Marketing

Library Fundraiser Has DC Area Residents Salivating

The Washington Post reports on sales of a new edition of an old book that's now helping local libraries in the DC area. The book, "300 Years of Black Cooking in St. Mary's County Maryland," was first published in 1975. But it has been enjoying a revival of sales since the St. Mary's County Library system reissued it in September 2005.

Recipes include traditional African American recipes, such as dandelion wine, hog brains and eggs and possum.

"They're recipes that parents had, and grandparents had, that often the children didn't write down," said Janice Walthour, who lives in Lexington Park and wrote a poem for the book.

The book can be purchased for $15 at any St. Mary's County library, or online at St. Mary's County (MD)Library.

Libraries woo patrons on the Web

Libraries have long struggled with a stuffy reputation, but on the UW-Madison campus and in some public branches, librarians are taking a decidedly fresh approach to attracting patrons by using social networking sites.

Sites, like Facebook, MySpace and Friendster, are wildly popular among students as a way to connect with friends and socialize online. People can personalize their own Web page with pictures, notes and music, and link to their friends' pages. Fledgling bands have used MySpace to promote their music.

Seth Godin speaks at Google

Seth Godin the author of All Marketers are Liars speaks at Google. The ideas that he gives to Google should be considered by librarians. .Here are some questions. To understand these questions you will need to watch the segment.
Do libraries have the blue box problem?
What story can libraries tell? (Focus on the discussion about Fancy Feast cat food and bottled water to understand this idea)

Pitt Students Promote Libraries Around the World to Celebrate National Library Week

Morgan Kelly, University of Pittsburgh writes "Projects by students in Pitt's School of Information Sciences work to present libraries as free resources of education and entertainment PITTSBURGH-Students in the University of Pittsburgh's School of Information Sciences (SIS) fanned out across the country and the world to help promote National Library Week, which was held from April 15 to 22. By working with libraries in Pennsylvania, other states, and other countries, students sought to showcase the resources available in a community's respective library and present the library as an entertaining and educational destination. Each year, SIS students in the Marketing and Public Relations for Libraries graduate course plan and implement a promotional campaign to celebrate National Library Week. -- Read More

Infotubey Winners

Filipino Librarian writes "They're not quite as well-known as the YouTube Video Awards, but the first winners of the Infotubey Awards, given to libraries that used YouTube 'to market their library or its services or enhance the standing of the library in the community,' have just been announced:

Congratulations to all the winners!"

Heroes of the Library: George Parsons

The Portsmouth Herald News - Portsmouth,NH - is running a wonderful series of monthly installments of "Heroes of the Library," a column to commemorate the Kennebunk Free Library's Centennial. In 1904, responding to the undeniable need, George Parsons offered to build a library for the town.

What Libraries Can Learn from Bookstores: Applying Bookstore Design to Public Libraries

Here's an article (Librarians Yellow Pages) from Chris Rippel, Central Kansas Library System, Great Bend, Kansas on how libraries can apply what bookstores have learned to draw in customers. The place should feel, sound, look and even smell appealing. Suggestions on how to do it are abundant, but not all necessarily practical, for example, how do you make a library smell like ...

Cinnamon, coffee, apples - homecooking, warm, family, cozy or

Orange - healthy and bright
or

Lemon - fresh, clean
or

Wood - general country hardware store

...and not like mold or mildew?

Finding Mr. Right @ your library

Filipino Librarian writes "JM Kearns, the author of Why Mr. Right Can't Find You, recommends that women be more proactive: 'Beyond chance encounters, women should venture into the real world to broaden the net, he says. Kearns suggests hanging out in bookstores and libraries, and if you see a prospect, smile. "Even Mr. Right needs encouragement. Your smile can be any smile. I don't care if it is nervous, pale or twitchy. If it is a smile, he will know he is allowed to interrupt your reading and speak to you' (Macleans, 29 January 2007). More..."

Hookin Up @ Your Library

Anonymous Patron writes "One library in Australia is taking a "novel" approach to love." A 150-year old Australian public library has a new true-romance section after introducing speed-dating nights for lovers of classic texts.

Library of Congress tour as contest prize

JET writes "Hachette Book Groups is having a contest where the grand prize is a trip to Washington DC (airfare and two nights hotel accommodations). #1 Best-selling author David Baldacci and John Y. Cole, the Director of the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress/Historian of the Library of Congress will give the winners a very special tour that includes the Rare Books and Special Collection Division, Conservation, the refurbished Jefferson Building, the office of the First Librarian of Congress which now serves as a private foreign dignitaries' office, and several exhibition halls. For more details, visit this link"

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