a score board. All participants will also get weekly prizes and will have a chance to pick raffle baskets.
•   Read for Voting Privileges. When participants read for an hour, they earn a marble to vote on what kind of Final Summer Reading Party they want. 

Traditional

•    Book Logs.  Read x pages/x books/x days for a prize/raffle ticket. It looks like most library goals are to encourage 5-10 books read in the summer or reading for 30 minutes a day.
•    Book Reviews. Write up a short book review to earn a prize/raffle ticket.

Special thanks to the following librarians for sharing what they do at their library: Diane Giarrusso, Steven Fowler, Allison Cusher, Ebba Hierta, Lois McAuliffee, Jocelyn Baldwin, Duyane Alexander, Brianna Hanson, Laura Faunce, Julia Hendon, Alisa Burch, Carolann Macmaster, Diane M. Ranney, and Ami Segna.

Scratch Tickets for the Win!

This week on YA-YAAC, there was a discussion about the different ways to run Summer Reading. The focus was on a Summer Reading Bingo card, which I have tried at my library and it bombed. I think it was too complicated for our patrons and Circulation Staff, though I know other libraries have had great success with it. However, I mentioned to the group that I use homemade scratch tickets for my Summer Reading and the interest it garnered prompted me to write this post.

The beauty of this idea is that any librarian can do it, for any age group. It is a fun activity for patrons and it makes a small prize budget go very far. (Our teens were happy to scratch a losing ticket because it meant they got into the Grand Prize Raffle.)

When we did the Bingo card program, I had 46 participants. The year afterwards, I decided to revamp my Summer Reading and take a very simple approach with scratch tickets. It paid off with 269 teens participating. Last year, we beat that number and had 321 teens in the program.

This is how we did it:

Our Goals

• Make Summer Reading easy!
• Increase participation.
• Focus on fun.
• Eliminate the barrier of registering to participate.
• Encourage teens to return to the library all summer.
• Make teens aware of all the library has to offer, most especially reaching those who only come in for their school’s Summer Reading books.

Benefits of Scratch Tickets

• No registration needed—statistics were gathered on the back of losing tickets or the prize sign-in sheet. (I do have a registration form, which if they fill out, they'll get 3 extra tickets into the Grand Prize Raffle.)
• It is simple to implement. Staff ask if teens are going into grades 6-12 and automatically hand them a ticket.
• Teens instantly participated.
• Staff were excited to have a winner.
• Prizes were collected right away, eliminating hassle of hunting down winners later.

Challenges

New 2015 Design!

• It is time consuming to make so many tickets! But volunteers can easily do it.
• Circulation staff participation are important since they are the ones handing out the tickets.
• This program only rewarded those who came to the library often. 
• Prizes may be a challenge for some libraries, depending on what your budget is. If this is the case, you can adapt this program where instead of having each library item have a certain prize, they can pick a scratch ticket for whatever prize they are hoping to win. I know of another library who holds an auction at the end of Summer Reading and these scratch tickets will award different amounts of book bucks to the patron. So, there are many different ways to use this!

How It Works:

• You can buy Scratch Ticket Stickers on Amazon. I used to paint them, but when I learned of this in June of 2015, I completely redesigned our tickets to use them -- it worked out great! (If you prefer to make your own, we had used this tutorial: http://www.thedaintysquid.com/2012/03/diy-scratch-off-tickets.html. To save on time, we just painted a square over the words instead of painting the whole bottom like they did in the tutorial and we didn't use tape for clean edges.) 
• 7 categories, 7 major prizes. Fiction and Nonfiction each had 2 midlevel prizes and free books.
• All categories had lots of small winners, just candy and Summer Reading trinkets.
• We started off with 2/3rds losing tickets and 1/3rd winning tickets and made more when needed (usually more losing tickets, but I was ready to buy more candy if needed).
• ALL losing tickets qualified for the GRAND PRIZE RAFFLE, not listed on the Prize Board above.
• One ticket per day, handed out by Circulation Staff. If they checked out multiple categories, they picked what ticket they wanted.
• If they lost, they wrote their contact info on the back and the losing ticket would go into the grand prize raffle.
• If they won, they had to sign a sheet before claiming their prize. (Helped with keeping stats on winners)
• We made a Prize Board on the wall next to the Circulation Desk and entrance that clearly stated each category and the prizes. As teens won them, we taped "Claim" over the prize. This greatly influenced teens try check out different items based on what was available. 
• I tallied our participant numbers based on the names on the losing tickets and prize sheets.

NOTE: We only put one major prize in the raffle per week, right on top of the pile so we could control when the big prizes were claimed and could spread it out throughout the whole summer.

What We Learned:

• There were some teens who were disappointed that they couldn’t log their hours, but as one said, “I loved that [logging hours] when I was younger because I would constantly read in hopes of doing well in the program, but with my job and the crazy amount of summer work we have to do for APs, I didn’t get to read as much as I would have liked.”
• To accommodate those who are big readers but cannot come to the library often, next year, we are creating a category for book reviews.  One ticket per review.
• Despite the fact that we give out prizes for non-books, books by far were the top checkouts. In 2014, 82.6% were book/audiobook checkouts. Of course, we didn’t release the major prize in these categories until towards the end of Summer Reading to encourage reading.
• In 2014,  41% won at least once. All major and midlevel prizes were won by a different person.
• We used to add the Summer Reading theme to the tickets, but decided to go generic so we can reuse the leftovers the following year!

Template:

You can double click and copy our free template to get started! We just ask that you comment on this blog that you're using it. The circles on the left fit the 1 inch Scratch Ticket Stickers from Amazon. Just add your text and you're ready to go!

Follow Up Information:

I have been getting a lot of similar questions, so here's additional information:

1. How did you stagger your winning tickets?  Was there a rhyme or reason?

Did you ever find you had a bunch of unclaimed prizes?

I staggered the small prizes with the losing tickets (this was candy, Summer Reading swag, and free books). However, my $25 gift cards and the bigger prizes, I kept out of the pile. I had enough so that I only gave away one gift card each week and then sporadically added the other prizes in.

To ensure these big prizes were claimed, I laid them on top of the pile so the next person would win it (I didn't want to worry about people never reaching the prize. I guess you can say the random part was for me -- I never knew which teen was going to walk through the door and win it). Everyone walked away with their prize, so I didn't have any prizes leftover... except for candy and the other small prizes, since I never could be sure how many people would participate and I wanted to give them choices.

2. Did you base how many winning tickets you had on the number of teens

participating or was it random?

I had no idea that first year how many people would participate, so I counted up my summer reading swag and looked at the candy piece amount listed on the bags and made that many winning small prizes. I doubled that number and made the rest for losing tickets. So, basically, every third person should win something. I ended up having to make more halfway during summer reading, but you'll know how many more to make when you check the piles. Once you complete one year, you'll have a good idea of how many tickets to make the next time. (And, honestly, halfway through the summer, I just add in more losing tickets since I figured by this point, teens don't have to win so often. They should be hooked!)

If you enjoyed this article, check out our other posts on Summer Reading!

17 Ways to Accomplish Summer Reading
50+ Ideas for Summer Reading Swag that Make Your Patrons Dance
Ready to Go Book Display: Villains, Superheroes, and Everyday Heroes