1 Come Fly With Us: Librarians’ Internet Index Karen G. Schneider Public Library Association March 2006

2 Who We Are And Why We Rock

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4 What is LII (Librarians’ Internet Index)? A website and a newsletterwebsite newsletter Over 18,000 websites you can trusttrust Websites vetted, described, and organized by librarians Funded primarily by California –Additional funding from Washington state Content: everything! With a special focus on California and Washington state

5 Brag Page 10 million hits per month to LII website 16,000 subscribers to “New This Week” 15,000 Bloglines subscribers Many more RSS subscribers and thousands who read us on the website Publicity through Google Newsletter, PSAs on NPR, Voice of America, Feedster, The Week Magazine, Real Simple Magazine…

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14 Newsletter: New This Week 60+ annotated websites every week Free (well, you paid for it already!) Often features useful tips for using LII Subscribe by or RSS

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34 LII: Change in Motion,

35 Goals for LII, Make it more attractive Improve and maintain content quality Make LII more user- friendly Market LII better Get a better search engine (in work) Reach out to new funding partners

36 Washington State Partnership Started as a separate website and newsletter, “Wally,” with some of the labor contributed by librarians from libraries around Washington state Succeeds today as a content partnership with content integrated into LII website and featured in weekly newsletter

37 Benefits to Washington High-quality regional websites added every week (500 per year) Conveniently organized browsing pages for regional Washington contentbrowsing pages Contextual links throughout LII for Washington- related contentContextual links Washington content broadcast to huge Web and RSS communities through LII newsletterLII newsletter

38 Partnering: Lessons Learned LII has a distinctive, trustworthy brand It’s cheaper and better with staff Users like regional content. But users love general content. Users respect the concept of the “library brand” and find LII valuable and trustworthy

39 Our Newest “Opportunity”

40 Money: A Familiar Story “Too much month at the end of the money” All California state projects and program funding cut Projects with potential for funding from external sources encouraged to seek alternate sources

41 50% Budget Cut for FY06-07 Team’s hours reduced by almost 50% Newsletter cut in half Weeding reduced by 1/3 No new featured collections No new development …Even had to give up the staff BMW!

42 LII’s Response Survey users re ads, sponsorships, and other cost-recovery mechanisms Reach out to our users for funding and support Prepare the Crisis Budget--but strap ourselves to the stern of the ship, and hang on!

43 Who Loves Us, Baby? We’re hoping you do!

44 Three Levels of Buy-In 1.We ♥ LII: You provide cash support to keep our site going, restore Featured Collections, restore lost weeding hours, and return our weekly newsletter to full status We’ll feature you on our Partnerships Page 2.Show Me the Content: We produce regional or other special content, optionally featured in our newsletter and on our site. –Example: California Digital LibraryCalifornia Digital Library –Example: Washington State LibraryWashington State Library –Example: California State LibraryCalifornia State Library 3.Host Me Baby: We are “silent partners” for your state or regional Web portal

45 Recap: LII’s Five Services Weekly newsletternewsletter Searchable siteSearchable Browsable siteBrowsable Featured collectionscollections Other Search ToolsOther

46 LII Brought to you by… Karen G. Schneider, Director Wendy Hyman, Senior Editor Jennifer English and Maria Brandt, Associate Editors Pat Fell, Senior Cataloger Tom McGibney and Charlotte Bagby, Weeders The Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Library Services and Technology Act, via the California State Librarian Washington State Library And… why not YOU?

47 Contact us: AIM/Skype: liichief Cell: Office: lii dot org