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Back to the Future

  • Marketing the Library in the 21st Century




  • By
  • Bruce McClay
  • Walla Walla College School of Nursing Library
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Get Personal
  • Become customer obsessed
  • 1. Student (Faculty) is most important person in your library/office – in person, by phone or email
  • 2. Student is not an interruption of our work – he is the purpose of it. We are not doing a favor by serving him; he is doing us a favor by giving us the opportunity to serve
  • 3. Student is not someone to argue or match wits with. You never really win this argument
  • 4. Student brings us his wants.  Our job is to handle them profitably to him and us.
  • (modified from: Are We Sabotaging Ourselves with Our Professional Image? American Libraries,   May, 2002)
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How do you let students know that they are #1 in your library?
  • Tell them – regularly, over & over
  • Seek them out – be a prowler
  • look for struggling/frustrated & offer help
  • Get to know them by name
  • When you see them, both in and out of the library, greet them with a smile by name
  • Focus on their needs: lose what is comfortable for you.  Focus on what is comfortable for them.
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What is the most important item you wear to your library each day?
  • Your Expression
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How have I created a positive atmosphere in my library?
  • Smile (a lot)
  • Student friendly environment: comfortable chairs, leather couch, appealing art, a talking area & a quiet area, and even occasional music
  • Easy acceptance of students & their needs
  • Bulletin Board (changed regularly) with humor & inspirational thoughts
  • Treats (chocolate – occasionally)
  • Act silly (sometimes)



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Dear Faculty,

Welcome back to a new school year.  We hope that you have enjoyed a refreshing summer, and are ready for the excitement of a new school year.

We, here at the library, have a lot to offer you and your students (lists some of the programs). 

Before you bring your students over, we want you be aware of some the rules and how you can best prepare your students for a profitable library experience
(list BI policies and learning suggestions)
  • Make all communication as positive and upbeat as possible – “You got to Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive, Eliminate the Negative, Latch unto the Affirmative”
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Get Active

  • This means setting up pro-active programs aimed at getting them
  • in
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Question:  I have been through orientations in 5 different libraries (2 relatively small college, 2 large university, & 1 high school).  How many of these five, do you think, included a significant component on quality, friendly customer service?
  • 0 = Zero
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Get Active
  • Training in good customer service should be a major part of each new employee orientation = there are skills that can be taught
  • Make the practice of these skills a part of each job description
  • Food, Food, Food!  It work wonders:
  • Invite all dept chairs & dept-library liaisons to a sandwich/cheese/cracker luncheon
  • If you are the bibliographer for a dept, invite the dept liaison out for lunch
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Get Active
  • Get invited to new faculty/staff orientation
  • short, fun presentation = pleasant taste
  • Seek out new faculty
  • get list of new faculty each semester
  • go to their world & invite them to yours
  • Get invited to dept meetings during pre-session
  • Solicited (formal & informal) student & faculty input


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Get Active
  • Redesign library space to be student friendly
  • eliminate or minimize barriers to service
  • Advertise, Advertise, Advertise:
  • organize a formal, consistent, appealing process for getting the word out about services/resources
  • spot on the web page, brochures, posters (in library/on campus/in community), newspaper (local & student), library newsletter, direct invitation to faculty & student groups
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Prioritize According to the Direct Benefit to Students
  • They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel