University Libraries Utilize Facebook: Promoting Programs, Collections, and Services

The University Libraries have recently revised their strategy for utilizing Facebook. Previously, Libraries staff updated the account periodically with photos and selected articles from the Library Insider, which were posted as photos. Beginning in December 2009, the Libraries began to keep the account more current and stepped up active promotion of the account in order to reach students, faculty, and other University Libraries fans.

The Ball State University Libraries’ Facebook account is ballstatelibraries. Anyone interested in following the Libraries can go to www.facebook.com/ballstatelibraries instead of having to search within Facebook.

Katie M. Bohnert, Marketing and Communications Manager, took on the task of regularly posting fresh and timely content to the Libraries’ Facebook account. New items and services, current and upcoming exhibits, workshops and instructional sessions have all been highlighted on the Libraries’ Facebook account. There are also reminders and links to timely services, such as reserving study rooms, checking print balances online, and employing wireless printing services. Katie also began posting selected Library Insider newsletter articles as notes instead of images, which makes the text searchable and more likely to be indexed by search engines such as Google.

Facebook also proved to be a valuable tool for communicating with students and faculty in December 2009, when the University’s Web site experienced a brief campus-wide interruption. The Libraries were able to share with our Facebook fans the direct links to unaffected resources, such as CardCat, Articles and Databases, E-Journals, and the Digital Media Repository. When service was restored, another posting alerted fans that the problem had been resolved and thanked them for their patience.

Future possibilities for the ballstatelibraries Facebook account include promotion of musical and theatrical previews in Bracken Library, taking advantage of the photo and video sharing capabilities native to Facebook, and using the Facebook Markup Language (FBML) to provide a way to search the online catalog, CardCat, as well as Articles and Databases from within Facebook, which would be especially helpful for those using mobile devices.

If you are a Facebook user and would like to be a fan of the University Libraries, join us at www.facebook.com/ballstatelibraries.

Marketing Communications Manager Speaks about Marketing Libraries

Susan G. Akers, Ball State University Libraries’ Marketing Communications Manager, spoke at the May 30, 2008 Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) Conference held in Indianapolis, an event attended by 130 people. The focus of her talk was how to apply the 4 P’s of marketing, created in the early 1960s for use in business models, to the library environment.

Susan explained the value and use of the 4 P’s — product (librarians, collections), price (time), place (library), and promotion (communication, outreach) when transferred to a non-business environment.

An important take-away from Susan’s talk was that marketing in a library refers to everything the librarians do to promote the library. This includes service delivery, how phones are answered, an inviting atmosphere, developing and improving consistent customer service, relationship building, and looking for creative ways to promote the librarians and resources to the user community.

Susan identified several important benefits and outcomes from raising awareness about library programs, services, and collections. These include:

Create and maintain a relationship between the library and its user community
Create and reinforce the library’s brand to students, faculty, and administrators through information dissemination about the library’s programs, services, and collections
Create demand among user community members for the library’s programs and services
Provide awareness about services accessible through the library that support the college’s or university’s core mission for teaching, learning, and research
Provide a consistent message to students, faculty, and administrators about the library to build behavior that results in increased library utilization


Part of Susan’s presentation focused on performing a SWOT analysis as a first step in formulating a communication/marketing plan. The concept of using a tagline to assist in branding the library was also discussed.

Ken Gibson, Director of Duggan Library at Hanover College, said he and a colleague jotted down several creative taglines that could be applied to Hanover’s library system and that he could see further application from the presentation in promoting the PALNI consortium.

Hand-outs included an article on how good signage contributes to a positive library experience and “40 Marketing Tips for Academic Libraries on a Shoestring Budget (aren’t we all!)” available at the May 28, 2008 blog entry on www.marketingyourlibrary.com.

For information, contact Susan G. Akers, Ball State University Libraries’ Marketing Communications Manager, SAkers@bsu.edu, 765-285-5031.

Ball State Libraries Hold Successful Marketing/Communications Conference for Librarians

Design a Blueprint for Communication: Strategies that Work!, a one-day conference on Tuesday, September 25, 2007, hosted by Ball State University Libraries, provided 24 librarians from around Indiana with a unique opportunity to learn more about the hottest marketing and communication topics libraries are facing.

The conference provided six sessions with information relating to strategic planning, using research data, managing the library’s brand, connecting with customers, programming as a marketing tool, and improving print publications.

“The excellent roster of speakers attracted a wide range of librarians from both academic and public backgrounds,” said Susan G. Akers, Marketing Communications Manager, Ball State University Libraries.

Dr. Melvin L. Sharpe, professor emeritus in Ball State’s Department of Journalism, engaged the audience with a discussion on strategic planning and how to use research to determine the needs of one’s audience. Dr. Becky A. McDonald, assistant professor in public relations at Ball State, discussed the difference between public relations and marketing. Susan G. Akers presented information on creating a library’s brand along with a short session on targeted marketing and writing creative copy.

Maria Blake, Director of Communications and Community Relations at Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library (IMCPL), discussed the practical applications of public relations in her talk cleverly entitled, “If You Build it, They will Come—Not!” Many attendees were interested in hearing about the public relations challenges related to IMCPL’s Central Library expansion and building project which ran more than $50 million over budget and ran two years behind schedule.

Emily Hankley, Adult Program and Product Development Specialist at IMCPL, discussed the importance of creative programming in the library and specifically toward connecting with adult visitors. Paula Balensiefer, Community Relations Assistant and Graphic Designer at Anderson Public Library, teamed up with Becky Brewer, who works in information services and adult programming at Jackson County Public Library, to illustrate design do’s and don’ts. Becky holds the distinction of being named as co-winner of ALA’s “Best in Show Newsletter” award last year.