THE LAKEWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY WEB SITE
by Marylaine Block
Of all the library web sites that I've studied in the course of researching The Thriving Library <http://marylaine.com/thrive.html>, the one I find completely unique in its design belongs to the Lakewood (OH) Public Library <http://www.lkwdpl.org/>. The site is divided into 3 columns, each with a specialized focus or constituency: Library, Schools, and Community.
The Library portion is headed by an artist's rendering and map of the new library, along with a link to Design & Construction News; that page gives very thorough information on the building project, including a Photo Journal, Program Facts & Plans, Service Changes & Interruptions, and links to articles about the library expansion program. Most of the other links in the library column are fairly standard: downloads of audiobooks, eBooks, music and video; Ohio's KnowItNow 24/7 chat reference service, Children's & Youth Services, and such. (Other standard library functions - the catalog, calendar of events, and virtual library - are available from the horizontal navigation bar.)
One unique feature I particularly admire, is "Read a good book lately? Tell a friend with an electronic postcard." Click on the link, and you'll select from attractive postcards that advertise the library, with images of two of the buildings and details from the Reed Thomason mural in the children's services room of the main library. This is the best kind of library marketing: inspiring your users to do it for you.
Another feature I like is LPL's call for entries in the Lakewood Photography Competition - "submit 1-6 photographic images of Lakewood, the life, icons and times, which will become part of the art collection of the Lakewood Public Library (LPL)." Such competitions, as many librarians have discovered, work on a number of levels: 1) contests are always good for generating buzz and press coverage; 2) this contest helps the library build its local history collection; and 3) the opportunity to make their work a permanent part of the library collection helps to bond them to the library.
The Schools section of the web site starts with the library's guide to Lakewood City Schools, which provides info on the school calendar, breakfast & lunch menus, parent-teacher organizations, current news, Ohio standardized testing, and more. The Schools section also provides summer reading lists from area high schools, How-to's for writing reports, and Class Assignment Pathfinders by grade-level. A section "Of Interest to teachers" includes a Resource Page for Educators, Homeschooling Resources, and the opportunity to ask librarians to create a class assignment pathfinder.
I've always argued that the first people libraries need to market to are the leaders of the community or organization they serve. This is what Lakewood Public Library does so splendidly in its Community section. The library-constructed page for City of Lakewood Information includes basic facts and history, links to primary city documents, profiles of city agencies and services, and links to local business groups, institutions, and organizations. The librarians have also provided a page called Lakewood Focus, which provides "planning tools for community, economy, markets and neighborhoods."
I don't know of many public libraries that specifically reach out to the religious community in their towns, but in a page called Lakewood Faiths, LPL provides links to all 36 churches in Lakewood, and invites people who want to know more about the history of those churches to "visit our Local History Files or our Lakewood History Walks!"
The Living in Lakewood section provides a wonderfully useful Parents Page, with info on Getting Off to a Good Start, Free Fun Activities, Clothing Kids on the Cheap, Learning Opportunities, and more. The library even provides info for pet owners (organizations, laws, pet supplies, etc.); that's a constituency I can't recall seeing on any other library web page.
One of the most valuable services the library provides is obvious from the links on its web site: LPL's server hosts web pages for local schools, parent teacher organizations, civic groups, and community organizations: the local Business and Professional Women's Club, Kiwanis Club, Disabled American Veterans chapter, PTA Council, League of Women Voters, Soccer Association, Lakewood Christian Service Center, Calvary Community School, etc. It also provides a site for the Lakewood Youth Master Plan. I can't think of a better way to not only build close bonds with community leaders from all areas of interest, but to make sure that librarians are incorporated into all planning for community development.
I particularly like LPL's imaginative page of Gift Ideas, which naturally starts with a canvas totebag from the library's Friends. The page goes on to suggest Lakewood memorabilia from the historical society, a local crafts shop, and the local Center for the Arts, a community cookbook from a local charity, a gift certificate for classes from Lakewood's recreation department, etc. Again, we have a twofer: a page that serves a genuine need (lots of people have a hard time thinking up gift ideas) and in the process builds bonds with local organizations and businesses.
Lakewood Public Library consistently ranks high in the HAPLR ratings, and was first in its population category in 2006. Nobody who viewed its web site would be surprised. Its unique design and content show off all the ways in which its librarians not only serve the needs of the community but anticipate them.
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COOL QUOTE:
Turn strangers into friends.
Turn friends into customers.
And then... do the most important job:
Turn your customers into salespeople.
Seth Godin. "Flipping the Funnel." in Small Is the New Big, 2006.
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Copyright, Marylaine Block, 1999-2007.
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