10 Strategies for Effective Public Awareness
It seems these days that libraries all too often find themselves battling the incorrect and damaging perception that ‘libraries are just books’ or answering the question of ‘why do we need libraries when we have the internet?’ Getting past that starts and ends with effective public awareness and advocacy efforts. The Friends and the Saint Paul Public Library recently conducted a major public awareness campaign, and we wanted to share a little bit about what we learned. Here are the top ten strategies for libraries to create greater awareness and impact:
- Create and tell your library’s story
- Develop key messages
- Ensure that staff, Board, and volunteers understand and can deliver key messages – and that everyone is speaking from the same script!
- Engage the media
- Identify target audiences and create objectives for each audience
- Engage your audience and allow them to participate
- Create a public awareness campaign and tie it to an advocacy campaign
- Use your website, social media, and print materials to spread your message
- Don’t stop with the story… make ‘the ask’ for public or private support!
- Evaluate your success!
Library Strategies consultants, Peter Pearson and Sue Hall, recently presented a workshop on the impact of employing best practices in public awareness. Click here to see more of their presentation!
See The Friends and the Saint Paul Public Library’s public awareness campaign and advocacy efforts at www.becauseofthelibrary.org.
-Sue Hall
Library Strategies Director