branding equipment.

This is awesome! Like the Librarian in Black, I love cheap branding and marketing. Her library, the San Jose Public Library, had the wherewithal to customize the look of their new digital video cameras. They look fabulous. Apparently, this was free to do. Great work!

"discover your library."

Slogans are easy. But it may take a little more work to develop one that really communicates something to your audience. Example: last weekend, we drove down south and passed through Columbus, Indiana. They have a lovely red bridge and over the side, you can see down to the city below and a sign carved into hedges that reads DISCOVER COLUMBUS.

um. ok. But why?

by sombraala

At first I was struck with some kind of momentary rebellion at the directive, like "Why should I?" or worse, "You're not the boss of me!" Days later I realized it's probably a play on words - like how Columbus "discovered" America? But at the time, I was worried that this was the town's entire pitch and it made me think of library slogans I've seen that don't actually offer the audience any incentive.(I later found that Columbus has an excellent visitor's website and slogan that's not so bad: columbus, indiana: unexpected. unforgettable.)

It seems to me a good slogan for any product is just like a good "brand" - distinct, consistent, easily understood, and at its best, memorable. Take for example the world's best (and most overplayed, making it in some ways the world's worst) city slogan:

What happens here, stays here: Las Vegas.
(Also known as "What happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas.")

Read more here about the success of the Vegas slogan and the failures of other city slogans. For example: Baltimore's "Get in on it," and New Jersey's "Come see for yourself." For one thing, these slogans need to stop telling me what to do. But if they insist on ordering me around, they've got some 'splainin to do. Get in on what, exactly? Why? Come see what for myself? New Jersey? Why would I want to?

Here's a quick list of some successful location taglines.

The Sweetest Place on Earth. Hershey, PA
Rare. Well Done. Omaha, NE
Keep Austin Weird. Austin, TX
Where the Trails Start and the Buck Stops. Independence, MO
The City That Never Sleeps. New York City, NY
Lose Your Heart to the Hills. Kerrville, TX
Where Horses Have the Right of Way. McKinleyville, CA
Only in San Francisco. San Francisco, CA
Where Nature Smiles for Seven Miles. Spring Lake, MI
People Say We’re Old-Fashioned. We Hope So. Virginia City, MT

But enough about cities: how about libraries? A lazy Google search retrieved just one list, from which I pulled a few I think are pretty good -

Info to Go.
Passport to anywhere - your library.
Knowledge is free at the library.
Save money - spend time at the library.
Re-cycle your reading - Use your library.
Borrow our books and keep the knowledge.

- and then some not-so-good, like this one, reminiscent of Columbus - "Discover your library." Again, why should I? What's in it for me?

As we brainstorm and select our library slogans, we've got to imagine our audience's reaction. Are we actually saying something? Is our tagline at all compelling? What negative connotations might it carry? What resistance might our audience have to our message? Are we being so vague that our message will inevitably get lost among competing slogans?

Unfortunately, another quick Google search shows that a LOT of libraries use the "discover your library" tagline, including one of the libraries of our state's community college system. At first glance, the slogan seems A-OK, and I'm sure a week ago I, too, wouldn't have questioned its use at my own library. But to compete with all our competitor messages, we will have to take the time to learn a thing or two about marketing and put real energy into creating campaigns that mean something - and speak to our users.

Note: I didn't find much online about library slogans, but the ALA does have a list of school library slogans here.

branding @ your library.

Frustrated by a newspaper headline that mistakenly referred to our library as a museum, I told my husband I thought we needed a rebranding. He asked what I thought "branding" a library really meant. I believe it goes something like this: crafting a mission for your library that describes what you do and why, then communicates the message to users in a way that is distinct, consistent, easily understood, and at its best, memorable.

Obviously, I have some independent study to do, probably outside of the library literature. But "The House Brand,"Alison Circle and Kerry Bierman's 6/15/2009 Library Journal article describes a brand as "a promise you make to your customer, and a promise that is unified, consistent, and believable can help ensure that the library thrives." "The House Brand" is a thorough read that presents the Columbus Metropolitan Library's strategic rebranding, down to their research and survey methods, the process of defining their "identity", struggles with staff buy-in, and preliminary results.

The article describes the strategic rebranding of the Columbus Metropolitan Library as "a critical business decision to articulate the unmistakable value of libraries." (This is just the thing Francine Fialko called for, as described in my last post.) They sought to counter circumstances to which all public libraries can currently relate: "flat funding, a struggling economic climate, and a pending levy in 2010." The work is inspiring and I highly recommend you read the full article, which provides photos of their new logos, signage, bookmobile, etc.

though it was imperative they lose their "house of brands" approach, the Columbus Metropolitan Library created 35 templates for their house brand to provide flexibility

The House Brand
How giving up many brands in exchange for one created a marketing plan with a big impact
Library Journal June 15, 2009 Vol 134 No 11
By Alison Circle and Kerry Bierman at Columbus Metropolitan Library in Ohio

*Note: the article's resource list is limited to non-library marketing sources. I wonder if this was an editorial choice or just more evidence of the lack of marketing-related library literature, websites, and blogs.

