Practical Marketing for the Academic Library

by Stephanie Espinoza Villamor, Kimberly Shotick

Overview

This down-to-earth book offers practical marketing solutions for reaching students, faculty, and administration in community college and university libraries, based on real-world examples of team-based communication and practice.

In an age in which federal funding for libraries is being cut, libraries of every size and type must prove their value. Practical Marketing for the Academic Library offers academic librarians approachable methods for marketing to students, faculty, and administration, and it also inspires them to attempt new structures for marketing initiatives, including encouraging existing staff to form teams with wide ranges of skills. Librarians from all academic libraries, including at community colleges, can incorporate these ideas even when budgets are tight and staff is limited.

While there are many books on library marketing, few specifically cover the diversity within academic institutions and the student body as well as how to target marketing to faculty and administrations. Villamor and Shotick approach library marketing from diverse perspectives and teach readers how to increase student engagement, assess library programs, and connect library marketing to the goals of the overall institution.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440872235
Publisher:	ABC-CLIO, Incorporated
Publication date:	05/24/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	137
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Stephanie Espinoza Villamor is an eLearning librarian at the College of Southern Nevada.

Kimberly Shotick is the student success librarian and an assistant professor at Northern Illinois University.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

Introduction xv

Chapter 1 Building Your Team 1

Formal Teams 2

Informal Teams 4

Best Practices for Building Teams 6

Establishing Your Scope 7

Affective Team Leadership 9

Quick Tips 10

From the Field 10

References 13

Chapter 2 Defining Your Areas 15

What Does Marketing Mean to You? 16

Types of Communication 17

Print Communication 18

Digital Communication 18

Human Communication 20

Types of Outreach 20

Segmentation 23

Quick Tips 26

From the Field 26

References 29

Chapter 3 Marketing for the Mind 31

Why Market Resources and Services? 32

Identifying Your Audience 33

Marketing Resources 34

Physical Resources 34

Electronic Resources 39

Marketing Services 40

Enable Academic Success 41

Facilitate Information Access 42

Transform Scholarly Publishing 42

Quick Tips 44

From the Field 44

From the Field 46

References 48

Chapter 4 Marketing from the Heart 51

Empathy and Student Needs 52

Benefits 54

Sharing Stories 58

Giving Back 60

Caring about Concerns 62

Quick Tips 63

From the Field 63

From the Field 66

References 68

Chapter 5 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 71

Definitions 72

Diversity 72

Equity 73

Inclusion 74

Diversity and Marketing 74

Libraries and DEI 75

DEI in Marketing Teams 76

Marketing with Sensitivity and Awareness 78

A Note on Universal Design 81

What You Can Do Right Now 82

Quick Tips 83

From the Field 84

From the Field 86

References 89

Chapter 6 Assessing the Program 93

What Is Library Marketing Assessment? 93

Creating Measurable Outcomes 95

Assessomg Marketing Efforts 96

Assessment Methods 97

Best Practices 100

Reporting and Acting on Your Data 103

Quick Tips 104

From the Field 105

References 107

Chapter 7 Marketing to Faculty, Staff, and Administration 109

Definitions 109

Why Market to Faculty and Staff? 111

How Can We Market to Faculty and Staff? 112

Marketing to Administration 116

Quick Tips 117

From the Field 118

References 121

Conclusion 123

Index 127

What People are Saying About This

Rosan Mitola

“Library workers responsible for outreach and engagement often find themselves tackling marketing and communications activities to promote their programs. This book provides innovative and relevant ideas along with practical advice for building a team, reaching your audience through meaningful messaging, and assessing your efforts."

Mark Aaron Polger

"This practical guide offers a holistic examination of how marketing can be applied to academic libraries. Villamor and Shotick incorporate ideas not included in other library marketing books such as empathy, diversity, equity, and inclusion, all within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, they offer “real world” marketing case studies from different libraries and provide assessments with measurable outcomes. A very engaging and interesting read. Highly recommended!"

Mara L. Thacker

"In a time when it’s all too easy to focus on technologies, logistics, and best practices, this book goes beyond that to put empathy and humanity at the center of marketing in libraries. Elegantly bridging the gap between thorough research and practical applications, there is something in here for everyone—from graduate students just exploring the field to seasoned professionals."

Editorial Reviews

Library workers responsible for outreach and engagement often find themselves tackling marketing and communications activities to promote their programs. This book provides innovative and relevant ideas along with practical advice for building a team, reaching your audience through meaningful messaging, and assessing your efforts.” —Rosan Mitola, Head, Educational Initiatives, University of Nevada, Las Vegas University Libraries

“In a time when it's all too easy to focus on technologies, logistics, and best practices, this book goes beyond that to put empathy and humanity at the center of marketing in libraries. Elegantly bridging the gap between thorough research and practical applications, there is something in here for everyone-from graduate students just exploring the field to seasoned professionals.” —Mara L. Thacker, South Asian Studies and Global Popular Culture Librarian, Editor of the Jourbanal of Library Outreach and Engagement

“This practical guide offers a holistic examination of how marketing can be applied to academic libraries. Villamor and Shotick incorporate ideas not included in other library marketing books such as empathy, diversity, equity, and inclusion, all within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, they offer "real world" marketing case studies from different libraries and provide assessments with measurable outcomes. A very engaging and interesting read. Highly recommended!” —Mark Aaron Polger, Coordinator of Library Outreach, College of Staten Island, City University of New York (CUNY)

From the Publisher