Consuming the Library

Photo from Richochet Ideas slideshow

The snazzy youtube video that chronicles the transformation of Rangeview Libraries to “Anythink” libraries helped me warm up to the idea of “launching a library as a competitive brand” (in the words of their design company, Richochet Ideas).  As a woman in the video put it, “we’re in competition, whether we like it or not.”

I have to grudgingly admit that she’s right.  100 years ago media choice were few and far between, just getting news was a thrill, forget choosing between devices, mediums and superstores.  Maybe Andrew Carnegie would have been just as happy with a Nook or an iPhone!  Perish the thought...Carnegie in his smoking jacket,  clicking through Good to Great or getting the latest stock prices on his phone.  Maybe he would have spent his fortune setting up WiFi hotspots instead of helping towns create libraries.

For me, there is a tremendous inherent value in the library as a physical place, a sanctuary, a respite.  Our need for a library is greater than ever because of the constant media stream that assaults every waking moment.  But, alas, I am a spokesperson for the minority.  Modern Americans are consumers and they love to be entertained.  The old fashioned library doesn’t have much to offer along those lines.  So, if I accept that in 2011 the library is an underdog (another quote from the video), and that people have to be sold on how and why the library is important and should exist, then I must admit that the Anythink motto and accompanying squiggle logo is brilliant.

Anythink means considering anything and everything... the possibilities are endless, go where you want to go, be who you want to be...and find out how to do it at the library.  Anythink introduces patrons to the library as a portal to their future, any future, any time, any where.  In one word it sums up how I feel about reading (but I’ve never had the need to sum up reading one word besides ‘books’).

The squiggle logo is pretty clever too.  On the library computers a cartoon of a squirrel discovering the world (and the moon) pops up whenever patrons log on.  The squiggle begins as a cloud but then morphs into an ocean, a kite and dinosaurs as the rocketship squirrel explores his possibilities.  According to Wikipedia, “The animation signifies the many things a doodle can become and the sparks of imagination available to anyone who visits an Anythink library”.  Focusing on the ‘big idea’ of a library is something that Anythink has nailed.

My favorite part of the Anythink branding are the clever posters and flags that lead patrons down the garden path to what’s available at the library.  The posters prompt library customers to “think” about something, anything. You can check them out on Ricochet’s website but here’s a sample...

“Any bullet
Any sacrifice
Any war
Any why           
Searching for facts?  Truth?  Reasons?  A guide can help you unravel any conflict in recorded history...”

“Any accusation
Any culprit
Any twist
Anyone’s guess
Want Mystery?  We can help you find it.  From classic and modern to young adult and early teens...”

No doubt about it...Anythink is appealing, you can feel it pulling you in and working its marketing magic.  Citizens of Rangeview agree;  library cardholders are up 28%.