Smart Librarians

Thursday, April 6, 2017

16 Minutes of Your Spring Break Well Spent

Every Thursday, you’ll get this short, fun, relevant newsletter. It will contain a quote or smile about the library and those who love it, an idea you can use to promote your library or reading in general, and a shameless plug for the programs I offer. Enjoy!

If you are new to EOT or have missed any previous issues, you can read them all at www.smartlibrarians.com. And please tell your friends about it!

It's Spring Break for a lot of you, so I'll make this brief. Children's author Mac Barnett has an absolutely wonderful and inspiring TedTalk that I promise you is worth the 16 minutes it will take for you to watch it. You don't have to thank me. But you probably will!

Watch it here.

PS – Don’t forget to share this newsletter and blog with your colleagues!

www.TommyJohnsPresents.com
tommy@tommyjohnspresents.com
Call (770) 640-6509 or Toll Free at (866) 490-READ
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Your peers appreciate your advice about quality programs. Please tell them about your experience working with us. Our best sales people are our many loyal clients.

You are not going to BELIEVE what she called you!

Every Thursday, you’ll get this short, fun, relevant newsletter. It will contain a quote or smile about the library and those who love it, an idea you can use to promote your library or reading in general, and an occasional shameless plug for the programs I offer. Enjoy!

If you are new to us or have missed any previous issues, you can read them all at www.smartlibrarians.com. And, please; tell your friends about it!

In this issue:

A Little More Name-calling!

If They Only Knew!

This Just In!

A Little More Name-calling!

Here are a few more titles that have been bestowed upon you and your tribe of book loving masters of the media center!

Catalog Queen

Dewey Diva

Book Warrior

The Book Keeper (MY personal favorite!)

That Book Lady

And the most submitted? Library Goddess! (with thanks to Carmen Deedy!)

If They Only Knew! – Marketing your Media Center (continued)

Marketing is everything you do to place your products and services in the hands of people who would benefit from using them.

There are three steps to marketing effectively

1. Discover what your clients need and want – we’ve talked about this one. We covered that one!

2. Offer a great product or service that meets their needs and wants – you’ve got that covered! YOU have that one covered!

3. Get your message across in ways that make it stick

I have effectively marketed my business using four very “sticky” ways to get the word out. The first is VISUAL ADVERTISING. The second is Viral Marketing – intentionally getting specific teachers (mavens & connectors) to tell other teachers. Identify the leaders in your school. Not the principal or this year’s team leader or grade level chair, but the people in your school who others watch and listen to. No need to be sneaky about it. Tell them that you realize that they are people that others look up to and you’d like to harness their influence for good. It’s easier if that person is already a fan, but even if they are neutral about the media center, they can usually be brought on board with good information about the value of your program ad resources. Ask that person or persons to tell their friends about the services you offer. People will respond and all will benefit!

For more about Mavens and Connectors and harnessing the power of influence, check out Malcolm Gladwell’s book The Tipping Point.

If they only knew what you offer, and how it would benefit them, they would take advantage of it! Next week, we will look at the third sticky way you can get the word out.

THIS WEEK, identify a maven or connector and have a conversation with her! She’ll probably be happy to help!

This Just In!

May is a great time to reward your readers and encourage reading all summer long. It’s after the BIG test and you really want the kids to see the value of reading all summer. I can help. Take a look at the website and see how you can make a difference with your readers with just a simple phone call or email! I’m looking forward to coming to your school!

Encouraging kids to read, I am
Tommy Johns
Educational Entertainment Specialist

PS – Don’t forget to share this newsletter and blog with your colleagues!

www.TommyJohnsPresents.com
tommy@tommyjohnspresents.com
Call 770-315-3339 or Toll Free at (866) 490-READ
------------------------------------
Your peers appreciate your advice about quality programs. Please tell them about your experience working with us. Our best sales people are our many loyal clients.

Thursday, March 23, 2017

We Have a Winner!

In this issue:

A Librarian by Any Other Name – We Have a Winner!

If They Only Knew!

My Summer Schedule!

