More than Marketing: Innovative Outreach Programs for Academic Libraries

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More than MarketingInnovative Outreach Programs
for Academic Libraries

• Stacy Brinkman
• Lindsay Miller
• Eric Resnis
• Frances Yates

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Book Clubs as Campus/Community Outreach
Book Clubs

• Social and intellectual engagement among diverse
  participants
• Over 250 total participants
• 25 per session for Lets Talk About It
• 15 per session for Girls Voices (5 Miami
  Students facilitating)

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Book Club Partnerships
Book Clubs

• Cultural theme
• Cultural studies programs, departments, and
  offices
• Local high school AP classes
• Local public libraries

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Book Club Partnerships (contd)
Book Clubs

• Secondary education theme
• Service Learning programs
• Education
• Womens studies
• Honors Programs
• http//staff.lib.muohio.edu/GirlsVoices/

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Book Clubs Logistics
Book Clubs

• ALA/funding requirements
• Refreshments
• Format
• Discussion facilitators and guides
• Resources (see handout)

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Funding National Sources
ALA-sponsored programs

• ALA Public Programs Office
• ALA/Nextbook - Lets Talk About It Jewish
  Literature
• ALA Carnegie Whitney - Girls Voices
• NEH - We the People Bookshelf

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Funding Local sources
Book Clubs

• Partnership offices with local K-12 school
  districts
• Campus cultural awareness offices and programs
• Center for American and World Cultures
• Hillel
• Womens Studies
• Office of Advancement of Research and Scholarship
• Student activities funds

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Grant-funded Community Programs
Community Programs

• Japan Foundation grant
• Promote Japanese cultural awareness
• K-12 focus
• 600 participants
• Faculty, students, staff, K-12 students,
  community members

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Participatory Book Reading
Community Programs
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Reading of Momotaro The Peach Boy
Community Programs
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Cultural discovery stations Japanese language
table
Community Programs
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Partnerships with Education and Service Learning
Community Programs
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Activities for all ages
Community Programs
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Stories to Take Home
Community Programs
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Publicity for Ohanashi
Community Programs

• Event website
• Flyers to K-12 schools
• Posters, table tents, sandwich boards
• University calendars
• Student newspaper
• Scout troops
• Churches
• Listservs
• Snowball publicity

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Partnerships for Ohanashi
Community Programs

• Academic departments
• Student groups
• Service learning
• Community groups
• Community individuals
• Administrative units

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Campus Outreach Programs
Campus Programs

• Science Library
• Open House
• 4th-6th week of classes each year
• Theme each year
• 2005/06 Silk Road
• 2007 Global Climate Change
• Funded by grants/outside sources

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Campus Programs

• Partnerships
• University Centers
• Departments
• Student Affairs
• Incentives
• Prizes
• Food
• Extra Credit (or required)

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• Publicity
• Press/Calendar
• Event Blog
• Class Instruction
• Photo Contest (07)
• Setup
• Learning Stations
• Speakers
• Passport

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The Outreach Cluster
Outreach Cluster

• Charge increasing the awareness of services
  provided by the university libraries to external
  clients by proactively promoting these services
  in a positive manner through programs and
  activities.
• Membership 5-7 librarians and support staff

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Cluster Projects
Outreach Cluster

• Library Orientations
• New Faculty, Grad Student, Intl Student
• Workplace Orientation Welcome

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Cluster Projects
Outreach Cluster

• University Wide Events
• Summer Orientation Resource Fair
• Destination/Discover Miami
• Benefits Fair
• RA Resource Fair
• Multicultural Leadership Program

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Cluster Projects
Outreach Cluster

• Special Projects
• Library Promotional Video for Sporting Events/
  MU TV
• Library Display Boards

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Library Communications office
Library Communications

• Created to help give a more consistent voice to
  outreach efforts devoted staff member for
  marketing, PR and outreach
• Created as Outreach office, renamed in January to
  Library Communications

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Staffing
Library Communications

• One full time librarian
• One graduate assistant for graphic design and
  other tasks

Budget

• No actual budget for office
• At discretion of the dean

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What we do
Library Communications

• Publicity support for events
• Graphic design
• Photography and documentary
• Donor connections
• Promote staff accomplishments
• Internal PR

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Publicity Support for Events
Library Communications

• Write and send press releases to campus,
  community, regional and professional media
  outlets
• Put events on calendars, contact radio stations
• Online PR listservs, blogs, our website
• Display cases / plasma screen
• Social networking sites

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Graphic Design
Library Communications

• Posters/Flyers
• Brochures
• Postcards
• Bookmarks
• Programs
• Invitations
• Advertisements

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Photography
Library Communications

• Official event photographer
• Flickr site
• make photos available
• send out announcement to library wide listserv

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Illuminant - Libraries Magazine
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Promote our Accomplishments
Library Communications

• Promote our staff/library
• ALAO newsletter, faculty newspaper
• Tenure appointments, new hires, retirements
• American Libraries, Library Hotline
• Big events, renovation

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Donor connection
Library Communications

• Working closely with advancement office
• Writing donor thank you letters
• Inviting them to events, sending publications

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Promoting the office to staff
Library Communications

• Make staff aware of what the office does
• Meet with department heads
• Try to attend staff meetings
• Talk to individuals
• Try to get on event planning committees
• Stress the importance of planning the marketing
  of the event from the beginning

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Questions?
Book clubs, K-12 partnerships, funding Contact
Frances Yates Library communications, press
releases Contact Lindsay Miller Campus
outreach, orientations Contact Eric
Resnis Cultural programs, academic department
partnerships Contact Stacy Brinkman