Update: Great, great news to report. I spoke with a very nice lady from the Louisville Free Public Library and as we speak she’s working on getting the LFPL’s Amazon wishlist up and ready! That means next week we can all start supporting our own local library system buy doing something we all love anyway: shopping online. I’m really excited that LFPL is participating and that we get to focus our attention on our very local libraries. Really excited.
Several years ago I ran a little something I called the “Libraries are Free but Books Aren’t Book Drive.” It was a simple little thing where I picked a small library in Kentucky with an Amazon wishlist and encouraged all of my social network via my personal blog, emails and all the other expected channels to buy an item off the library’s wishlist. The drive was a great big smashing success and we bought almost everything off the library’s list. It was great, great fun and we added a little bit to the collective good. I think it’s time to do this kind of drive again. I started to get the wheels in motion when I mentioned potentially doing this drive on Twitter. The response was very positive so I started looking for a Louisville area library with an active Amazon wishlist that could be the focus of our attention. Know what? I couldn’t find one. I am baffled. Having an Amazon wishlist makes it so easy for patrons to help your library out by actually buying you stuff you need. Why not make this an option for them?
I really want to do this drive, correction I am doing this drive whether I find a Louisville area library to rally people around or not. However I really do want to support a Louisville area library so here’s where the social media experiment part comes in. Do you work at a library? Do you know someone who works at a library? If so do everything in your power to get a wishlist up for your library and then send me the link. When I start the drive next week I’ll choose just one library specifically for this drive but I’ll also post the links to any other Louisville area wishlists that I find out about. And I’ll choose a different library from the list for the next drive (hopefully we’ll do this quarterly).
I truly believe that making it as easy as possible for people to do good makes people want to do more good and be more supportive of the community. And what’s easier (or more fun) than online shopping? So library folks help some well-intentioned people out by giving us a wishlist we can buy you things from.
May 6th, 2009 at 10:03 am
Fantastic idea! Even better, though, if the wish list were at Carmichael’s. Local library, local bookstore, local economy. (Too bad buying online is so easy. We hardly have to lift a finger, which is probably what makes this drive so easy.)
May 6th, 2009 at 10:52 am
I love this idea… and I like the idea of keeping it local at Charmichael’s!
May 6th, 2009 at 10:59 am
While it would be great to keep it local I know of no way to shop online at Carmichael’s. That means people who don’t have the time to visit the store in person or people who aren’t local can’t participate. I want to make it as easy as possible for as many people as possible to participate if they want to.
That being said I wouldn’t be opposed to doing a separate, additional drive at Carmichael’s as well. Does Carmichael’s have any sort of wishlist functionality that anyone knows of?
May 6th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Hi, My name is Kaye. My mother is the branch manager at the Crescent Hill Library and I have emailed this blog posting to her. She is sending it to her higher ups today. I am sure she can find a library in need.
What a wonderful idea!
Kaye
May 6th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Our library just up a new link to our Amazon wishlist if you want to help us promote that: http://www.library.escondido.org/wishlist
We’re in California though – nowhere near Louisville.
May 6th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
This is brilliant. Bravo Michelle. I will enjoy supporting this initiative.
May 6th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
I think I might try this with the old library I use to work for in San Diego California. Thanks for the inspiration! Any useful tips since I’ve never done something like this before?
May 6th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
Amazing. Incredible. Community action at its best. You’re a genius Michelle.
May 6th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
A wonderful idea! Cannot wait to contribute!
May 7th, 2009 at 7:50 am
My only tip Eleni would be to encourage the library to have a variety or items at a variety of price points so lots people can participate. People who can spend $10 on books and people who can spend $100 on books can both help out of the library has a wide variety of price ranges represented in its wishlist.
May 7th, 2009 at 8:51 am
Can’t wait to tell everyone I know that it’s time to shop!!
June 29th, 2009 at 10:19 am
I have started a book drive for our elementary school K-4 grades. I am having no response. The blog address is http://www.morehousebookdrive.blogspot.com.The library funds have been cut in half. Would you please help me in making this book drive a success.