Marketing Your Library Yang-Cheng SHEN 沈揚程 Business Manager Emerald Group Publishing Limited [email protected]

Marketing Your Library

Yang-Cheng SHEN 沈揚程 Business Manager

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

[email protected]

Summary

– Why is it important to market your library?

– The Library as service

– Marketing your library – a How to guide

Why is it important?

Increased competition via the web:

• Google

• Amazon

• Google Book

• Google Scholar

• Yahoo

• Microsoft

• E-books, e-journals, open access

• Blogs

• Wikipedia

Winning in the Googlesphere is difficult

There are now more than 100 million web sites on the Internet (source: netcraft.com)

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006


• Increase of non-reviewed material – free or fee

• Therefore increasing need to promote information literacy

ALA on Information Literacy:

“helping students become skillful producers and consumers of information”.


Information literacy: “To be information literate, a person must be able to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information,” ALA’s Presidential Committee on Information Literacy (1989)

“Information illiterate”: relying on free resources, Google, etc.

“Information literate”: selecting the right resources, identifying validated resources, etc.

Winning in the Googlesphere

Winning in the Googlesphere


• Bridge the gap between library users and LIS professionals.

• Create demand for the library and demonstrate its value!

• Smash old perceptions!!!

– “It has become increasingly difficult to characterise and describe the purpose of using libraries”.

– “Users are not aware of the electronic resources Libraries make freely available”.

– “The library brand is dated”.

– “The relationships among the information professional, the user and the content have changed and continue to change”.

OCLC Report: Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources (Nov 2005)


“In today’s information-rich environment, academic libraries must compete for the attention of our users. We must become able marketers if we expect students and faculty to use our resources”. Thomas Sanville - Ohiolink

“Librarians must take a proactive approach, viewing the strategic marketing of their services and resources as critical to their continued survival”. Elizabeth Slater, Librarian Santa Clara University

Your Library – Your Service

• Lack of ownership - You cannot own or store a service.

• You cannot hold or touch a service, unlike a product.

• Services cannot be separated from service providers.

– Libraries need to work with content providers. Content providers can lend credibility and reassurance!

• Services last a specific time and cannot be stored like a product for further use.

• It is very difficult to make each service experience identical.

Marketing your Library: A 7-Step Guide

“Ways to use the @ your library brand ”

- IFLA campaign for the world’s libraries

UK Love Libraries

USA @ your library campaign

KIDS! @ your library®


1. Introduction – Set the context of the communication activity for your library

• What are the challenges you are facing with your communications plan?

• What are the opportunities?

• What relevant environmental research would you need to consider and why?

• Are there any other key factors affecting the usage of your library?


2. Goals: What do you want to happen as a result of your campaign?

– Everyone in the organisation to be aware of the services the library provides.

– Everyone within the organisation to make use of the library’s services.

– Faculty and administrators value and use the library as part of the learning experience.


3. Objectives – some examples

• To increase physical visits to the library by x% by 31st December 2010.

• To increase website visits to the library by x% by 31st December 2010

• To obtain a minimum of 80% customer satisfaction from user surveys

• To increase funding for the library by x% by 31st December 2010.

Specific Measurable Achievable Stretching Harmonious

These will vary from institution to institution and from country to country


4. Key messages – important messages for your target audience.

• What you need to make your experience at (university name) an all round success

• Got an information problem? Your library can help – just ask

• Your library will help you get a better grade!


4. Key messages – important messages for your target audience.

• Ideas for key message development:

• What do you want your library users to think about your library?

• What services does your library provide?

• Where are the gaps in your user knowledge about the library?

• Use stories to demonstrate your key messages


5. Unique Selling Proposition

• what makes your library special or unique?

• Why should a researcher or student use your library over Google, Live or Yahoo!

• Libraries understand users better

• Service is personal

• Service is focussed

• All this yields better research results!


6. Target audiences – who needs to hear your message and why?Internal External

Staff Students

Volunteers Faculty

Friends of the Library Administrators

Parents

Alumni

Student Librarians

Media (University and local)

Funding bodies


7. Communications strategies – how will you deliver the message to your various audiences?

Banners Posters

Displays Media – on and off campus

Print Websites/email

Email lists Presentations

Collaborations

with other departments

The list is endless!!!!

Ideas and Tools

Library as place• Create a theme/brand for your library – and use it throughout all

communications.

• Create and distribute a list of facts about your library.

• Produce a welcome letter for new faculty and students explaining what you do

• Have a coffee shop in your library

• Hold special events at your library

• Host coffee mornings or open house for new students/faculty

• Sponsor competition

Make it exciting!!!!!

Ideas and Tools

Library as Service • Create VLE’s via your library website

• Use blogs and email

• Use the Library Website to disseminate information

– Target key clients with specific web area

• Tell web users who the pages are for and what they will find on them

• Analyse use of website

• Analyse enquiries and match web content to themes

• Use a suggestion box on website

• Be careful of language – use words users will immediately understand and connect with e.g.:

– Research finder, getting started, beginning research, where to start

• Clarity, conciseness, consistent layout are all key

• Minimal graphics

Make it exciting!!!!

Emerald For Librarians

• Marketing your Library http://www.emeraldinsight.com/librarians/marketing/index.htm

• Managing your libraryhttp://www.emeraldinsight.com/librarians/management/index.htm

• Information management resourceshttp://www.emeraldinsight.com/librarians/info/index.htm

Next Steps?

• Feedback

• Share what works and learn from others.

• Suggestions – how can publishers and Agents help you promote information literacy?

• Influence the future of your library!

YangCheng SHEN

Business Manager

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Documents

Marketing Your Library Yang-Cheng SHEN 沈揚程 Business Manager Emerald Group Publishing Limited [email protected]