Prompt: What do you think are the best ways to market your library's fiction collection?
1. Facebook/Website: A lot of people are turning to the internet for answers to their questions. A good way to promote the fiction collection would be to put an announcement on the library's website and/or Facebook page.
2. Fiction Display: Having a display section of classics, recent favorites, and new fiction can get the public interested in what else the library has to offer.
3. Reading Programs: A lot of libraries have summer/reading programs. The fiction collection can be highlighted in one such program.
Brittany,
ReplyDeleteI really agree with your first means of advertising fiction books. I think that, at least in my own library, my co-workers are resistant to admitting that a large number of their patrons get their information online. However, targeting this ever increasing patron population that prefers digital communication is vital to remaining relevant to our patrons.
On occasion my library will post a picture on Facebook of the "just in" fiction display, and they will highlight other displays from time to time, but I wish books and displays at my library had their own Facebook page. I understand my library doesn't want to have to make a bunch of different Facebook pages for certain things, but I feel they are not covering enough with one single page. They are worried about people who have a hard time navigating websites, which I understand. I am hoping as time goes on, and more people are used to technology, such things would not be an issue.
ReplyDeleteI know my local library does some themed reading programs year round, not just summer reading, and they seem to draw people in! I know online challenges—things like bookish bingo or readathons—are really popular among bloggers and whatnot so that could be a cool way to not only help advertise fiction, but engage in social media!
ReplyDeleteWhen I ran the library's facebook page, I always liked to go out and find weirdly titled books or ones with odd covers. I called it, "Look What Was Found in the Stacks." "Dancing with Cats" was the first and most memorable of those posts. That book did get a few circulations after that.
ReplyDeleteI think having an online display of fiction would be great to draw in the tech patrons who may not visit the library in person but virtually check out books. Summer Reading is great to increase circulation, but I know that last year our summer reading prizes were more of a draw than the reading. Patrons would check out books then dump them into the returns when they left the library. We do have dedicated Summer Reading Participants, though!
ReplyDeleteI like the connection you've made to summer reading programs. Summer is the perfect time to promote a fiction collection, tied to the summer reading program incentives to win prizes, it is a prime time to capitalize on patrons' search for goodreads.
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas, but woefully short prompt response.
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