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How to Tackle Library Signage in a Pandemic and Make Visitors Feel Comfortable With Your New Rules

Photo Courtesy Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County

Has your library physically reopened?

I am collecting the reopening experiences of library staff members of all levels. Whether your library is now doing curbside or drive-thru service, books by mail or in-person interactions, how are you, your coworkers, your supervisors, and your patrons handling new reopening restrictions? All comments are anonymous. I may use your comments in a future episode of the Library Marketing Show or a future blog post. Thank you in advance.

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When the pandemic forced libraries around the world to close their physical buildings, there was one major library marketing tactic that instantly became obsolete… signage. Suddenly, all the effort we put into the size of the sign, its design, and its placement vanished.

In my days working at a public library, signage was the most common marketing request from my fellow library staffers. It was a big deal. Everyone wanted a sign or a poster for their program. They wanted to put their sign in as many locations as possible.

When COVID-19 forced libraries to close, library marketing abruptly shifted to digital tactics. But now, as libraries move toward reopening, the debate over signage has returned to professional groups and library staff discussions. Signage is now crucial for communicating new rules about mask-wearing, social distancing, and time limits within physical library spaces.

In the old days, I would have encouraged staff to use less signage and do more talking with patrons. That’s not possible right now.

But we can still think strategically about how we place our signage, how it is designed, and how much of it we use. Here are some tips for planning your signage as your library moves toward reopening physical spaces.

Place the most important signs at the entrance, along with a staff member. My favorite neighborhood grocery store is small, like many library branches. I’ve been studying their signage and customer service model during the pandemic, and I think it is easily transferable to the library world.

The grocery store has a sign at the entrance informing patrons they must wear a mask and maintain social distance. They also have one masked staff member who stands six feet from the door, rain, or shine. This staff member points out the sign and ask the customer if they have any questions.

It’s incredibly simple but effective. It gives customers a chance to ask questions in a safer location–the exterior, where there is better ventilation and where it is easier to practice social distancing. It reduces staff interaction inside the store. Libraries might consider following this model to ensure that everyone entering the branch understands the expectations.

Map out your visitor’s journey through your branch. You’ll want to make it easy for people to understand how to get to your key service points while following the new social distancing rules. To do that, draw a bird’s eye view of your space. Then map out how you want people to move.

Walk the path yourself several times, noting where you need to put signs to maintain traffic flow. At each sign location, note how much space you have to work with and the color of the surface background. Do you need posters? Do you need laminated signs? Will you need plexiglass holders? Will you need double-sided tape? Then gather your supplies, make your signs, and place signage to facilitate a smooth flow of traffic.

Keep the map and the signage plan in a location where all staff can access it, so anyone can replace a sign when needed.

Create signs to make first-time visitors feel more at ease. Though the new rules may seem clear to you, or even to regular patrons, don’t underestimate the confusion your first-time visitors may experience. Some people will be unfamiliar with where to go or what to do when they arrive at your branch. Simple instructions such as, “Check out this way” or “Return Books Here” can make the difference between smooth traffic flow and potential bottlenecks.

Use color coding. Maybe you already have a color-coding system that your customers are familiar with. Use those colors as part of your new reopening signage to make your visitors feel at home in your library. Color coding of signage can be especially helpful in libraries with many departments and several floors of service.

If you don’t use color coding, pick a universally familiar scheme like red, yellow, and green to create a sense of direction within your branch. Use consistent color-coded signage from the entrance of your branch right through to the checkout to keep the flow of patrons going and minimize questions.

Use icons. Icons are common symbols that everyone can understand. Use icons with your text-based signage to make the new rules easy to interpret for everyone.

Use your digital signage. Libraries often use their digital signs to promote programs and collections. But you can also use those displays to communicate your new reopening restrictions.

Digital signage might also be used to encourage people to use an alternative service method like a drive-thru at a nearby branch. Post your new open and closing hours or updated information about the wait time to use a computer on your digital signage.

Don’t forget to use digital signage to help visitors understand the value of your library. A slide that demonstrates the online services your library provided during the pandemic will help your visitors to understand that your library staff was working even when your building was closed.

Be flexible. You may have done all your homework and put together an amazing signage plan. But it’s hard to predict every situation. None of us know exactly how people will interpret your signage until they enter your branch. Be ready to make changes to your plan to solve customer flow problems.

