LIBRARIAN TRADING CARDS

REBECCA CARLSON & SUSAN KROMRIESOUTHWEST BAPTIST UNIVERSITY

TWITTER: #molib2013

WHAT DO LIBRARIANS, BASEBALL PLAYERS & POKÉMON CHARACTERS HAVE IN COMMON?

Librarian trading cards are a fun, informal business card that can be used as a marketing and outreach tool

WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE?http://www.flickr.com/groups/librariancards/

WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE?http://www.flickr.com/groups/librariancards/

TRADING CARDS PILOT PROGRAM AT SBU

A marketing initiative to students that involves all public services library staff

Each of the cards has an individual theme that reflects the personality and preferences of that staff member

Design was influenced by Pokémon cards so our trading cards would fit into future plans for reference and instruction gamification

SBU TRADING CARDS

SBU TRADING CARDS

SBU TRADING CARDS

WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH TRADING CARDS IN PERSON?

Distribute library cards at:•Orientation•Tours•Library events•Community events•Resource fairs•Instruction sessions•Reference consultations•Circulation/information desksCards can also be used internally as a way for staff to get to know each other.

EXAMPLE: TRADING CARDS AT CHAMPAIGN PUBLIC LIBRARY

Annual Icebreaker with Middle School & High School Students:http://www.pinterest.com/champaignpublib/staff-trading-cards/

WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH TRADING CARDS ONLINE?

Libraries can use their cards to:•Market events and departments•Advertise libraries and services•Make library staff seem more approachable

You can post your cards on a staff or contact page on the library’s website, share them through the library’s social media accounts, or distribute them via e-newsletters.

EXAMPLE: TRADING CARDS AT SBU

Introducing librarians to patrons via the library’s Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/sbulibrary

OTHER TYPES OF TRADING CARDS

•Cards for a hero themed summer reading program •Literary or historical figures for a class or instruction session •Cards used in scavenger hunts for prizes (find all or collect all)•Student-created cards to demonstrate mastery of a subject•Banned book cards for Banned Books Week

TRADING CARDS WITHIN LARGER PROGRAMS

Two ways to make learning more fun and creative:•Gamification: using trading cards as a part of library-based activities and games•Digital Badges: using trading cards with learning outcomes

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO START A LIBRARIAN TRADING CARDS PROGRAM?

•Buy-in from all those involved•Point person or new committee •Creative, graphic design-oriented people•Unifying theme/design

GRAPHIC DESIGN OF SBU TRADING CARDS

Paint.net (http://www.getpaint.net/) Paint.NET is free image and photo editing

software for Windows. Its interface supports layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a variety of useful tools. Originally intended as a free replacement for Microsoft Paint, it has grown into a powerful yet simple image and photo editor tool. It has been compared to Adobe Photoshop, Corel Paint Shop Pro, Microsoft Photo Editor, and The GIMP.

GRAPHIC DESIGN OF SBU TRADING CARDS

Paint.net (http://www.getpaint.net/) Paint.NET is free image and photo editing software for Windows. Its

interface supports layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a variety of useful tools. Originally intended as a free replacement for Microsoft Paint, it has grown into a powerful yet simple image and photo editor tool. It has been compared to Adobe Photoshop, Corel Paint Shop Pro, Microsoft Photo Editor, and The GIMP.

Inkscape (http://inkscape.org/) Inkscape is an open source vector graphics editor. It supports

many advanced features and a streamlined interface. It is very easy to edit nodes, perform complex path operations, trace bitmaps and much more. Its capabilities similar to Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X and uses the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.

GRAPHIC DESIGN OF SBU TRADING CARDS

Inkscape (http://inkscape.org/) Inkscape is an open source vector graphics

editor. It supports many advanced features and a streamlined interface. It is very easy to edit nodes, perform complex path operations, trace bitmaps and much more. Its capabilities similar to Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X and uses the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.

GRAPHIC DESIGN OF SBU TRADING CARDS

Paint.net (http://www.getpaint.net/) Paint.NET is free image and photo editing software for Windows. Its

interface supports layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a variety of useful tools. Originally intended as a free replacement for Microsoft Paint, it has grown into a powerful yet simple image and photo editor tool. It has been compared to Adobe Photoshop, Corel Paint Shop Pro, Microsoft Photo Editor, and The GIMP.

Inkscape (http://inkscape.org/) Inkscape is an open source vector graphics editor. It supports

many advanced features and a streamlined interface. It is very easy to edit nodes, perform complex path operations, trace bitmaps and much more. Its capabilities similar to Illustrator, CorelDraw, or Xara X and uses the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.

QUESTIONS?

Contact either of us if you would like to know more about library trading cards.

Rebecca Carlson rcarlson@sbuniv.edu Susan Kromrie skromrie@sbuniv.edu