Week 15 Prompt Response: Marketing the Fiction Collection

What do you think are the best ways to market your library's fiction collection? Name and describe three ways you do or would like to market your library or your future library's fiction. These can be tools, programs, services, displays - anything that you see as getting the word out.

In-house: Signage, displays, and bookmarks

Given the diversity of patrons' recreational reading interests, I would incorporate a variety of marketing tools. Saricks emphasizes the effectiveness of simple and straightforward ways to highlight library collections (Saricks 139). My intent is to follow her recommendation. Using Burke's delineation of readers' advisory into passive (static) and dynamic (active) approaches, I will focus on passive marketing tools that have proven effective in our library (Burke): signage, displays, and bookmarks. 

Signage promotes the entire fiction collection. Our department has noticed the importance of clear and intuitive signage, and I would make that part of the marketing plan.  The wording and placement of signage is a major part of our current space planning process. 

Next I would follow Saricks' example and maintain a permanent display similar to "Good Books You May Have Missed," that is not genre specific (Saricks 140).  Collectors will continue to set up small and temporary displays to highlight sections of their collections.  At the front of our department there is a four-sided wood tower used for displaying materials on specific topics. The location has made the tower a regular stop for patrons, and the items on display circulate well. The displays are restocked daily and changed out bi-weekly. Monthly staff picks with annotated bibliographies will occupy the display shelves next to the RA desk. 

Bookmarks that share staff picks and read alikes have been popular with patrons and staff.  Many patrons have commented on how much they appreciate them and often bring a bookmark to the service desk to ask about certain titles. Sometimes those questions lead to a readers' advisory conversation. If not, patrons are more aware of our collection and may find an item appealing to them. Popular titles that can be found in our online collections will be noted on the bookmark. 

Too many bookmarks, flyers, and posters can have a numbing effect. Patrons may feel overwhelmed by the saturation of promotional materials, and ignore them. The judicious placement of these tools will reduce that possibility.

Online: New Books, Staff Picks, Read Alikes

Our library website is a prime location for marketing the fiction collection, especially to patrons who are infrequent visitors to the library.  Signage here should also be eye catching and easy to navigate. The website would highlight new books, staff picks, and our NoveList database. The homepage for the Adult department will highlight titles that the staff is reading and provide links to the titles in the library catalogue.  Currently patrons have to scroll down to "online databases," or click on the "Research" tab and then on "NoveList."  Read alike suggestions through NoveList should be prominently displayed.  A "Read Alikes" tab would make it easier for patrons to access those materials. When we promote a program, materials related to the topic will be displayed on the department's webpage. 

References

Burke, S. K., & Strothmann, M. (2015). Adult Readers' Advisory Services through Public Library Websites. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 55(2), 132-143. Retrieved from Library & Information Science Source.

Saricks, J. (2005) Promoting and marketing readers’ advisory collections and services. In Readers’ Advisory Service in the Public Library. Chicago: ALA. 136-160. [Files - Canvas]