Related Help

Tips for Dealing With Angry Patrons When Your Library Reopens

Seven Cheap and Clever Ways to Bridge the Digital Divide and Promote Your Library to People Who Don’t Have Internet Access

Latest Book Reviews

The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson.

Westering Women by Sandra Dallas

Find more 60-second Book Reviews here.

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Your Library is Reopening: How to Communicate New Rules to Your Staff and the Public During a Pandemic

Photo courtesy Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County

What is your #1 library marketing worry or concern right now?

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In many parts of the United States, library boards and senior staff have decided to reopen in the next few weeks. My social media feeds are filled with posts from library staff airing concerns over a return to “normal” library duties.

The plans vary. But it appears that most institutions are slowly phasing in services. Some libraries are doing curbside only. Some are opening drive-thrus. And some are fully allowing patrons back inside their physical buildings. 

When your library settles on what to do, it will be your job to let your staff and community know what’s happening. This week, I spent a lot of time compiling the best advice I could offer to help you communicate a library reopening during a pandemic.

As you know, communicating is SO important. Your staff, your regular customers, and your community need to know what you are doing and what changes you are making to keep them safe. They will need you to say it more than once. And they will need time to digest all this information.  

A guide to communicating your library’s new policies

It starts with the staff. So many libraries think about customer communications first and forget that staff need to know what is happening. If your library is contemplating reopening, be open and honest with your staff about all aspects of what that will entail. Ask for feedback and listen respectfully to staff concerns and ideas. Adjust your plan where you can.

And expect pushback. It’s uncomfortable. People are scared. And there are members of your staff who will be vocal about their disapproval. If you are a library leader, find ways to address the concerns of staff. The Library Management Group on Facebook is a helpful resource for advice from other managers.

When sharing news with your community, use all your tactics. Create a page on your website where you put all your re-opening information. Link to it from your homepage and, for the time being, in the bio of all your social media accounts.

Make a video, or several videos, to explain the changes. If your library has accounts on multiple social media platforms, use all of them to tell people about your plans. And make your re-opening plans the exclusive focus of a social media live event. You can really build excitement and interest by publicizing the livestream where you’ll unveil the plans and take direct questions from the audience in the comments or chat.

Send emails to your community and patrons. Ask community partners to help share information about your reopening. Finally, pitch your reopening as a story to your local media. 

Create one core message and repeat it. You are going to have to say the same things and repeat the same information before the changes sink in.

Remember the Marketing Rule of 7? People need to hear a message seven times before they are compelled to take an action. It applies in this instance. And, with the vast amount of information coming at them from various sources, your community may need MORE than seven messages to fully grasp your library’s new service requirements. 

For maximum effect, settle on a few sentences as your core message or talking points. Repeat those on all your channels.

For social media, post your message at varying times of the day to make sure that it’s seen by as many followers as possible. Add your message to all your email marketing campaigns. Ask staff to practice your message as talking points so they can deliver a consistent answer when they receive questions from people at the desk, at the door, or by phone. Add the message to your holds slips and receipts. Add your message to videos. If you do live virtual events, ask staff to repeat the message before they go into their main program. 

It’s going to seem redundant to you. But a consistently repeated messaging campaign works.

But don’t overwhelm people. I received a reopening email from a library this past week with no less than 18 calls to action! It was overwhelming. And I didn’t click on any of them.

Don’t make that mistake. The services you provide are going to be different for different people. If you can break your messages up by audience, do so. And instead of sending one message with EVERYTHING in it, send two or three messages containing your core talking points, plus two to three details that pertain to a targeted audience. Your readers will be better able to digest and retain the information.

Use your signage wisely. I know many libraries are putting a good deal of information on their signage to keep interactions with the public to a minimum. But remember that too much signage will look crowded, cluttered, and overwhelming to your patrons. Take some time to plan where you’re place signage, and what they will say, for maximum effect.

Don’t forget to keep stakeholders and legislators in the loop. It’s important to send regular updates about what your library has been doing during the shutdown and what it is doing now as it plans to resume physical service. Highlight the many ways your collection was used even when your building was closed.

Legislators love numbers… so check your library statistics for use of digital resources. Point out trends. Show how your library helped the community cope with the stresses of the shutdown. 

