You Offer Me Nothing: Serving Next Generation Patrons

Moderator: Don Yarman

Panelists: Karl Jendretzky, Bridget

Karl is tech manager for OPLIN, but has no use for libraries

Bridget is a manager for an autoglass company; her kids use libraries, but she and her husband do not

The purpose of the program is not to convince non-library users; they know libraries have all the stuff they have and can help, so the idea is to find out how their needs are being met outside of libraries

Did the panelists use libraries before?

Karl used it as a young child, but not since; same for Bridget.

Karl consumes a lot of media (not novel); where does he get these?

TV—uses BitTorrent, VCR

Music—he downloads it but doesn’t redistribute

Movies—doesn’t download as much, but hates NetFlix because of the wait time and called it “lame”

“Never pay for it” philosophy

Deletes the stuff mostly when he’s done with it; his motivation is not to have his own library

Doesn’t want to buy CDs anyway, but won’t put CDs in his machine because of the problems with (for example) Sony rootkits and DRM

One of the audience members pointed out that Nine Inch Nails and Madonna have dropped their record labels and gone out on their own

With research databases, too many obstacles, take too long

Physical libraries—feels uncomfortable, doesn’t understand Dewey Decimal system, has to go there

Bridget—her reading habits and how libraries don’t fit into them

Reads novels every night and grew up with libraries

But works and has two kids(that she reads to every night)

Has no time to go

Likes to keep books when she’s done

Library scares her; but doesn’t know how to easily how to get things off the shelf

Takes a long time to find what she wants

Sees books and authors she’s never heard of

Fewer books at the bookstore; not so much choice

Bookstores have the most current stuff ; they’re set up for consumerism

Would be interested in a library service where the books were delivered to her house and she could keep the ones she liked and send back the ones she didn’t

Only uses her computer at work and for email

Doesn’t have time to go to programs at the library; library programs don’t fit in at times they have

Is there anything libraries can do to get them to come in?

More intuitive signage

More face-up display; libraries only show spines. No visual appeal or easy way to scan materials

Shelves are too high in libraries

Claustrophobic aisles, brown, dark aisles—she left the library

Everything else Bridget does in her life has consumerism behind it; libraries don’t market themselves or show people how we can make their lives easier

Libraries are not shoved in their faces; they don’t think about them

Like the idea of roving librarians, not having librarians behind a big desk

Like the concept of libraries, but not convenient

Would probably support a library levy for the people who can’t buy books

Would come if video games were circ’d—need to bring in adults

Would come if libraries hosted LAN parties at night

Bridget said that if her kids check out R-rated materials, that’s NOT the library’s fault

Should libraries focus on their “brand” (books)?

Karl feels that printed materials are becoming obsolete

Karl feels printed materials for reference don’t have a place anymore

How do we promote services to non-users?

Flyers in the local pizza place

Commercials (for those who don’t skip through them)