Purpose and Implementation

The problem: The Rasmuson Library Circulation blog began as a digital replacement for our Circulation Department white board, which we used to communicate information to student and staff employees, and which was frequently ignored. We were frustrated with our attempts to get everyone to pay attention to the written announcements, procedure changes, and new policy notices, which were regularly posted on the white board. Verbal feedback from both students and staff indicated that there were too many signs, too much visual information, so that everyone felt overloaded and paid little attention to new items. If students or staff were absent for a week or two, they would miss any new announcements, which would be erased by the time they returned to work. There was no record of what had been posted; once erased it was forgotten, so we would find ourselves repeatedly posting the same information, to try to ensure that everyone had read it, and inadvertently causing many to disregard the board entirely. The blog tool provided a solution to all of these concerns, allowing us to reduce the paper waste and visual clutter that a white board produced, archive messages, providing categories for easier reference, and giving users an easy filter to access only the most current information.

Flattening the organization: We also wanted a way to promote two-way communication between students and staff. The Library's organizational culture has always been very hierarchical; we tell students what to do, managers tell staff how things will be done. Students had expressed frustration with a lack of any established communication venue to share their ideas for improvements. Only the most assertive students volunteered suggestions. Staff were frustrated that the students didn't contribute more ideas, since the students work most closely with patrons and have insight into what changes need to be made. We had attempted to use a suggestion box to gather student feedback on policies and procedures; none were ever submitted. We then tried annual student surveys each spring with specific questions designed to gather student input. We succeeded in getting some feedback from the surveys. The blog however, provides the opportunity to gather feedback at the time a student wants to submit it, and can also be shared and discussed with many others.

Putting it together: One of our Circulation Supervisors designed the blog, using WordPress software selected by our Web Librarian. He renamed it the "Virtual Whiteboard," so that everyone would understand the central purpose of this application for Circulation. He added appropriate categories, links, and pages useful to Circulation Desk employees, and set it up to archive monthly. Training was provided for staff by both that supervisor and the Web Librarian, in order to familiarize everyone with the tool. Supervisors and students trained other student employees, many of whom already use blogs regularly for social reasons.

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