Considering the Digital Branch: Extending Your Library's Reach into the Community presented by Catherine McMullen, Butte-Silver Bow Public Library at Montana Library Association Offline Technology Conference February 2010. A big thank you to David Lee King at Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library for developing and teaching the concept of the Digital Branch.

1. Catherine McMullen
Digital Collections Librarian
Butte-Silver Bow Public Library
cmcmullen@buttepubliclibrary.info
Considering the Digital Branch:
Extending Your Library's Reach into the
Community
dewy branch from Flickr user Muffet (http://www.flickr.com/photos/calliope/322623000/)

2. http://www.buttepubliclibrary.info - Butte-Silver Bow Public Library using Wordpress

3. http://www.nypl.org/ - New York Public Library built on Drupal

4. http://www.tscpl.org/ - Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library

5. What is a Digital Branch?
What makes it different from a website?
What makes it similar to a physical branch?
Does it have library staff?
Does it have books?
...music? ...images?
...movies?
Does it require membership?
...residency?
...library card?
Does a digital branch need maintence staff?
Are there meeting rooms or spaces to hang out?
Can patrons move the furniture around?
...dim the lights?
...open a window?

6. Physical and
Traditional
Library Branch

7. Building
Library of Congress Great Hall (http://www.flickr.com/photos/littlekoshka/3801991494/) from Flickr user Little Koshka; Butte-
Silver Bow Public Library watercolor by LeRoy Cottom; Cover from Catalogue of Books in the Butte Free Public Library
(1894) by John F. Davies (http://www.flickr.com/photos/buttepubliclibrary/4115110381/in/set-72157622427468492/).

8. Budget
Money, it’s a crime from Flickr user kiki99 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kiki99/1062744637/)

9. Staff
Librarian (http://www.flickr.com/photos/30976576@N07/2903662286/ ) from Flickr user Dumio_Momio.

10. Collections
Old Leather Books from Flickr user Wyoming_Jackrabbit (http://www.mtlib.org/Conferences/offline_lodging.html)

11. Community
National Folk Festival, Butte 2009 Flickr user SheltieBoy (http://www.flickr.com/photos/montanapets/3718509729/)

12. What other
core “stuff”
makes up a
library?

13. Digital or Online
Library Branch
Notes added: What is the difference then between a PHYSICAL library and
a DIGITAL library branch? The main difference really is found in that word
digital… a digital library branch is online…
BUT it has all of the same core “stuff” that the physical library branch has.
But how does that make a digital branch different from a library website?
A traditional library website is ABOUT the library, a digital branch provides
access to the library and its services.

14. Notes added: A digital branch has real structure and design. Pick out the
Real
CMS location, move this window here or there, upkeep, maintenance etc.
Building/Structure
Post-its by Flickr user Sidereal (http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidereal/255978614/)

15. Real
Budget
Notes Added: Digital branches need a real budget just like physical
branches. Budgets for purchasing online resources, online space, time
dedicated to working with digital branch, time dedicated to working with
patrons who visit the digital branch.
Washington Quarter by Flickr user kevindooley (http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidereal/255978614/)

16. Notes Added: A Digital
branch needs real Staff.
Build the site
Maintain the site
Interact with patrons
Plan and host content
Real Staff
Hold meetings
In a larger library this may
be a number of staff
members, in a smaller
library one person might do
it all or a few people might
spend some percentage of
their time working at the
digital branch.
The staff are real, they
aren’t plastic action figures.
Library Staff Rock by Flickr user Homer Township Public Library (http://www.flickr.com/photos/homerlibrary/433102240/)
Special appearance by Nancy Pearl action figure.

17. Real Collection
Not just to search the Catalog but also to….
• Download a book, music, movie
• Listen to a podcast
• Access a database
Even contribute content?

