{"id":76455,"date":"2014-07-10T08:00:07","date_gmt":"2014-07-10T13:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=76455"},"modified":"2014-07-09T20:32:24","modified_gmt":"2014-07-10T01:32:24","slug":"spreading-the-word-about-library-events","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=76455","title":{"rendered":"Spreading the Word About Library Events"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Emma Pinault, Head Editor,\u00a0INALJ Delaware<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Spreading the Word About Library Events<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"Emma<\/a>Whatever educational or entertaining programs your library offers, it\u2019s important\u00a0to know how to get the word out. Whether you\u2019re starting a book club, teaching\u00a0a computer class, or inviting a local author to talk about a book, few things are as\u00a0frustrating as planning an event \u2013 and in some cases paying for a speaker \u2013 only to\u00a0have no one show up.<\/p>\n

Many library events can be a way to draw in people in your community who\u00a0might not use the library otherwise. A new patron might come to the library for\u00a0the first time to meet a favorite author, and end up coming back after seeing that\u00a0the library is a welcoming place with a great collection. If a family has a good time\u00a0at your fun craft activity, they may be back next week for story time. On the way\u00a0out they may check out a stack of books. Then they\u2019ll tell their friends.<\/p>\n

There are a number of different ways to advertise and promote library events,\u00a0but the important thing is to be proactive. If your library has staff devoted\u00a0to marketing, make sure you get to know them. If your library has an official\u00a0marketing plan or guidelines, make sure you\u2019re familiar with them before you dive\u00a0in to start working on your promotional efforts. However, if your library does not\u00a0provide extra staff or funds for marketing library programs and services, you can\u00a0still find ways to reach patrons who might be interested but unaware. If you\u2019re on\u00a0your own promoting an event, here are some things to keep in mind:<\/p>\n

First, know your target audience. If you\u2019re promoting a class on web design, a\u00a0note on your library\u2019s web page might be a good way to reach those who might\u00a0be interested. If you\u2019re teaching a class on basic computer skills for complete\u00a0beginners, potential students might not see it if you\u2019re only announcing it on your\u00a0email newsletter. Having information about your program in different places and\u00a0formats can help \u2013 an email newsletter can reach those patrons who prefer to use\u00a0email, while printed fliers at the service desks can alert those who don\u2019t. Holding\u00a0a book club for mystery readers? A sign in the stacks near the mystery section will\u00a0alert those who are browsing for their next read.<\/p>\n

Think outside the box. Are there places around the community that might allow\u00a0you to put up a notice? Get to know your local newspaper, and see if they might\u00a0be willing to cover library events.<\/p>\n

Involve all your staff. Not everyone has the time to spend making posters and still\u00a0complete their other duties, but it\u2019s a good idea to make sure all your staff know\u00a0what\u2019s going on at the library this week, so that they can help spread the word.\u00a0Staff who register patrons for new accounts should be sure to mention upcoming\u00a0events, so that new patrons know there is more to do at the library than reading\u00a0and using computers. Staff at the information desk can also help make sure\u00a0patrons know about upcoming classes or events that might be relevant to their\u00a0interests or information needs.<\/p>\n

Most importantly, don\u2019t wait until the last minute to think about how to draw\u00a0people to your event. Raising awareness should be part of your planning process\u00a0as you\u2019re planning the event. And stay positive and hopeful \u2013 if you\u2019re excited\u00a0about your program, it\u2019s a lot easier to get other people excited about it, too!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Emma Pinault, Head Editor,\u00a0INALJ Delaware Spreading the Word About Library Events Whatever educational or entertaining programs your library offers, it\u2019s important\u00a0to know how to get the word out. Whether you\u2019re starting a book club, teaching\u00a0a computer class, or inviting a local author to talk about a book, few things are as\u00a0frustrating as planning an…<\/p>\n

Read more \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":60376,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[145],"tags":[69,3592,5538,3598,6354,5138,6356,6355],"class_list":["post-76455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-article","tag-blog","tag-emma-pinault","tag-inalj-delaware","tag-library-events","tag-local-events","tag-promoting-events","tag-spreading-the-word"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Emma-Pinault.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1WoMK-jT9","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=76455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76455\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/60376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=76455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=76455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=76455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}