[OPLINTECH] Drive-in storytime

Fri Jul 3 14:58:28 EDT 2020

Apologies. I did a poor job of getting my point across on my original
post. I had posed it in the form of a question thinking that might get
people to read and consider it. I'll reformulate just this once and then
move on.

The idea (pilfered from churches broadcasting to their congregation):

   - Use a relatively cheap FCC Part 15 low-power unlicensed AM/FM radio to
   broadcast library programs no further than your parking lot. It
   *requires* patrons to come to the library to hear the broadcast, thus
   keeping the local patrons directly engaged with their local library.

My reasoning/background:

   - Skipping details and going to the bottom line:  I expect we will be
   dealing with this pandemic well into 2021 at the very minimum. I also
   expect some (especially smaller) libraries will have a far more difficult
   time passing their local levies than they normally would. I expect that
   level of difficulty to increase in some proportion to however long the
   pandemic does last. Lastly, I expect the increased funding difficulties to
   persist longer than the pandemic. (The longer patrons stay away from the
   library and rebuild their lives without the library in it, the less likely
   they may see/remember value in the library come voting time. "I don't use
   the library, why should I be forced to pay for it?") This is no brilliant
   deduction; you're far more aware of it than I am. I'm just trying to
   contribute a bit and watch for ideas that might help maintain/strengthen
   that bond between a library's patrons and their local library so that those
   voting patrons will maintain a strong direct and personal connection with
   their local library.

Possible uses:

   - Scheduled weekly children storytimes.
   - Scheduled weekly teen and even adult storytimes. I still like
   immersing into a good story too. Maybe for these teen and adult patrons,
   you can run some weekly or monthly story writing contests for aspiring
   authors and the winner(s) will have their (PG-rated) stories broadcast too.
   - Run some children stories on a loop and put signs out advertising to
   tune into AM/FM station xxx.x to listen to the library's broadcast while
   Mom and/or Dad and the kids are in the car for curbside pickup. I bet many
   of them might hang out in the parking lot for a bit so the kids can listen
   to the story. Do you think the kids will remember and start begging to go
   back to the library and listen to another story in a few days? Those
   patrons that won't come into the library and might be once-per-month
   curbside patrons might turn into weekly curbside patrons, even if you can't
   get them back in the door.
   - If you're running on a loop, maybe toss in a few easter eggs here and
   there. ex. "If you're in the parking lot right *now* and you hear this
   message, call our phone number and we'll give you this awesome cool
   CoVid-free prize."
   - Advertise some other library services that you've made available to
   curbside patrons still unwilling to enter the library in between your story
   loops.

Some arguments against internet storytime longer than a stop-gap couple of
months while the library is/was closed:

   - Online internet-based storytimes are a good *temporary* stop-gap
   measure to reach patrons while the library is closed due to pandemic or to
   reach those patrons that are unwilling to come into the library even as it
   opens up again. But the longer those patrons stay away and use the internet
   for storytime, the more they'll realize that they don't need to watch
   *your* storytime online when xyz library has more money and is putting
   on this whole insane storytime production online from some other library on
   the internet. Right now the patrons are visiting their local library's
   website/storytime because of the bond already built between the local
   patrons and the library's staff. The longer those patrons stay away from
   their local library, the more those bonds weaken.
   - Screen burnout. Online schooling, streaming TV/videos 24/7, online
   storytime too? Maybe ok for a few months...then...? For patrons unwilling
   to come *into* the library, getting them to the parking lot at least
   gets them safely out of the house and entertained for a short while.

Ultimately, the goal would be to *require* patrons to fraternize with their
local library in some way. Reaching a wider audience over a large area is
NOT the goal, in this case. This is deliberately old-school and targeted
towards libraries that have a high percentage of patrons that drive to the
library...as opposed to higher-tech internet-centered ideas or patrons that
use mass-transit. This is strictly an idea to reach patrons that would
normally be coming into the library but that are now deliberately staying
away. Those patrons are the ones I think you probably have a high risk of
permanently losing. I don't have the counts to back this, but I suspect
that the libraries that are open are probably seeing only a fraction of
their normal patron levels in the building. It will get better with time,
but I suspect you're going to have depressed counts for quite a long
time...well into 2021 at the very least.

