This Month at CLC: May 2019
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THE "WHAT WE LEARNED AT CLA" EDITION
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We have a love/hate relationship with the CLA annual conference. On the one hand, we love the intensive two days spent talking to our colleagues and vendors, getting new ideas from the programs, and receiving compliments like, “You are always so creative!” or “CLC always has the best booth!” On the other hand, preparing for and attending the conference is exhausting and stressful, especially now that we’ve raised expectations that we will indeed do something fun and creative with our exhibit.
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It may look easy, but the end product is the result of months of discussion, research and group effort. Many of you have town fairs and festivals, fall student orientation days, or other outreach events coming up. In the spirit of "The Power of WE," we are sharing what we’ve learned from creating our recent CLA conference booth, in the hope that you can use it for your own outreach efforts. Since many of you were unable to attend CLA, here's a breakdown of our exhibit:
- Energetic visuals associated with a current trend. We decided to use comic-style graphics and a superhero concept to tie into the newly released Avengers movie.
- A tagline that addressed the theme visually and conceptually: CLC: The Power of WE
- A large, personalized button that encouraged people to identify and show their own superpowers. Something they’d WANT to wear, and would cause others to ask “Where’d you get that?!”
- A fun takeaway with more information and a call to action. We created an oversized postcard that used our graphics along with a simple reminder of CLC’s value and how to reach us. We designed it to be “bulletin board ready.”
- Colorful staff T-shirts featuring our graphics. Wearing them around the conference inspired smiles and encouraged interaction.
We now have a great list of sources for swag, printing, and more - see Amanda's article below. We've done some thinking about the entire process of developing a booth for an outreach event, outlined in "Anatomy of a CLC Booth," also below. Read on for these articles and more insights from our team.
So how’d we do?
This slide show
pretty much says it all. The CLA exhibits co-chairs say our booth drew the highest attendance. We gave away almost 400 buttons and sent almost 300 postcards to be shared with colleagues. We spread joy, had fun, and were told this may have been our best booth ever! We'd better start dreaming up next year’s plan now!
Jennifer Keohane
Executive Director
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ANATOMY OF A CLC CONFERENCE BOOTH
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#1: Establish Goals.
It is easy to get off track or distracted by clever ideas. Make sure you’ve clearly identified what you want to accomplish. Keep your goals simple and use them as a filter by which you evaluate your ideas. Our goals this conference:
- Remind people of what we do and how we can help them.
- Create a way for this message to be carried back to the library/workplace.
- Make lots of new connections.
- Make it about them, not us. Create a way to uplift or give back to our members.
- Maintain our reputation for fun & engaging booths. (How could we top tattoos & LEGO minifigs?)
#2: Research themes and activities.
Look outside your industry for ideas. We looked at event/trade shows, educational sites, and trendspotting resources.
#3: Brainstorm ideas with as many people as possible.
Some of our best ideas have come from surprising sources. Planned meetings are great, but if you can, pursue impromptu gatherings and conversations when ideas come up. If you are really smart you’ll keep a written, permanent record of all the great ideas you’ve generated, no matter how wacky. Wish we’d thought of this last year! 😊
#4: Evaluate & select a couple of ideas that best meet your goals.
Don’t be afraid to change course or challenge your ideas if they don’t feel right. As we tried to work out details for our first idea, it wasn’t flowing and we ended up moving in a different direction. That is why it is good to have several ideas and keep pushing to make them work better.
#5: Get input from your target audience early on.
We spoke with some librarians of different ages and types about their experiences at the CLA exhibit hall, and learned that many don’t usually visit the exhibits. Our original idea relied on people coming to us; now we had to create something that would go beyond the vendor hall and create a reason to come visit. We also added a criterion that we needed some activity that could be done outside the booth.
#6: Get as much mileage out of your effort as you can.
During the process, we discussed whether any of the components could be used at other events. We kept notes about our ideas and sources. Taking the time to document means that each time we do this, we'll get better and faster at it. The ability to pull together an exhibit booth that is both fun and meaningful is a superpower we hope grows stronger each year!
