Neuroscience
I've been on a tear recently about the lack of library advertising & promotion.
We should PROMOTE THE H*LL OUT OF LIBRARIES -- our services, our resources (full-text of the New York Times online? Baltimore Sun? Contra Costa Times? We've got it: free!!), our books (x thousands, millions + interlibrary loan) ...
Why don't people know we have all these great resources? Because we don't TELL THEM!! Here are some humble -- if expensive -- ideas for how we could / should promote ourselves:
- Advertise on billboards at local ball games (hockey, soccer, baseball):
* "want to find out more about your favorite player? find out @ the library!"
* "want to improve your bowling skills? learn how @ the library"
* "want to read about games you missed? read back issues of *your local paper* @ the library"
- Advertise in airports (train stations, bus terminals):
* "read thousands of travel books @ your library"
* "borrow your next novel @ your library -- and save money!"
* "help your kid do his homework @ your library"
[some cities even have branch libraries in train stations!!! MORE of this, please!]
- Advertise on facebook:
* "save time! find articles faster @ your library"
* "borrow books, DVDs, games, CDs [whatever you offer!] @ your library"
* "get books, articles from ANYWHERE without paying a cent @ your library"
We have to get over this horrible resistance we have to promotion, marketing, advertising. We also have to be ready to provide good service, and we have to find the money for this. Ideally it would be a national campaign -- whatever we do to promote libraries in general will benefit small public libraries, school libraries, academic libraries, and probably even corporate / special libraries.
[/rant]
- Massachusetts Libraries Commercial
Saw this Massachusetts Library commercial on Ugly Betty the other night (I'm way behind on my tv-watching). It sends you to masslibraries.gov (which redirects to http://libraries.state.ma.us/), where you can find a library near you by typing in your...
- Oclc's Jay Jordan @ Uconn
Yesterday, the University of Connecticut Libraries Forum Team sponsored a conversation with Jay Jordan, president and CEO of OCLC. He was dynamic, engaging, smart, and thoughtful. Some data from Jordan on OCLC itself: Over 60,000 libraries in 112 countries...
- Condoms @ Your Library
Yes, it’s true! This is my favorite example (so far) of libraries thinking outside the box to promote their services. The October 2007 issue of American Libraries writes about the Penn State Altoona Eiche Library’s recent participation in a recent...
- Funability In Danbury
The Loose Cannon Librarian has done a very cool thing: she's mashed the Danbury Library catalog with the social networking tools of Library Thing for Libraries (read more about it on the Library Thing blog). If you look for a book & want to find "more...
- Library Systems Too Complex!
Argh. A few months ago, I started the Libraries for My Friends blog, in which I try to help my friends use their local library. I'd send this to some non-library friends, and one of them just asked if I could help her brother find audio books in...
Neuroscience
Libraries Need A Good Publicist
I've been on a tear recently about the lack of library advertising & promotion.
We should PROMOTE THE H*LL OUT OF LIBRARIES -- our services, our resources (full-text of the New York Times online? Baltimore Sun? Contra Costa Times? We've got it: free!!), our books (x thousands, millions + interlibrary loan) ...
Why don't people know we have all these great resources? Because we don't TELL THEM!! Here are some humble -- if expensive -- ideas for how we could / should promote ourselves:
- Advertise on billboards at local ball games (hockey, soccer, baseball):
* "want to find out more about your favorite player? find out @ the library!"
* "want to improve your bowling skills? learn how @ the library"
* "want to read about games you missed? read back issues of *your local paper* @ the library"
- Advertise in airports (train stations, bus terminals):
* "read thousands of travel books @ your library"
* "borrow your next novel @ your library -- and save money!"
* "help your kid do his homework @ your library"
[some cities even have branch libraries in train stations!!! MORE of this, please!]
- Advertise on facebook:
* "save time! find articles faster @ your library"
* "borrow books, DVDs, games, CDs [whatever you offer!] @ your library"
* "get books, articles from ANYWHERE without paying a cent @ your library"
We have to get over this horrible resistance we have to promotion, marketing, advertising. We also have to be ready to provide good service, and we have to find the money for this. Ideally it would be a national campaign -- whatever we do to promote libraries in general will benefit small public libraries, school libraries, academic libraries, and probably even corporate / special libraries.
[/rant]
- Massachusetts Libraries Commercial
Saw this Massachusetts Library commercial on Ugly Betty the other night (I'm way behind on my tv-watching). It sends you to masslibraries.gov (which redirects to http://libraries.state.ma.us/), where you can find a library near you by typing in your...
- Oclc's Jay Jordan @ Uconn
Yesterday, the University of Connecticut Libraries Forum Team sponsored a conversation with Jay Jordan, president and CEO of OCLC. He was dynamic, engaging, smart, and thoughtful. Some data from Jordan on OCLC itself: Over 60,000 libraries in 112 countries...
- Condoms @ Your Library
Yes, it’s true! This is my favorite example (so far) of libraries thinking outside the box to promote their services. The October 2007 issue of American Libraries writes about the Penn State Altoona Eiche Library’s recent participation in a recent...
- Funability In Danbury
The Loose Cannon Librarian has done a very cool thing: she's mashed the Danbury Library catalog with the social networking tools of Library Thing for Libraries (read more about it on the Library Thing blog). If you look for a book & want to find "more...
- Library Systems Too Complex!
Argh. A few months ago, I started the Libraries for My Friends blog, in which I try to help my friends use their local library. I'd send this to some non-library friends, and one of them just asked if I could help her brother find audio books in...