Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library This week, I’ll be able to see the world’s largest bottle of catsup. (Ketchup? Catsup? Is there a difference?) When I learned that I’d be speaking at Reaching Forward South in Collinsville, Illinois, I Googled the area. That’s how I discovered the city is home to a 170-foot water tower shaped like a catsup bottle that just happens to be on the National Registry of Historic Places. It’s even got its own website and fan club. If you’re like me, you do some strategic planning when you go on a trip. You decide to rent a vehicle or resear ..read more

Watch this video now #LibraryMarketing Show, episode 236 Algorithm changes are an inevitable part of library social media. Normally, those changes spell bad news for libraries. But… LinkedIn just changed its algorithm and those changes are good news for libraries! (Yippee!) I’ll outline the three new and improved LinkedIn algorithm changes and how they will positively impact your library’s posts in this episode. Plus, kudos go to a library that brought a bunch of libraries together to create a viral video for Read Across America. Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Want ..read more

Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library When Donna Forbis graduated from the 8th grade, her parents gifted her a 10-speed bike. Her mother decided she was old enough to ride to the Peoria Public Library‘s Lakeview branch.  “Back then, kids were not allowed in the adult stacks, so I was limited to my ‘side’ of the library,” remembers Donna. “I was very short (under 5′ tall), so even as a teen, I still looked like a kid. My ventures into the adult stacks would sometimes draw ‘looks’ from other patrons, but the library staff knew I was in search of mysteries I had not ye ..read more

Watch this video now #LibraryMarketing Show, episode 235 You’re not imagining it: Engagement on Instagram Reels is going DOWN. And it’s happening not only to libraries but to content creators from all industries. What is going on?! And is there anything we can do to reverse this trend? We’ll dive into it in this episode of the Library Marketing Show. Plus, kudos go to a library that’s been doing something that received coverage on a national television news program. Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here. And thanks for ..read more

Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library When Donna Forbis graduated from the 8th grade, her parents gifted her a 10-speed bike. Her mother decided she was old enough to ride to the Peoria Public Library‘s Lakeview branch.  “Back then, kids were not allowed in the adult stacks, so I was limited to my ‘side’ of the library,” remembers Donna. “I was very short (under 5′ tall), so even as a teen, I still looked like a kid. My ventures into the adult stacks would sometimes draw ‘looks’ from other patrons, but the library staff knew I was in search of mysteries I had not ye ..read more

Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library Interviewing a stranger about their library experience is intimidating for many people. If the thought of having an intentional conversation to elicit a sound bite you can use in a blog, video, social media post, press release, or other content sounds daunting, the post is for you. Why a powerful quote is important. Your audience wants to hear directly from the people impacted by your library’s work. Whether that is your staff, director, board members, or patrons, a good quote can drive home your work’s value. A quote can convey pass ..read more

Watch this video now #LibraryMarketing Show, episode 234 Managing social media for a library is hard enough without trolls commenting on your promotional posts. But it does happen! So… How do you handle it when someone hijacks the comment section of your library’s social media posts? I have some advice for you in this Library Marketing Show episode. Plus, kudos go to a library that’s been doing something fun and unusual for more than 20 years to promote their collection! Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here. And thanks ..read more

Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library Growing up in Columbia, Missouri, Lili Pangborn visited her local library nearly every day after school. “The library staff quickly began to recognize me,” recalls Lili. “They would offer to help me with homework or chat about whatever books I was reading at the time. I feel like this willingness to help others is common among library staff; libraries truly are a special place for community collaboration!” Lili still spends nearly every day at the library. She’s now the Communications Coordinator at the Newberry Library, a non-circul ..read more

Watch this video now #LibraryMarketing Show, episode 233 There’s a specific library marketing task that I admit I personally struggle to make time to do. It’s complicated and tedious. But it is so important that I dedicate this episode to it. Note: scroll to the 2:00 mark for a special message for managers of library marketers. Plus, kudos go to a library that got press coverage of a fun event that didn’t involve any “real” visitors to the library! Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here. And thanks for watching!  Miss th ..read more

Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library On my first day working in a library, I was handed a calendar of library events. “Here is everything that happens during the library year. You’ll learn what to expect pretty quickly and how to plan to market each of these events as they rotate in the library calendar.”  My first thought was, “Holy cow, that’s a lot to promote. There are multiple events happening nearly every day of the year.” And there was one other potential problem that I didn’t dare say aloud. While I’ve been a voracious user of library collections all m ..read more