What a GREAT marketing idea!

Johnson County Library (Kansas) is using the system's delivery trucks in an innovation marketing campaign. They are taking advantage of the large available side panels and back door to advertise (fictional) business: Captain Ahab's Fine Seafood, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde's Pharmacy, Kafka's Pest Kontrol, and Benjamin Button's Diaper Service.

Since the trucks drive all over Johnson County, they are constantly advertising the library in a unique and imaginative way. And it caught the eye of the local newspaper, the Kansas City Star, bringing more free press to the library. See pictures of the trucks here.

Non-disclosure agreements & libraries

I bet that almost every library director or purchasing officer who has signed a contract to purchase access to an electronic database has agreed to nondisclosure as part of the purchasing agreement. Elsevier recently filed a motion in the state of Washington to try to block the release of "data on the terms of large-publisher bundled contracts" after a couple of researchers filed a public record request for the data. The Washington state court judge denied the motion. Read more about it here.

We all know that pricing for electronic databases is a mysterious art practiced by the vendors. I've always believed that the pricing offered to any one library on any given day depends on (take your pick) a) the phase of the moon, b) solar flares, c) how delicious that morning cup of coffee was, or d) how comfy the bed was at the sales guy's hotel.

Although the Washington case applies to an academic library, one can only hope that this is the beginning of real transparency where pricing for electronic databases is concerned.

Future of Public Libraries study

Somewhere out there in England (I believe that's where these folks are located), a group is doing a Future of Public Libraries study, according to the What's Next: Top Trends (subtitle: A Blog about Trends (for grownups)) I follow. Richard Watson, author of the blog, is reporting on a scenario planning project that is looking at the future of public libraries. Tuesday's post listed the key influences that they are considering, influences that look very familiar: sustainability, demand for space, access equity, pace of technological change, staff resistance to change, etc., etc. I recommend that you take a look at the complete list and then take a look at today's post in which Richard describes the scenario planning process they are using. I plan to keep track of their work and read the resulting documents!

Innovative annual report

If you have read annual reports from companies, agencies, etc., you know they tend to be a bit dry and not exactly keep-you-awake-at-night reading. Check out the Columbus Metropolitan Library's annual report. This Ohio library has produced an innovate and environmentally-friendly annual report that is actual interesting. For example, instead of a paragraph or two on the Ready to Read program, they have a video of a Ready to Read team member talking about the program. Take a look at the online report. It's fun, entertaining and informative. And no trees were harmed.

Cool product: IdeaPaint

Ever been in a meeting room with a tiny dry-erase board? Or in a meeting room where you are trying to get your creative ideas on to paper that you then tape to the walls? Well, some enterprising soul has created IdeaPaint, a "paint" you use to transform a wall into a dry erase board!

Yes, a "single-coat roller-applied paint that transforms any smooth surface into a high performance dry-erase writing surface" is now available. Now you can "install" dry erase boards on entire walls. How cool is that!

Follow the CDC on Twitter!

Did you know that 14 cases of the H1N1 flu have been identified in California? Want to keep up with the latest from the Centers for Disease Control? If you've got a Twitter account, you can follow the CDC's tweets! They are using Twitter to get information out to the public. They have over 55,000 followers. Their Twitter name is CDC Emergency, if you want to get their updates.

Post-Kindle Library Building

Courtesy of David Dodd, San Rafael Public Library, I recently read an article by Jamie Larue (director of Douglas County Libraries in Colorado). Published online in the Larue's Views section of the library's website, the article, Imagine the Post-Kindle Library Building, struck a chord with me.

Larue's article reminded me again that the library is much more than a book/music/video/magazine/etc. warehouse. While I was talking to California assembly members earlier this month during the CLA Library Legislative Day, I kept saying that the public library "is the community's living room" where people gather to get news, converse, exchange ideas and information. Let's not forget that aspect, even as we adopt the latest technology for our own personal use. Because, as Larue points out, no electronic gadget can really replace a colorful children's pop-up book!