Friday, February 04, 2011

Selling What Can't Be Seen

Selling What Can't Be Seen: Marketing Virtual Lib Services

Cecile Farnum, Ryerson, Christy, Kitchener PL and Liz Dobson, Centennial College


  • Cecile talking about 3 virtual services at Ryerson: AskON, an audio tour of the main floor that's downloadable (neat idea), and “discovery layer” (federated search engine – soon to be implemented)

  • AskON: Ryerson had a deeper history with chat ref (since 2001ish)...talking a lot about the service itself...what about marketing?!!

  • marketing AskON: logo on web site; inclusion in ref services; mention in univ. Publications; marketing in library space; in-class demos (nothing really revolustionary there!)

  • idea...(chat with LL and Jro...) should we put askON widget (or maybe logo and link) on our Database pages / My Giant Search page / Just Ask Us / other places people look for help...but then it is on the home page...hmmm

  • is askON prominent in new member guide / info ?...

  • audio tour: 8 minute tour of the main floor to orientate new students; developed a script and recorded it ina studio; edited using GarageBand (comes with a mac...like windows media player?...check it out)...interesting idea...see if any public libraries do this

  • audio tour marketd with the lib's suite of mobile apps...niiiice...check out their other ones!

  • Experimented with QR codes...linked to audio tour

  • also have QR codes in all their opac records...WOW!

  • Discover layer: Summon...University of Calgary has this...check it out

  • This will be a radical change...so agressive marketing plan required...to explain how this new thing works...will change the research process...planning to: mandatory staff training for everyone; workshops for lib users; booth in Library lobby; demos during orientation week; social medial push; testimonials


Christy from Kitchener (Teen services)

  • Go! “Get Online” presentation developed for showing to students outside the library

  • WOTS: barrier free advertising

  • GO! Get your Info Online at KPL...wanted to SHOW students on tours of the physical library how they can use databases / so added show and tell to tours...consulted with school boards...agreed that presentations to grade 8 students useful...used Cantasia to edit video...filmed selves doing tour (+ demo?) resuled in major increase in use of databases

  • KPL has Freegal

  • Go! evolved to demos of downloading ebooks, eaudio etc. Show them how to do it

  • focus shifting away from research databases to leisure stuff / Tumblebooks etc.

  • Also use Captivate software

  • marketing at the street level...Word on the Street festival...kpl has a booth...test driving new media (OverDrive eAudiobooks)...needed to educate peeps (public and staff)...had a laptop with earphones at the fesival...let people download books on to their portable devices on the street...barrier-free library cards (lax on i.d. On the street to encourage use of overdrive...)

  • christy.giesler@kpl.org if any questions



Liz from Centennial College

  • AskON and Citizen Researcher (an interactive graphic novel that teaches info literacy...neat!...check it out)

  • marketing is necessary

  • good practice to read about marketing in general...and adapt ideas for library use...

  • how Cent. College marketed AskON: several places on web site, black board software and other college web sites; twitter and FB; tent cards and flyers (canned, from KO); not exactly revolutionary stuff here

  • plan to make a video about askON and to add QR codes

  • Markam PL has a YouTube video w line dancing staff! Check it out


This is not really what I thought it would be.

Ended with an overview of contemporary marketing trends...not exactly relevant.

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