Stories can be used to promote the library to the community, or to stress the importance of our services to our stakeholders. Either way, stories are powerful, more so, it seems than graphs and statistics. We need to develop the skill, and habit of storytelling. These stories will resonate with the community, stakeholders, and those that control the budget. Most people don’t have the opportunities to see the good that goes on in the library, so a well told, relatable story is one way to get the word out about all the great things that happen in the library.
I understand storytelling, because I am a history professor. I can rant about names and dates all day, and no one will remember. However, when I tell a class the story about when Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s brother died, and as she was consoling her father, he looked her straight in the eye and said “Oh, Elizabeth, if only you were a boy,” the class remembers. Hopefully they will also remember the point of the story: because of that event, Stanton realized that she would never make her dad proud because “she is only a girl” and so she devoted her entire life to fighting for women’s rights – especially the right for women to vote. Stories are powerful.
I follow Mychal Threets (AKA Mychal the Librarian) on Instagram. I was drawn to him because of his enthusiasm and energy. Each day, wearing a colorful print shirt, he posts a story about something that happened in his library that encourages folks to come to his library, and libraries in general. The stories remind people of the good that is happening in libraries all over the world. Sometimes they are a story about an unhoused individual that finds warmth and refuge in the library. Many of his stories are about children in the library. These children find acceptance, guidance, and friendship by coming to the library. Many of his stories are about mental health. These stories remind his followers that it is ok to struggle, and that people do care – especially library people. I have no doubt that some of these stories are made up, or exaggerated. But that doesn’t take away the power of the story. Just because it didn’t actually happen in the Fairfield library, doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened somewhere.
Last year I had the privilege of attending the CLA conference. One of the classes I attended was Advocacy 101. This session stressed the importance of storytelling to support, promote, and sustain the library. I came away with some tips for great storytelling:
- Use “library user” rather than patron so it is more relatable.
- Display donors’ stories in the library.
- Know your audience and gear the story appropriately.
- Make sure the community is at the center of the story – not the library.
- Include photographs in written stories to drive it home.
- Put great stories in the monthly newsletter.
- Be genuine, honest, and passionate.
Here is me practicing at storytelling:
I was in the library’s children’s area the other day and there was a family there enjoying the library. The youngest, a three-year-old named Brandon, was quick to respond to my greeting. He was anxious to show me the book he had found. I sat down and looked at the book with him and he was excited and kept bringing more toddler board books to show me. His grown up started to apologize for his “bothering” me. I told her that he wasn’t a bother, in fact, meeting children and looking at books with them was the best part of my job. I read one of the books to him, talking about some of the pictures: he listened intently. As soon as we got to the end of the book, he closed it and opened it again to the first page. I thought he wanted me to read it again, but much to my surprise, he “read” the book to me. Each page he retold the story to me, even pointing out the same pictures I had talked to him about. I was impressed with his ability to recall the whole story. I was honored to meet this library kid and I think he is going to be a life-long library user.
Sources
Mychal Threets (n.d.). Instagram (n.d.) https://www.instagram.com/mychal3ts/?hl=en
Stephens, M. (2020). Office Hours: The Power of Stories (Part 2)
Stephens, M. T. (2019). Wholehearted librarianship : finding hope, inspiration, and balance. ALA Editions.
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