Transcript Document

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
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
There are now more than 100 million web sites on the
Internet (source: netcraft.com)
Why is it important?
• 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”.
Why is it important?
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
Why is it important?
• 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)
Why is it important?
“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
USA @ your library campaign
UK Love Libraries
KIDS! @ your library®
“Ways to use the @ your library brand ”
- IFLA campaign for the world’s libraries
Marketing your Library:
A 7-Step Guide
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?
Marketing your Library:
A 7-Step Guide
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.
Marketing your Library:
A 7-Step Guide
Objectives – some examples
3.
•
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
Marketing your Library:
A 7-Step Guide
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!
Marketing your Library:
A 7-Step Guide
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
Marketing your Library:
A 7-Step Guide
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!
Marketing your Library:
A 7-Step Guide
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
Marketing your Library:
A 7-Step Guide
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 library
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/librarians/management/index.htm
• Information management resources
http://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