18. Notes added (Real Collection):
The digital branch has a real collection that can not only be searched…
Yes access to the catalog is essential but if that is all you have you’re just thinking
website not digital branch.
Patrons should have access to resources (books, music, podcasts, databases,
downloads, etc).
Patrons might even contribute content to the collections via a community blog or
upload area for music etc.
What kind of content do we have at Butte-Silver Bow?
Internet archive links in catalog - http://www.archive.org
Download audio books – Montana Library2Go http://montanalibrary2go.org
Montana Memory Project - http://mtmemory.org/ (local content)
Flickr - http://www.flickr.com/photos/buttepubliclibrary/ (local content)
Move into “deeply local”
Kathryn Greenhill in Australia
http://librariansmatter.com/blog/2009/06/24/getting-deeply-local-at-our-libraries/
Strategy for survival

19. Real Community
Images from The Red Couch Project by DaveAustria.com on Flickr
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/daveaustria/sets/72157605553323697/)

20. Notes Added (Real Community):
Who is already participating online socially? Where are they hanging out, attending meetings,
interacting with each other, having discussions? Where are they already building community?
Myspace, Facebook, Flickr, Community Wikis, Newspaper comments, Twitter, Ning, maybe even
Google Buzz
How old are social network users? Chart - http://stephenslighthouse.com/?p=3194
Are we afraid of losing control over our sites, our digital space? What about the “trolls”? We do
have some options.
Posting clear rules for participation. NPR example: Community Discussion Rules-
http://help.npr.org/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=5670&task=knowledge&folderID=21
Moderating comments (but do it quickly)
Blocking all comments on the website but having space elsewhere for comments…
BSB Facebook
BSB Flickr
BSB Twitter
Blocking all comments (I don’t recommend this)
We can start by peeking into the 2.0 world, opening a twitter account, exploring on facebook,
myspace, etc… listening first (lurking) before creating a library space and voice.

21. Building
Budget
Staff
Collection
Community

22. Notes slide (added for clarity):
Lets look at some library websites.
How might some of the other core “stuff” we brainstormed earlier be manifested online?
Are they focused on providing information about the library or are they focused on providing
actual library services online?
New York Public Library: http://www.nypl.org/
Butte-Silver Bow Public Library: http://www.buttepubliclibrary.info/
Tokepa & Shawnee County Library: http://www.tscpl.org/
Gonzaga University: http://www.gonzaga.edu/Academics/Libraries/Foley-Library/
Anyone want to look at their own library website?

23. What about the
communities we serve
in Montana?
Red Lodge Carnegie Public Library from Flickr user Michael Barton
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/7230309@N05/3786141388/in/set-72157621935025860)

24. Speaking of Community…
Seth Godin from Flickr user Amy Kearn
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/midatlanticbulldogrescue/2983313532/in/photostream)
You don’t share Butte-Silver Bow Public Library
social web,
social web
shares you.
Montana State University Libraries
Teressa Keenan and Steven McCann
University of Montana
(images courtesy of Facebook).
David Lee King on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidking/4351688832/)

25. Resources:
Physical:
David Lee King, “Building the Digital Branch: Guidelines to Transform Your Website,” Library
Technology Reports 45:6 (2009)
David Lee King, Designing the Digital Experience: How to Use Experience Design Tools &
Techniques to Build Websites Customers Love (Medford, NJ: CyberAge Books, 2008)
Seth Godin, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us (New York: Penguin Group, 2008)
Digital:
Stephen Abram, Stephen’s Lighthouse: http://stephenslighthouse.com/ (Info, Tech, and Library
Trends)
Seth Godin, Seth’s Blog: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/ (Reaching People, Marketing)
Kathryn Greenhill, “Getting deeply local at our libraries,” Librarians Matter:
http://librariansmatter.com/blog/2009/06/24/getting-deeply-local-at-our-libraries/ (06/24/2009)
David Lee King: http://www.davidleeking.com/ (Digital Branch)
Steve McCann, A Digital Outrigger: http://librarydigitalprojects.com/ (Digital Content)
/
Heather Mansfield, Nonprofit Tech 2.0: A Social Media Guide for Nonprofits:
http://nonprofitorgs.wordpress.com/ (Useful Social Media Tips)