Name: Mark Pond
Position: Reference Librarian
Company Name: Spokane Public Library
Phone: 444-5312 (work desk)
Reference Desk: 444-5336
Fax: 444-5364
Email: mpond@spokanelibrary.org
Web address: www.spokanelibrary.org
Location: 906 West Main (Corner of Main and Lincoln)
Overview of Products and Services:
1. The world of available thought and expression.
2. Free access to a multi-million dollar collection of thought and expression.
3. Guidance through the world of available thought and expression.
What type of Clients do you currently have?
The public library covers the spread when it comes to clients: moms and kids, entrepreneurs, the generally curious, the indigent, the business community, students, seniors, etc. Anyone you see on the public sidewalk you are likely to see in the public library.
What makes you different from your competition?
Equal access to information. The world of information has gotten significantly bigger in recent years, but democratic access to that information has not kept pace. The library’s role in the “information age” is to ensure that our entire community has access to the best possible information, be it for self-improvement, community building, or economic development.
Tell a story that exemplifies what makes you different.
A man walks into a bar and asks for a free drink. He gets tossed out on the sidewalk.
A man walks into a library and asks for a free drink. We show him the resources for bartending, mixing drinks, how to make homebrews, how to write a resume, how to search for employment, how to network and find job leads, how to start his own bar. And if all goes well, he’ll give the library staff free drinks at some point in the future.
Define what a “good” referral is for you.
Anyone who prefaces any statement with “I wonder if…”
If you encounter any unanswered questions, point that person towards the library. We can help.
Call to Action…if you see/meet/know/hear of…
If you know of any commissions, committees, boards, panels, etc. whose focus is improving the quality of life in our region and you think the library would be a useful addition to the group, please let me know.
Personal information: My wife and I grew up in Kettle Falls, 80 miles north of town, where both our parents and extended families still live. I have a daughter who was born in 2002 and a son born in 2005. When I’m not chasing after the kids, cleaning up after them, cooking for them, or playing with them, I enjoy sitting. When I’m done sitting, hiking, backpacking, vegetable gardening, reading, and eating all vie for attention.
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1 comment:
I think that doing commercial for the person next to you is a great idea. It would give everyone a strong incentive to arrange one-on-one meeting with everyone in the group to learn more about his/her business. From my experience, these one-on-one meetings are key to success of any leads group.
I was very surprised to read that the number of leads exchanged in July was zero given the size and age of this group. My old Boise leads group had 15 members, was 2 years old, and we averaged 10-15 leads per session. I would be interested to read what you think the problem is.
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