get.geekthelibrary.org

In the spring of 2009, OCLC selected a group of pilot library participants based on a variety of criteria, including local need for increased library support, library funding structure, available resources, and readiness and commitment to implement an awareness campaign. The official Geek the Library pilot launched in June 2009 with communities in southern Georgia and central Iowa. Later in the year, we included additional communities—with a more self-sufficient approach—in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Piedmont, Georgia; Shelbyville, Indiana; and Zion, Illinois. (Official field support and tracking for the pilot ended in April 2010, but many pilot libraries are continuing their local awareness campaigns independently.)

Our field team worked closely with all of the pilot libraries and created strategies that evolved to accommodate local market needs. This fluid approach provided the ideal conditions for continuous experimentation and learning. To evaluate the impact of the awareness campaign, we conducted statistically significant quantitative pre- and post-studies in our primary markets, as well as continuous tracking via library interviews, field visits, local market activity, online social and local media attention, etc., and the results are clear. There is extremely strong campaign awareness for the short timeframe we measured in both primary markets. Survey results and what we saw on the ground also confirm the high likability of the campaign and its ability to increase community awareness about the need for funding. For example, in Georgia, we saw an increase in the percentage of people’s ‘intent to take action’ in support of libraries, including a willingness to increase taxes to fund the library.

However, no statistic can compare to what we experienced at events and the viral momentum we saw online. Conversations were started about the importance of the library, and the need for support and funding. People also took great pride in sharing their stories on our Web site, signing geek boards at events, creating customized geek t-shirts and posters, and using ‘geek’ as a verb. This appeal led to Geek the Library taking hold outside of our pilot markets and fueled the foundation for a national movement.