A Librarian by Any Other Name Contest Winner!

Wow! You responded in a big way to the Librarian by Any Other Name contest. We had close to 60 different entries and there were some great ones. I compiled the list and Linda made her choice. And the winner of the $25 Amazon gift card for personal (not school) use only is…

Drum roll, please!

Kelly Jordan of Central High School of Clay County in Lineville, Alabama with her entry, Media Maven. Kelly wasn’t the only one to suggest that title, but she was the first to send it in. Congratulations Kelly! I’ll follow up with an email to get you your prize!

Thanks to all who entered. For the next couple of weeks, I’ll share some of your notable entries. Three early entries that I really liked were:

Media Center Master (AKA MC MASTER) – sounds like a rapper!

Knowledge Nerd

Intellectual Freedom Fighter

More next week! Wear your titles proudly!

If They Only Knew! – Marketing your Media Center (continued)

Marketing is everything you do to place your products and services in the hands of people who would benefit from using them.

There are three steps to marketing effectively

Discover what your clients need and want – we’ve talked about this one.
Offer a great product or service that meets their needs and wants – you’ve got that covered!
Get your message across in ways that make it stick

I have effectively marketed my business using four very “sticky” ways to get the word out. The first is VISUAL ADVERTISING. I have used postcards, flyers, brochures and banners. You could use posters in the halls and the teacher workroom, an “ad” in the school newsletter, a video on CCTV morning news, posters at PTA meetings and more. Everywhere people you want to reach gather is an opportunity for you to give them something to LOOK AT that promotes the media center and the products and services you offer and pushes them to find how it benefits them.

If they only knew what you offer, and how it would benefit them, they would take advantage of it! Next week, we will look at the second sticky way you can get the word out.

THIS WEEK, ask to be included in the school newsletter and make it visual!

My Summer Schedule

I have booked almost 50 library visits this summer all over Georgia and Alabama. If you’d like to see what the programs I offer are like, check out my online calendar and find a show near you. I’d love to see you this summer!

Encouraging kids to read, I am
Tommy Johns
Educational Entertainment Specialist

PS – Don’t forget to share this newsletter and blog with your colleagues!

Thursday, March 16, 2017

Librarian Name Calling

In this issue:

A Librarian by Any Other Name – CONTEST!

If They Only Knew!

Children’s Book Editor Needed!

A Librarian by Any Other Name Contest

Most of you know that my wife Linda is a media specialist. Prior to that she was a college English instructor and has always had a gift for helping writers find ways to effectively (and correctly) communicate. She once referred to herself, alliteratively, as the “Word Witch.” When I suggested she change that to “Grammar Goddess,” she quickly embraced the term and never looked back!

That got me thinking about what people might call you, or what you might call yourself. I have heard or seen Library Lady, Guy-brarian (for our male colleagues), Information Diva, Media Maven, and Copyright Queen.

So, here’s the contest. Hit REPLY and send me up to three of your favorite titles. These can be names you have been called or that you wish students or faculty would call you. I’ll compile the list (sans names) and my wife will choose her favorite. If more than one of you submit the name she chooses, the email with the earliest time stamp wins. Deadline is midnight EDST, Saturday, March 18, 2017.

What’s the prize? A $25 Amazon gift certificate for YOU to use for YOU – not your school. Hit REPLY and give us your favorite librarian label. And remember – Linda Loves Alliteration!

I’ll reveal the winner next week and will share your entries over the next few weeks in the Smart Librarian newsletter.

If They Only Knew! – Marketing your Media Center (continued)

Marketing is everything you do to place your products and services in the hands of people who would benefit from using them.

We talked about everyone’s favorite radio station, WIIT-FM – What Is In This For Me? One of the best ways to answer that question is to present your media center resources in terms of BENEFITS and not FEATURES. Businesses struggle with this all the time. Features describe the “WHAT” of your library. Benefits answer the “SO WHAT?” Benefits solve a problem or answer a question.

Here’s an example:

Feature: We have 9,000 nonfiction books in our media center.

