A standout session I attended at this year’s ALA Annual Conference was “Ready, Set, Bank @ Your Public Library,” led by a Capital One rep and librarians from Queens and Houston. I primarily chose to attend this one because I was interested in how a public library might work with a for-profit business to benefit patrons. This session offered so much more than I was expecting, especially in terms of marketing programs to users.
The goal of this initiative was to promote mobile banking to older adults (don’t call them seniors!) who may be hesitant to embrace new technology. Many of Pratt’s patrons rely on mobile devices to get online and I think we need to consider this for future programming and instructional opportunities. Don’t assume that older customers don’t use digital technology; often, they just need someone to teach them how to use online tools. Most are happy to embrace it so long as it’s relevant to their lives, such as connecting through social media or looking up health information. When it comes to online banking, they often have security concerns. We can address this by promoting the benefits, such as being able to see real time transactions and maintaining privacy and independence.
Libraries are an ideal setting to reach these customers and I appreciated that the videos and resources are not brand-specific. The resources only mention “the bank”, not Capital One specifically. The libraries they partnered with were able to benefit from their extensive market research and implement microlearning in short videos the bank created. The program has expanded to include lesson plans in Spanish. These focus less on technology skills and more on the banking system in the U.S. The Capital One representative mentioned that any of their banks could possibly offer trainings at our branches. For more information, head to www.readysetbank.org
If you weren’t able to make ALA this year, you can read a digital copy of the American Libraries’ wrap-up issue here: https://t.co/rxXIq8eNXT
Katy Troeschel
Social Science and History Department
