The Greatest Story Ever Told...somewhat

Hi there and welcome to my blog! Today I have been thinking about a library which can also be described as an undiscovered treasure. Not only do more than 700,000 documents call this library home, but the federal government selected it as a depository institution over 120 years ago! Think of all the history that is being held on the college campus of a sleepy town in Northwest Louisiana.

Did you figure out which library I am thinking of?

It's the Eugene P. Watson Memorial Library which sits on the campus of Northwestern State University (NSU) in Natchitoches, Louisiana!!!

(Photo Credit: Leah Jackson/Around The Town)

According to the official library website, the 95,000 square foot library provides students, faculty, and community-members alike access to:

• The Cammie G Henry Research Center which "houses nearly 800 Manuscript Collections including Melrose, Caroline Dormon, and the Federal Writers’ Project"
• The university archives and rare book collections showcasing Louisiana history
• Nearly 30% of all historical and contemporary government documents that were ever printed; with a special emphasis on topics like education, health, and business
• A Serials Media department
• Professional librarians who can provide one-on-one research assistance
• And best of all, an in-house coffee shop to keep you reading for hours!

Of course, the library does much more than what I just described, but half the fun of being an errant librarian is the tingling excitement of visiting some place new, smelling the vellum for yourself, and digging into an adventure.

Curiously the library does not have its own blog series, though it does have Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest accounts. I mention the blog because if you're reading this then it is an effective communication tool. And for libraries, communication is the name of the game. Think about it: every symbol which has ever been published for private or public use, was communication. I'm talking hundreds of millions of ideas through more than 40,000 years! You might be thinking, "wait a minute, did you say symbols?" and the answer my friends, is YES! Symbols are language. The American alphabet is a grouping of unique symbols used to communicate specific thoughts. So if we're going to discuss the significance of blogging, then we must also attribute cave drawings as some of the first forms of written communication.

Alright, so now you and I are on the same page (pun intended) and it is unique for a library to not have a devoted blog because a library's entire job is to communicate their relevance to various groups of users. For example, the Northwestern State University student body is a group of individuals who have different needs than licensed doctors. Doctors have different needs than licensed lawyers. And the list goes on. But wait, there's more! Inside each group are sects with unique needs, such as self-published authors inside the NSU student body, surgeons or therapists inside the doctor grouping, or personal injury versus commercial real estate lawyers. A library, especially one with a devoted research wing, and whose mission underscores the belief that advancing scholarship serves the "greater good," should have a loud and proud blog which communicates information to these various types of library users.

I understand that blogging is not quote/un-quote necessary, but it is a proven marketing tool (per Ramona Sukhraj) that can provide metrics libraries can use to leverage larger budgets, survey more users than in-person observation or interviews can reach, and engage users where they are most receptive to learning. So again, a blog is not necessary for any library...unless that library wants to be effective.

Thanks again for stopping by and as always, safe travels my friends!