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“There is a superhero in all of us, we just need the courage to put on the cape.” – Superman
If you were one of the hundreds of visitors to our booth at the CLA conference, we hope you have been cultivating your newly-discovered librarian superpowers over the last few days. We had such a great time helping our talented but ever-so-modest colleagues come up with their own personal word or phrase to declare their unique skills and contributions on our customizable “My superpower is…” buttons. Sometimes it took a few strategically worded questions, sometimes it was a coworker or friend who inspired the idea, and sometimes a walk around the exhibit hall was needed, but each of you came up with something to write – even those of you who initially proclaimed, “I don’t have a superpower.” It was incredible to watch this reluctance and humility turn into confidence and affirmation as people started to create their buttons: from “wearing many hats” to “baby whisperer” to “macaroni and cheese” (one of our personal favorites), we didn’t see the exact same power written twice throughout the entirety of the conference. A lesson that we’ve learned again and again became as clear to us as the bat-signal shining in the night sky: the diversity and strength of our state’s library workers is inspiring and undeniable, especially when we are all in a room together, connecting and cheering each other on. So, stick that button on a bulletin board or desk and give it a glance anytime you need a reminder of the inner-hero that lies inside all of us. And if that’s not enough, give one of us at CLC a call – we’ll always be your biggest fans.
Jennifer Van Nostrand
Member Relations Manager, Public & Special Libraries
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YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE A HOOK:
MAKING ENGAGEMENT EASY FOR ALL
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As someone who typically plays a behind-the-scenes role at CLC, I look forward to my annual excursion to the CLA conference. It’s always a treat to see colleagues I’ve come to know over 20+ years in Connecticut libraryland, and to bring new names (and email addresses) to life by connecting the faces that go with them. But as a card-carrying introvert, I freely admit that being an engaging presence at a vendor booth is not a natural component of my skill set. Each year, I hope I can convey to members the “why” and “how” and “what” of CLC’s support for them, without being too salesy or drawing a blank on talking points. Extroverts seem to manage these exchanges so effortlessly! But this year’s booth was different, and the reason quickly became clear: we had a hook. Our superpower buttons were a fun way to break the ice with even the most reticent and humble among us. “Oh, I don’t have a superpower,” we heard. “Yes, you do!” we’d reply – because it was true. Everyone has superpowers; we just don’t choose to let our freak flags fly. It was such a pleasure to help our visitors uncover their hidden talents, come up with a pithy way to word them, or turn negatives into positives – and we loved seeing smiles break out over your faces each and every time that realization bubbled to the surface. CLC has been using the tagline “The Power of WE” for some time now, to convey strength in numbers and that we really are all about our members. At my 20th or so CLA conference, I finally learned that our exhibit wasn’t about CLC – our discounts, our events, our “stuff”. Just like the entire organization, our presence in the vendor hall was about YOU. That epiphany made conversation effortless, even for this introvert. All it took to get there was a button and a smile.
Christine Sarrazin
Coordinator, Communications & Marketing
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WHERE DID YOU GET THOSE BUTTONS?
and everything else you need to know
to rip off our CLA booth
😊
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If you need to promote your library at a community, university, or other large-scale event, you know it can be a daunting task. We had so much fun with our CLA booth this year, we wanted to share some of what we learned so you can make use of it too!
The right design - and designer - for the job
When the CLC staff met to discuss our booth for CLA, I came away knowing we needed bold signage, giant pins, and catchy t-shirts. The starting point for all of that was the artwork. Because we wanted to talk about superpowers, the art needed to reflect the type of graphics seen in superhero comic books (
Bam! Zap! Kapow!
), and we knew we’d need some outside help to get it done. We contacted Young's, a local print shop that uses a superhero as its mascot, and inquired if they had someone on staff who could help us execute our ideas. We were lucky to learn they had an in-house art designer with both the talent and passion for the type of project we planned. With just a few revisions, we had three fabulous posters, plus spot art that we could use for our other components - buttons, t-shirts, and postcards.
