A black-and-white historic photo of a library interior with tall ceilings, large windows, bookshelves, hanging light fixtures, and a circulation desk where patrons are being helped. A translucent gray text box overlays the upper center of the image with the words, "How to Connect Services With a BIGGER STORY," with "BIGGER STORY" displayed in large, bright green letters.
Photo courtesy Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library

This week, I got to participate in an informal, impromptu awards ceremony for one of my coworkers.

Andy is a quiet, unassuming guy who loves to fish and has worked for the library longer than I have. He’s one of the people who really make a difference at the Library (so much so that we profiled him on the blog!)

The ceremony took place on the Social Stairs, a colorful event and gathering space in the Atrium. Our director read the award nomination in her trademark booming voice (no mic needed), and the customers around us (who likely came in to cool down in the heat or charge their devices, or have a moment of peace) got a chance to hear about how Andy’s work added value to the library.

Libraries are full of stories like that… stories of how lives are changed within its walls. The problem is that we often tell them one at a time, and they don’t relate to one another at all.

Think of how disjointed this might appear to your community⬇️

  • This week, we’re promoting Summer Reading.
  • Next week, it’s a job search workshop.
  • Then a makerspace program.
  • Then a new branch.
  • Then a database.
  • Then an author visit.

No wonder you and your audience are exhausted.

Granted, individually, each promotion makes sense. But collectively, they can make the library feel like a random place where a bunch of unrelated activities take place.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

I’m only four months into this job but… what if someone sees a year of our marketing and never grasps why the library matters?!

That question led me through a messaging exercise that eventually became the foundation for a new communication strategy. In this post, I want to walk through the process.

Step 1: Stop Thinking About Marketing Channels

Most messaging discussions start in the wrong place. Teams start talking about:

  • Social media
  • Emails
  • Billboards
  • News releases
  • Videos

None of those things are messaging. They are delivery methods.

Before you decide where a message should appear, you need to decide what you want people to believe. That’s a much harder question!

Step 2: Define the Beliefs You’re Trying to Build

Every marketing message either strengthens public understanding or leaves it unchanged. So start by identifying the beliefs you want your community to hold about the library.

Examples might include:

  • The library is essential.
  • The library improves lives.
  • The library creates opportunity.
  • The library strengthens communities.
  • The library deserves support.

These beliefs will be your “north star.” Every future communication will be evaluated against these beliefs.

If a message didn’t help reinforce one of them, you’ll need to ask whether it deserves space in your marketing calendar.

I know that sounds bananas, but you only have so much time in the day. This messaging makes your work matter.

Step 3: Look Beyond Services

Next, make a list of programs, collections, and services. Then ask yourself:

What happens because this service exists?

Not “What is it?” Not “How does it work?”

But why is this service so important? What change does it make?

For example, a storytime isn’t a storytime. It’s an opportunity for early literacy and school readiness.

A job-search class isn’t a class. It’s greater economic stability.

A makerspace isn’t a room full of equipment. It’s skill development and creativity.

This sounds simple, but it dramatically changes how you talk about your library.

Step 4: Search for Common Themes

After examining enough services and outcomes, patterns emerge.

You will begin to notice that the library contributes to the community in several consistent ways. Dozens of seemingly unrelated services begin clustering around a much smaller set of themes.

The details may vary, but the impact is the same.

This step is critical because most organizations have too many messages.

I do not want you to do more work. I do not want you creating more messages. I want you to find the handful of ideas that can connect everything.

Then, brainstorm a phrase that connects the value of those outcomes emotionally. I’m not asking you to find a perfect slogan. But you do need some language that can showcase the impact, simply and clearly, for everything from storytimes and workforce programs to branch renovations and digital access.

Here are some examples you can steal.

  • Building Stronger Communities.
  • Where Possibility Begins.
  • Helping People Thrive.
  • Opening Doors Every Day.
  • Connecting People to Possibility.
  • Turning Curiosity into Opportunity.
  • Helping Communities Grow.
  • The Center of Community Life

This part may take a while, because many messages work well for one type of service but become difficult to apply consistently across the entire organization.

A good messaging platform has to work equally well for a child attending storytime, an entrepreneur researching a business idea, a resident borrowing Wi-Fi, or a customer preparing for a job interview.

Step 5: Make It About People

The strongest messaging isn’t about the library. It is about what people accomplish because the library exists.

Libraries often center themselves in their communications. Community members are not as obsessed with us as we are! They’re thinking about their goals. Their challenges. Their children.

They are the center of their universe, not us. (Sorry!)

The most effective messages create a bridge between what the library offers and what people are trying to accomplish.

Step 6: Commit to Repetition

A message doesn’t become powerful because it’s clever. It becomes powerful because people hear it repeatedly, over time, across channels.

Repetition makes your message familiar. People will understand and believe it. They will begin to trust your library because of the consistency. And you’ll change the way the community thinks about your organization!

Final Thought

Libraries often assume they have an awareness problem. I really don’t think that’s the issue.

Most people know the library exists. But what people don’t understand is the role the library plays in helping people learn, work, connect, create, and thrive.

That’s why messaging matters. We can use it to build and shape public belief. We can start making people value the library. And people protect what they value!

Want more help?

Two Easy Tips to Create a Consistent Library Brand… Without Squelching Creativity

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