In 2021, we created the peer-to-peer Undergraduate Library Advisors (ULA) program, where four students help to spread awareness of library resources and services among UF’s nearly 40,000 undergrads. Our goal was to make sure students knew that our six vibrant campus libraries offer myriad academic resources—as well as student wellness resources and opportunities to discover, … Continue reading Reading the Room
A tweeted invitation from then-Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, teasing the world’s largest collection of a single instrument, did the trick. Lizzo’s scheduled tour turned into a three-hour visit as she sampled centuries-old flutes; the viral moment involved an impromptu performance with a crystal model made for James Madison in 1813. Then there was the … Continue reading Influencer Marketing Can Be Good as Hell
Designed to encourage new and returning patrons to explore the amazing resources at your library, COYL is a multiyear program created to support and promote library services. With COYL, it’s never been easier to drive awareness and increase foot traffic using digital campaigns, events, social media, press and outreach, and more. We’re even hitting the … Continue reading Introducing Check Out Your Library!
“We’re located on a busy Main Street in the heart of Patchogue village, with loads of vehicle and foot traffic, so we are seen,” said Karen McCahey, promotions library assistant. “But one of the challenges that’s ongoing is to get people in the front door.” McCahey, along with Community Engagement Librarian Emily Spizzirri, Head of … Continue reading A Whopper of a Campaign
The average collection date was 2002 and the average circulation rate was 461 books per month. Since Blaylock and FCHMS’s library media specialist, Khris Hutson, began making improvements last January, they have raised the collection date to 2008—and in fall 2023, they recorded 1,277 books circulated per month. This is one of the ways that … Continue reading Pivot! Pivot!
But what about those libraries that leverage their marketing platforms to head challenges off at the pass? What does it look like when members of the profession decide not to back down? At “No More Neutral: How to Use Marketing to Position Your Library in Challenging Times,” a January 28 session at the American Library … Continue reading Market Your Strengths
Gale Engage User: Riti Grover, director at Farmington (Mich.) Community Library What is Gale Engage? Gale Engage is a marketing and analysis tool designed to optimize the library’s effectiveness through data analysis and dashboard visualizations that enable library staff to best focus their efforts within the community. How do you use it? We use Gale … Continue reading Target Acquired
Going Virtual: Programs and Insights from a Time of Crisis By Sarah Ostman Going Virtual is a timely, practical guide that offers pragmatic advice and creative examples of programs for communities of all sizes and types. Divided into four sections—learning, conversation, connection, and entertainment—this book provides a wealth of ideas for programs that can be … Continue reading Pandemic Pivoting, Continued
Created as a fundraiser with the help of local animal adoption agencies, Morgantown (W.Va.) Public Library System’s (MPLS) limited-edition 2021 calendar features librarians posing with adoptable cats. Thus was born our 2021 Wild and Weird calendar. Each month features library workers from MPLS—all fully clothed, of course!—alongside an adoptable cat, including Cadillac Frank (a gray … Continue reading Raising Money for a Good Claws
If you’re in a similar situation and feel overwhelmed by unexpected marketing work, don’t be afraid to turn to colleagues. They’ll prove invaluable as you transition to your new role. But before reaching out, get up to speed on who does what at the library and how coworkers can best help. You may already know … Continue reading Building a Network of Support
The idea that the library data we all collect and share could be used against us is troubling, and it has left me thinking about how important it is that library workers find ways to control the narrative about our own value. In an era of shrinking budgets, libraries must find ways to tell our … Continue reading Your Library’s Story
Know your audience Who do you want to know about summer learning? Parents and caregivers? Teachers? The teens themselves? Other organizations serving youth in the community? While the answer is undoubtedly all four, think about your library and community. How does word get around about your events? Maybe it’s from parents reading your quarterly newsletter … Continue reading Get the Word Out
