Happy holidays! It’s time for my annual collection of Online Stuff To Waste Time On. You know, in case you needed help…
Author: Laura
Is your library’s website costing your patrons money?
For several years, I was a lucky customer of Verizon with a grandfathered, unlimited data plan. Last year, in an…
Stop diminishing your library’s brand: unify its voice
I get to present workshops and courses fairly often, especially on social media-related topics (when you write books about a…
New social media rules for us #olds
A common question from librarians is “Where are the kids online?” Of course, the answer to this question changes regularly….
Forget Pokemon Go. Your library has real problems
Ok, I admit, that’s a bit of an incendiary headline, and I’m not really advocating that your library forego taking…
What’s still missing from Ohio public library websites?
Recently, at my place of work, we decided to do a broad survey of Ohio’s public library websites for some…
Make your website’s search less painful for your users
If your library’s website doesn’t have a search field at all, this post isn’t for you. Your site has way…
A simple idea for personalizing your patrons’ experience
If you’ve been paying any attention to digital marketing trends, then you already know that one of the next big…
The Librarian’s Nitty-Gritty Guide to Content Marketing
I’m happy to announce that my new book, The Librarian’s Nitty-Gritty Guide to Content Marketing, is now available for pre-order from…
Measuring is easy, but the questions are hard
If you’re in charge of your library’s social media and/or content marketing, then you already know that measuring your work…
Tell me your worst trouble spot right now
It’s still pretty much a new(ish) year, and I’m interested in addressing even more topics that would interest you, the…
5 tools to ease your font headaches
Fonts are complicated. I won’t pretend that I’m anything like an expert, because I can barely differentiate between a typeface and…
Absolutely honest tool tells you if you need a better headline
There’s a heck of a lot of information out there about how important it is to have a good headline…
Because you’re not getting much work done anyway (2015 edition)
Happy holidays! It’s time for MeanLaura’s annual collection of Online Things Which Can Prevent Work. You know, in case you…
5 smart devices you didn’t know existed
One of Gartner’s 2016 technology predictions is the emergence of what it calls the “device mesh“: where we are surrounded…
The plural of anecdote isn’t data
A couple of weeks ago, I tweeted this: How many times have you heard “But the patrons want…”…
Get the web details you need–FAST
Today’s post discusses my latest “Headache Avoidance” tool. If you work on designing and/or developing websites, you are almost certainly accustomed…
Shifting our website from promotional to actually useful
For the past several months, I’ve been enmeshed in the writing of a(nother) book, on a topic that only marginally involves…
Make your web colors better
Colors can be fun, but they can also be complicated. There’s a lot of psychology involved with choosing colors as…
How hard *is* it to delete your account?
How many accounts do you have spread across the Internet? I couldn’t even begin to guess how many accounts I…
Are you designing for something that isn’t there anymore?
When I started doing web stuff in the 1990’s, I remember it being very much a “Wild West” kind of…
My teddy bear web design tools
Some people have a teddy bear. Some people have a security blanket. I have some little browser extensions that make…
Why responsive design can be scarier than dating Taylor Swift
If you didn’t know already, your library’s site should be responsive. Having a separate mobile site is no longer good…
10 facts about social media that might make you think
Because, numbers. Do any of these numbers change how you think about your library’s social media strategy? Facebook: Facebook’s monthly…
Link roundup: things your library should be paying attention to right now
I’ve only listed the three I think are most important right now, because we all get overwhelmed. Fill up on caffeine…
5 fast ways to up your library’s Twitter game
I spend a lot of time on Twitter. Nevertheless, it is a tricky social media tool to get right. Things move…
Spring cleaning for your library’s website
Allegedly, we’re heading into some season that doesn’t necessarily involve horrible weather and the desire to hibernate. Perhaps, you might be…
5 blogs I follow and you should, too
I’m an avid user of Feedly, and I subscribe to a ridiculous number of blogs and websites. However, if I…
Get help understanding your website’s data
Many libraries devote significant resources to their website. It’s important to know how it’s being used (and not being used). …
[GUEST POST] A library admin’s take on social media
Don Yarman is the Deputy Director at the Delaware County District Library in Ohio. I’ve known Don for more than…
Because you’re not getting much work done anyway (2014 edition)
Happy holidays! It’s time for MeanLaura’s annual collection of Online Things Which Can Prevent Work. You know, in case you…
Tool Tuesday: ReciteThis
So…you probably already know that social media has become increasingly visual. Images and photos typically get more engagement than plain…
3 things you can learn from other websites
Let’s start with defining “other” here: I mean sites that aren’t library websites. If you do nothing else, I want…
How well do you know your web usability myths?
