One of the great frustrations in the library field is that despite the many amazing resources we provide free at the point of service for our communities, there are too many members of those communities that know nothing about them! Perhaps this shouldn’t be surprising, in a world overwhelmed with attention seekers and invasive advertising at every turn, but I have always imagined a “Free Books” sign outside the door would bring patrons running to the library. But of course, as I learned in this program, in reality it is much more complicated.

The Marketing Plan project taught us to break down marketing goals into clearly defined metrics and a comprehensive set of objectives and activities. Learning more about how even a modest gain in public awareness and engagement requires a structured campaign gave me more appreciation for the work that goes into marketing the library. As we struggle to advocate the library’s necessity in an increasingly information-illiterate society, utilizing these principles to take concrete action for promotion will be a vital practice.