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| Hot, sexy books on display |
Did you know your library was trying to sell you something? Oh, yeah, that friendly neighborhood library down the street is a hotbed of propaganda that serves to get you to check out more items and come to more functions. Honestly, their funding depends on it. Let's look at a few ways your local library is trying to sell you on them.
Library Logo
The one thing the library system needs is logo. Brand the library so as it creates all its library marketing projects it has a graphic to slap on everything. And I mean EVERYTHING. If the library had a chance in creating anything, it should have a that logo on it. Think of it like NASCAR, the library want its logo distinct enough to show up anywhere and be recognized.
Book Jackets
Sure, the publishers are the ones that really do most of the work here, what with all the images and lettering and names and such. Placement, however, is something the library uses the book jacket for. Did you know that if you display a book jacket flat out on a shelf, it will check out more than if it is vertical on a shelf with a hundred other books? This is a form of brand recognition and the tendency of people in general to be lazy. People are less likely to hunt for their favorite authors, especially if the name is staring them in the face from the get go.
Displays
Right up there with the book jacket is the display. Now, this can go from displaying a lot of books or just pictures that put the book or author in the person's mind so that when they are browsing and see that book or name they go for it. Special subject displays, like "Mystery Month," get the idea in the patrons mind to go for the mystery books, kinda put them in the mood if you will.
Posters and pamphlets
Get out your graphic design hats, folks, cause the library is going to start real advertising. Whether it is a program, subject display, or service that the library is advertising a well designed poster can lead people to the library or to the place in the library it wants them to go. Posters and pamphlets are something the patron can take with them, remind them that "Hey, the library has a polka dancing monkey on Saturday and the book about the monkey is in nonficiton!" The best way to do this is by creating the pamphlet as a bookmark.
Social Networking
One of the best tools today in getting people interested in the library is social networking. Web 2.0, Library 2.0, whatever goofy name you want to call it, getting a library a Facebook, Myspace and/or Friendster account is a great way to connect with the users. Taking what the library learned above, displaying services and events on the library's Facerbook can reach out to its users in a whole new way. My favorite way to use this is to post book jackets in a reader advisory type of way and link it to your online catalog record.
Library Website
Fancy websites are all the rage now-a-days. Make sure the library website has three things on its home page: the logo, hours and contact info, and for god sakes, a catalog search. The logo is so people know they got to a library's website. The contact information and search are because noone likes to look for those. Think of all the calls a library receives in a day. I bet you dollars to donut-holes that the two most popular questions libraries get are "When do you close?" and "Do you have random item?" A library website should serve these two functions first. Here's a test, go to your library's website and if you cannot clearly see a couple of phone numbers and a box to start typing, tell them to call their tech support immediately.