Transcript Marketing the engineering library

MARKETING THE
ENGINEERING LIBRARY
All rights reserved. 2009.
Megan Sapp Nelson, Asst. Professor of Library Sciences,
Purdue University Libraries
Objectives
Discuss value and its effect on libraries and marketing
Discuss the interplay of patron groups and value
propositions
Discuss tools that will help to implement a marketing
plan
Challenges
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Tech savvy undergrads
Busy grads and faculty
Competition
Availability of resources, including time
Our Value Proposition
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The total of services that we have to offer to our
customers.1
 Individual
patron appreciates only snippets of total
value proposition.
 These
represent high value services to that patron.
 Our
total value proposition should be the sum of
services valued by some patron or patron group.
 Marketing Goal: To establish value in minds of patrons
1Seiss,
J. 2008. Determining and communicating value. One Person Library, Vol. 24:11, pp. 5-6.
Who Are Our Target Audiences?
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Tier 1 Public Research Institution
 Undergraduates
 Graduate
students
 Faculty
 Colleges
of Technology and Engineering
 Indiana residents
 Researchers from other institutions
Motivations: Students
Undergrads
Grads
Grades
Advisors
Peers
Ease of work
Graduation
Requirements
Dissertation
Motivation: Faculty/ Administration
Faculty
Administration
Grants
ABET
ABET
Graduation
Rates
Ease of
work
Grants/
Donations
Motivations: Non-Institutional
Stakeholders
State
Residents
Un-affiliated
Researchers
Practical
Solution to
Problem
Collections
unavailable
locally
Seeking
Expertise
Information
for local
research
Using tax
dollars
Grants
Disincentives
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Too far away
Everything is already available on the web
Self-reliance
No reading culture
“They never have what I want…”
Value changes for each target
audience
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Variety of target audiences implies that a variety
of services are considered “most important”
Also implies that some services are least valuable to
each target audience
 Example:
Undergrads – value group study space in
library; Don’t care about document delivery service
 Example: Faculty – value document delivery to their
office; Don’t care about 24 hour library service
Understanding patron groups =
creating value proposition
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Analysis of target audiences motivators
(conversations, interviews, surveys)
Look at differences between patron groups
 Is
there a service that fills a pressing need/interest?
 Indicators
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Enthusiastic early adopters
Regulations reinforcing library use
Cultural zeitgeist
Identifying Useful Communication
Avenues
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Break up available avenues by target audience
Consider culture of target audience
Consider timeframe for event or service
Is it free or inexpensive?
How much time will it take to take advantage of the
avenue?
Helpful Tools: Service Mix Evaluation
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What do we do and how often do we do it?
Who are the target audiences of those services?
Steps:
What are your main service areas? Write them
down along with any supporting statistics for usage.
Organize them into main trends or areas of
support.
Service Mix Evaluation reproduced from Fisher, PH, Pride, MM, and EG
Miller. (2006). Blueprint for your library marketing plan: a guide to help you
survive and thrive. Chicago: American Library Association.
Helpful Tools: Communication Avenue
by Target Audience Chart
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What are the available communication avenues?
What are the target audiences?
Which avenues reach which audiences?
Steps:
Gather all available communication avenues.
Sort by audience that uses it.
Note cost (free, inexpensive, expensive).
Note any instructions for using the avenue.
Note any deadlines.
Helpful Tools: Library Marketing
Calendar
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Organization
Plan both “planning time” and “implementation
date”.
Creates structure.
Library Marketing Calendar reproduced from Fisher, PH, Pride, MM, and EG Miller.
(2006). Blueprint for your library marketing plan: a guide to help you survive and thrive.
Chicago: American Library Association.
Helpful Tools: Project Initiation Form
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Who is responsible for what?
When is it due?
What are the next steps?
Project Initiation Form reproduced from Fisher, PH, Pride, MM, and EG Miller. (2006).
Blueprint for your library marketing plan: a guide to help you survive and thrive. Chicago:
American Library Association.
Conclusion
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Investing time in examining primary patron groups
and motivations is key to successful marketing
Marketing should be systematically included
throughout programming
Tools are available to lighten the load a bit
Any questions?

Please contact Megan Sapp Nelson at
[email protected].