January/February 2011 » Issues » Public Libraries Online

January/February 2011Volume 50, No. 1

Changing Perceptions

Marketing is a concept that is certainly not new to most public library staff. We are aware of the importance of marketing our services and many of us have put together marketing plans and campaigns to promote our libraries. A number of public library systems in the United States have dedicated marketing departments and even […]

Marketing and the Web

This issue’s column has a theme: marketing! While we know a bit about marketing, we thought it’d be fun to ask some other smart librarians about the topic. Here’s the question we asked (via e-mail, Twitter, and Facebook): “Your library has a new service, and you need to market it using the web. How would […]

New Product News – Jan/Feb 2011

Geek the Library Campaign Now Available Geek the Library, a community-based public awareness campaign, is now available for adoption by any United States public library. The campaign is designed to highlight the vital role of public libraries in today’s challenging economic environment and to increase local library support. Geek the Library has proven ability to […]

Getting the Most ROI from Customer Surveys

Marketing is defined as “the process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service.”1 Clearly it is a critical part of getting the word out to customers about the various services, products, and happenings at your local library. But there is a step before marketing that can significantly increase your chance for […]

Building the Library’s Brand: Using Taglines or Logos

We live in a visual society. Everywhere you go, you can see various eye-catching logos, trademarks, and other identifying marks for organizations. Libraries are about people and information in an evolving, dynamic environment. Employees at libraries help people find what they need, answer questions, advance freedom of information, help people to discover exciting resources, and […]

Targeted Marketing

Much has been written about branding and marketing to make potential patrons more aware of the relevancy and value of public libraries.1 This is especially true in the challenging budgetary environment that we are all facing. However, in targeting customers, governmental authorities, voters, trustees, and donors, we often forget one of the most important and […]