Showing papers by "Loriene Roy published in 2007"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a marketing strategy for academic libraries to increase the general awareness of the library and increase the usage of its resources, as measured by circulation and in-house use, and create an ongoing excitement or buzz about the library through positive media coverage and hosting of high-profi le events.
Abstract: Are today’s academic libraries poised to serve as essential centers of campus activities? Will they be relegated to the back ground of campus life? Will libraries be, at best, ignored collateral support services? What tools are available to help academic libraries reposition themselves to serve as new social commons? How can they secure funding amid competition for scarce resources? Marketing can provide an arsenal of skills to assist academic librarians. The essential marketing document to assist libraries in de signing their marketing activities is the mar keting and outreach plan. Information used to compile this plan includes best practices at similar institutions, local data on user pref erences and suggestions, successful library marketing strategies at other institutions, and an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, op portunities, and threats that challenge and support the library’s plan to position itself as a leading information resource. The structure of the plan outlines out reach, media, and marketing strategies for specific target audiences. These target audi ences may include students and faculty at the home institution, as well as faculty and students at neighboring institutions and the broader community. The plan is based on delineating goals and measurable, timecen tered objectives. The goals of implementing the plan may include: • increasing general awareness of the library; • showcasing the library’s collections; • increasing traffic in the library as mea sured by onsite visits; • increasing patron usage of the library resources as measured by circulation and inhouse use; • creating an ongoing excitement or buzz about the library through positive media cov erage and hosting of highprofi le events; • increasing funds to support the library’s collection and services; • building outside partnerships, including active and supportive Friends groups; • providing staff and the university com munity with uptodate information about the library; and • instituting a plan for continuous evalu ation of marketing efforts.
14 citations