Tips'n'tricks

Delegates at the London DLnet masterclasses were asked to share their marketing and training tips. Here they are...

Marketing tips

• Tell them you can help with CHI reports and help them meet their targets
  
• Use email to cascade messages - use NHS mail directory to find people
  
• Use notice boards and event stands
  
• Use the intranet to disseminate messages
  
• Place flyers at conspicuous points
  
• Keep promotion simple - not listing all services
  
• Work with library champions and make sure they have the information they need
  
• Use postcards (internal and external)
  
• Use a service evaluation survey as a platform for promoting services and resources
  
• Use or develop your own bulletin/newsletter
  
• Purchase pens to give away in libraries, showing local library contact details
  
• Keep re-inforcing the message
  
• Maintain contact with users - email, intranet links, phone, physical presence
  
• Keep promotion relevant to people
  
• Have chocolates/sweets on your stand
  
• Exploit word of mouth - break through to a group of professionals who will then pass information to colleagues
  
• Put up posters
  
• Set up local email discussion lists
  
• Change home pages of PCs to NeLH
  
• Use the NeLH toolbar on intranet and internet sites
  
• Promotional materials need to look professionally produced
  
• Catch them young i.e. students, new professionals
  
• Use local inductions - campaign for a regular library slot
  
• Don't assume everyone knows you're there and what you can do
  
• Have a library stand at key events
  
• Run a week of special events with activities, inviting senior managers
  
• Blanket leafleting
  
• Develop a coherent style so that library materials are recognisable and consistent
  
• Every time a book is issued, give away a bookmark inside it
  
• Use colour in promotional materials where possible
  
• Use regional/national initiatives to grab attention e.g. NeLH Awareness Week
  
• Attend meetings so messages are cascaded through organisation
  
• Use current awareness to promote value of library
  
• Run competitions with nice prizes e.g. champagne
  
• Change screensavers in your organisation to display library messages
  
• Walk around the organisation to meet new people, especially in clinical environments
  
• Don't be afraid to try to be funny - often, humour helps where there are problems
  
• Plug into existing events e.g. open days, conferences, training, meetings where you have a captive audience
  
• Be visible - get out of the library from time to time
  
• Always be helpful when you are approached
  
• Take any opportunity to give your 10 second/3 minute pitch
  

Training tips

• Bite your lip - give people a chance to find their own way round and get their brain going
  
• Ask your audience what they want to get out of the session
  
• Strongly encourage people to 'play' with a system to consolidate their skills
  
• When preparing materials, think from the users' point of view and avoid jargon like the plague - even words like 'reserves', 'indexes', 'citations' are not necessarily obvious in their meaning to non-librarians
  
• If time is short, introduce 1 resource that doesn't need a password which has an easy to remember website
  
• Go to them - don't expect them to come to you
  
• Find out their mouse and keyboard skills in advance
  
• Understand the training environment and users needs e.g. not everyone has good IT links
  
• Customise to level, time, place, individual, group
  
• Piggy back on other events
  
• Plan for all eventualities
  
• Make sure people know what learning objectives are before coming on course
  
• Use different methodologies - demos, hands on, handouts, presentations....
  
• Start with an icebreaker
  
• Know your audience
  
• Sometimes you get a better response from single discipline groups than multidisciplinary groups
  
• Have examples ready but ask for suggestions to keep their interest
  
• Ask for specialist interests in advance so you can plan the session
  
• Offer follow ups - 1 to 1 or specific support
  
• Take the NeLH tour
  
• If you can spare the staff, work with 2 trainers - to vary the voice and ways of explaining
  
• Offer tips for how to answer pre-set questions
  
• Demonstrate full text access to electronic journals
  
• Give people an exercise - not a subject of their choice so they focus on the process rather than the results
  
• Avoid jargon, be clear
  
• Include humour!
  
• Include simple key messages
  
• Give your audience realistic expectations
  
• Find the right balance in terms of time and don't over-run
  
• Try an informal quiz at the end
  
• Keep groups small and offer 1 to 1 training if possible
  
• Keep the general atmosphere informal
  
• Get participants to introduce themselves
  
• Be frivolous to some extent, to wake people up, helps them to pay attention
  
• Avoid overloading people with too much information
  
• Keep sessions short and simple
  
• Offer to provide training wherever, whenever and however required
  
• Explain that quick and dirty searching is perfectly acceptable but this is all it is - introduce generic principles of good searching
  
• Choose training examples that are directly relevant to an information need that has recently cropped up
  
• Workbooks allow your audience to work at their own pace
  
• Allow for plenty of hands-on if possible and lots of interaction
  
• Have Powerpoint slides uploaded to internet so that users can click on the links to find resources
  
• When demonstrating a search technique, e.g. boolean, tell people they can use it in other systems and interfaces too, though perhaps in a different way
  
• Demonstrate a range of resources, not just the 'usual'
  
• Work in time for consolidation at the end of the session to make sure they've learned
  
• Ensure training room is set up as you want it before people arrive
  
• Encourage users to adjust searches for different databases
  
• Use handouts for reference and follow up contact details for support
  
• Have a CD-ROM back up of your presentation