nan carmack, events and marketing coordinator for bedford (VA) public library system, recently shared her library’s september project. some or all branches of bedford public library – big island, central, forest, moneta/sml, montvale, and stewartsville – will screen the guys, a film about a new york fire captain and the eight eulogies he delivers after 9-11.
their publicity strategy is extremely creative. apparently, they have designed tray liners which will be distributed by local fast food joints. (at fast food joints?!? i’d love to hear more about this!) the library has also designed posters which the EMS community will distribute throughout the community. finally, each library branch’s local fire captain will participate in post-movie discussions.
i LOVE the tray idea!
at ala, Jana Ponce, from Parker Public Library in Parker, AZ spoke about creating place mats out of her computer training calendar for use at a local diner. patrons would show up at her library, grease-stained calendar in hand!
very cool idea, nan!
Hi folks. David asked me to blog a little about p.r.. I do all the marketing, pr, and community development for our library system and come from a retail background. So often, libraries put on fantastic programming like Sept. Proj events but don’t get a good turn out. The reason? Ineffective p.r. Here are some creative tips for getting the word out with little money and alot of efficacy:
1. Identify who would benefit/support/be enthusiastic about this project? In our case for this year’s screening of The Guys, it would be our first responders. Solicit that group to be your partner in getting the word out to their members/supporters/ community.
2. Look for corporate partners. It’s easy with the Sept. Proj., right? Everyone wants a meaningful way to remember. This is where the fast food tray liners come in but, failing that…what about little table tents at local restaurants or maybe the local university cafeteria? Maybe flyers stuffed in grocery bags at the local grocery store.
3. Identify who a likely market is that wouldn’t see your in-library display: think gyms and sports clubs; think Women’s Clubs and churches; think Boy and Girl Scout Groups. Send them press releases, flyers; ask them to help distribute.
4. I also always send info to my area high schools with the suggestion that teachers offer extra credit for students who attend (our librarians will sign a bookmark the student can turn in)
5. Any academic faculty will probably be interested–how about your local private and faith-based schools; think community colleges; think universities and colleges. Don’t just send them flyers (do this but not this alone) and find connections to specific faculty members and ask them to help…announcements over p.a.’s, through their listservs, etc.
6. Finally, and often most effective, have those stakeholders who work with you in putting on the event put on a word-of-mouth campaign. Type up a list of talking points and get a number of those stake holders to make direct contact with their own connections and INVITE them to come. A personal invitation is harder to bail out on than any good intention to attend a program.
These techniques should help you fill a room and help meet the goals of the Sept. Proj. or any other program you may be offering.
Best, Nan Carmack
[...] I think this event is smart and exciting for many reasons. First, it’s great to see libraries planning September Project events in conjunction with already existing national (US) events like Banned Books Week and Constitution Day. Second, when it comes to town-gown collaborations, what could be better than a public library working with a public high school to encourage students to think about, express, and share the importance of voting? Third, Nan has organized September Projects in the past — when she was Events and Marketing Coordinator for Bedford (VA) Public Library System — and when it comes to publicizing library events she’s an expert and an innovator. [...]