Learn about more common UX myth at http://uxmyths.com/. [qzzr quiz=”26203″ width=”100%” height=”auto” redirect=”true” offset=”0″]
Are you playing by the social media rules?
As many of you already know, I spend a lot of time looking at research as it pertains to the…
5 quick fixes for your library’s website
I’ve talked about all of these before, either in various presentations or blog posts. If you’re looking for a quick…
Too quiet for you?
I’ve mentioned before how I primarily work from home nowadays, where it’s very quiet. So, I’m often looking for ways…
Carousels: time to go
Carousels have almost become ubiquitous. I am frequently asked about them when I start designing a site for a library. …
Public computing : Thoughts from the field
Librarians generally don’t like to say “No” to patrons: no, you can’t do this, no, you can’t have this. But…
Tool Tuesday: Flare by Filament
Getting people to share stuff, especially via social media channels, is always a challenge. I’ve tried various WordPress plugins and…
3 truths about your library’s website
I create websites for public libraries. I’ve been doing that for more than 15 years. In that time, I’ve learned…
Tool Tuesday: Tagboard
Last fall, I was tasked with trying to pull in all of the social media stuff tagged with a state…
Losing your virginity–thinking more about the payoff
Social media and promoting your library’s “stuff” is something I’ve written about before. It’s still a message that I find…
Tool Tuesday: TL;DR
Perhaps you’re like me, and you have the attention span of a gnat. Or, maybe you’re just like most people,…
Asking the wrong question
“Any suggestions on how to get more followers? I’d like to get more for the [insert social media site here]…
Tool Tuesday: NameChk
If someone were to ask me “Which tool do you wish you had known about at the beginning of the…
Going “Cold Turkey”
I admit it. Sometimes, the siren call of Facebook or Twitter gets to me, and I head over to social…
Because you’re not getting much work done anyway (2013 edition)
It’s that time again! Time for MeanLaura’s annual collection of online things with which you could potentially be ruining your…
Need a timeline?
Have you ever needed to create a timeline? Or had a student ask you how to create one? Just like…
Challenges
I was recently asked to talk to a SLIS class for the University of Illinois, concerning what I do and…
How to hire a library tech: Part 4 (Warning Signs & Final Advice)
As a followup to the Head Meets Desk posts, I asked techs and administrators from around the Web to send…
How to hire a library tech: Part 3 (The Interview)
As a followup to the Head Meets Desk posts, I asked techs and administrators from around the Web to send…
How to hire a tech: Part Two (Job ads and requirements)
As a followup to the Head Meets Desk posts, I asked techs and administrators from around the Web to send…
How to hire a library tech (Part One)
As a followup to the Head Meets Desk posts, I asked techs and administrators from around the Web to send…
Why your website’s UI should not be a special snowflake
So, let me tell you about what happened to me earlier this week. Our family went to Cedar Point. I’m…
Is Pinterest actually *right* for your library?
Don’t get me wrong: I love Pinterest. I have spent countless hours curating interesting content, trying Pinterest recipes and crafts…
Thinking about web analytics
(Today’s post is almost more of a question than anything else, so please post your thoughts in the comments. I’m…
Want to be better at Twitter? Get visual.
The fact that social media has pretty much gone over to images shouldn’t be a surprise; with the rise of…
Can’t work in a coffee shop? This might help
It’s true: I have a yen for weird little apps and web services that are truly niche in purpose and…
Voicemail for your website
Now, they may be out there, but I have yet to run across a library that accepts voice messages via …