Conveying our library’s value to the community is more essential than ever given the public perception that library relevance is on the decline. Frisco Library is evolving to meet the changing needs of those we serve and implementing new ways to convey that message to the public. The Frisco Public Library Stories of Impact Project began in March 2012 and now has more than 100 personal stories describing how the library has impacted individuals and families. These stories put a face on our statistics and effectively convey our relevance to the community and government officials. The Stories of Impact Project is being used in many ways to position the library as an essential service, including enlightening stakeholders during the library’s current Master Plan efforts which will determine facilities and service needs over the next 10 years and 5 years respectively.

The Frisco Public Library publicity team was inspired to gather Stories of Impact by the ULC webinar We Have a Story to Tell with presenter Terrance McNally. The team’s process for creating a “story bank” included a strategic plan and staff accountability using principles from The Four Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey and Jim Huling. This plan targeted staff members who were asked to gather a specified number of stories and given a deadline. Several methods of gathering stories were tested including static displays, contests via social media outlets, teen volunteers’ services hours for stories, announcements in library programs, a clickable web banner that navigates to an online form, and training staff to recognize and initiate conversations to gather stories. Processes have evolved since the beginning of this project, resulting in a wealth of high quality stories to be used in a variety of promotional and advocacy outlets. Staff first met the process with resistance and viewed asking users for stories as an interruption to workflow, but has gradually become part of our work culture. Staff is also now motivated by stories as they are regularly shared internally and often mention the efforts of particular staff members.

One method of gathering stories emerged as the most effective—the personal invitation. Static displays and announcements proved to be ineffective. The web form is an essential tool but only if library users are invited by a staff member to participate. Staff has learned to leverage relationships with regular patrons to gather meaningful content and to recognize potential stories in conversations with patrons. The library’s Stories of Impact are now a brand for Frisco Public Library. Stories are used in the director’s presentations to the Mayor and City Council, library brochure, library website, program schedules, social media outlets and more. Several of our Stories of Impact were used in the publication Texas Public Libraries: Economic Benefits and Return on Investment prepared for the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the Bureau of Business Research IC2 Institute, University of Texas Austin. Terrance McNally has used Frisco Library as an example of how to implement promotional storytelling as part of his workshops. Stories are also ready when the media calls. One staff member used a Story of Impact to write a column for National Library Week which appeared in the Dallas Morning News. Frisco Public Library teaches other libraries how to develop Stories of Impact and has presented to the Public Library Administrators of North Texas. Plans are in the works to share best practices and lessons learned with Texas libraries and beyond.