Why is this so important? Right now, we must send the message that the library is always valuable. A time is coming when the economic crisis caused by this pandemic will lead to budget cuts. We need to do everything we can on the front side of this crisis to save as much of our funding as possible. And that starts now, with communication. 

Resources to help you deal with reopening

Self-Care for Library Social Media Staff in the Midst of a Crisis like #COVID-19

Don’t Stop Communicating! Tips for Handling Library Promotion Overload During a Crisis

Libraries and Social Media Facebook Group

Libraries Step Up in a Time of Crisis Facebook Group

Subscribe to this blog and you’ll receive an email every time I post. To do that, click on the “Follow” button in the bottom left-hand corner of the page. Connect with me on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.  

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How #COVID-19 is Impacting Social Media Marketing and What That Means for Libraries

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In this episode,  I’ll share the latest research on how the #COVID-19 or #Coronavirus pandemic is affecting social media marketing. This research comes from Rival IQ.

I mentioned I’m doing three live webinars this Thursday, March 26 on social media marketing for libraries for EBSCO. The content is all the same for each so register for the time that’s best for you here.

Also Kudos to the Peters Township Public Library in McMurray, Pennsylvania. Like many libraries in the US, they are closed to the public but they created a Hogwarts Digital Escape Room that is pretty fantastic.  

More Help

Library Marketing During a Pandemic: Tips for Working from Home or the Office and Dealing with the Stress of a Crisis

Self-Care for Library Social Media Staff in the Midst of a Crisis like #COVID-19

If you have a topic for the show, kudos to share, or want to talk to me about library marketing, contact me using this short form.

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This blog consists of my own personal opinions and may not represent those of my employer. Subscribe to this blog and you’ll receive an email every time I post. To do that, click on “Follow” button in the bottom left-hand corner of the page. Connect with me on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.   

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Library Marketing During a Pandemic: Tips for Working from Home or the Office and Dealing with the Stress of a Crisis

This week has been super crazy.

Many libraries have closed their doors to help quell the spread of COVID-19. Some have chosen to remain open.

I’m not here to judge one way or another. I’m here to help you work efficiently during this crisis, whether you’ve been allowed to work from home or whether you are compelled to report to the office.

Even before the pandemic struck, remote work was growing in popularity in the library world. At the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, administrative staff could work from home up to two days a week.

That’s a trend in workplaces across the nation. The amount of people working from home has tripled in the past 15 years, according to the Federal Reserve.

But if you’ve never worked from home, the transition can be a little tricky. And there are things you can do to set yourself up for success and weather this strange time in library land.

Working from Home

Treat your morning routine the same as you would if you were heading into an office. Have breakfast, shower, and get dressed, even if it’s not in fancy clothing.

Keeping a consistent schedule will help you get in the right head space for work. It will also make the transition back to the office easier (once this is all over).

Make yourself a designated workspace. It is super tempting to set up shop on your couch or bed. Resist the urge. In fact, never do work in your bed. Your sleeping space is sacred. If you are working in your bed, you mind will start to associate that space with work and its stresses. It can mess with your sanity.

Set up at your desk, kitchen table, the kitchen counter, or some other non-sleeping space. Have all the supplies you normally have at hand. Set up your photos, your plants, and your trinkets. Make it feel as much like your normal workspace as possible.

Be careful what you download. Ask your library’s IT team which platform they prefer you use to work remotely. Google, Slack, Facetime, and Teams are the most popular tools. If you do need to download a new tool or app, stick to well-known companies or ones that have been vetted and approved by your library.

Ask your library about a VPN. A virtual private network can give you access to shared drives at your home library and protect your privacy.

Watch out for scammers. Already, there are reports of coronavirus scammers calling employees. They claim they’re with the help desk, They try to get you to download software or go to a certain webpage. Don’t fall for it.

If you get an email or a phone call from someone claiming to be from IT, especially if the email contains links or documents, send a new email to your IT deparmtnet (so you’re not using the address the possible scam came from). Or call your IT department to make sure it’s legitimate.

Scammers also sometimes claim you library has set up special new call centers and the regular corporate IT phone numbers won’t work. Don’t buy it. Hang up and call your IT department.

Leave healthy food within easy reach. It’s hard to avoid the chips when you can just open the cupboard door. To help combat the constant urge to munch on junk food, I usually wash fruit and veggies in the morning and place them in bowls on my kitchen counter. That way they’re within easy reach when I get hungry.