It's just an idea. Good or bad, the idea is yours to do with as you please.
Maybe it helps you, maybe not. At least you can take comfort in knowing
that I wasted FAR more time writing this than it took you to skim read it
(if you even did!)  ;-)

For reference, and from my OP:

> From the FCC:  Low Power Radio - General Information:
> https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/low-power-radio-general-information
> From a quick Google search about Part 15 transmitters available to
> purchase:
> https://www.hobbybroadcaster.net/resources/Part-15-transmitters.php
> (Not an endorsement of any kind for the website nor any transmitter or
> manufacturer you might find there...do your own homework!!)

(FWIW, I get the sense that prices seem to range maybe between a few
hundred dollars, up to maybe a thousand dollars or so. Fairly cheap in the
grand scheme of things.)

______________________________
*Chad Neeper*
Senior Systems Engineer

*Level 9 Networks*
740-548-8070 (voice)
866-214-6607 (fax)

*Full IT/Computer consulting services -- Specialized in public libraries*

On Thu, Jun 25, 2020 at 3:07 PM Chad Neeper <cneeper at level9networks.com>
wrote:

> Cross-posted to OPLINList and OPLINTECH:
>
>
> Peering into the crystal ball, it seems that the next few years could
> possibly be harder than usual...perhaps even permanently make-or-break for
> some, especially smaller, libraries. Online storytimes and other programs
> that leverage the internet are a good temporary short-term stop-gap measure
> for keeping the library in the local community's minds, but I think it
> could have a net negative effect for small/mid-sized libraries after
> several months.
>
> I remember as a kid calling in to a local library and listening to the
> weekly stories over the phone. I enjoyed that. I'm wondering if anyone has
> done a version of that using an FCC Part 15 (permitted unlicensed) AM or FM
> transmitter. They seem to be a reasonably priced and quite achievable way
> to attract people specifically to a local library for a drive-in style
> visit. You could have regularly scheduled times for staff-read stories,
> either live or pre-recorded and played at various intervals. You could have
> contests to highlight local authors (both child and adult) and have their
> stories read. I'm sure there's a bunch of other good ideas out there. *Most
> importantly*, being a very short-range broadcast limited pretty much to
> your parking lot and/or building, people are required to visit the library
> to participate (to the parking lot at the very least...regardless of
> whether or not the library is open for normal business.) It enhances the
> library's specific value to the local community come levy time and has none
> of the negatives that an internet-based storytime program has like
> disassociating a potential or casual patron from your specific library.
>
> Has anyone done this with an FCC Part 15 AM/FM transmitter? What kind of
> issues did you encounter/overcome? What kind of programs did you implement
> and seem to work well? (children storytimes, adult storytimes, contestes,
> other ideas/uses?)
>
>
> From the FCC:  Low Power Radio - General Information:
> https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/low-power-radio-general-information
>
> From a quick Google search about Part 15 transmitters available to
> purchase:
> https://www.hobbybroadcaster.net/resources/Part-15-transmitters.php
> (Not an endorsement of any kind for the website nor any transmitter or
> manufacturer you might find there...do your own homework!!)
>
> ______________________________
> *My personal OPLINTECH & OPLINLIST policy:*
>
> *I am no longer responding off-list to topical replies sent only/directly
> to me.*
> *Libraries have a wonderfully amazing reputation for openness and sharing,
> a concept I support and encourage. **Your thoughts are useful and
> valuable. As always, I beg you to share them publicly so that other
> libraries can benefit from them and participate in a conversation**.*
>
>
> *Chad Neeper*
> Senior Systems Engineer
>
> *Level 9 Networks*
> 740-548-8070 (voice)
> 866-214-6607 (fax)
>
> *Full IT/Computer consulting services -- Specialized in public libraries*
>
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