At some point in your life, you’ve probably heard something similar to the first sentence of our headline above. It was first uttered by the popular American writer, Mark Twain, in 1897 when he said, “Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated!”
I was reminded of that famous phrase recently after reading a magazine article about the rapid demise of so many things we once considered as a part of our daily life. That list included record stores, hand-written letters, VCR tapes, phone booths, newspapers, zip drives, book stores, bank branches, libraries ….WAIT! Libraries? I beg to differ!
I can understand the current plight of major bookstore chains. So many chains have already closed their doors: Waldenbooks, B. Dalton, Borders, Crown, Tower, Encore, and many others. Barnes and Nobel is currently the largest book retailer in the U.S. with 690 brick and mortar locations after having closed more than 50% of its stores.
I can see where one might assume that libraries would obviously follow the fate of bookstores. However, that isn’t the case. I’ve had the privilege to work with a large number of libraries across the country. In doing so, I’ve had the opportunity to witness, first hand, many of the reasons why libraries are enjoying a “re-birth” as they continue to grow, prosper, and serve dedicated patrons from coast to coast. In fact, I’m scheduled to work with a major library consortium in southern Ohio next week. The very fact that they’ve scheduled a session focusing on the many aspects of change explains their success in surviving and thriving in today’s chaotic business environment.
The answer is quite simple while the execution is a bit more challenging. Libraries have made the critical decision to utilize change strategies in their pursuit of customer satisfaction, loyalty and longevity. They continually strive to discover the needs and desires of those they serve and then proceed to create services to better serve those customers.
If you were to visit a progressive library today, you might be surprised at what you find. The list of services is not only impressive but probably much different than you might expect. Of course, that list differs from location to location so you’ll want to visit your local library for more details.
I don’t want to spoil your surprise, so I’m going to share just a few of the new, unique services you may find during your visit. I hope this short list will whet your appetite, enticing you to schedule that visit to your own local library.
|
|
Baby Boomers seem to have forged a strong relationship with today’s libraries as well. Due to the constant growth of technology today, many Boomers are overwhelmed at the choices and challenges available to them. Well-trained staff members offer a variety of services and assistance in this area, creating a much-appreciated comfort zone for so many.
This staff is still another tremendous asset adding great value for you. You’re going to find a very friendly, educated, and dedicated staff that is focused on meeting your every need. Libraries attract unusual staff members … those dedicated to personal growth, education, books, resources, and total satisfaction for those they serve. That staff is still another reason you’ll want to return again and again.
The Library is no longer just a lot of books —today it’s Community! Do yourself a favor and schedule a visit to your local library for you and your children and/or grandchildren. There’s something there for everyone, and you certainly won’t regret it. I’m guessing it’ll be a start to a great tradition!
About Harry K. Jones
Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.
JC Penney is in the news again. It’s becoming a habit, and I’m not sure that’s a good thing for it. I’ve personally written three or four
B-O-S-T-O-N. I know, I know. We’ve probably all heard our fill of Boston over the past week or so. I have a strange feeling that before it’s all over, we’re going to hear a great deal more. In fact, most Americans will forever change the way they think of Boston … and that, in itself, is a tragedy!
Due to the intense rivalry, every form of media, here and abroad made it a point to cover fan reactions to the Boston tragedy. The rivalry was set aside and support for fellow Americans emerged as the immediate response to initial news reports. The New York Yankees played a home baseball game the night following the bombing. TV screens around the world focused on Yankee fans wearing Red Sox hats, shirts, and jackets while flying banners and flags supporting Boston.
I received an interesting phone call upon returning home from Cincinnati last week. It happened to be from a long-time client who has since become a close friend over the years. After some catching up, he light-heartedly asked me about my recent focus on blog articles dealing with change over the past few months. I knew he was jesting as he’s always been a devoted change agent and this was his way of giving me his stamp of approval. Our call soon ended, but my thought process didn’t.
While the strategy was created a few dozen years ago, it’s as effective today, if not more, than it was at that time. Covey spoke of the necessary and never-ending Upward Spiral to Attaining Success. This strategy certainly applies to both individuals and organizations alike. It consists of three very basic, but critical, elements which must be learned and executed by anyone and everyone seeking success in any aspect of their lives.
If you’re a regular reader of our blog articles, you know I’m a strong advocate of change, the expansion of
That’s when I discovered still another change. I guess it was only a matter of time before touch-screen technology made an impact in the fast food industry. There, lined up along a side wall, were three giant touch-screen soda fountains. Each machine looked as though it had just landed from outer space. These giant units offer more than 125 different Coca-Cola drink products and custom flavors! The machine allows users to select from mixtures of flavors of Coca-Cola branded products which are then individually dispensed. The flavor possibilities are almost endless.
Technologies involved include micro dispensing technology and proprietary PurePour technology. Both technologies were originally developed to deliver precise doses of drugs. One Freestyle unit with a similar footprint to a current vending machine can dispense 126 kinds of carbonated and non-carbonated beverages from one freestanding unit. Micro-dosing blends one or more concentrated ingredients in 46 US fluid ounces packets with water and sweetener at the point where the beverage is dispensed, thus avoiding the use of traditional 5 US gallon boxes of syrup (also known as a bag-in-a-box). Cartridges store concentrated ingredients in the dispenser cabinet and are RFID enabled. The machine uses RFID chips to detect its supplies and to radio re-supplying needs to other units. The traditional ice cube dispenser remains. The maximum rate of output is 95 drinks per hour.
I continue to share the many changes we see daily in so many aspects of our lives. It’s many times difficult to keep up with them all. Many individuals and organizations have fallen from grace for this very reason. We must strive to constantly enhance our ability to deal with change as we are impacted by so many critical factors:
Fortunately, they also have high-tech, state of the art technology at their disposal. The Empire State Building is currently undergoing a $550 million dollar renovation. Part of that major project includes its elevators. You’ve heard of “smart cars” … well, you’ll soon see “smart elevators” when you visit this favorite tourist destination.
The longer I live, the more ironic life seems to become. In my role as a consultant,
Chuck’s service, personality, charm, pride, initiative, creativity, knowledge of the area, and big smile wiped out any memory of duct tape and led me to enjoy a very informative and enjoyable tour of the city before returning to the airport a few days later.
There’s an astronomical number of people in this world who have never entered the portals of a modern day airport … or ever will. There are millions of others, like myself, who qualify for the privilege and/or burden of claiming airports as a second home.
One can certainly see the similarities to operating a major city. However, there’s still another very obvious similarity that can’t be overlooked — the lack of common sense! Airport protocol has always astounded me. They do such a phenomenal job of successfully dealing with challenges in all of the areas mentioned above. At other times, common sense seems to have taken an earlier flight!
In my