Perfect Storm Library administrators can create a public relations coup by making "insiders" of community leaders.

Leaders’ Tour

Perfect

Storm

Why,Whatand

How?

Why?

Genesis?

Library administrators

can create a public relations coup by making

"insiders" of community

leaders.

Showing influential community members the complexity and

sophistication of the library's behind-the-

scenes operations can be a good first

step to making them loyal supporters.

In the process, board members, Friends officers,

school and academic

administrators, etc. can learn

about the institution they

hold in trust.

What?

Public, Academic,

Specialand

School

Adaptable to specific

situations

Frequently community leaders

may have little or no connection with the library or even use it

Provide a "leaders' tour"

through areas of the library that are frequently “off-limits” to

non-employees.

How?

Easily adapted to individual

circumstances

Select Invitees

InputfromStaffand

Board Members

Send out invitations, six

weeks in advance of the selected evening, to 25

community leaders.

Each invitee and a guest are asked to join the director, trustees, and

key staff members for a buffet supper and tour.

Put together a good mix of guests

Our experience shows that, of the 25 leaders invited to each tour, 10-15 will be able to attend. About half bring a guest,

resulting in an average of 15-25 attendees.

Leaders of civic organizations, youth groups, political clubs, the chamber of

commerce, fraternal organizations, volunteer fire and ambulance

departments, senior citizen organizations, school and PTA officials, local editors and

reporters, religious leaders –

Every community is unique

To prepare, identify interesting tasks, processes, and/or equipment as features

of the tour (the features selected vary from tour to tour). After the choices are made, the staff members who regularly perform these tasks or work with the equipment

outline a presentation, receive input from colleagues.

At this point, if possible, board members observe the

presentations. Their questions frequently mirror those of the

invitees, and help the staff prepare an effective presentation.

Guests arrive in the library's meeting room at 6:15 p.m. for refreshments. At 6:30, they are formally greeted by the library

director and then seated at tables, where they sit with a board member

and a staff member. The buffet dinner lasts until about 7:15 p.m.

during which a slide show featuring scenes of people using the library

is projected as a background.

After dinner the guests are given an agenda for the tour and are split into five groups, each led by a trustee-guide. The tour is broken into 12-minute segments, with three minutes allotted

to move to the next station. Keeping to this schedule ensures that there is only one group at a station at any time and that our guests have a

clear view of each presentation.

That is why it is important to PRACTICE to get the time down beforehand.

Save questions to the end – to keep

to schedule

Although 12 minutes may not seem like a long time, it is sufficient for carefully

structured and rehearsed presentations. Community leaders are extremely busy

people; many leave the library immediately following the tour to attend

other meetings. Providing supper and ending the program before 9 p.m. are

two factors that have contributed to the tours' success.

Our guests have displayed interest in a wide variety of activities

A few ideas –but you need to choose your own

RFID

Anonymous -- respect privacy -- examples of real reference questions

and interloans were a big hit

Guests were impressed by ingenuity required to track down answers

If you can, fit presentations to guests’ interests

Following the 75-minute tour, the trustees and leaders return

to the meeting room for dessert, the opportunity to ask questions of the director and

key staff members, and closing words by the board president

Huge benefits, small costs

Invariably, the reaction of the leaders is positive. A special bonus

was that community opinion-formers saw firsthand how

crowded the staff work areas were. We believe this was an important

step in winning voter approval for a bond issue to finance a 24,000-sq.-

ft. addition

STRESS

In addition, competitive wages for staff are more palatable when

community leaders see the talent that is necessary to provide efficient, high-quality library

service. Throughout the tours, the library staff's efforts to provide

services in a cost-conscious way are emphasized.

One gauge of the effectiveness of the tours is calls from other leaders

who contact us to ask when they can come for a tour!

What to do for a non-invitee who has hurt feelings?

The expenses associated with this program are modest. A $10 to $15-

per-person cost for supper is the only direct cost and for some tours we had a caterer provide the food at a reduced fee in exchange for positive publicity; staff time and printing a program are the only

other direct expenses.

Employee schedules are rearranged to permit the staff

members who are working at the stations to be on duty the evening

of the tour.

For obvious reasons, we try to schedule tours on our busiest

evening—which varies from library to library.

The benefits of these tours are significant

#1

Staff, especially those who work behind the scenes, get a chance to

be recognized by the public

The excitement as the staff prepares is a morale builder, and staff get immediate and obvious positive "vibes" from important people--community leaders and

library trustees.

The positive impression made on the leaders and the obvious pride of board members in the staff's accomplishments are wonderful rewards for the staff involved.

#2

Board members also love this program. They have the opportunity to become more fully educated regarding

their trust, to renew politically important contacts, and to partner

with library staff members in a positive undertaking.

These board members, who serve with no pay, are rewarded in a very real way

when they see and hear the enthusiastic reactions of the leaders.

#3

The leaders' reward, of course, is that they now feel like insiders,

having been exposed to the complexity of the behind-the-

scenes operation of the library.

They appreciate the efforts of the trustees and the staff, as well as

the recognition that they are leaders. Since the leadership of the

organizations changes, there is always a pool of new leaders to

invite.

#4

The Library’s reward?

Better support fromcommunity leaders who have greater appreciation for the library’s staff and services

In some cases, when leaders see what the Library offers, they

become regular users

Not a panacea that will solve all problems, but a

good, useful step towards building/reinforcing community support

Possibleinvitees