Week 15 Prompt
What do you think are the best ways to market your library's fiction collection? Name and describe three ways you do or would like to market your library or your future library's fiction. These can be tools, programs, services, displays - anything that you see as getting the word out.
I work at Bartholomew County Public Public Library at the reference desk. One way we market the library's fiction collection is via our weekly newspaper column in the Sunday edition of Columbus' Republic newspaper which is available in print and e-edition. The column is usually featured every two weeks but the topic is not always about adult readers' advisory. Some of the columns are about library programs, children's books, non-fiction books, and other miscellaneous library information such as construction progress on the renovation of the library plaza. I went back about four months and only found one article on adult readers' advisory fiction. I think it is great that the newspaper features a column for the library but I wish we had more information available for adult readers' advisory.
The library also has a Facebook page that provides information regarding the library; however, readers' advisory is not prominently featured. There is some RA information presented amid other posts about library programs; the construction at the library; library resources such as Overdrive, Freegal, Hoopla, and Zinio; and other available materials and databases. All of the information that is presented on Facebook is relevant but I really wish we had more readers' advisory information available.
The library has a few handouts available for readers' advisory but they are simply pages with authors listed for about four genres. For instance, for the mystery genre, there is a page with "mystery" listed at the top and a list below of numerous mystery authors. We need more detailed information to assist patrons with finding books they might be interested in.
That's where I hope to be "coming in". Although the library does not have any openings for new librarians and I am not willing to relocate away from Columbus for family reasons, I offered to do several readers' advisory handouts to be placed throughout the library. Some will be for several genres, some will be author read-alikes and others will be for title read-alikes. The assistant library director, my supervisor, agreed that we could use some readers' advisory handouts around the library. Perhaps I can also help out doing readers' advisory for the newspaper and Facebook. That is the next plan I will be proposing!
From personal experience, the author and title read-alike lists are a VERY WELL USED library resource! So glad you will be able to fill that niche in your library! Patrons and librarians alike will be grateful!
ReplyDeleteMy home library also has a short column in the local paper. I think the reason why we haven't been as successful with promoting the collection online is because we often forget that we have a very large population of older people who don't have a Facebook page, but they do still read the paper, and most likely they would rather be updated on new books and our services that way.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great point. Our library markets most of our programs and services online and we tend to forget that not everyone is on Facebook or subscribes to our email newsletter. We have a small weekly newspaper in our town and that might be a good place to start promoting books that might appeal to our older patrons.
DeleteMy library also has an email newsletter that promotes programs,resources, and occasionally readers' advisory.
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