Benefit: Need an idea for the science fair? We have dozens of books that can help you find the perfect project! Ask Mrs. Read in the Media Center!

Feature: We have our fiction books arranged by genre.

Benefit: Love a good mystery? We have a whole section for YOU! Look for the blue spine label.

If they only knew what you offer, and how it would benefit them, they would take advantage of it! More on this next week.

THIS WEEK, make it your mission to find three ways to tell patrons about the BENEFITS of library resources!

Children’s Book Editor Needed!

My good friend and fellow school show performer, September Cardiff, has written a couple of children’s books and needs an editor. I am an above average proofreader and my wife is great with grownup stuff, but this is a little out of our wheelhouse. Do you have the skillset to help or do you know anyone who could do this? Hit reply and let me know. Or if you want to find out more about what she offers, go to www.temberstales.com/events. And of course, you can contact her directly. Thanks!

Encouraging kids to read, I am
Tommy Johns
Educational Entertainment Specialist

PS – Don’t forget to share this newsletter and blog with your colleagues!

Thursday, March 9, 2017

A Spaghetti Free Zone? That's what the sign said!

In this issue:

Real Library Signs

If They Only Knew!

Spring is in the Air!

Real Library Signs!

Librarians would not have had to make these signs if it was not addressing an actual problem. These are real signs, posted in real libraries. (PS – I’d love to hear from you about the ones you had to post!)

Do not CHEW headphone cords.

Please do not yell Roll Tide in the library. (This was at the UA library. I’m sure they have a similar one at Auburn, UGA and others.)

Lots of problems with food in the library:

No food in the library. Food (and possibly violators) will be confiscated and fed to Cerberus, the three-headed dog who guards the entrance to Hades, located in the basement of the Evans building.

This is a spaghetti free zone. (I’m not sure I want to know! TJ)

In light of recent events, NO OREOS will be allowed in the library! (Now this one, I think I DO want to know! TJ)

We are temporarily closed for repairs. The good news is that we killed the Basilisk.

And my all-time favorite…

Unattended children will be given a Red Bull and a puppy!

If They Only Knew! – Marketing your Media Center

Marketing is everything you do to place your products and services in the hands of people who would benefit from using them. To do this effectively, you need to communicate said products and services to the people who need them. That can be as simple as a posted list or as detailed as a library website. You can communicate it passively by posting a sign, or actively by asking for 5 minutes in every staff meeting. One of the most effective ways to do this is to meet your patrons at their point of need. When you know that a science unit on electricity is coming up, go to the grade level meeting or send an email to the teachers in that grade, telling them about the resources and services you offer through the media center.

If they only knew what you offer, they would take advantage of it!

THIS WEEK, make it your mission to find one problem your teachers face and show them how the media center can address it. It will be the best email they will get all week!

Spring is in the Air!

And that means it time to start thinking about how to reward your readers at the school year’s end! Go to www.TommyJohnsPresents.com and look at the programs that will both CELEBRATE your school’s accomplishment and ENCOURAGE your students to read all summer. The month of May is usually one of my busiest months, so contact me early! Just hit reply and say, “We want to CELEBRATE!”

Encouraging kids to read, I am
Tommy Johns
Educational Entertainment Specialist

PS – Don’t forget to share this newsletter and blog with your colleagues!

Thursday, February 23, 2017

You Can't Cross That River Twice!

February 23, 2017

If you are new to us or have missed any previous issues, you can read them all at www.smartlibrarians.com. And, please; tell your friends about it!

In this issue:

Reading Changed My Life

Quotable!

If They Only Knew!

Another Happy Librarian!

Reading Changed my Life!

Kelly Carlos writes:

“As an emerging author, most people approach me and say, “How awesome! What inspired you to write a novel?”

“My first answer is “Because I love to read.”

