10 Easy & Free Ways to Promote Your Library [as presented at the Annual Meeting]

Promoting Databases [MHLS]

Find Out What Users Want [American Statistical Association]

Merchandising 101 [South Jersey Regional Library Cooperative]

Wayfinding and Signage in Library Design [Libris Design, California State Library]

Get Started

Know Your Audience

• Demographic Snapshots
• New Planning for Results
• MLS: Marketing Library Services
• Marketing to Teens
• Find Out What Users Want [American Statistical Association]
• Focus Groups
  • Conducting Focus Groups [Free Management Library]
  • MHLS Consultations
• Sample Surveys (samples also available from Rebekkah)
• Online Surveys
  • Zoomerang Web Surveys
  • Survey Monkey

Telling Your Story

• (Your) Library Fact Sheet [Montana State Library]
• Telling the Library Story Toolkit [Iowa State Library]
• 10 Tips for Writing Your Nonprofit Story [Network for Good]
• Winning Support for Your Rural Library [ALA]
• Return on Investment Resources (MHLS)
  • Return on Investment Calculator [MHLS]
  • Library Use Value Calculator [Maine State Library]
    
• Quotable Facts About MHLS, Member Libraries and Libraries in General
  
• Library Related Statistics Resources [MHLS]
  
• Reaching out to New Residents [MHLS]
  
• Demonstrating Impact [WebJunction.org]
  
• Sticker Shock [Cornell University]
• Samples
  • "Test your Butterfield Library IQ?" [Julia L. Butterfield Library, Cold Spring]

Communications

• Harris County Public Library System Brand Manual
• Sample Communications Guidelines [Naperville Public Library]
• @Your Library - national campaign
• A Communications Handbook for Libraries [ALA]
• How to write a Marketing Plan
• Library Media & PR Toolkit
• Marketing Toolkit for Special Populations [MHLS]
• "Marketing the Small Library"
• Marketing the Public Library tutorial
• Marketing Our Libraries
• Marketing Library Profession [Career Day presentation]
• LibrarySupport.net
• Marketing Treasures
• Word-of-Mouth Marketing
  • "Viral Marketing" [Wikipedia]
  • "Speak Up: The Power of Word-of-Mouth Marketing" [Library Communication Strategies]
  • WOM 101 [Word of Mouth Marketing Association]

Library Card Campaigns

• PLA's "The Smartest Card" Campaign Toolkit
• MHLS $5 Poster Menu
• "Getting Your First Library Card" Resources
• MHLS Poster Menu
  • Library Card
  • Library Card Sign-Up Month
• 52 Ways to Use Your Library Card & 50 Ways to Use Your Library
• Running a Successful Library Card Campaign: A How-To-Do-It Manual, by Patrick Jones
• "Are you making the most of your library card?" by Peggy Barber & Linda Wallace, Library Communication Strategies Inc.

Displays in the Library

• Merchandising 101 [South Jersey Regional Library Cooperative]
• Signage Basics
  • Wayfinding and Signage in Library Design [Libris Design, California State Library]
  • Signage Basics [LibrarySupportStaff.com]
    • Article: What's Your Sign? By Julie Winkelstein, Library Journal, 3.1.05
  • Spanish translations of some typical library signage [Texas State Library]
  • Library Signage: The good, the bad and the ugly [Travelin' Librarian]
  • Jan Brett Dewey classification signs
    
• Display Ideas [LibrarySupportStaff.com]
• "What Libraries Can Learn from Bookstores" by Chris Rippel
• "Shelf Talkers" [Scholastic]
• Books from the MHLS Professional Collection

• Readers' Advisory Resources

Newsletters

• Update the Community: Create a Newsletter (from the Gates Foundation Staying Connected booklet)
• LetterPop.com
• Newsletter Templates from Microsoft
• MHLS Print & Design Services (samples available at this address)
• Clip Art Gallery Live
• Content Ideas
  • Cover things that seem basic:
    • OPAC features
      • Request-a-Title
      • Renewing Online
      • Managing your library record online
      • Paying Fines Online
    • HOMEACCESS databases (for example):
      • Rosetta Stone
      • HeritageQuest
      • Price It! for Antiques & Collectibles
      • Fiction & Non-Fiction Connection
    • All types of programming - for kids, adults, seniors...
    • Availability of different formats - books on CD, downloadable audiobooks, DVDs, music CDs...
  • Staff picks: fiction, non-fiction, YA, board books, DVDs...
  • Profile a patron who was helped by library staff
  • Library-related quotes and statistics from the MHLS Bulletin
  • ALA press releases
  • Pew Internet & American Life press releases / studies
  • Quotable Facts About MHLS, Member Libraries and Libraries in General
  • MHLS Bulletin
  • Quotable Facts about America's Libraries
  • Google Search Tips
    • Basic
    • Advanced
• Email Newsletters
  • eNewsletter services (aka third party service)
    • BookLetters
    • Topica (free)
    • Yahoo Groups (free)
    • Google Groups (free)
    • Constant Contact
    • IntelliContact
    • JangoMail
      

Promoting Databases

• “Library Terms That Users Understand” [John Kupersmith]
• "Making "E" Visible" [Library Journal, 6.15.06]
• Database Bookmarks [MHLS]
• Vendor Promotional Materials
  • Ebsco
  • Proquest
  • HeritageQuest
  • Price It! Antiques & Collectibles
  • Fiction Connection
  • Non-Fiction Connection
  • Chilton
  • Gale Virtual Reference Library

Contacts

Media

• Columbia County
• Dutchess County
• Greene County
• Putnam County
• Ulster County
• Spanish Language Media Outlets
• "Cultivating Reporters" by Marylaine Block
• "Meeting the Press" From the University of Florida
  • Writing news releases and PSAs
  • Crisis Communication

Legislators

• National

• New York State

Schools

• School Media Specialists
• School District Webmasters

Social Service Agencies

Customer Service

• On Demand Training: Customer Service [MHLS]
• Customer Service Policy
  • Brooklyn Public Library
  • Waukesha Public Library (WI)
• Customer Service 123 [Houston Area Library System]
• "20 Points on Excellent Library Customer
  Service" [Blog About Libraries]
• Basic Methods to Get Feedback from Customers [Management Help Library]

Samples
Public Library Vote PR

Don't Know What to Read? flyer template

"Test your Butterfield Library IQ?"
produced by Cold Spring director, Gillian Thorpe

Sample Surveys & More User Surveys
(samples also available from Rebekkah)

Database Demos (listed by type of audience)
--Business
--Community
--Homeschoolers [updated 3.09]
--Media
--Political
--Seniors [updated 3.09]
--Youth Providers

PowerPoint Presentation: "Your Public Library" (4/04) (PowerPoint presentation help)

Sample Press Release

Designing brochures that work

New Resident Welcome Letter

Youth Services
Summer reading program impact on community
School/Library Partnerships
-- Booktalking in Schools
--School Assignment Alert Form
--School/Library Project Collaboration
New Baby Welcome (Winner 2005 Pied Piper Award)
--Baby Dedication Request
--Baby Book Plate
--New Baby Letter to Parents

PowerPoint Presentations

• Templated Presentations
  
• Tutorials
• Enhance Your Presentation
  
• Presentation Tips
• Database Demos (listed by type of audience)
  --Business
  --Community
  --Homeschoolers [updated 3.09]
  --Media
  --Political
  --Seniors [updated 3.09]
  --Youth Providers