The Tipping Point and Your School Library Program

- How Little Things can make a Big Difference

Bobbie Henley

Jo-Anne LaForty

Tipping Point Agenda

Understanding the concept Viewing Library Stories Creating meaning Personalizing ideas and actions

What is the Tipping Point?

"The Tipping Point is that magic moment where an idea, trend, or social behaviour crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire."

“where the unexpected becomes the

expected.”

3 Characteristics:

1. Contagiousness 2. Little causes have big

effects 3. Change happens not

gradually, but all at once

Gladwell's central argument is that there are three main factors or change agents that effect every influential trend.

Law of the Few Stickiness Factor Power of Context

The Law of the Few:

ConnectorsMavensSalesmen

The Law of the Few

Connectors - wide social circles. - "hubs" of the

human social network.

The Law of the Few

Mavens - knowledgeable people- know details about a

product that most of us wouldn't know

The Law of the Few, cont’d:

Salesmen - charismatic person

with good negotiation skills

- source of influence is soft rather than forceful

The Law of the Few:

ConnectorsMavensSalesmen

Stickiness:

Ideas or products found attractive or interesting by others will grow exponentially for some time.

The Power of Context:

Human behaviour is strongly influenced by external variables of context.

"Why is it that some ideas or behaviours or products start epidemics and others don't? And what can we do to deliberately start and control positive epidemics of our own?" The Tipping Point

Essential Question:What have you done that has tipped your library program from a traditional, reactive, non-collaborative one to a dynamic, vital, proactive program?

What resonates with you?

• I already do . . .

• I think I will try . . .

• Wasn’t that fascinating . . .

staff workshop defining research and literacycoordinated approach to library services

physically changing and opening up libraryreplace library exchange with partnering

marketing – “buckets of fun”facility improvements

updated collectiononline databases

advocacy for budget and staffing

stop everything and partner

centre of learning, not a book exchange boys’ literacy

Forest of Reading programschool library web page

research modelexpanded circulation library

couponsphotos of students and staff

newsletter support of administration formal program

assessment and marking thank you signsbooks in teachers’ mailboxes

one teacher at a time approach vocal support from staff

making library the hub of the school

using technology (HyperStudio, Smartideas)

advocating for students

“The virtue of an epidemic, after all, is that just a little input is enough to get it started, and it can spread very, very quickly. That makes it something of obvious and enormous interest to everyone from educators trying to reach students, to businesses trying to spread the word about their product, or for that matter to anyone who's trying to create a change with limited resources."

http://www.gladwell.com/tippingpoint/index.html