TexShare Communications Working Group Meeting
10:00 AM until 3:00 PM on Friday, June 26, 2009
Room 217
Texas Real Estate Commission Bldg
1101 Camino La Costa, Austin, TX 78752

1. Welcome & Introductions
Greg Tramel’s term is set to expire in August 2009, so the group needs a new chair. Deanna Frazee has agreed to be the new chair of the group.

2. TexShare statute change – constituent communications
The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) was granted permission to open up the consortium membership to other types of libraries. This came as a result of the 2008 TexShare strategic planning session. TSLAC posted information on the listserv and got feedback, and also posted to the Texas Register.

Mike Avila, TexShare public information specialist, asked the group for ideas on asking about opinions on the rule change. Other TexShare working groups have discussed this also. The Communications working group should also get the word out to non-TexShare members and non-profit groups. It was asked if the Texas Library Association (TLA) has a special libraries focus group to accomplish this goal. It was suggested that we approach the Texas Association of Nonprofits at their annual meeting to spread the word about TexShare. Mike discussed that moving from statute to rule gives TSLAC more leeway than having to go through the legislature for decisions on which libraries may or may not join TexShare.

It was also suggested that we contact possible non-profit nonmembers through their listservs, and that the working group members should send Mike lists of possible organizations to contact. However, we need to wait until the rule is set before contacting them. When marketing to other libraries, TexShare should show the database usage of Tier 1 libraries. This might help convince them to keep up funding for the databases. Testimonials were also mentioned as a good marketing strategy. It was also suggested that libraries that can’t afford the database prices form their own consortium for increased purchasing power.

3. Database training modules RFP
Mike described what the Request for Proposal was about. For effective marketing, the group needed to get TexShare to the public. The vendors have free marketing tools on their websites. There are videos on YouTube that show how to customize database marketing to local communities. It was suggested that the online training modules have links to vendor sites, and have icons displayed on websites that group different databases by audience. Contact Jay Velgos for assistance. American Library Association (ALA) may have a Twitter group, so the group could create a TexShare subgroup to Twitter all the ALA attendees.

Mike showed the TexZine page and talked about it. He also showed the Library Development (LD) blog. Mike provided the URL for the blog. Members suggested that LD put a link to the blog on their page.

4. Vendor training -- free webinars are available

5. Radio spot feedback
Mike played one radio commercial from the website. Members discussed regional broadcasts and taking the script to the local stations and running them as public service announcements (PSAs). The group suggested sending notice of scripts to library directors directly for better awareness of the scripts because most didn’t know that they exist. Mike would get in touch with Clear Channel to see if they would do some PSAs.

6. Library Development Division’s Blog -- Covered in #3

7. Spanish language flyer
Mike presented a draft of the TexShare Spanish language flyer. It was suggested that the footer about requesting copies be in both English and Spanish. The group decided the flyer should focus on kids’ databases and homework help. It was also suggested that the basic flyer be as clean looking as possible, and then have subsequent fliers with more detail when requested. Some databases that were not listed also have Spanish content. Another suggestion was that the flyer describe the English databases in Spanish so users could encourage their kids to use them.

8. Review Annual Survey Comments
Ann Mason, TexShare Coordinator, called in and gave an introduction to the annual report survey and the resulting overall comments on TexShare. There were negative and positive comments about each program in TexShare, but TSLAC was asking for overall satisfaction with TexShare in this survey to report to the legislature. Each TexShare program manager sent out comments on their programs to their respective working groups.

9. Review TexShare Strategic Planning recommendations
One strong recommendation that came out of the TexShare Resource Sharing Summit that took place in Feb. 2008 was to form an Implementation Task Force. This task force met on February 26, 2009 to start work on the charge assigned the task force by the TexShare Advisory Board in July 2008. At this meeting they discussed:

• Goals for a survey on TexShare services. The task force identified several areas in which libraries need data to inform their future decision-making. They recommend that there are multiple audiences to survey, including academic, public, or K-12 library patrons, users, or nonusers; some data elements would be better addressed by an environmental scan than through a survey; some of the areas identified would be better addressed by focus groups than through a survey; and focus groups and surveys could serve a dual purpose of information gathering and of outreach to nonusers.
• Outreach strategy. Task force members identified the following as important to any outreach strategy: target audiences for outreach and customize the message to the audience, and remember to keep outreach jargon-free; survey (or focus group) results should inform an outreach plan; market the outreach – member libraries need to know about tools we provide them that assist them in outreach; and set audience priorities.

The Communications Working Group members suggested reaching the nonmembers, and the question was raised about how to reach nonmembers. A suggestion was made that the Friends organizations provide food as an incentive to get non-patrons involved in the focus groups. It was also suggested that we hold focus groups across the state. The focus groups would be regional and include all demographics. There is another type of group called democratic polling – a center helps you select your focus group. Taylor Willingham, a facilitator that TSLAC has used before, could help facilitate this process. Some patrons think that using the databases from home is not using the library, especially when they don’t visit the building. Some people don’t know that Ebsco is a database.

It was asked if the group could find how other state agencies conduct outreach, such as Parks and Wildlife and the Historical Commission. Another person asked about advertising toolkits for special events that librarians could download and print out. Back to school in August was suggested as a good time. Universities also do some PSAs for communication projects pro bono. Marketing and business schools are a good resource for that. One member asked about an end-user competition where they create PSAs on YouTube. The database vendors also have toolkits for marketing.

· Expanding TexShare – see discussion above (#2). Also, TSLAC is going to have a program at TLA in 2010 to talk about the process of adding new TexShare member groups.

10. 2010 TLA Program ideas
The feedback from last year’s TLA program on consumer rights was very positive. The audience was relatively small, but all were impressed with the speaker.

NetFair: Database administrative training would fit in with NetFair. Deanna Frazee will approach take the suggestion to the NetFair organizers. Mike will contact the TexShare database vendors to see if they are interested in presenting. The group could send out a notice to database administrators for interest/feedback on NetFair, and if it’s successful, maybe do a program in 2011.

11. Desired outcomes of a TexShare “brand management” strategy

• · Recognizable and distributed broadly
• Measurable and greater visibility to the man on the street
• Retool the logo and buzzword
• Have a “Teens for TexShare” program, teens should hear it from other teens
• Define what’s in it for the audience
• Demonstrate the quality of the database information vs. what the database is
• Get celebrities to give testimonials and pose on posters
• Put posters in bus signage area
• Use TexShare as a verb, like we use Google as a verb. What is the definition of TexShare as a verb?
• Have a competition among libraries of their outcomes and announce the winner at TLA
• Get librarians to stop saying ILL and use TexShare instead
• Use TexShare logo on a band that goes on the ILL book, and put the logo on all TexShare printouts
• Introduce this at library schools in the 1st semester. It can be online for the distance-learning students.
• Use YouTube to show a tape of Mike and Russlene presenting to the library school class at the University of Texas for the other schools
• Use Twitter and/or Facebook to get out the TexShare message

12. Next Steps

• NetFair follow-up
• Get scripts for radio ads out to directors
• Democratic Polling
• Get LD’s blog linked on the website where it can be found easily
• Improve the Spanish flyer
• Look into using Facebook and Twitter to promote TexShare

In attendance:

Greg Tramel, Chair
Mike Avila
Merry Bortz
Willie Braudaway
Deanna Frazier
Julie Hughes, recorder
Ann Mason via phone
Monica Norem
Cynthia Peterson
Lisa Smith
Sarah Tusa
Loretta Wallace