Bracketology March Madness style brackets for library programs Alvin Dantes Head of Access Services SUNY Oneonta

The Bracket

Banned Books Week 2012

Banned Books Week  Banned Books Month –Weekly matchups –Culminating events during Banned Books Week in October Prizes for most accurate brackets

Website

Website for Banned Books 2012 –Contained information on our events as well as Banned Books information in general –Updated weekly with new polls and bracket matchups –Link to website on all physical materials and QR codes posted throughout the library

Google Form

Weekly votes with Google Docs form –Embedded into web page –Tied to Google Spreadsheet for easy data manipulation or export

Physical Bracket

Physical bracket hung in the library –Marketing –Regular updates –Reusable Made with large format printer Book titles attached separately with sticky tack Empty bracket still available for future events

Marketing

Each flyer for the events had a bracket printed on the back that could be filled out to win prizes Combination of in-house materials and pins/posters/t-shirts from ALA (all of which were used as prizes) Exhibit space in the library devoted to promoting Banned Books Week

Mistakes Made 2 nd week of voting only had 17 votes Bracket submissions were due early in September, though classes had just been in session for a few weeks –Bracket participation low –Could not capitalize on later interest Timing off during the last week of voting

Outcomes Captured campus interest –100+ votes each week for matchups –At least two faculty using banned books and censorship in curriculum Innovation award from the South Central Regional Library Council

Do It Yourself

Preparation Plan things out way ahead of time Give yourself a big launch date and promote it Tie the program with other programs occurring during the same time period It’s never too early to prepare for a culminating event

The Bracket

We used a large format printer –Easy (for us) to make –Easy to use and reuse –Lack of modularity –Still relatively small

The Bracket Alternatives –Use individual pieces of paper and link them with string or yarn –Make it virtual with a dynamic website or a kiosk –Other ideas?

What to Put on the Bracket Banned books Favorite authors/illustrators/creators Literary character showdowns People of historical significance

Voting

Google Forms –Embeddable into external websites –Allows multiple submissions –Integration with Google Spreadsheets for easy data manipulation –Lack of web analytics

Voting PollDaddy SelectSurvey EasyPolls.net Twitter/Facebook/other social media Other ideas?

Marketing Word of mouth –Brackets are adversarial. Instant discussion –Seeding creates upsets, underdogs, and Cinderellas Social media Be visual

Marketing Update the bracket on a schedule –Perhaps turn the update into an event in itself Keep a website/blog up to date with information regarding your bracket –Link to the website or to the vote wherever and whenever possible Book talks/discussion groups

Things to Keep in Mind

Timing is everything –We did not correctly anticipate the timing of the bracket –Remember to build momentum over the length of the bracket –Have a predictable schedule of updates

Things to Keep in Mind Marketing is everything else –Find additional stakeholders –It’s a long process, you need momentum –Advertise before it starts if you want people filling out brackets