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

2. The Bracket

3. Banned Books Week 2012

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

5. Website

6. https://www.oneonta.edu/library/bannedbooks/ 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

7. Google Form

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

9. Physical Bracket

10. 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

11. Marketing

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. Do It Yourself

16. 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

17. The Bracket

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

19. 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 www.betterbracketmaker.com –Other ideas?

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

21. Voting

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

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

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

25. 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

26. Things to Keep in Mind

27. 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

28. 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