Comments on: Marketing @ my library: your input needed http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2006/02/01/marketing-my-library-your-input-needed/ A librarian, writer and educator reflecting on the profession and the tools we use to serve our patrons Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:11:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.3 By: Meredith Farkas http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2006/02/01/marketing-my-library-your-input-needed/comment-page-1/#comment-57703 Meredith Farkas Thu, 01 Jun 2006 13:32:23 +0000 http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/index.php/2006/02/01/marketing-my-library-your-input-needed/#comment-57703 Feel free to use the blog post and suggestions in any way you'd like Lisa! And no, we haven't thought about using our student workers as library ambassadors, but I could definitely see it as a good idea at some schools where the library workers are really involved in the day-to-say stuff at the library. Feel free to use the blog post and suggestions in any way you’d like Lisa! And no, we haven’t thought about using our student workers as library ambassadors, but I could definitely see it as a good idea at some schools where the library workers are really involved in the day-to-say stuff at the library.

]]> By: Lisa B. http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2006/02/01/marketing-my-library-your-input-needed/comment-page-1/#comment-56373 Lisa B. Thu, 01 Jun 2006 01:51:50 +0000 http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/index.php/2006/02/01/marketing-my-library-your-input-needed/#comment-56373 My academic library is in the midst of an environmental scanning project, and I'm working with the public services team. I'm excited that the first recommendation on our report will be MARKET, MARKET, MARKET!!! Soooo crucial for libraries, especially academic. We discovered from talking with students that they didn't know about many of our resources! All the ideas here are wonderful, inexpensive, and potentially very effective. Meredith, if it's okay with you, I'm going to pass on the link to this blog entry to the marketing and public services folks at my library. One quick question ... is your library (or anyone else's) exploring the idea of student workers as library ambassadors? Thanks, everyone! My academic library is in the midst of an environmental scanning project, and I’m working with the public services team. I’m excited that the first recommendation on our report will be MARKET, MARKET, MARKET!!! Soooo crucial for libraries, especially academic. We discovered from talking with students that they didn’t know about many of our resources!

All the ideas here are wonderful, inexpensive, and potentially very effective. Meredith, if it’s okay with you, I’m going to pass on the link to this blog entry to the marketing and public services folks at my library.

One quick question … is your library (or anyone else’s) exploring the idea of student workers as library ambassadors? Thanks, everyone!

]]> By: Meredith http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2006/02/01/marketing-my-library-your-input-needed/comment-page-1/#comment-39600 Meredith Thu, 02 Mar 2006 00:09:09 +0000 http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/index.php/2006/02/01/marketing-my-library-your-input-needed/#comment-39600 Lisa, very good idea and something I can do right now! :) Lisa, very good idea and something I can do right now! :)

]]> By: Lisa http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2006/02/01/marketing-my-library-your-input-needed/comment-page-1/#comment-39599 Lisa Wed, 01 Mar 2006 22:47:32 +0000 http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/index.php/2006/02/01/marketing-my-library-your-input-needed/#comment-39599 Why not try linking to the library from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwich_University" rel="nofollow">your university's Wikipedia entry</a>? Why not try linking to the library from your university’s Wikipedia entry?

]]> By: Jason Griffey http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2006/02/01/marketing-my-library-your-input-needed/comment-page-1/#comment-38995 Jason Griffey Mon, 06 Feb 2006 21:49:08 +0000 http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/index.php/2006/02/01/marketing-my-library-your-input-needed/#comment-38995 It appears that your university is on Facebook...don't underestimate the power of a few well-placed ads there as well. I'll guarantee you that Facebook gets more hits per day than any aspect of your .edu site. Just one of a couple of ideas that I had vis a vis Facebook <a href="http://www.jasongriffey.net/wp/2006/01/15/facebook-library-good/" rel="nofollow">I blogged about.</a> It appears that your university is on Facebook…don’t underestimate the power of a few well-placed ads there as well. I’ll guarantee you that Facebook gets more hits per day than any aspect of your .edu site.

Just one of a couple of ideas that I had vis a vis Facebook I blogged about.

]]> By: Meredith http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2006/02/01/marketing-my-library-your-input-needed/comment-page-1/#comment-38959 Meredith Sat, 04 Feb 2006 00:00:51 +0000 http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/index.php/2006/02/01/marketing-my-library-your-input-needed/#comment-38959 Wow! Thank you all for so many great suggestions! There are some that really hadn't occurred to me, but that I think will be PERFECT for our library. I put "marketing the reference desk" on the agenda for our public services meeting next week and I plan to synthesize many of these suggestions into the discussion. :) THANKS AGAIN!!! Wow! Thank you all for so many great suggestions! There are some that really hadn’t occurred to me, but that I think will be PERFECT for our library. I put “marketing the reference desk” on the agenda for our public services meeting next week and I plan to synthesize many of these suggestions into the discussion. :) THANKS AGAIN!!!

