The Role of Stories in Library Marketing and Communications
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7710/1093-7374.1836Keywords:
library, library marketing, library communications, library marketing and communications, conference, marketing, communications, Oregon, Oregon libraries, introduction, academic library, libraries, librarians, northwest, information science, information literacy, social media, writing, library trends, books, donors, library donors, donor relationships, library funding, Oregon library association, quarterly, Oregon library association quarterly, American library association, ala, ola, reading, library success, success, library marketing department, evolving roles, new discipline, changes in libraries, career, careers, library careers, library career, new department, western Washington university, Bellingham, Bellingham Washington, Washington, Washington libraries, pacific northwest library association, library stories, fly fishing, Library marketing, storytelling in libraries, storytelling as marketing, strategic marketing in libraries, library advocacyAbstract
The complex, evolving, 21st-century library is not just about books or resources; it’s not just about buildings and spaces. Despite providing a wide range of services, materials, unique programs and collections, subject area expertise, research assistance, and access to both print and online resources, libraries often struggle with effectively communicating all that they offer. Additionally, the ability of libraries to communicate their value and garner financial support is increasingly important when faced with shrinking budgets and competing needs.
When considering how to develop a strategic marketing and communications plan, it is helpful to conceptualize the work of libraries in terms of human interest stories that illustrate their impact on their patrons. Marketing in libraries is about building community and cultivating relationships. Thinking in stories offers library employees a framework for understanding all of their outreach, marketing, and communication efforts, while simultaneously humanizing the “marketing” work they need to do.
By using stories focused on library patrons to reach library supporters, libraries can shift the focus away from the need for them to “sell” themselves, and can instead begin thinking deliberately and thoughtfully about their users and their users’ needs. This, in turn, should prevent the development of communication silos and the proliferation of disconnected piecemeal marketing activities, and enable libraries to develop cohesive mission-driven marketing and communications strategies.
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