Debra Bade, Editor, News Research and Archives,
Chicago Tribune
1.
Throw a Party:
We’re all thinking today about things that can make a
difference for our libraries and our news organizations. Having a presence in
your newsroom, and going to the news meetings are critical. People need to see
you in their element to understand that you are really part of the process of
good journalism that happens at your site. But one thing you may want to try
also, is pull them closer to what you do. Throw a party or have an open house
and get them into your library or research center. We’ve all become so dependent upon email that
sometimes you need to come up with a reason to get your reporters and
researchers together for face to face contact.
I always
like to have at least two solid hooks or reasons for an event like this. For
example, in April, I was preparing to roll out newsroom access to our
historical Chicago Tribune archive (this is the microfilm digitization project
I’ve done with ProQuest.) National Library Week was also approaching. The same
day I announced the new historic resource I also announced that the Research
Center would hold an open house later in the week. There was just enough time
between the announcements and the open house for people to login and take a
look at the historical archive. By the time the open house came around, people
were fascinated and eager to learn more. They didn’t come just for the food,
although there was plenty. The demo stations were a huge success. While they
were there, people took time to look at displays from our collection of glass
plates too. They left with a new appreciation and understanding of all the work
that happens in the Research Center and of the amazing array of historical text
and images that are part of our research and archive worlds.
2. Reach out to your Subscribers via an Infodesk:
We’ve all
been reading lots of alarming data about declining readership and audience
levels for news organizations recently. In response to this, the Chicago
Tribune launched its “Subscriber Advantage” program in January of 2005 with the
goal of enhancing the overall experience of newspaper subscribers and helping
to grow long-term subscriber population by giving people greater incentive to
stay.
Subscribers
can register online for this program and become eligible for a number of perks.
Benefits have included airline discounts, retail coupons or services,
opportunities to participate in special events like tours or museum functions.
But along with the coupon type of benefit, subscribers can also use our
Concierge service (for restaurant information and recommendations) and the
Research Center’s Infodesk (this is not our main research desk.)
Readers can
call or email research requests to the Infodesk and the researcher will follow
up with them. Requests to the Infodesk have been very diverse but genealogical questions
are common, as are requests for historical research and recipes. Staffing is
always a concern for this kind of project. My original plan was to hire a
part-time researcher for Infodesk but I wound up making adjustments to the
schedule of my two-year resident so she could spend a few hours each day
answering Infodesk requests.
This is a
free service for subscribers. The Infodesk call and email volume started off
slow, but is continuing to grow and the service is greatly appreciated by our
readers.