Real Life Marketing and Promotion Strategies in College Libraries: Connecting with Campus and Community (review)

It is no secret that financial support for libraries has declined over the years. Government has cut into state higher education budgets, and the rise of the Internet has eroded support for libraries within universities and colleges. So, what is to be done? The 12 articles in Real Life Marketing and Promotion Strategies in College Libraries propose a variety of methods to promote libraries and increase their visibility within the academic and, in some cases, broader community. As the title would indicate, there are many down-to-earth and useful suggestions; but, at the same time, this volume betrays a certain shallowness about broader issues of marketing.

Articles range from practical checklists for getting started in community outreach to a very useful marketing bibliography. Most of the articles are of the "show and tell" variety. There are interesting examples of a successful American Library Association Frankenstein exhibit at Trinity University, which received a large amount of campus attention and increased the visibility of the library, a collaborative effort with marketing students at Texas A&M University to promote e-books, and the use of a restaurant theme at Tunxis Community College to get the word out about information literacy.

Despite the diversity of examples, there are some common themes. Collaboration across campus is important, particularly getting advice and help from graphics departments, public relations offices, marketing students, and the journalism department. Getting the faculty involved in library programming is also a key component of any library promotion. Barbara MacAlpine describes how the librarians at Trinity University used faculty to invite the appropriate speakers to develop a lecture series in support of their Frankenstein exhibit. Library liaisons also used their connections with faculty to encourage students to create their own supporting exhibits. Kathleen Conley and Toni Tucker write about inviting local elected officials to library events; this increases awareness and can put the library on a politician's radar for any funding opportunities.

Many of the authors make the case that promotional items are a key ingredient to any successful marketing campaign. Although most of the suggestions are common (pens, bookmarks, pencils, posters), some are unique. At Skidmore College, high quality postcards describing new library services were mailed out to faculty. Trinity University used a Frankenstein movie festival; unfortunately, it was not well attended. Tunxis Community College placed coffee and tea coupons, which were redeemable at the library, on the backs of faculty invitations. Throughout the book, there are also screenshots of promotional Web sites and pictures of various marketing items. Unfortunately, all of these examples are in black and white; thus, posters and Web sites, whose aesthetic appeal are lovingly described, are not given their due.

There is much to recommend in this volume. The range of articles will be useful for anyone interested in the nuts and bolts of library marketing. Most of the articles also show an admirable awareness of the budgetary limitations of libraries; for example, there is an emphasis on the low financial cost of getting the word out to local media outlets. Reaching out to students through focus groups or marketing campaigns also does not strain the library coffers. Successful marketing plans are included. Finally, there is good advice on how to use LibQUAL+^TM survey results to refine the libraries outreach efforts.

The book has some weaknesses as well. Library resources are not finite; time and money spent on marketing could also be used for library instruction, reference appointments, and the acquisition of new resources, among many other things. A counter argument is that marketing and advertising increase awareness of library services. However, beyond the counts of attendance at events, there is very little assessment of the marketing plans and ideas. More troubling is the wholesale acceptance of the corporate marketing model. Libraries are not factories that produce widgets; they are educational...