Outreach - Go Out and Be Awesome! Training Your Staff for Effective Outreach

Go Out and be Awesome! Training Your Staff for Effective Outreach
Friday - November 4 - 445 - 545
Sacramento Public Library

I attended this session hoping to gather some info. to help us with tips and ideas for our "grand plans" to expand outreach!

While I didn't hear / see any ideas that would help us to tap in to new markets. I did see some good ideas about starting a training program and ensuring and standardizing the quality of our outreach visits.

There seemed to be good ideas about how to train, how to create templates or forms, and a process.

One of my favorite things was seeing a chart of the statistics they gathered on how many they reached.


Amanda Foulk - K-12 Specialist
Cathy Crosthwait - Programming and Partnerships Coordinator
ccrosthwaite@saclibrary.org

Cathy uses a whiteboard wall to track all outreach. In 2012-2015 Sac Public to increase outreach 45%.

They created kits with logo table cloths, all pamphlets, into a logo-ed kit. In 2014 they created a library "outpost" into one of our under-served community. Road tested equipment, displays, activities at this outpost. Use a branded ezup (someone in front of table - still see). Logo t shirt.

104,194 people at all outreach in 2016 so far. May is the heaviest month.

A ton of staff time is put in to outreach,important to do well and train and support staff. September 2105,  hour training, you are asked to got to event - what do you do? You are asked to speak in front of a crowd - what do you do? Schools, etc?

Did a survey to ask staff about how comfortable, if they knew about our resources? System of 28 branches and 2 bookmobiles. Staff responded well and appreciated for outreach. Offered as a workshop session at staff day.

Who is going to cover - state festival, county festival, harvest day, earth day, etc...... Who from the branches will cover? Come to the training! 132 public face staff - 78% have been trained in the past year.

Training covers -
* welcome introductions
* why is outreach important (mission statement - "discover, learn, and grow") - discover what they want, learn what they need and grow
Strategic plan
Goal 1 - increase awareness - engage community - tell people who don't know
Goal 2 - connect people with universe of possibilities - have to go out to tell them what they don't know

Have you experienced bad outreach? (ignoring, on phone, eating, just handed things out)

Effective outreach -
- engaged
- focused
- prepared
- selective
- system-wide vs. branch specific

Outreach is more difficult than a day at work in the office - outreach you are on the moment you leave your car. All about small talk! That's what you love! Focus before you arrive. Who is my audience today? Where will you find that energy?

Prepare - if sunny bring sunscreen, bring a hat, bring water, bring money, wear comfortable shoes, if uniform - wear it - be part of the team.

Select / choose what outreach events you will attend. Most important resource library has (us - the people in the library) and we are also the most expensive. Ex. an open house with 10 people is not the most effective use of time.

What is the message? No data dump. Wear special shirts - worked with the friends to help print special logoed shirts for outreach. The back of the shirt says - did you know the library _____ Ex. helps you self publish? or free tutoring? Keep your message focused on what the "customer" is asking you about. Ex. if you are at sac anime" highlight the 3d printing and option to print anime costume pieces,not storytime.

How determine success -

- outputs (number of kids, parents or adults, library cards issued).
- outcomes (did we change attitude, teach new skill or behavior, change behavior, increase knowledge, change their status, enhance community connections).

If not well attended, talkt o vendors and meet partners and make connections with other vendors.

Keep tables simple, uncluttered, keep up (holders / vertical vs. flat on table). Keep materials relevant at the table.

Prize wheel is crack at an outreach table (everyone wants to spin the wheel!). Did 17 days at the county fair. Ask questions with the wheel (favorite book, author, genre, vegetable). Guerrilla marketing (how much for library car (free). Check out board games at your library true or false? try again if wrong.

Want them to walkway feeling "good" about the library.

Key - homework - go to festival and look at booths.

Start asking staff about feedback on events (was it worth it? would you do again? what would make it better?).

Use one outreach request form (ex up, etc.). Have a custom outreach powerpoint for staff to use. The "library wow" presentation (whether it's rotary, whether it's the jail, major donors) it's ready to customize. Marketing department creates.

Ex. library of things sewing machines, seed libraries, discover and go museum passes,

Cool programs covered in presentation - veterans connect at the library, highschool prom drive, database highlights, bean stack - personalized reading for ages 1-8, let's talk about ___ series (racism, death, gender, suicide, etc.)

Staff don't need to be expert, just where to find it (hours, locations, etc.) on the website.

Important to also talk about grant funds - let them know it's possible.
Only 3 things? Business card, brochure, and ___?