Antony Brewerton

How I became an Outgoing Librarian.

Changing perceptions of libraries and information resources...
"Wear lipstick, have a tattoo, belly-dance, then Get Naked. The making of a Virtual Librarian.

The new Breed Librarian.

Example with railways: Railways declined because they thought they were in the Railway business--instead of the transportation business.

[Antony going over questions raised/users comments from the Perceptions report.]

3 big messages:
1. We're a community resources--but customers primarily think of us a buildings of books.
2. Customers have more positive than negative associations--but those are on traditional products
3. Opportunities to diversify and remove barriers to use but first must promote the riches we already offer.

We need to decide what our brand is...and market it.

Clicker question: Who has, in their institution?
35% A member of staff responsible for marketing the library
24% A group responsible
13% Both
28% Nobody

Oxford Brooks University
How they did it:
They formed Functional groups, Marketing being a central one.
The Marketing Group makes a strategic plan each year and an annual report.
Their budget is 600 Pounds Stirling. (About US $1,000)

First, start with the customer. Listen to them!

Clicker question: Who has
7% A regular customer satisfaction survey
5% focus groups
58% feedback forms
19% various of the above
none

What they did: hung tags that used LPs with Blondie and Meatleaf
They revamped their logo...

Revlon quotation: "In teh factory we make cosmetics, in the drug store we sell hope." Charles Revlon, Revlon Cosmetics.

Freshers Fair (College Freshman/1st years) Drinks campaign:
Had drinks posters with great headlines
Beer mats (coasters)
Gave out bottled water

They send ambassadors outside the library...with t-shirts that say "How can I help you?"
Do you regularly go outside your library to promote your library?
55% Yes
45% No

They revamped their Web site, significantly rearchitecting around the students' experience.

Next year Freshers Fair: "Inspiration, available now from the library." The apple was particularly difficult to photograph...
Used stickers with URL, apple, "be inspired"
Gave out apples...

Web hits show the proof: marketing works
From October 2000, they have 65,192 hits to their site
By January 2002, they had 228,201 hits.
Promotional campaigns and hits demonstrate that you can rebrand your library, you can reinvigorate.

They used their success stories and did a lot of PR around it, both inside and outside the library circles...