What’s your library’s story?

Today I’m reading Liz Doucett’s manuscript for Creating Your Library Brand, and for me it shed some real light on the ongoing debate about whether libraries should become more like community centers. The answer lies in your library’s story:

Branding is one component of marketing strategy. Branding is the process of defining a library’s story into a short, appealing statement that tells the whole story in one sentence and then visually conveying the story via the library’s logo and other branding elements. But what is the “story”? The library’s story is the articulation of the role a library plays or wants to play in its community. To be a powerful story, the library should be talking about a role that no one else can duplicate. The story is meant to inform anyone considering using the library about what makes it special and a place worth visiting. The story can be about the details of the library (great customer service, a large collection, a beautiful building) or it can be about the needs that the library could fill in the lives of its patrons. The story might be that the library is a place where a community connects and comes together. It might be the intellectual center of a small town. It could be seen as the tool that parents could use to give their kids a head-start in life. It could be the center of campus life for a college or a place where a student can feel part of a community at a large university. Any one of these stories could be compelling to people thinking of using the library. They are powerful definitions of what makes the library relevant and important in its community.

It is imperative to remember that as a library develops its story, it should check back with its patrons/potential users to make sure that its story is not just unique but also relevant and meaningful. It is great to say that a library has the largest serials collection in the county, but if potential users don’t care about serials, then that story has no relevance and will not help make the library attractive. A meaningful story will motivate potential patrons to come to a library because they are seeking what the library provides.

A former private-sector marketer turned librarian, Doucett provides straightforward, jargon-free direction and guidelines for libraries that want to communicate their value and relevance to their communities. Look for Creating Your Library Brand in our spring/summer 2008 catalog.