“Ever since childhood, I loved to read novels and magazines. Reading through a National Geographic magazine, I imagined myself in a hundred different worlds: floating down the Amazon river in a canoe, wearing a seal-skin parka huddled in an Alaskan igloo, or riding a bicycle with an umbrella straw hat down a Thailand street market. Even as a young adult, picking up an Isabelle Allende novel, I could delve into a romantic adventure and really feel like I was a part of the story. It didn’t matter if I was only sitting in my living room, or lying on my bed, or swinging on my porch swing. It didn’t matter that I rarely left my house, other than to go to school. I could travel through words, and through my imagination. Reading opened my mind to diverse traditions in our diverse world.”

Click here to read more!

Just a reminder that when you give a child the gift of a love for reading you can change her destiny! What you do matters!

Quotable!

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.”

~Heraclitus

“What he said ^ applies to reading books as well.”

~Tommy Johns

If They Only Knew! – Marketing your Media Center

Marketing is everything you do to place your products and services in the hands of people who would benefit from using them. Continuing on the theme of giving your principal what she wants (higher test scores are the top 5!), there’s this:

"It is more than ironic that school districts are willing to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on reading programs and staff development which have had limited success in boosting test scores, but are unwilling to invest in school library programs that show direct correlations to student success."
~ Douglas Achterman, 2008 Study of California School Libraries

Last week I mentioned showing your boss the research that supports the importance of what you do. Did you do it yet?

Just one more happy librarian!

“Tommy is a delight to work with, from start to finish. I appreciated the information he sent ahead of time. I appreciated his flexibility. Most of all, I appreciated the way he interacted with the kids before and after the program. He has a magic touch, in more ways than one.

“Oh, and the shows were terrific, too — full of books, jokes, magic, science, puppets, and audience participation. The kids had a ball!”

~Jan Daniel, Waycross, GA

Encouraging kids to read, I am
Tommy Johns
Educational Entertainment Specialist

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

February 16, 2017

Every Thursday, you’ll get this short, fun, relevant newsletter. It will contain a quote or smile about the library and those who love it, an idea you can use to promote your library or readiang in general, and an occasional shameless plug for the programs I offer. Enjoy!

If you are new to us or have missed any previous issues, you can read them all at www.smartlibrarians.com. And, please; tell your friends about it!

In this issue:

Digital Natives Prefer WHAT?

Quotable!

If They Only Knew!

Refreshing!

Digital Natives Prefer WHAT?

This is interesting. It seems that even kids who have ALWAYS had digital content available still prefer BOOKS! Check it out here!

Quotable!

“If one reads enough books one has a fighting chance. Or better, one’s chances of survival increase with each book one reads.”

— Sherman Alexie

“Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another’s skin, another’s voice, another’s soul.”

— Joyce Carol Oates

If They Only Knew! – Marketing your Media Center

Marketing is everything you do to place your products and services in the hands of people who would benefit from using them. This week we continue looking at your market by looking at what your principal and administration need from the media center.

Top 5 things Principals/Administration want:

1. Better test scores

2. Improved test scores

3. Higher test scores

4. Increased test scores

5. Test scores that are better than last year

Great news! Research show that a well-stocked media center, staffed by a well-trained media specialist can increase test scores. When I Googled that sentence, five of the first six results pointed to DIFFERENT studies that supported this premise. Show your principal this research and back it up with collaboration, lessons and resources and you’ll have a new champion! Many have found success getting teachers to agree to collaboration by first convincing the principal of the value of it!

When you promote the media center, keep the “customer’s” NEEDS in mind. Fortunately, the media center can help them in every one of these areas!

Don’t just talk about the stuff in the library; talk about how it affects them. Everyone is tuned into their favorite radio station, WIIT-FM. What Is In This For Me? Find ways to make what you do and what you provide relevant to what they need.

Refreshing!

“Your show was very refreshing. Everyone loved the rat and the hippo (puppets). The teachers and I appreciated the warm, encouraging atmosphere that you conveyed to the children about reading and the library. We hope to see you again soon. Thanks!”

-- Mary Underwood, Leighton ES, Leighton, AL

Encouraging kids to read, I am
Tommy Johns
Educational Entertainment Specialist

PS – Don’t forget to share this newsletter and blog with your colleagues!