Don’t fall into a Netflix/YouTube/Twitter/whatever hole. It’s hard for some work-at-home employees to avoid distractions. The best way to keep from binge-watching shows when you should be working is not to start.

I try to have the same mindset in my home office that I had at the library: if my boss walked in right now and saw what I was doing, would she approve?

Over-communicate. The distance created by working from home sometimes can hamper communications. Ask co-workers to tell you the best way to reach them… by text, or chat, or email, or video. Then try your best to respect their preferences.

Ask for clarity on projects from your boss. Get instructions and deadlines in writing.

And don’t be afraid to ask questions. Clarity will help get the work done faster and without mistakes.

Mute yourself if you’re on a conference call. As many of us move to virtual meetings and working from home during this strange time, we need to remember to respect meeting time as we would in the office. That means protecting your fellow workers from the sound of your dishwasher/barking dog/loud neighbor during a conference call.

Create a wrap-up routine for the end of your day. This will signal to your brain that your work has ended.

It sounds silly, but it works. Put away your laptop, pack up your pens, straighten your desk, and maybe talk a walk or lite a scented candle to signal to yourself that it’s time to relax and readjust to non-work life in your home.

If You Must Still Report to the Library

Talk to your boss about what to do if you get sick. Make sure you know who to call if you fall ill and what your rights are in terms of medical leave. Having a plan in place will help ease some of the anxiety of working in a public building.

Clean your workspace before you touch anything. This is particularly true for workers sharing desks. Clean the phone, the desk, the keyboard and the monitor buttons, the copy machine keypad, and any other shared surface with an antibacterial wipe.

Wash your hands or sanitize frequently. No need to be specific here. You’ve seen the recommendations from experts. Sing your 20-second song of choice and do it frequently.

Advice for Everyone

Remember it’s a global crisis. If you feel less productive, it’s natural and you’re not alone.

Managers: please remember that your staff are dealing with issues. They may not be sharing everything with you. Concerns about the health of loved ones, daycare situations, and generalized anxiety may lead to less productivity. Please be patient and generous with your employees.

Our cardholders and community may also be working through anxieties and taking out their stresses on staff. Please support your employees. Make sure they know it’s okay to talk about the additional stresses this situation creates for them.

And if you are feeling anxious, seek professional help. There is no shame in talking with a licensed medical professional about these extraordinary circumstances and the fears they may cause.

Try to get enough sleep. Exercise. Limit your exposure to the news. Talk with friends and family about how you feel. Read a good book.

We will all get through this. Let’s be kind and patient with ourselves and others as we navigate these uncharted waters.

Read More: How Libraries Are Responding to the Coronavirus Threat and How Your Library Can Prep for Any Crisis

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How Libraries Are Responding to the Coronavirus Threat and How Your Library Can Prep for Any Crisis

Photo courtesy Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County

This past week, many public libraries found themselves grappling with a real and unexpected threat. The 2019 Novel Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, is causing many libraries to consider how they can best share information about the disease and protect their patrons.

Public library staff and patrons may be particularly vulnerable. The library is one of the last places in the world where people of all ages, economic backgrounds, and social standings are welcome to gather without judgment or prejudice. We hold public programs, share equipment, and conduct business face-to-face. We have lots of surfaces touched by thousands of hands. We help the elderly, those experiencing homelessness, and the young.

Libraries are also a vital source of truthful information about many subjects, including the spread of COVID-19. It’s no surprise that there are already lots of rumors and false safety tips circulating on the internet. Libraries must help make sure the public has accurate information about how to protect themselves.

I want to share some resources to help your library as you grapple with COVID-19. These are gathered from official sources and from librarians working in libraries across the U.S.

This is also a good time for library marketers to consider how they respond in a crisis and to update their crisis communication plans. Scroll down for more help with that.

Coronavirus Resources for Libraries

Official CDC site for Coronavirus. Bookmark this page so you can provide information to the public. Library social media managers should post facts about the illness taken from the CDC site. A once-a-day Coronavirus fact check post is a good way to counteract the effects of false internet rumors. It will establish your library as a trusted source for the truth about the illness.

CDC Communications Resources for Coronavirus. This section of the CDC site includes videos and print materials to share with your patrons. In addition, the section for public health communicators should be shared with your senior staff.

