Idaho Commission for Libraries
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Asking the Right Questions. Or, Missing the Target?
I was watching television the other day and noticed a commercial for a clothing store. They were using a song that was popular when I was high school 20 or so years ago. My first reaction was something akin to “darn kids, they keep reusing and remaking our music.” I figured the retailer was trying to reach out to today’s teens and twenty-somethings, using fun music, bright colors, and images that flashed on the screen. Clearly they were using scenes from my youth to entice today’s youth. I was wrong.
After the third time I saw this commercial I realized the images were of families, parents and their school-aged children. The retailer was reaching out to me or, rather, others in my demographic. And, there I was, a pawn in their hands falling under the spell of a youthful anthem. I watched the commercial three times before it struck me that they were using those cool, hip images to reach me. And then it was clear that the very use of those descriptors pretty much proved I am, in fact, neither cool nor hip. When I heard the music, when I saw the images, my initial reaction was that they were trying to reach people who are at least a generation younger than I. I missed the message because I didn’t understand the target audience.
And so I got to thinking about libraries. Because, come on, who doesn’t think about libraries when watching ‘Dancing with the Stars’? [Note to self: get a hobby, start by looking up youthful terms meaning “hip” and “cool”] Do we reach our target? Do we understand enough about the target to craft a message they will hear?
How can we get in tune with all of the user groups we serve in libraries? How do we draw in the small business owners? The younger adults with no children? The boomers? Is it enough to simply ask, “What would it take to make you a library user?”
While I ponder how to learn from these various user groups, I’ve been thinking about the questions – all sorts of questions. What do they want? Why don’t they come? What will it take? A colleague asked aloud recently “Are we asking the right questions?” And it struck a chord with me.
What should we be asking?
Who should we be asking?
Are we willing to hear the answers?
So I wonder, what are libraries doing to understand the user groups they hope to attract? Click on “comments” below and let me know what you are doing to find out what it is those users want in library service.
- Posted by: gina.persichini
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Cool and Hip
This is thought provoking and we asking the same questions in Stanley. We're working on it, but it's tough. The non-users always say things like maybe we'd come if you did this, but I don't see them walking through the door. Our book group is the same group consisting of lots of gray haired folks (and a few with no hair). We're going to try a slide show of a local bungee jumping company that did jumps off the Royal Gorge bridge in CO last summer. Maybe that will get a cooler, more hip crowd. Time will tell.
And Gina, I think you are cool and hip.
All of the People, Some of the Time
I think you are cool and hip too, Gina. And sweet, fly, tight, dope, sick, wicked, and even chill.
ICFL asked the right questions for my user-group-of-interest, Digital Natives. Even before that, libraries all over were asking the right questions of this group, with the cumulative result of hugely improved services and programs all over the state for this group. I think part of that success is just opening the dialog with a real interest in the group. People will talk when you gain their trust. The Perceptions of Digital Natives study wanted to know how the group saw libraries -- their views on what library means to them based on their experience. That is a powerful place to start.
How you ask seems pretty important too. I'm not personally in favor of any more surveys. You notice that stores are giving incentives for their customers to do phone and internet surveys? They have to sort of pay people to tell their views! There seems to be a pleading and apologetic tone in library related take-this-survey requests lately.
I think libraries that are interested in serving as a third place as well as happening to have all kinds of good things to read (in an astounding variety of formats!) only have to add the marketing piece. People will come if (1) they like what you do, and (2) they know about it. So I guess it is time to start asking (not in surveys!) what other user-groups want. Let's invite them for coffee and doughnuts and show them our interest in serving them ;)
Questions lead to more questions lead to more questions...
I wonder sometimes whether the questions asked by individuals will be of service to the greater understanding of life the world and everything. The simple answer is another question. Maybe maybe not. I am glad you are writing thought provoking messages online as opposed to less useful or mundane rubbish which people get there heads stuck in. Today most questions typed into the search engines since the evolution of the internet, What can i get for free? How can i better myself. Which is wonderful questions to ask, although the usual results are websites like this freebies site or self help books that cost affortune. My comment is that in our daily practices questioning we tend to severing the real experience of organic evolution. if that makes sense. So if i wanted to find out why people go to the library then maybe better to ask them personally. A question of cause. Even more interesting would be to notice which book catagories are most searched in computers and which books are most borrowed.