Creating Your Library Brand: Communicating Your Relevance and Value to Your Patrons

Elisabeth Doucett
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Item Number
978-0-8389-0962-1
Published
2008
Publisher
ALA Editions
Pages
160
Width
6"
Height
9"
Format
Softcover
AP Categories
A
C

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  • Description
  • Table of Contents
  • About the author
  • Reviews

From McDonald's arches to Nike's swoosh, logos are part of the everyday landscape. These are the visual representations of brands' extensive marketing stories, defining the meaning and message of the company.

Branding is one part of the marketing process that focuses on developing a laser-clear message and the means to communicate that message to the intended audience. But as a library, where does branding fit?

In the new media mix, libraries need to stand up and effectively communicate their benefits as a preferred provider of information and entertainment resources. By following the step-by-step guidance of Doucett, branding pro turned librarian, libraries can begin to develop branding that makes a difference. With branding scaled and tailored to the nonprofit public library arena, this guide

  • Clarifies marketing and branding
  • Explains where to start
  • Shows how to define the message and grab attention with visuals
  • Considers pitfalls

    The book covers everything from working with outside experts to evaluating and maintaining your library's brand, illustrated by case studies from other libraries. For those who have made a start, the chapters stand on their own—librarians can pick up wherever they left off. End-of-chapter exercises enhance the feedback process. Tips, suggestions for success, and answers to frequently asked questions ensure your team collaborates on a library brand that will bring more patrons through the door!

    Check out this title's webextras!

    • Preface
    How to Use This Book

    1. Defining Marketing and Branding
    2. Why Brand?
    3. Who Should Be Involved in Branding?
    4. The Ideal Brand
    5. The Brand Audit
    6. The Story: Defining Your Message
    7. The Visuals: Attention-Grabbing Support for Your Message
    8. Brand Standards, Brand Advocates, and Marketing
    9. How to Work with Outside Help
    10. Evaluating Your Brand: Short-Term and Long-Term
    11. Maintaining Your Brand
    12. Blogs and Brands
    13. Common Pitfalls and False Assumptions

    Appendix A. Case Studies
    Appendix B. Words to Describe Your Library and What Makes It Unique

    Glossary
    Acknowledgments
    Index

    Elisabeth Doucett

    Elisabeth Doucett is director of the Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick, Maine. She holds an MLS from Simmons College, where she was elected to the Beta Phi Mu Honor Society, and an MBA in marketing from the J. L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. She is the author of Creating Your Library Brand. Her strategy and marketing proficiencies were developed over more than a decade spent in the consumer packaged goods industry as a marketing director at Quaker Oats and Dunkin' Donuts and as a brand manager at Kraft Foods in the Maxwell House Coffee Division.

    "While creating a brand may seem like a daunting task, Doucett has drawn an easy-to-follow road map…. Highly recommended for professional collections."
    -–Library Journal

    "Useful for any library trying to gain more visibility, this work will assist all in either creating or enhancing their image."
    -–ARBA Online

    "Highly recommended for all librarians."
    --Reference & User Services Quarterly