Plain and simple language - it's so important, so how come so many libraries don't do it?

Whilst writing the Toolkit I bookmarked about a bajillion useful links about marketing libraries. Most of them I didn't even get time (or sometimes space in the book) to return to later, and one of the ones I thought looked really useful but couldn't explore until now was Say It Write - a guide to clear communication in public libraries. (That's their own strapline; personally I think the advice applies across the board in all library sectors, with a some tweaks here and there.) It's written by Maureen Gilbert, disability consultant with The Equality Authority - although it's not just about accessibility by any means; it's really just about good communication.

Yes! Be personal - marketing personality is so important...

The message that plain, simple, reassuring and jargon free language is the way to go seems to be one which everyone knows, and yet which so many libraries don't appear to act on! I'm not entirely sure why this is - possibly a hangover from previous days where the library had to be formal and statesmanlike. Sometimes it's just hard to apply a unified policy across the board. 


What I really like about this site is that it takes all the sensible ideas we sort of half-know or talk about with colleagues, and lays them all out in a simple and (appropriately) easy to follow website. 


As well as basic principles it also contains loads of links to accessibility information, how-to-say it in different formats (check that out here) great information about signage including a useful checklist, and a really useful section on single-source publishing (using XML to produce documents suitable for print, web etc).


Check it out at www.library.ie/sayitwrite.