TIPS TO PROMOTE MARVEL!: MAINE’S VIRTUAL LIBRARY

Summarized from submissions by Maine Librarians

Note: Full title to use: MARVEL!: Maine’s Virtual Library. These are referred to as the “MARVEL! Resources” rather than the previous “databases” that was in common usage.

For All Libraries:

1. Talk up MARVEL! resources and mention the convenience of their 24/7 availability.

2. Print brochures which explain the MARVEL! resources and provide them to library users. Find a sample at (http://www.maine.gov/msl/for_libs/databro.htm)

3. Provide a direct link on computers to MARVEL! (http:// www.maine.gov/marvel/)

4. Put the MARVEL! logo on your library website so users can access MARVEL! directly through YOUR library. One click will take people right to the site. Find the logo at http://www.maine.gov/msl/for_libs/databro.htm.

5. Create instructional brochures and post them on your library website.

6. Offer free sessions at your community adult education program. A two evening session is recommended in order to demonstrate the number of resources and give users tips for searching.

7. Hang MARVEL! posters in your library.

8. Put information about MARVEL! in newsletters and other printed material from your library.

9. Use MARVEL! at home for your own personal information needs and experience how remote access works.

For Public Libraries:

1. Request that reference staff refer patrons to MARVEL! and provide information sheets on how to do MARVEL! searches.

2. Adapt the brochure from Bangor Public Library (http://www.maine.gov/msl/for_libs/databro.htm) for your own library. Keep copies of it at the reference desk and at each public computer terminal. Give a copy when you issue a new library card along with a brief introduction to the service. (Many librarians thanked Molly Larson of Bangor Public Library for the brochure she designed and generously shared.)

3. Send letters to local businesses inviting them to tutorials featuring the business related resources.

4. Invite a local reporter to interview and sit in when offering MARVEL! training. Put a copy of the article on your bulletin board. Share the article with the greater Maine library community.

5. Give short talks on MARVEL! to local Rotary or other community groups. When speaking to any group (public, school, etc.), mention that MARVEL! is a resource provided by the Maine State Library, the University of Maine, and the Public Utilities Commission.

6. Post directions for accessing MARVEL! beside each of your public access computers.

7. Showcase the MARVEL! features at village-wide festivals and other community events.

8. Encourage patrons to use MARVEL! from home. Provide the “How Do I Register for MARVEL!” sheet available at http://www.maine.gov/ msl/for_libs/advocacy/marvel-resources.htm.

9. Determine an interest of a library trustee; retrieve a relevant document via MARVEL!, and forward said document to the trustee, along with an explanation.

For School Libraries and Media Specialists:

1. Inform all students and staff about MARVEL! and the quality of information available. Know that MARVEL! is an icon on the docking stations on MLTI (Maine Learning Technology Initiative) laptops.

2. Provide an in-service to staff. Demonstrate MARVEL! resources useful for student assignments but also some of the resources of more interest to adults.

3. Develop classes for students that focus on specific curriculum and inquiry-based learning assignments.

4. Integrate lessons with classroom teachers to use MARVEL! as one of the library resources.

5. Give workshops for parents on how to access the resources.

6. Send a letter inviting parents to drop by the library to show them MARVEL! while they attend parent-teacher conferences or special events.

7. Include MARVEL! in student orientation to the library.

8. Use MARVEL! as a resource to teach various search strategies and techniques for research.

9. Catch the user at the point of need - the most effective strategy!

10. Sit down with a teacher and demonstrate a pertinent MARVEL! resource while planning a research unit. Watch the enthusiasm spread by word of mouth to other teachers.