“Thank you. Thank you so much. You have given my mother something to remember. She forgets everything. She doesn’t know what she ate for breakfast 20 minutes after she finished. She only knows my name sometimes,” said the worn woman in her early-sixties who took her eight-three-year-old mother to special library programs monthly.
“But, she remembered your program. She remembered the stories that the lady told last month. She told them to me," she said wiping the tears from her eyes as she recalled her mother’s reaction to “Stories for the Second Half of Life,” a storytelling program geared towards senior citizens.
As she told me her anecdote, I fought back a few tears too. I lost the battle with my emotions, but later rejoiced in the idea of transformative library programming – programs that impact and changes lives.
Since that day, my goals as a library programmer have shifted away from having huge attendance numbers to implementing programs that entertain and enlighten in meaningful ways—programs that ultimately influence and enrich the lives of participants with information or entertainment. Granted, life-changing programming cannot be achieved with every library event. Sometimes it is just about hiring a puppeteer, a storyteller, a local humorist or a jazz guitarist and hoping that scores of people will show up and write a few nice remarks on a comment card on their way out of the community room. Simply put: Bodies in seats equal high numbers to give administrators and library boards; high numbers equal happy administrators; happy administrators equal more funding to create more programs to put more bodies in the seats. This is the cycle of library programming. Attendance numbers dominate the planning and implementing of most library programs. Unfortunately, a number-driven agenda for both library programs and summer reading does not necessarily promote the high standards necessary for quality, relevance and long-term impact.
A passionate, committed library programmer or programming committee creates a balance between well-attended programs and quality programming that attracts participants and ultimately satisfies them. Effective and pertinent library programming reaches the pulse of the community, attracts typically underserved demographics, and impacts all ages (infants, toddlers, pre-schoolers, primary school age kids, tweens, teens, adults, and seniors). Library program coordinators succeed when the public chooses the library consistently as their destination for exceptional free programming that entertains and informs them, ultimately bringing a touch of happiness and joy into their lives.
To foster successful programming, I implement the strategy that I call value-added library programs. With value-added programming, popularity and audience appeal are considered but in conjunction with the quality of the performer or speaker; the affordability of the performer as well as cost reduction options like grants or multiple show discounts; community demographics; patron satisfaction; the promotion of the library’s collection in relation to the program topic, and opportunities for community partnerships. There is a lot more to library programming than hiring a blue grass band with a cool name and posting a few signs around town. Planning great library programs requires staff to learn the community’s wants and needs; find affordable performers or speakers who can satisfy audience demands and market events in innovative ways that capture the imagination of the community and propels them to visit the library. Once you have a captured audience, you can introduce them to other library products, services and upcoming programs for all age groups. Fantastic programs lead to not just high program statistics, but higher entry gate counts, increased circulation and a spike in computer and database usage both remotely and in-house. Library programs can and should be a solid cornerstone for your entire library system.
Author’s Note: For two wonderful years, I had the most amazing and dynamic job as an adult library program coordinator until an abrupt out-of-state move two years ago caused me to leave my job in the middle of the summer reading program, which for a programming librarian is like an accountant leaving his job in the middle of tax season. Fortunately, I was able to transition into a position as reference librarian but without the programming responsibilities. Now I am thrilled to report that I will be planning library events again as part of a library programming committee. So, there is no doubt I will write additional posts about library programming. Of course, these posts will be completely incongruous with my excessive commentary on Prince and his ridiculous business decisions, so please forgive me as juggle my dual role as competent programming librarian and obsessive Paisley Park commentator.