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The perfect button
We knew we wanted big, bold buttons for our members to write their superpowers on. These buttons had to be perfect, or our entire booth concept would be a failure. However, we soon realized the shiny, slick surface of a standard button wasn't ideal for writing. We ordered free samples from several different button companies, and finally settled on a 4” button with a
soft matte finish
. The site we used –
purebuttons.com
– had an easy interface, great customer service, and the best price available. An added bonus was the ability to add our
contact information around the rim
.
Beyond the booth
Another key component of our presence at the conference this year was to extend the reach of our message beyond our vendor booth. We brought our buttons to programs of course, but we also created staff t-shirts featuring our bold "CLC: The Power of WE" design. This turned us into walking advertisements as we moved throughout the event. We used
Customink.com
as our t-shirt vendor. If you need branded products, you can use our referral link to save 10%:
https://www.customink.com/friendoffer/32575494-befc8
The takeaway
Finally, we didn't want to send our members home without some sort of reminder about CLC and what we do. We decided to create an oversize card with our "Power of WE" graphic on the front and our CLC "superpowers" on the back, along with our contact information. Our local printer/designer also handled this job for us. We handed out the cards and inserted them in our popular notepads to bring the message back home to our members' libraries - CLC is here for you.
Need some buttons?
We were so pleased to see how our booth came together, and so, SO happy to see everyone’s positive response to it! We’ve heard some library directors say they’d like to use the buttons as a staff activity for everyone at their library, and we think that’s a great idea.
We do have some buttons left; please let us know if you would like some. If there is enough interest, we will place another order.
Let me know by May 30
how many you would like -
astern@ctlibrarians.org
.
Now it's your turn!
Finally, let's keep the power going! Please share pictures of your library staff wearing their buttons. You can email them to us, or even better, upload them to your library’s Facebook page and
tag us
so we’ll see them. And if you use some of our ideas at your own community or school event, please share those photos too. Superheroes, unite!
Amanda Stern
Events & Special Projects Manager
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Our staff superpower buttons. (Some of us had trouble narrowing it down to one!)
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Thanks to our shirts, Julie & Amanda extended the messaging to their Advocacy Bootcamp program.
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Now it's your turn! Send us your pics!
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SEE FOR YOURSELF - CHECK OUT OUR SLIDESHOW!
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Click to open in YouTube and see your super-powerful colleagues ... maybe even yourself!
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CLC'S 16th ANNUAL MEETING - JOIN US!
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Thursday, June 6, 2019
4:00 - 6:00 pm
CT Public, Hartford
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Join us at the CT Public studios to hear about trends in public broadcasting and how libraries can participate in and benefit from all that
CT Public
has to offer. The event includes a social hour with beverages and hors d'oeuvres, brief business meeting, networking, and celebrations! Register today!
ctlibrarians.org/event/AnnualMtg19
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RIDE THE CLC BUS TO BOOK EXPO!
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CLC will be running two buses to
BookExpo conference
in New York City on Thursday, May 30. Join your colleagues for a fun and stress-free trip to the publishing event of the year!
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BOOK EXPO BUS FAST FACTS
DATE:
Thursday, May 30 ONLY. While BookExpo is a three day event, Thursday 5/30 is the only FULL DAY, with the event open from 9:00am to 5:00pm. We want you to be able to maximize your time.
STOPS:
Choose the I-84 bus with stops in Manchester, Farmington and Waterbury, or the I-95 bus with stops in Groton, North Haven and Westport.
FARE:
$20 per person for CLC members, $30 for non-members and guests.
REGISTRATION:
Registration for the buses is open! Get all the details and sign up today:
MORE ABOUT BOOK EXPO:
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CLC MEET-AND-GREET AT GOODSPEED OPERA HOUSE!