"we are all ohio"...and we need to find our voice.

Library Journal's Francine Fialkoff's July editorial "We Are All Ohio: The problems posed by our economy won't disappear" is chiefly concerned with responding to Ohio governer Strickland's at-the-time proposal to cut state support to libraries by 50 percent but at the heart is this important message: "leaders like the Ohio governor still fail to see libraries as integral to both education and economic development." I love, love, love that she outright states that libraries need to get into traditional promotion: "For that to happen, the library profession...must add the kind of marketing done by Queens Library, NY (with ads on buses), and Columbus Metropolitan (with bookmobiles as rolling billboards) to our advocacy efforts. We can all learn from the fierce response of Ohio librarians to mobilize citizens via their blogs, tweets, and web sites. Those sites shout SAVE OUR LIBRARY and tell citizens just what to do."

Columbus Metropolitan Bookmobile
Johnson County Public Library delivery truck designs
(more on these another time)

She warns "the problems posed by our economic distress won't go away until we convince all of America, including our politicians, that libraries are a key resource for recovery. So far, we haven't done that strongly enough." What the heck are we doing? Or rather, why the heck aren't we doing more about this? Is it that it's just not in our nature to make ourselves heard - to speak loudly without apology? Or are we apathetic? So adverse to change?

If we want to help the rest of the nation understand the value of the public library, WE are going to have to speak. It would be foolish to expect anyone else to come to our rescue and who better to speak about our value than the library community? It seems to me every other field has recognized that marketing is essential to their organizations' well-being. It's time for libraries and librarians to leave the stacks and find a voice.

Read the full July 09 Library Journal editorial here.

"We Are All Ohio: The problems posed by our economy won’t disappear"
Editorial by Francie Fialkoff
Library Journal July 2009 Vol 134 No 12

the need to know more.

A recent library school grad entering the field as a true librarian for the first time, I was surprised to find that many of my friends and colleagues outside the profession were uninformed or undereducated about the public library model in general. Few know how the public library is funded. Even regular online shoppers have never searched for or reserved a book online from their local library. My peers - highly educated young professionals who are beginning to vote regularly and participate in their local politics - know surprisingly little about the public library. A friend and recent MBA graduate once asked me how much the public library charged for its book borrowing privileges.

Though a so-called "information" field, we are failing to close a critical information gap. True, we compete in an increasingly information-overloaded society where it's not always easy to reach and leave a lasting impression on our target audiences. But by failing to do so and, in some cases, failing to try we have put the future of the public library in jeopardy. "Promotion" as a tax-supported library budget item is still under scrutiny. We must work to change this perception and in some cases, policy. If it is acceptable to spend money to provide a service to the public, it should be equally acceptable to market that service in order to improve the return on investment.

As I bookmark articles and bend my husband's ear about the need for better marketing of the public library, I find that I have a need to share my thoughts and findings on the topic.

My experience with my nonprofessional blog, Where You Hang Your Hat, make this blog the obvious solution. I've decided to devote just a bit more time to blogging to create a space for readers interested in the increasing importance and acceptance of marketing the public library. Through this blog, I hope to learn more about marketing for public libraries, including the challenges, best practices, and innovations. I also hope to meet like-minded library professionals and members of other industries. I welcome and encourage your comments!

Thank you for joining me!

About Me:
I received my Bachelor's degree in English from Indiana University in 2005. I worked as a writer in Los Angeles before returning to Indiana University to obtain my Master of Library Science degree from the School of Library and Information Science. I graduated in December of 2008 and have since worked as an adult services librarian and currently as the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA)* Grant Consultant for the Indiana State Library*. I coordinate and oversee statewide LSTA projects and initiatives and consult with libraries regarding LSTA programs, applications, and grant writing.

My special interests in the library field include library communications and promotion, public library management, public library service to adults, information privacy, young adult literature, and grant writing.

*The Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), a section of the Museum and Library Services Act of 2003, promotes access to information resources provided by all types of libraries. Through the legislation, the Institute of Museum and Library Services provides funds to state library administrative agencies, such as the Indiana State Library. To help meet the goals and objectives outlined in our five-year plan, the Indiana State Library offers libraries in the State of Indiana the opportunity to apply for grants that meet their own individual needs and the overall objectives of LSTA funds.
*The opinions expressed here are my own and do not reflect the opinions of the Indiana State Library.