csif.data.report.v3.fopl

DATE CLIENT STRATFORD PUBLIC LIBRARY

go public!methodology | sentiment | insight | data visualizations | social media | brand

FEBRUARY 16 2012

the library has no walls

mapping the next library

scope

In October 2010, the Stratford Public Library won a $31,000 CSIF grant to undertake a new kind of strategic planning process: one driven by the community stakeholders, in their own words, telling their own stories.

This simple concept meant the community itself would co-create answers to the myriad questions about the future of the library: bottom up, not top down...predicated on the concept that ‘we’ is smarter than ‘me.’

This report details the process, its results and the prospects for a future library in Stratford.

The project had four distinct aspects:

a community ‘visioning’ town hall, filmed and transcribed to capture key sequences to inspire

stakeholder conversations twelve ‘community collaboration’ sessions, each with a distinct sub-community, inspired by film clips from the

‘visioning’ sessiona community outreach comprised of a ‘wordle’ poll and

‘coffee catcher’ sessionsa social media program to index all local results against ‘new library’ research and commentaries on the Internet

This presentation examines the rich

qualitative data from the community co-creative

sessions, expressed not in numbers but visualized as

a ‘pattern language.’

Instead of filling out a form or writing a prepared ‘mission statement,’ stakeholders were asked to share stories...their stories about the library.

Their shared stories comprise Stratford’s ‘collective intelligence’ around the idea of ‘library.’

methodology

Rarely polled stakeholder communities like at-risk youth, small business and the nonprofit faith/service sector participated.

First, the numbers.

1 visioning session12 community collaboration sessions13 different constituencies reached (including three youth subgroups)59% female 41% male

In the co-creative sessions alone, over 150 different themes emerged from thousands of human interactions amongst some 125 engaged people

over 18 hours of conversations recorded and mapped

Hundreds of conversational ‘turning points’ emerged, which identified dozens of possible solutions.

We listened. Profoundly.

These shared community stories sparked conversations, rich in sentiment (how people feel about a topic) and insight (precise intuition about a topic).

How did we inspire these conversations?

First, we designed a welcoming, intimate setting to relax the participants. (Details like lighting and music were key considerations).

Using film clips (from the October ‘visioning’ townhall and YouTube) and a simple word game, we launched conversations revealing story threads about ...

...the ‘once and future’ library.

And then got the heck out of the way.

The result? Laughter, frustration, nostalgia, reflection, real live argument: a rich window on participants’ past experience and future expectations of the library.

It was intense: participants were amazed that their time together went so quickly.

The shared stories were recorded live and mapped simultaneously.

The conversations were recorded and annotated by LiveScribe® digital audio pens and live-mapped by Compendium.

At each and every session, we noted a strong sense from participants that ‘great session: we’ve been heard.’

We then identified hidden patterns in the texts generated by the maps and LiveScribe notes.

Once Compendium captured key conversational ‘turning points,’ we confirmed the emotional triggers sparking co-creativity.

snapshot of 2mins of conversation from ‘arts/culture’ co-creation session re role of librarians

‘turning point’

‘turning point’

‘turning point’

The LiveScribe interactive maps benchmarked key comments, in context, against the session’s actual audio recording.

snapshot of 22mins of LiveScribe conversation

from ‘youth #1’ co-creation session

re future of librarians

The conversation maps were analyzed for context and topic frequency.

German ‘concordancer’ freeware called TextStat analyzed term frequency and context.

theme in contextsample query string

libraryaccess healthcare

information

And ‘hotspots’—where the conversations sparked new ideas—were identified and classified.

Seven story themes emerged.

These themes naturally segment how people think about libraries.

PLACE/SPACECULTURESELFCOMMUNITY

‘THE UNQUIET LIBRARIAN’*

RESOURCESTECHNOLOGY

CONVERSATIONAL THEMES

*active, visible, noise-tolerant, available ‘human search engine’

Thematic responses were mapped against seven modes of interactivity (q+a styles) around the table.

Those q+a styles pinpoint seven ways two people resolve ambiguity in the course of a conversation.

The results yield data weighted for ‘mention frequency’ (from TextStat) within the seven themes.

