So I'm still working on the refinement, of course, as I go through the literature, but here's where I'm starting.
Research question:
How would marketing affect the patronage and/or circulation at a public library that has a built in steady circulation but that makes very little attempt to bring in additional patrons?
Setting & Background:
The library that I'm working in, the Henderson County Public Library, was recently ranked highest in the state among libraries that serve the same number of patrons. Henderson County has a population of just over 89,000 and of that, it's believed that 75% of the population has library cards, though many of them are inactive. The library is very "basic". They plan very standard events and programs, with author readings, foreign films and such. While all events are well attended, it tends to be by the same people, for the most part. Regulars are at the heart of circulation, as demonstrated by the number of regulars that can be spotted in the library each week. While this population does make use of the library services, many folks that walk through the doors do so only to use the computers or perhaps to check out DVDs. I feel strongly that if the library were to implement some sort of marketing plan, that circulation would increase, as would overall patronage. In the past six months, the library has suffered from budget cuts and was forced to lay off staff. Marketing might also help to bring in a stronger volunteer pool to help fill the gaps that reduced staff are now having trouble filling.
Participants:
My intent is to work with two sets of people. First, I want to work with several of the librarians within the library, to get their feedback and thoughts on what's missing and on what the benefits might be of implementing a plan such as this. Secondly, I want to make contact with librarians outside of the system in libraries of similar or greater circulation and get their feedback on what works for them and on what value they put on marketing. I'd also like to visit some of these other libraries to see how their facilities differ from what I see on a daily basis here in Henderson County. At this library, there are almost no static displays and no attempts are made to make the library "friendly" to the patron in any way. I'd like to evaluate the effects these things have on other libraries' circulation. Though it would be hard to have hard numbers, I hope to get feedback that helps me to understand just what the effects are.
---Kate Whyte
Comments (7)
A good project, Kate, and a good focus by approaching the problem from the librarian's perspective. It sounds as though getting a sampling of patrons from outside the "hard core regular," but have you given any thought to trying some sort of minor patron research? It would be another good way to gauge the effectiveness (or perceived effectivness) of Hendersonville's marketing/lack thereof as well as those plans encounterered in other libraries. It might be a hard group to work with, but may benefit your study to get an idea of both sides of the equation and including patrons would strengthen the feeling of enlightenment and participation that Stringer deems necessary and crucial to any action research project. Another question is your definition of marketing would be-promotion of the library in general, special evnts only, visual props such as signange or advertisements? Similar to Hubbard's example of defining a "literacy event," this might be a good initial step. Looks good, and I'd love to talk with you about halfway through the process as our projects seem be related in a few ways.-John Harrington
Posted by Anonymous | January 31, 2009 8:52 AM
Posted on January 31, 2009 08:52
John,
Thanks for your feedback. I've definitely thought about the things you're talking about. One of the reasons that I'm not sold fully yet on talking to the patrons is that my library isn't too keen on that sort of stuff and I've been turned down before when I asked if I could do this or that. They have an incredible fear of litigation here and that seems to make them say "no" more than anything, but you're right, and I still may approach it. As for your question about what aspect of marketing I'm thinking of, I deliberately haven't focused in yet fully because I'm waiting to review the literature that's out there. As it stands, much of what I've seen relates to visual marketing (signage, displays) but there are still things out there having to do with events and such, too. I'd like to see what's out there and then focus in based on what I find. More than anything, I know that for any customer-driven business to succeed, it has to appeal to its audience and it's astounding to me that, coming from a retail background, many libraries seem to make little or no attempt to attract attention and draw in anything beyond the patrons that would have come in the door anyway. I'll definitely get with you as I go through this, to see if we can be beneficial to each other in any way. Thanks!
Posted by Kate Whyte | January 31, 2009 2:22 PM
Posted on January 31, 2009 14:22
This sounds like a great project, but I am intrigued by your statement relating to fear of litigation. I don't understand how speaking to patrons could lead to litigation.
Posted by Barbara Cloninger | February 1, 2009 11:00 PM
Posted on February 1, 2009 23:00
Kate-
This sounds like a great project. I remember all those amazing libraries we visited this past summer. They seem to have the marketing down and it worked for them. Are you going to consider getting any feedback from these patrons that only use the computers or rent DVDs? It would be nice to see if they were interested in some of the new information you had received from other places. I am sure the budget cuts will be an obstacle that you will have to overcome when talking to your librarians. It might be good to ask others how they are handling the crunch also. Sounds like you are off to a good start. Can't wait to see where it goes from here.
Nikki
Posted by Erin Jaynes (Nikki) | February 1, 2009 11:09 PM
Posted on February 1, 2009 23:09
Barbara, the fear of litigation comes into play when you have an overzealous county attorney that shies away from everything. For instance, a judge banned a patron from coming into our library for life, but the county attorney decided that we have no right to do that. Before I would be allowed to speak to patrons, I'd have to go through the director. I asked to take pictures once and had to go through major hoops because they were trying to decide if, as an employee of the library, there were issues with me capturing patrons in photos. In the end, I had to take pictures while we were closed so that no patron was included. While I think it's possible that I could get the clearance, I freely admit that I'm hesistant to push too hard. Three full time and one half time position were laid off recently with talk of more to come. If I can come up with a way to do this without stepping on toes, I will. But I'd rather avoid the county attorney, among others.
Posted by Kate Whyte | February 2, 2009 9:06 PM
Posted on February 2, 2009 21:06
Yes, Kate --- please avoid the county attorney. If there are any ethical issues imposed on you by the library, avoid them at all costs, because the university (ASU) will not approve any research that needs multiple levels of clearance (too risky for them). So keep your participants to groups that you have access to in your daily work without permission constraints.
And you are keen to realize that "effects" is going to be hard to study in the amount of time that we have. I'm wondering, though, if you could shift the emphasis from "effects" to attitudes or perceptions (by the librarians) regarding why it isn't done, or what they would be willing to do, etc. More of a "barriers" study would help you to build strategies that would benefit your stakeholders. Does that make sense?
Posted by Alecia Jackson | February 4, 2009 1:40 PM
Posted on February 4, 2009 13:40
Yes, it makes perfect sense. I've been trying to think of a way to refine things a bit and that really does help get me there. Thanks for the great suggestion. I knew there was a little piece I was missing!
Posted by Kate Whyte | February 4, 2009 2:01 PM
Posted on February 4, 2009 14:01