2012 John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award The John Cotton Dana Awards were presented June 24, 2012 at the American Library Association Annual Conference in Anaheim, California The John Cotton Dana Award is one of the most coveted and prestigious awards given by the American Library Association’s Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA), the division that cuts across type-of-library lines to select libraries that have distinguished themselves by their public education and public relations efforts. The award is provided in conjunction with the H.W. Wilson Foundation, the American Library Association and EBSCO Publishing. It honors outstanding library public relations, whether a summer reading program, a year-long centennial celebration, fundraising for a new college library, an awareness campaign or an innovative partnership in the community. The Award, inaugurated in 1946, was named after John Cotton Dana (1856-1929), a librarian who began his career in Denver in 1889 and closed it in Newark, N.J., in 1929. In between he was one of the key figures in an era where progressive politics found willing innovators in progressive librarianship. 2 MnDOT Library 2012 John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award Table of Contents Award Photograph 4 Application 5 Announcements Announcement - American Library Association 18 Announcement - Sheila Hatchell 20 Articles Minitex 22 TC Daily Planet and “Poking Around with Mary” 23 Mn Dept. of Transportation 24 AASHTO Journal 25 Construction Bulletin 26 Mn Association of Government Communicators 27 Congratulatory Email Organizations 28 Individuals 29 Compiled by Pamela Gonzalez MnDOT Library Minnesota Department of Transportation 395 John Ireland Boulevard Saint Paul, MN 55155 http://www.dot.state.mn.us/library January 2013 To request this document in an alternative format, please contact the MnDOT Affirmative Action Office at 651- 366-4723 or 1-800-657-3774 (Greater Minnesota); 711 or 1-800-627- 3529 (Minnesota Relay). You may also send an e-mail to [email protected]. 3 Photograph by MnDOT Photographer David R. Gonzalez 4 5 6 moving knowledge: MnDOT Library John Cotton Dana Award Application Summary In 2008, MnDOT Library was charged by upper management to promote library services and increase use of the library’s valuable resources and physical space. Informed by feedback through focus groups and individual interviews, the new brand, “moving knowledge”, which accurately portrays the vision of this busy transportation research library, was created. Updated marketing and communication materials portray a clear message about library staff, their services, and how they save customers’ time and money. Innovative technologies such as Wi-Fi, e-Readers, and access to social media, complemented with a remodeled physical space, further enhance the customers’ experience. 7 moving knowledge: MnDOT Library John Cotton Dana Award Application Needs Assessment & Planning Community Profile: MnDOT Library is a technical library focused primarily on civil and transportation engineering with additional strengths in management, environment, computer software, leadership, and risk management. The library serves the staff of the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), Minnesota city and county engineers, consultants, students, University of Minnesota staff, and public citizens who need these unique resources. MnDOT Library has a strong national reputation for providing comprehensive research services and resources to transportation industry partners, as well as department employees. The mission of MnDOT Library is to advance knowledge with timely, direct, and cost-effective connections to the information systems users need to provide the highest-quality transportation systems. Process: Library staff reductions in recent years had forced marketing efforts to be put on hold. Consequently, its marketing materials and the library itself had become unattractive. The Library Director, with the support of upper management, enlisted consultants to hold focus groups and conduct interviews of library staff and external customers. The participants made it very clear that MnDOT Library’s services and space were in need of some major changes to meet users’ 21st Century needs. Their feedback identified the need for improvements in three areas: developing a targeted marketing and communication plan, implementing a strategic redesign and remodel of the library’s physical space, and updating critical technology services and devices (implementing innovative technologies), including the library’s website. They further expressed an interest in the addition of “outreach services” (embedded librarianship), that would make the librarians more visible to other MnDOT offices. To respond to the needs of its customers, the library staff decided they needed to develop and execute a new marketing campaign. Objectives/Desired Results: The primary objectives of the “moving knowledge” campaign were to describe the library’s services and collections more clearly through updated marketing and communication materials, and to position the library for future outreach efforts. Other notable objectives were for the MnDOT Library to provide users and library staff with a sustainable, functional, and modern space, and to offer enhanced technologies and services. The desired results of updating the library’s marketing materials and space were to increase library usage traffic, secure additional opportunities to attend and present at more outside events, and be more involved in office meetings. The library staff researched new and affordable technologies such as social media and Wi-Fi that could be offered as library services to MnDOT staff. Budget: Library staff chose to hire consultants to facilitate the process in order to conserve staff time and benefit from professional expertise. The consultants would be responsible for all costs, including: acquiring supplies, creating deliverables, designing and printing materials, helping with the remodel, and organizing a post-campaign open house event. 8 Needs Assessment & Planning continued… Having secured funding for the marketing and communication plan, library staff then developed a compelling and winning argument to justify the dollars needed to redesign and remodel the library’s physical space. Estimates were gathered by reviewing catalogs, meeting with vendors, and visiting and discussing other libraries’ successful projects to create a budget. The library adopted a “remodeling by repurposing” philosophy to encourage sustainability. The budget included $59,995 for the marketing and communication campaign, $64,375 for remodeling the physical space, and $500 for the open house event, for a total of $124,370. 9 moving knowledge: MnDOT Library John Cotton Dana Award Application Implementation & Creativity Brand Development: The marketing and communication plan focused on establishing a consistent brand, a visual identity, and a clear messaging of the mission and vision for the library. Law Library Consultants, Inc., who subcontracted with Modern Design Group and Diane Foote Design Associates, were awarded the consultant contract. Deliverables: A new library logo that ties in with the MnDOT agency logo, and a new tagline, (“moving knowledge”), which clearly conveys the purpose of a dynamic transportation research library, were used in branding the following: • New Printed Materials – a banner, postcard, brochure, bookmark, business card, flyer, stationery, magnifier, notepad, posters and tabletop displays. • New Digital Materials – a 3-minute video that explains the library’s resources and services, a new MS PowerPoint template, and a comprehensive website redesign. The new website has improved navigation, highlights key resources, incorporates the new brand identity, complies with new web standards (ADA), and is more user-friendly. • Physical Space Remodel - made the space more inviting for users, more effective for staff, and more functional overall. MnDOT upper management directed MnDOT Library to keep sustainability in mind. More furniture was repurposed than purchased; study carrels were converted to group work tables, work chairs were recovered with contemporary fabric and casters were added for mobility. Comfortable high-back reading chairs and end tables were purchased. A new copy center/work area was created with a polished oak finish. Two service points, a circulation desk and a reference desk were consolidated into a single oak library service desk, making it clear where to go for assistance. A large display bookcase was purchased and an enclosed office was created for the Library Director by repurposing the former reference cubicle. Updated signage was added in the hallway, and the walls and pillars were painted. Transportation-themed photographs taken by MnDOT’s award-winning photographer were hung throughout the library. Plans were established for holding events in the library such as celebrations for National Library Week, and an agency-wide Commissioner’s Reading Corner book discussion group initiated by the library and supported by the Commissioner of Transportation and upper managers. • Innovative Use of New Technologies - MnDOT's upper management charged the library staff to become leaders in emerging technologies within the organization. As part of the space redesign, two MnDOT network computers and Wi-Fi service (two public Wi-Fi computers, and wireless access and printing for mobile devices) were added. Popular social networking tools such