Then we mapped the styles against the themes, uncovering hidden patterns.

...but expressed via icon sets, with icon size proportional to frequency-of-mention weight

Here’s a prototype datavisualization.

iPads

salon

comfy chairs

youth ‘ambassadors’

media commons

community hub/‘living room’

better marketing/branding

icon size directly proportional to mention frequency

The relationship between participant interactivity

and story created rich sentiment and insight

data, in context.

sentiment measures the aspirational—what we feel in expectation

insight measures the experiential—what we actually experience

And here’s what they said, thought, and want: the aspirations of a community exploring their future library.

sentiment

There’s tremendous power in naming concepts. If you can name a concept, you can advocate for it or refine it...and demand it.

Plus, if we know which topics arise in which context, we have a powerful predictive basis for think about the future.

Sentiment analysis is key to this naming process: what triggers participants’ feelings about the library?

Sentiment incites people to actually do something.

Sentiment segmented into three categories.

passions: ‘hot’ beliefs not likely to change

passions include> inspiring architecture> ‘quiet’ v. ‘community zones’> library = community ‘living room’ (comfy chairs)

more passions> libraries must curate huge information flows, especially community data> books are beautiful

passions

give us more useful community data!

kill overdues, dude!

we want activist librarians who show us stuff

software classes +> Photoshop + FinalCutPro + Illustrator!

where’s the WOW FACTOR?

help at-risk patrons inclusively

They’re not negotiable sentiments.

paradoxes: discoveries that contradict received wisdom

Paradoxes contradict received wisdom.

Key paradoxes include> youth prefer traditional human library services> seniors prefer evolving core library services, as long as access is good

paradoxes

you’ve got all this data...and no business librarian? huh?

I’m 15 and I want an old fashioned librarian!

I’m 72 and I want digital knowhow now!OK: show me something I can’t get at home!

why’s it so hard to promote wonderful “free stuff”?

‘Pick ‘ems’: ‘cool’ beliefs that are negotiable

‘Pick ‘ems’ include > hyperlocal databases to explore local history and business research > sharing ‘leads’ for new discoveries

pick ‘ems

new building or Carnegie?

green/LEED yes...but lots of parking too?

love a café...but will it fly with downtown merchants?

coordinate community events planning?

can we have iPads instead of desktop computers?

can I work off my fines with volunteer work?

do we hafta call it a library?

sentiment data maps(from seven themes)

COMMUNITY @ LIBRARY

great library +> attract new talent to Stratford

economic generator!

transport hub for teens, seniors

deep, rich shared community experiences

optimize library resources via savvy community partnerships

SELF @ LIBRARY

libraries spark all forms of creativity

share story/life experiences with others

libraries cross generations

data isn’t everything—human connection is

‘give me context!’

CULTURE @ LIBRARY

gathering place / opposite of ‘outreach’

culture to people ‘where they are’

‘club hub’

‘bring people together’

film nights!

more curated lecture series

balance technology + human

don’t forget Festival tourists

PLACE/SPACE @ LIBRARY

‘zoned space’+> a salon for everybody, quiet or noisy

comfy chairs (huge!)

critical to downtown vitalitydigital café!

‘NO WALLS’/seamless service

‘third space’ for busy families

secure/safe/accessible

a beautiful building at the centre of community: inspire us!

performing arts/visual arts space

TECHNOLOGY @LIBRARY

digital media lab for tweens/teens...everybody!

community media commons

games = learning

‘gimme a complete search experience—live and online!’

teach us software, not hardware!

‘can you publish my book, please?’

RESOURCES @LIBRARY

better fine/hold system

volunteer book delivery

free database access: who knew?

smarter web experience

curate community data please!

market library resources better NOW!

less shelf space...more study space

university-grade texts!

showcase local business stories

more arts events in-house +> dance theatre poetry

‘THE UNQUIET LIBRARIAN’

GO TO THE COMMUNITY!

specialty branches?

get out from behind that desk!

give teens more responsibility (brand ambassadors)

teach! learning is marketing!

curate more +> organize less

focus on creativity

insight

Insight measures accurate intuition: we broke insight data down by participating subgroup categories.

