Brand Butlers - Helping Library Customers Make the Most of Their Daily Lives

As we develop our customer service standard, let's think about how our services can embody the essence of the ILG brand. How can we be there when customers want us to be there? How can we pleasantly surprise them with our presence when they least expect it? How can we be brand butlers in both our online and offline activities?
"With pragmatic, convenience-loving consumers enjoying instant access to an ever-growing number of supporting services and tools (both offline and online), brands urgently need to hone their 'butlering skills'*, focusing on assisting consumers to make the most of their daily lives, versus the old model of selling them a lifestyle if not identity."
http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/brandbutlers/

Library Computers - Who Uses Them?

A recent study finds that people across all age and ethnic groups use library computers. A third of Americans — about 77 million people — use public library computers to look for jobs, connect with friends, do their homework and improve their lives. The study confirms what public libraries have been saying as they compete for public dollars to expand their services and high-speed Internet access: library use by the general public is widespread and not just among poor people.
But researchers found that those living below the federal poverty line — families of four with a household income of $22,000 or less — had the highest use of library computers. Among those households, 44 percent reported using public library computers and Internet access during the past year.
The study was paid for by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and conducted by the University of Washington Information School.
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/press-releases/Pages/opportunity-for-all-library-compuer-use-study-100325.aspx

Libraries' Role in Making Cities Attractive

From the Conference Board of Canada - City Magnets II: Benchmarking the Attractiveness of 50 Canadian Cities. This report analyzes and benchmarks the features that make Canadian cities attractive to skilled workers and mobile populations. In terms of economic strategy, the report posits that cities without the ability to act as magnets and attract new people will struggle to stay prosperous in the decades ahead. It analyzes Canada’s 50 largest cities according to 41 features that make Canadian cities attractive to mobile populations. One of those features/indicators, in the Society category, is “Travel time to libraries”. It is defined as measuring “the average travel time (in minutes) from home to the nearest library in the city, based on all modes of transportation”. In terms of methodology, this indicator “is a proxy for access to culture in the city. A city with greater access is more attractive.” The report identifies the following top six city magnets: Calgary, Waterloo, Ottawa, Vancouver, St. John’s, and Richmond Hill. Markham is ranked 9th. A copy of the report has been ordered for MPL’s professional collection.

Reading Skills at 15 Determine Future Success

The OECD has released a longitudinal study entitled Pathways to Success: How knowledge and skills at age 15 shape future lives in Canada. The study concluded that the greatest predictor of a child's future educational success is reading proficiency in high school. Students who scored in the top category for reading skills were 20 times more likely to be in university than their peers with poor reading skills. Those in the second and third highest levels for reading still showed very strong attainment levels. Reading is identified as the most critical factor in determining future educational success, even for students in sciences and math. The report is available on the OECD website.
http://www.oecd.org/document/20/0,3343,en_32252351_32236191_44571668_1_1_1_1,00.html

Checking Out the Future

The American Library Association Office for Information Technology Policy has released the first of several policy briefs to be published in 2010 on the revolution in information technology and its implications for the future of libraries. Checking Out the Future: Perspectives from the Library Community on Information Technology and 21st-Century Libraries explores how library leaders are recognizing the need to evolve during the digital revolution and are driving adaptations designed to ensure that libraries remain an integral and relevant part of community life.
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oitp/publications/policybriefs/ala_checking_out_the.pdf