CDC provided Coronavirus graphic

EveryLibrary guide. EveryLibrary has created an extensive resource page for libraries. They’re also holding a free webinar on Thursday, March 26, on pandemic preparations for libraries. You don’t have to register but you do have to be a member of Library 2.0, which is free.

Comic for kids from NPR. Library social media managers are passing around this piece by NPR education reporter Cory Turner. He asked some experts what kids might want to know about the Coronavirus. You can print and fold the comic, which also comes in Chinese.

BrainPOP video for kids. You can share this video with teachers and caregivers or play it at story times or children’s events to help educate kids and alleviate their fears. The site also has lots of other resources for kids including related reading, games, and lesson plans.

Blog post from North Central Regional Library, Washington. This is a great example of how to communicate the facts about the illness to a broad audience. This library used state and federal authorities to answer key questions. They also addressed concerns about visiting their public library. If you have a blog, I recommend a similar post to help spread facts and assuage fears.

Blog post from Bucks County Free Library, Pennsylvania. Their post includes a special section of information for kids that would be particularly helpful for caregivers and teachers.

Oregon City, Oregon resource guide. This version includes documents that anyone can print or download and share.

Clemson Libraries Guide. The Clemson library included a Google news feed with stories from trusted stories, which is a great idea.

UC San Diego Guide. The University of California San Diego post includes a graphic from John Hopkins that updates the number of cases around the world, making it easy for people to get updated information about the spread of Coronavirus.

Libraries 2020 article. If your library doesn’t have resources for a blog or a page on your website, you can share this fantastic article from Libraries 2020 to help customers recognize rumors and false information about Coronavirus.

Kimberly Barker, Librarian for Digital Life at Claude Moore Health Sciences Library – University of Virginia, created this printable PDF for libraries to post. She gave me permission to share it with you.

Preparing for a Crisis

At some point your library will face a crisis. It might be a transmittable disease, like COVID-19. It might be a non-lethal but worrisome issue–black mold found in study rooms. It might be a power outage that lasts several days and closes several branches (that happened to my former library!) Perhaps it will be more severe–a fire that destroys a branch, a violent argument between customers, or an administrator caught doing something illegal.

As upsetting as it is to contemplate, it will happen–this I can promise you. Your response to the crisis in your role as the library spokesperson can make or break an organization. In my earlier life as a journalist, I watched it happen dozens of times. It’s heartbreaking to watch an organization fall apart during a crisis.

On the flip side, I’ve witnessed communicators who keep their organization afloat with amazing and inspiring work during scary and emotionally trying times.

The best thing you can do right now is to prepare. Here’s how.

Have a frank conversation with the administration about disaster preparedness. They might feel uncomfortable having this conversation but make it clear that it’s necessary so that you can perform your job in the best way possible. Make decisions about how you’ll handle a crisis while you are calm and rational because rationality and calm will fly out the window the minute a serious crisis threatens your library.

Create a system-wide disaster communications plan. If your library doesn’t have one in place yet, now is the time to decide how a crisis will be handled.  Your library should assign employees to serve on a crisis communications team. This team will be responsible for gathering and disseminating information to internal and external audiences, including staff and the media.

Decide who will be authorized to speak to the media on behalf of the library. Ideally, you’ll have one main spokesperson and a backup. Try to limit it to two people, or you’ll risk losing control of your message. The spokespeople need to be comfortable in front of a TV camera, credible, knowledgeable about the library, articulate, calm, and able to work with other agencies to coordinate responses.

When it happens, be sure to communicate with your staff first, then the media. But do so quickly. Don’t wait until you know all the facts about your situation. By then, rumors will spread through social media by your customers and your co-workers and you’ll lose control of your narrative. If you don’t talk first and fast, reporters will start looking for workers and customers to interview.

Don’t be afraid to say “we don’t know yet” and refer questions to the investigating authorities. This is particularly true in criminal investigations. Send reporters to the investigating agency for answers.

Prepare your staff for ambush interviews.  Warn your staff that they will likely be approached by a reporter wanting information. Train them to funnel all such requests through your designated spokesperson.

Always having someone watching social media.  Designate one person to watch for any mention of your organization on social media channels. Have clear guidelines in place for how this person can respond to those mentions and comments.

Subscribe to this blog and you’ll receive an email every time I post. To do that, click on the “Follow” button in the bottom left-hand corner of the page. Connect with me on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.  

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