The Accidental Library Marketer

The Accidental Library Marketer fills a need for library professionals and paraprofessionals who find themselves in an awkward position: They need to promote their libraries and services in the age of the internet, but they ve never been taught how to do it effectively. This results-oriented A-to-Z guide by Kathy Dempsey longtime editor of the Marketing Library Services newsletter reveals the missing link between the everyday promotion librarians actually do and the real marketing that s guaranteed to assure funding, excite users, and build stronger community relationships. Combining real-life examples, expert advice, and checklists in a reader-friendly style, this is the complete how-to resource for successful library marketing and promotion.

This guide, written for both the beginner and the seasoned library staffer, offers ways to market effectively. Author Dempsey (a librarian and marketing consultant) covers basics such as doing assessments, using demographics and expert wisdom, getting buy-in, understanding the marketing cycle, and making the library’s Web site an effective marketing tool. Three appendixes provide reprints of articles originally published in the Marketing Library Services newsletter, which Dempsey edits. Numerous useful examples and checklists help illustrate the concepts discussed in the text. This practical guide should help the reader improve or initiate effective marketing for libraries. An accompanying Web site is at www.LibrariesAreEssential.com. --Patricia Hogan