All participant data visualizations are generated from the brand

trust

love of books/book experience

relaxation

adventure

‘part of community culture’

connectedness to the world

personal growth

self-confidence

respect for others

concentration

patience

persistence

self-motivation

access

safety

comfort

open space

location

barrier-free

convenient technology

discovery

knowledge

critical thinking

collaborative skills

power of observation

creativity

digital media literacy

seniors

adaptability to change

trust

love of books/book experience

relaxation

adventure

‘part of community culture’

connectedness to the world

personal growth

self-confidence

respect for others

concentration

patience

persistence

self-motivation

access

safety

comfort

open space

location

barrier-free

convenient technology

discovery

knowledge

critical thinking

collaborative skills

power of observation

creativity

digital media literacy

arts/culture

adaptability to change

trust

love of books/book experience

relaxation

adventure

‘part of community culture’

connectedness to the world

personal growth

self-confidence

respect for others

concentration

patience

persistence

self-motivation

access

safety

comfort

open space

location

barrier-free

convenient technology

discovery

knowledge

critical thinking

collaborative skills

power of observation

creativity

digital media literacy

UWay youth

adaptability to change

trust

love of books/book experience

relaxation

adventure

‘part of community culture’

connectedness to the world

personal growth

self-confidence

respect for others

concentration

patience

persistence

self-motivation

access

safety

comfort

open space

location

barrier-free

convenient technology

discovery

knowledge

critical thinking

collaborative skills

power of observation

creativity

digital media literacy

@risk youth

adaptability to change

trust

love of books/book experience

relaxation

adventure

‘part of community culture’

connectedness to the world

personal growth

self-confidence

respect for others

concentration

patience

persistence

self-motivation

access

safety

comfort

open space

location

barrier-free

convenient technology

discovery

knowledge

critical thinking

collaborative skills

power of observation

creativity

digital media literacy

Falstaff youth

adaptability to change

trust

love of books/book experience

relaxation

adventure

‘part of community culture’

connectedness to the world

personal growth

self-confidence

respect for others

concentration

patience

persistence

self-motivation

access

safety

comfort

open space

location

barrier-free

convenient technology

discovery

knowledge

critical thinking

collaborative skills

power of observation

creativity

digital media literacy

service/faith

adaptability to change

trust

love of books/book experience

relaxation

adventure

‘part of community culture’

connectedness to the world

personal growth

self-confidence

respect for others

concentration

patience

persistence

self-motivation

access

safety

comfort

open space

location

barrier-free

convenient technology

discovery

knowledge

critical thinking

collaborative skills

power of observation

creativity

digital media literacy

small business

adaptability to change

takeaways* (in bite-sized chunks)

*for future reference

Library patrons are values-driven: they support you not for what you do but why you do it.

1

Libraries are in the story business. SPL needs a clear, cogent ‘brand story.’

2

The library experience couldn’t be more personal: ignore this at your peril. (Interpersonal skills—the ‘unquiet librarian’— are paramount.)

3

SPL isn’t an airline: “customer service” is not what people want.

4

No: what they want is smart, convenient access, on their own terms, mediated by smart, accessible librarians.

5

SPL better mean business about how it tells its own story...and especially to business itself. (Marketing especially.)

6

Even people who don’t use the library love the idea of a beautiful, well-used public space.

7

Never underestimate the power of a comfy chair. (Hint: laptops and tablets don’t need tables.)

8

Play is learning. Learning is play. Don’t get in the way of either. And each requires a distinct library environment.

9

Libraries aren’t just about technology. They’re a safe haven for contemplation, research and exploration.

10

And the biggie—in a single sentence...

Libraries build participatory culture.

11

There is literally not a single aspect of modern culture the library cannot democratize—‘bring to the people.’ Not one.

12

Because the ‘next library’ has no walls.

13

And, in the immortal words of one 19 Stratford year-old: ‘grow that culture!’

14

That sounds a lot like a core strategy for the future of the Stratford Public Library.

That’s all, folks. Thank you.

Chinese pictogram for ‘collective wisdom’

proud contributor of $35,000 in in-kind knowledge sharing to this project

The support of the Government of Ontario, through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, is acknowledged