]]> By: Sara Zoe http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2006/02/01/marketing-my-library-your-input-needed/comment-page-1/#comment-38939 Sara Zoe Thu, 02 Feb 2006 22:12:06 +0000 http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/index.php/2006/02/01/marketing-my-library-your-input-needed/#comment-38939 This thought is based on an assumption, so please pardon if you are already doing this or have considered it, but: I wouldn't worry too much about the particular hours you are offering the im reference service - it's good to include on longer things, but on shorter pieces of info, I think you can just focus on your im name and repeat that ad naseum. Since us youngsters are so used to im, we are also so used to our friends leaving us away messages. So you can make your away message include what hours you'll be there - but also suggest that users 'leave a question' so you can im them back when you come online. Sometimes im is synchronous, but sometimes it works more like email, with people leaving each other messages when they are away. This thought is based on an assumption, so please pardon if you are already doing this or have considered it, but:

I wouldn’t worry too much about the particular hours you are offering the im reference service – it’s good to include on longer things, but on shorter pieces of info, I think you can just focus on your im name and repeat that ad naseum. Since us youngsters are so used to im, we are also so used to our friends leaving us away messages. So you can make your away message include what hours you’ll be there – but also suggest that users ‘leave a question’ so you can im them back when you come online. Sometimes im is synchronous, but sometimes it works more like email, with people leaving each other messages when they are away.

]]> By: jake http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2006/02/01/marketing-my-library-your-input-needed/comment-page-1/#comment-38937 jake Thu, 02 Feb 2006 19:33:26 +0000 http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/index.php/2006/02/01/marketing-my-library-your-input-needed/#comment-38937 I went to Norwich so I can understnd some of the difficulty you are facing. I was astounded by the number of students who didn’t go to the library when I was a work study student there. It was a favorite place for freshmen to hide and sleep or escape from the Cadre. I think some of it has to do with being intimidated by the library itself ( it can seem overwhelming) and also just the laziness of the students. I remember fellow classmates would complain about what a pain it was to use the various reference materials,(this was before the internet!) and you are correct...they never sought help. I think some of the staff back then were a bit stuffy as well. Perhaps you could post fliers on the dorm bulletin boards. Check with the Cadre in the military dorms…they are pretty picky about what goes up on their bulletin boards. I was a member of the Cadre for I. Company, and I personally encouraged my freshmen to go to the library and seek assistance when they needed it. Especially when grades came out. You could also post something in the various student lounges, by snack machines, and in the snack bar. The barber shop would work also. I remember staring out into space waiting to get my head shaved. Anyway, good luck. Say hi to the ladies for me! JH ‘94 I went to Norwich so I can understnd some of the difficulty you are facing. I was astounded by the number of students who didn’t go to the library when I was a work study student there. It was a favorite place for freshmen to hide and sleep or escape from the Cadre. I think some of it has to do with being intimidated by the library itself ( it can seem overwhelming) and also just the laziness of the students. I remember fellow classmates would complain about what a pain it was to use the various reference materials,(this was before the internet!) and you are correct…they never sought help. I think some of the staff back then were a bit stuffy as well. Perhaps you could post fliers on the dorm bulletin boards. Check with the Cadre in the military dorms…they are pretty picky about what goes up on their bulletin boards. I was a member of the Cadre for I. Company, and I personally encouraged my freshmen to go to the library and seek assistance when they needed it. Especially when grades came out. You could also post something in the various student lounges, by snack machines, and in the snack bar. The barber shop would work also. I remember staring out into space waiting to get my head shaved. Anyway, good luck. Say hi to the ladies for me! JH ‘94

]]> By: Jane http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2006/02/01/marketing-my-library-your-input-needed/comment-page-1/#comment-38935 Jane Thu, 02 Feb 2006 18:34:24 +0000 http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/index.php/2006/02/01/marketing-my-library-your-input-needed/#comment-38935 Some of this costs money, but Antony Brewerton showcased some fabulous ideas at the OCLC Symposioum at Midwinter. Here is the link to the post on litablog by your truely: http://litablog.org/?p=194 And the MP3 of the talk from OCLC: http://www.oclc.org/community/ Antony used marketing that caught the attention of the students and focused on what students need as opposed to what we can give them. (They are often the same thing in diffrerent terms) Some of this costs money, but Antony Brewerton showcased some fabulous ideas at the OCLC Symposioum at Midwinter.

Here is the link to the post on litablog by your truely: http://litablog.org/?p=194

And the MP3 of the talk from OCLC: http://www.oclc.org/community/

Antony used marketing that caught the attention of the students and focused on what students need as opposed to what we can give them. (They are often the same thing in diffrerent terms)

]]> By: bill http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/2006/02/01/marketing-my-library-your-input-needed/comment-page-1/#comment-38932 bill Thu, 02 Feb 2006 14:23:40 +0000 http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress/index.php/2006/02/01/marketing-my-library-your-input-needed/#comment-38932 I'd suggest that students are already inundated with messaging, branding, and "important notices,"so I suggest keeping it simple and unobtrusive. We dish out pencils and bookmarks, for example. I'm a big fan of the bookmarks, and have designed some to complement our <a href="http://libraries.luc.edu/documents/" rel="nofollow">Documents Web site</a>. These things are not very e-fancy, but they appear effective. Amanda's tips above are excellent. I’d suggest that students are already inundated with messaging, branding, and “important notices,”so I suggest keeping it simple and unobtrusive. We dish out pencils and bookmarks, for example. I’m a big fan of the bookmarks, and have designed some to complement our Documents Web site. These things are not very e-fancy, but they appear effective. Amanda’s tips above are excellent.

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