Striving for more

Earlier this year, the Emmet O’Neal Library released an online survey to residents of Mountain Brook to learn how the library can better serve the community and help put together a strategic plan.

“What we were trying to gauge is how important our services are to our users, and we knew that would be a reflection of how well they really knew what we offered,” said EOL Director Lindsy Gardner.

EOL funded the study, which was then taken on by Clarus Consultants. Gardner said this was important because it creates an objective view, whereas conducting the study in-house would make it more likely for her to hear “kind things” about the library.

“Which I appreciate and love,” she said, “but we also want to hear how we can do better.”

Clarus conducted 16 interviews, held four focus groups and distributed a survey that garnered 870 responses from residents ages 8 to 80. All respondents were fairly evenly split between the villages and 70 percent use the library monthly or weekly, while 4 percent were not library patrons.

Gardner said going into the study, she expected it to show which services needed more promotion. In reference to event or workshop attendance, she said they learned, “It’s not because [the patrons] know about it and don’t use it, it’s because [they] don’t know about it.”

Spreading the word

The big part of EOL Gardner wants to focus on after reviewing that data is the makerspace.

Usually a lab in a library or school, a Makerspace can be as simple as a space to create with drills and sewing machines — “very analog equipment,” Gardner said — or fully-rigged recording studios. But it’s something many people don’t realize the library has, Gardner said, which didn’t come as a surprise.

The library’s space is outfitted with equipment for audio/visual projects, a green screen, and their main attraction, a 3D printer and 3D scanner. 

People can sign up for appointments to learn more about the equipment and use the 3D printer or scanner, and if you want to build something, the library charges a minimal fee for the filament used.

“But a lot of what we do in the makerspace is set up for people to have Skype interviews, and we do that a lot. We proctor tests [in there] as well,” Gardner said. 

Gardner wants to work on marketing their events and programming. While many people register for the library’s various events, she said there’s still a large number of people who aren’t aware of what is offered.

“The vast majority of people were already in the building when they found out about a library event,” Gardner said of the survey data. Most heard about events through word of mouth, in local news media or from a flyer, according to the survey. Despite knowing the option to learn more about upcoming events is available on EOL social media, only 25 percent of respondents chose to find them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other platforms.

“It really told us we need to do more diverse marketing than we do now,” she said. Part of that can be accomplished through their presence online and on mobile devices.

The EOL app

The library had its website redone last year and it came online in May. Gardner said she specifically looked at companies who work on library websites in order to meet the unique needs of EOL, especially the event and calendar organization. Another bonus of revamping the website, though, was that it could be bundled with creating an app tailoredfor the library.

“It’s just a more friendly interface,” Gardner said. Once it is live, patrons will be able to register for events, reserve rooms, renew items, search the catalog and see their library accounts.

While the Jefferson County Library system has an app as well, this one is meant for those who live in Mountain Brook and are registered at EOL. “For Mountain Brook residents, it is really advantageous to download the Emmet O’Neal Library app,” she said. “We’re really excited about that.”

The hope is, too, that by having the library’s streaming and online services more readily available, more patrons will be encouraged to use them. Right now, the county has Overdrive and Libby available for electronic content, but Gardner said if an e-book is checked-out by someone, another person can’t check it out at the same time even though it’s electronic.

So EOL has implemented Hoopla, a platform for downloadable content such as e-books, audiobooks, TV shows, movies and graphic novels. Instead of being a curated collection, Gardner said EOL pays for each use when the items are downloaded, which is generally the cheaper and faster option.

“People love Hoopla because you never have to wait, but you’re also never going to find the latest and greatest content,” she said. 

Patrons are also able to use Kanopy, a video streaming service — “a different flavor than Netflix,” Gardner said — that features more educational movies such as those from the Criterion Collection and award-winning films. In addition to web service, Hoopla and Kanopy are also available on the app.

Planning for the future

All of these changes and future upgrades fall under what Gardner deemed the library’s strategic plan. The existing long-term plan ended as she took on her role as director early last year, and she wanted to have a path to follow in the coming years. 

Right now, there are six focus areas:

► Space: In the next year, Gardner wants to balance the quiet and loud areas while determining how to add a teen area within the existing footprint of the library.

► Patron services: EOL is looking to create a system to evaluate current programming and develop new programming, while balancing the collection of print and digital resources.

► Outreach: Gardner hopes to connect more with the community outside the library, as they did this past summer with a pilot program at Brookwood Forest Elementary.

► Communication: By focusing more on advertising available programs and services, EOL hopes more people will know about what the library offers and attend more events.

► Technology: While Gardner has not yet presented her yearly budget for approval, she would like to add more self-checkout stations and encourage digital literacy for staff and patrons.

► Volunteer engagement: Gardner wants to recognize EOL volunteers more frequently and determine how they can help with parts of the strategic plan.

“I’m a firm believer in planning,” she said. “And being new to the community, I felt it was the right time to really do sort of a … canvass of the community about what the people really wanted to see us become in three to five years.”

Learn more about the services, events and programs offered at EOL by going to eolib.org.