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Wednesday, June 26
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam
The event will include:
- Live viewing of a technical rehearsal
- Q&A with the creative team
- Tour of Scherer Library of Musical Theatre at Goodspeed (the only library in the world dedicated solely to American musical theater!)
- Social hour next door at the historic Gelston House featuring generous hors d'oeuvres
$20 per person. Space is limited to just 40 CLC member library staff.
Register today!
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CLC's Cooperative Collections
CT libraries of all types are saving time and money with CLC's cooperative collections, and yours can too! Cooperative collections are non-print collections shared among multiple libraries, with regular "swaps" to ensure that everyone always has a fresh selection. Options include general DVDs, foreign language and independent film DVDs, and books on CD. Now is the time to join - startup fees waived for most circuits! Sign up by
May 31
.
ctlibrarians.org/circuits
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InfoUSA (Hill Donnelly) Directories
CLC is pleased to continue offering our members the lowest possible price on InfoUSA (Hill Donnelly) print directories - virtual treasure chests of information about your local community! Last year, CLC members saved over $3,500 on these directories. CLC is now taking orders for the following 2019 editions:
Bridgeport/Stratford/Fairfield, Danbury, Norwalk, Putnam/Windham, Stamford/Greenwich, Torrington/Winchester, Waterbury
. Order
by
May 31
.
ctlibrarians.org/hilldon
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Exclusive Ticket Savings:
Because of Winn Dixie
musical at Goodspeed Opera House
The beloved, award-winning novel about a mutt named Winn Dixie and a quirky community learning to get along has been transformed into
an uplifting new musical at the Goodspeed!
CLC members save $15 off adult price tickets, Wed & Fri evenings, June 28 - Aug 2. Limit 8 per order. Call 860-873-8668 or order online at
www.goodspeed.org
. Use code
LIBRARY15
.
Valid on select seats and subject to availability. Restrictions may apply. Not valid for previously purchased tickets or in combination with any other offer. Regular service fees apply.
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BookCon
BookCon
, held June 1-2, 2019 in New York City, is a unique conference created for book lovers of all ages. While
BookExpo
is for book professionals, BookCon is for anyone who loves books.
CLC members save $5 off each BookCon ticket with our exclusive discount code. Extend the offer to your library users
! Registration is open now - head to our website for the registration link and discount code.
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Thursday, May 9, 10:00am
Middletown Library Service Center
TOPIC: LIBRARIES, HOMELESSNESS, & HOUSING INSECURITY
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At this session, we'll learn about new training available from the CT Coalition to End Homelessness and talk with key staff from the Friendship Center in New Britain. We will also discuss how libraries can become institutional stakeholders in this area, possibilities for partnerships, how can we foster dialogue and public education, and what can we do to better serve this population.
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Wednesday, May 15, 1:00pm
Fairfield Ludlowe High School
FIRST MEETING!
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Join us on Wednesday, May 15, in the Learning Commons of Fairfield Ludlowe High School for our first meeting to discuss topics of interest to school librarians. Please register so we'll know to expect you!
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Thursday, May 16, 10:00am
Van Block State Library Storage Facility, Hartford
THE ANNUAL JOINT INTERLIBRARY LOAN ROUNDTABLE - EAST & WEST
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Join us for our annual year-end joint meeting to discuss the latest news and developments in interlibrary loan.
Hear updates from the State Library and others on important resource sharing services, tour the DeliverIT CT facility, learn what you missed at the recent CT Library Association conference, and more.
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These meetings are just a sample of upcoming roundtables -
15 meetings are happening in May!
Please explore and register for your favorites. Everyone is welcome at a CLC roundtable.
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Posted on SCALA, the SCSU library student listserv: "
If you are nearing graduation and looking for a library position, the Connecticut Library Consortium is a great place to start. Visit their web page at
https://www.ctlibrarians.org/page/jobs
or follow them on their new Twitter account
@CTlibjobs
for daily postings."
--Jeri Van Leer, Adjunct Professor, School Library Media Program, SCSU
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