Tuesday, January 27, 2009

The Prodical Returns.......

This a great article in The Sumter Daily Item by Randy Burns. It outlines our plans for "The Garden Gate" a building donated to The Friends of the Library by Mrs. Gertrude Copeland.

We will have plenty of updates regarding our plans for this building. Stay tuned blogger heads.

Monday, January 26, 2009

More thoughts from the Library.....

Recently there has been a spate of national news stories on the value of libraries to their respective communities. On MSNBC, in December there was a great story about how libraries offer such a strong resource during economic hard times. There were similar stories on CBS, ABC and NPR.

If you are a regular reader of this column, you know that I try to treat topics with a light touch – attempting to use whimsy and humor – to brighten the perception of the staid old library. Well, today I’d like to get a tad serious about a serious topic.

Any library is an asset to the community, and here in Lee County our library is much more than a building with books in it. The library is a full service learning experience. Daily the librarians help patrons search for jobs, set up e-mail addresses, tutor on various software programs and help students with homework assignments. Additionally we partner with several community organizations to offer programs and presentations. We also partner with several national and state wide organizations to offer services that would be unavailable otherwise.

Currently we are partnering with the South Carolina Bar Association to offer free legal advice. Also, the Federal Trade Commission has contacted us to help with the transition to digital television that is to take place on February 17th. Last week the Social Security Administration contacted us to help them offer resources for both Social Security Benefits and Medicare Benefits. True, all of this information is available via the internet or other county resources, but how many places have ALL this information under one roof.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Marketing your library 2.0.....

Since my primary occupation is to promote and market the Lee County Public Library "brand", I found the following an interesting marketing concept regarding social networking.....

Simple Social Media Truths

1. Everyone thinks they are a social media expert.
2. Everyone is not a social media expert.
3. Not every company should have social media initiatives.
4. We’re all still figuring this out.
5. Conversations are important, but not as important as some people will have you believe.
6. Traditional advertising isn’t dead and won’t be for a while, if ever.
7. Blogging is hard work.
8. Twitter will not make or break you.
9. Don’t always cave to the mob.
10. The barriers to action are now so low that it’s incredible easy to act without thinking it through.
11. If you speak your mind, you are going to piss someone off eventually.
12. There’s no excuse to not be listening to the conversations online.
13. If the words “unless we get caught” are part of your plan, quit now.
14. Purists, Pessimists, and Doomsayers are almost always wrong.
15. The wrong way to do things is always the easiest.
16. There is still a ton of potential in this space.

This was posted on "LibraryTrax" and attributed to Matt J. Macdonald of Charleston SC.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

SCAPLA "READ @ YOUR LIBRARY" Campaign.....



The South Carolina Library Association, is sponsoring the "Public Library Appreciation Day" (PLAD)at the Statehouse in February. This annual event is an opportunity for librarians from around the state to meet and greet our legislators and impress upon them the importance of Public Libraries to their constituents.

This year, the Association has made a special effort photograph each Senator and Representative and put the posters on display.

Our Representative, Grady A. Brown - District 50, graciously came to the library to have his picture taken. The finished product will be presented to Grady and displayed during the PLAD day in Columbia.

Thanks Grady, you are ALWAYS a good sport and great supporter of our Library!

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Strong Partnerships make Strong Communities.....



Check it out: 


The LCC is partnering with the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) to offer information and outreach during the transition to Digital TV.  All analog stations will be off the air as of February 17th, and anyone who has an analog TV need to convert to digital.  

This community service is available at the library.  Just call or ask, and we can direct you to the proper information to help you during this transition.