Entry 4 - Reconnecting with Reading

By Robert Rua, Communications Coordinator for Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Public Library; article pulled from website Public Libraries Online


Fairly recently, in 2008, a library system in Ohio—the Cuyahoga County Public Library system (CCPL) began a rather astonishing initiative to re-boot, one could say, and bring attention to what the members of the CCPL system believe to be the “core values” of public library services: “books and reading.” This article is a story of success—or at least the beginnings of a successful campaign—to get the patrons of the CCPL system, as the population of the County itself drops, to revitalize an interest in reading among its patrons.

The initiative started by CCPL, focusing on the “core values,” with a focus on “organization efforts toward finding ways to improve customer convenience, increase accessibility, and, ultimately, connect customers with books” was titled Reconnect with Reading. To help efforts, in 2008, a Cleveland research team was led to conduct phone surveys of adult reading levels in Cuyahoga County, the results of which were to be compared against from the 2007 study to Read or Not to Read, conducted by the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA), which examined adult reading levels on a national scale. (A small run-through of the NEA study can be found here.

I feel I ought to step back some at this point to avoid simply summarizing and quoting the entire article, but to talk simply about what I found most interesting in this project—an enormous endeavor on the part of the library staff of the CCPL system—and also try to draw some conclusions from their success story.

What I found most astounding about this project to inspire reading was what as titled “Phase Two” of the project: an enormous ad campaign, driven by celebrities, local and otherwise, as well as the use of internet avenues such as Google Advertising, billboard advertising, airport ads, radio ads—all utilized in order to keep in the public eye the importance and the appealing nature of the “core values” of public library services. And although “books and reading” are the primary values in the mission, one of the Library world’s Superstars was brought in—Nancy Pearl (website here)—to help reinforce the importance of the modern library in contributing to modern literacy, apparently dropping in on library staff of the CCPL system monthly to conduct various workshops for subject specialists, helping to increase enthusiasm among library employees for the initiative. Some “helpful tips” given by Nancy and shared within the article I must also share here, as they feel incredibly relevant to myself, being interested in the works of the reference librarian:

• Always remember that RA (Reference Assistance?) isn’t about the books you think people ought to read. It’s about engaging people and talking with them about the books they enjoy—and really listening to what they have
to say.
• Ask, what was the last great book you read? What did you like about it? The way your customer talks about it will tell you how they found the doorway to that book. Then suggest a book with the same doorway.
• Look for openings to get a conversation going. For example, display a book at the checkout desk. People will take a look. This is your opening to start a conversation.
• When you’re giving RA, get out from behind your desk and into the stacks so you can give the person your undivided attention. Don’t let your desk be a barrier between you and your customer.
• Hand your customers the book as you recommend it. Let them hold it and read the flap. Do this and you’ve broken another barrier—and your customer will be more likely to check out the book.
• Prepare a small list of “can’t miss” books that you are comfortable recommending to customers.

With these tips from Nancy, the bond between an initiative for reading and the spark for finding that initiative in a library setting was cemented. I was, initially, concerned for the Reconnecting with Reading initiative as its main focus seemed to be solely on reading—but Nancy’s tips make clear that libraries play an essential role in not only getting people to increase their own intake of written materials and information, but that librarians play a most key role in guiding library-goers toward materials they might enjoy or need and to become more independent readers.

The implementation of advertising technologies is something I thought rather astounding, as its usage is not something one might immediately connect with libraries. But the success of the program, as explained by the article’s author, makes it seem to me that more county and state library systems should begin implementing the same kinds of tools, which are readily available and produce an almost immediate feedback. In my past experience, the extent of advertising libraries decide to utilize seems to be restricted to paper print-outs tacked on signboards within the library itself, or tucked away in the advertising columns of a local newspaper. And not only that, but the advertising for library programs and services seem very self-contained—that is to say, systems don’t seem to work together to advertise; rather, a single library within a system is left alone to advertise whatever it can offer to its particular town or city setting. It is kind of a sad thing to me that these technologies are not being utilized currently; it seems almost the next logical step in a world where libraries are more and more becoming dependant upon technology services to aid patrons.

However, this study being fairly recent (about 2009), I am hopeful that the success of the reading initiative started in Ohio’s Cuyahoga County will soon begin to catch on. If advertisements for library patrons and workshops for library employees are what it takes to get people’s noses in books once more, I do believe this is the logical and progressive step that libraries all over the U.S. need to be making.