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MARKETING LIBRARY SERVICES
What’s Going On in Library Marketing
by Kathy Dempsey
Will IMLS Survive?
On March 14, the U.S. president signed another destructive after-hours executive order; this one targeted IMLS. While library organizations are already fighting it, the fallout of this executive order is likely to still be in the news once this issue goes to press.
The executive order requires that “non-statutory components and functions ... be eliminated” from IMLS and that “entities shall reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law.” A statement from EveryLibrary, however, points out something very essential: “Congress was clear in the 2018 Museum and Library Services Act that IMLS is statutorily required by Sec 9133 to send federal funding to state libraries under the Grants to States program (Sec. 9141).”
If legal language is Greek to you, see the explainer that EveryLibrary has published at everylibraryinstitute.org/imls_shall_may_language. Even though the entire IMLS staff was put on administrative leave on March 31, petitions and other calls to action will continue until the effort to eliminate IMLS is quashed (yet again). Please rally everyone you know to participate.
Prize Winners Showcase Community Impact
St. Louis County Library (SLCL) has won the 2024–2025 Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize. According to the in-depth article in Library Journal (LJ; libraryjournal.com/story/news/whats-needed-st-louis-county-library-wins-2024-25-jerry-kline-community-impact-prize), SLCL “is the busiest public library in Missouri, circulating more than 11 million items in 2023.” At the center of what made it a winner is “the library’s conscious shift over the past decade to investigate what each of its neighborhoods needs most, and then step up to those needs.” That is exactly the sort of market research that should be the foundation of each library’s outreach strategies, and this award is proof that it works (librariesareessential.com/library-marketing-resources/cycle-of-true-marketing).
SLCL’s accomplishments have been remarkable, and most are built on community partnerships. The COVID-19 pandemic was one major catalyst for change. Having the library director serve on the regional response team helped keep SLCL front and center, and SLCL acted as a distribution point for food, sanitary products, and technology. Millions of grant dollars enabled the library to work with the county government to send 10,000 hotspots, 2,500 Chromebooks, and subscriptions to Tutor.com for underequipped schools, as well as distribute 3,000 GrandPads (easy-to-use tablets for senior citizens).
SLCL’s other community service projects and partnerships are too numerous to mention here. If you want inspiring ideas, it’s worth reading about everything this organization has accomplished. Consequently, SLCL will be presented with $250,000 from the Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation. But wait, there’s more! According to a companion article, three other libraries won honorable mentions for the Community Impact Prize because their entries stood out “for their imaginative and replicable focus on equity, local partnerships, and the health of their communities" (libraryjournal.com/story/news/garland-county-library-north-bergen-free-public-library-queens-public-library-awarded-2024-25-jerry-kline-community-impact-prize-honorable-mention).
Garland County Library (GCL) in Arkansas expanded its reach via a new bookmobile, remote pick-up lockers, home delivery, and a community garden, and it built many relationships along the way. According to LJ’s article, “in one area where there was low library use, GCL has seen a 152 percent increase in new library card sign-ups and a 42 percent increase in physical circulation.” In marketing terms, that’s a major success.
North Bergen Free Public Library (NBFPL) in New Jersey serves a densely populated urban area with a high number of immigrants. It partners with the “NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Hudson County Division of Senior Services, Hudson Pride Center, and more than 40 other community organizations.” Being well-known also helped NBFPL garner lots of community support when it came time for library construction and renovation projects.
Queens Public Library (QPL) in New York operates in “the most ethnically and culturally diverse area in the country, with an estimated 180 languages spoken among 2.4 million residents.” That’s an awful lot of different target audiences to serve, but people in the 66-location system manage to do it. “During FY23, the library offered 180 English for Speakers of Other Languages classes for 4,115 adult learners, and the New Americans Program gave 72 coping skills workshops for 2,444 new immigrants. … The library offers nearly five million books and other materials in over 50 languages, and in 2022 launched LanguageLine, which provides live phone interpreting services in more than 240 languages at each location.”
Studying the accomplishments of award-winning libraries can reveal proven strategies that can work in your area too. The Jerry Kline Community Impact Prize shines a light on best practices in truly understanding and helping local populations via the best technologies and a commitment to life-changing customer service.
Grants Help Brits Get Their LibraryOn
The results are in from a two-pronged grant effort in England called LibraryOn. The program’s goal, according to its website, is “to improve online presences and increase digital discoverability in public libraries” (libraryon.org/grants). The evaluation report includes information about how the investments “transformed libraries’ digital capabilities.” Grant funds went toward projects such as upgrading websites and other digital services and building library apps and virtual tours. The report offers case studies, quotes, and statistics that prove how much the digital improvements increased usage of various online services. For instance, the LibraryOn grants evaluation PDF quotes one user saying, “The project has succeeded in presenting libraries in a more favourable light,” claiming that it’s led “to a qualitative improvement in the perception of the libraries themselves.”
The Archivist in the News
People from all over the library field continue to make headlines, and they’re often not positive ones. The most troubling recent news (as of this writing) is on the firing of the Archivist of the United States. The new U.S. president saw fit to fire Colleen Shogan on Feb. 7, seemingly due to the grudge he holds about the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) investigating him over his alleged misappropriation of classified documents after he left office the first time (even though Shogan was not the top archivist at that time).
Most people don’t realize the importance of that office or of NARA as a whole. In addition to its retention of federal documents, NARA works with the Electoral College, federal regulators, Congress, and others. As stated in an article in Fast Company, “If the U.S. Constitution is the core operating system of the U.S. government, the Archivist of the United States and NARA are the maintainers of the system’s foundational codebase of legal and historical documents” (fastcompany.com/91277620/trump-firing-national-archivist-colleen-shogan). Since the firing, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been named Acting Archivist of the United States (archives.gov/about/organization/senior-staff), even though NARA is supposed to be an apolitical organization. Keep your eyes on this situation.
A New Political Action Committee
There is some good news on the library advocacy front. A new political action committee (PAC) has launched in New York. “New York City Libraries have faced budget cuts almost every year since 2008. Our communities deserve better,” LibraryPAC’s (librarypac.nyc) website states. “The purpose of LibraryPAC is to endorse and financially support candidates for local and state elected office in NYC who believe in the value and potential of libraries to improve the lives of all New Yorkers and subscribe to the principles of robust, equitable, and well funded libraries in the city of New York.” This is certain to raise the visibility of libraries across the five boroughs and in Washington, D.C., and hopefully will help elect pro-library candidates who will fight for more funding. On the new website, visitors can make donations or sign up for email updates.
Barriers to U.K. Library Usage
In 2024, Ipsos conducted research on behalf of the U.K. government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The goal was to gain an understanding of the barriers to public library use in England and to help identify the factors that could support increased engagement. According to a blog post reporting the results, “The research involved 22 focus groups, 20 [in-]depth interviews and an online journal task completed by 12 participants who took part in [in-]depth interviews” (dcmslibraries.blog.gov.uk/2024/11/08/turning-the-page-understanding-the-barriers-to-library-use-and-how-to-encourage-engagement).
The study resulted in three key findings. The first is a finite understanding of library offerings. This shows, for the umpteenth time, that libraries need to do more and better marketing and promotion. The second finding is that comfort and convenience are important. The third is that libraries “did not always hold personal appeal.” At the end of the blog post, a summarizing paragraph states, “The research suggests that building library appeal could involve the promotion of services, targeting these to specific groups who are likely to benefit and making clear how or why they are convenient for the user.” What that means, again, is promoting available services in a targeted, strategic manner. |
