Crowdsource Your Library, Engage Your Community: The What, When, Why, and How

This book illustrates crowdsourcing techniques that will help you to raise money and collect community knowledge so your library can be its most impactful. This informative guide teaches you how to strengthen your library's collections and services and develop your relationships with patrons by crowdsourcing ideas, support, and skills from your community. Citing success stories from libraries across the country, it also specifies tactics that will help you to serve specific demographic groups, including children, teens, and adults. You'll learn how to more exactly meet your patrons' needs by welcoming suggestions for improvements to your library. To raise money for special projects, you'll learn how to garner the necessary support; the author explains what types of funding campaigns are particularly suited to crowdsourcing and offers concrete steps for executing crowdfunding library initiatives. Moreover, you'll learn how to act as your community's documentarian by using crowdsourcing to gather and preserve community knowledge such as local history, providing your community with a reservoir of information from which it can draw for years to come.

Table of Contents:
Preface Introduction: Why You Need This Book and How to Use It Part One—Money, Money, Money ONE An Introduction to Crowdfunding TWO Crowdfunding with Kickstarter About Kickstarter End Result THREE Crowdfunding with Indiegogo About Indiegogo End Result FOUR Crowdfunding with GoFundMe About GoFundMe End Result FIVE Additional Crowdfunding Platforms Fundly Bonfire Chuffed Facebook YouCaring Causes SIX Forming Your Crowdfunding Team and Formulating Your Plan Pre-Campaign Kickstarter Indiegogo GoFundMe Campaign Post-Campaign Web Sites and Resources Part Two—Using the Wisdom of the Crowd SEVEN An Introduction to Crowdsourcing Crowdsourcing Is a Community Outreach Tool Crowdsourcing Is a Staff Development Tool Crowdsourcing Is a Time-Saving Tool Crowdsourcing Is a Library Marketing Tool What It Takes Get Creative EIGHT Crowdsourcing Your Collection A Word about E-books Making It Better NINE Digital Crowdsourcing OCR and the Need for People Library of Congress and Flickr Commons Building Enthusiasm Practical Considerations Extending Your Reach—The Labs Project NYPL—What's on the Menu? TEN Starting a Crowdsourced Transcription Project Paid Hosting Sites Open-Source Options ELEVEN Crowdsourcing Adult Services Living History and the StoryCorps Initiative It's Still Crowdsourcing, Even If It's Not Your Project TWELVE Crowdsourcing with Teens Teen Advisory Boards Building and Promoting Your Teen Collection with Crowdsourcing Crowdsourcing and Community Service The Importance of Identifying a Need Connect with and Learn from Others Start Small Transcription Projects with Teen Appeal THIRTEEN Crowdsourcing with Kids and Families LEGO Sketchbook Project A Library by Design Programs and Collections FOURTEEN Forming Your Crowdsourcing Plan Transcription Pre-Campaign Transcription Campaign Transcription Post-Campaign Program Pre-Campaign Program Campaign Program Post-Campaign Web Sites and Resources Final Thoughts Works Cited Index

About the Author :
Sara A. Fiore is reference librarian at the Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton, New York. Her work has appeared in Library Journal, Public Libraries Magazine, and PLA Online.

Review :
In a time of funding cuts that have made implementing innovative projects difficult, public librarians will find practical, inspiring support here. A thoughtful and informative book for librarians who are interested in becoming more engaged with their community…Recommended for every public library.