Angela Hursh leads an outstanding team of marketing and training professionals at NoveList, a company dedicated to helping libraries reach readers. A 2023 Library Journal Mover & Shaker, she has also created courses on LearnwithNoveList.com designed to help library staff learn how to create effective marketing. Before her job at NoveList, Angela led the content marketing team for the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. She also has more than 20 years of experience as an Emmy-award-winning broadcast TV journalist.
You know the line: Why go to the library? Everything’s free online. Well, today we’re calling that bluff.
Because spoiler alert — everything is not free online, and your library has way more to offer than people realize, as you well know!
In this episode of The Library Marketing Show, I’ll share fun and creative ways to bust that myth and build a campaign that showcases the real magic of the library.
Do you have a suggestion for a future episode’s topic? Do you want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here.
Subscribe to this blog, and you’ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address. Then, click the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:
Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
Key Takeaways:
AI is changing how people search, and libraries are seeing a drop in website traffic as a result.
Simple formatting changes like clear titles, bullet points, and question-based headings can help your content appear in AI summaries.
Add credibility cues like staff names, job titles, and internal and external links to boost your site’s authority with AI and search engines.
Have you noticed a slight change in the blog posts here? Most now include a list of three quick takeaways at the top. Here’s why I started doing this, and why your library should consider it too.
AI impacts website traffic
A few months ago, I attended a webinar featuring three of the leading experts on Search Engine Optimization, or SEO. SEO is the practice of improving a website’s visibility and authority in organic search results to attract more visitors.
But AI has introduced a new wrinkle in SEO.
In May 2024, Google introduced AI Overviews (formerly called AI Summaries). These appear at the top of search results and provide a summarized answer to a user’s search, often pulled from multiple sources.
An example of an AI Overview for the search, “How can I get a library card?”
Once AI Overviews were introduced, searchers stopped clicking through to a website because their question was fully answered by the AI Overview. As a result, many libraries (and other websites, including this one) noticed a decrease in their organic web traffic.
In addition, a survey by Adobe Express says 25 percent of people use ChatGPT as their first choice for search over Google. Gen Z is particularly drawn to AI as a search engine. That likely means the popularity of using AI for search will continue to rise.
What does all this mean for your library?
You’ll need to adjust the way you structure your library’s website and blog to surface more often in AI searches and to show up in the AI Overview. It’s not as difficult as it sounds. Here are the changes I’ve implemented. I recommend you try these and monitor your web traffic over several months to see if the changes make an impact.
Titles should be clear, not clever.
Tell readers exactly what they’ll find on the page. For example:
Author Visit
❌ Clever Title:“An Evening of Literary Magic”
✅ Clear Title:“Meet Author Jasmine Guillory at the Library – October 24”
Why it works: The clear title includes the type of event, the author’s name, and the date. Those are the keywords that AI tools and search engines can easily match with user queries.
Craft Program
❌ Clever Title:“Get Your Glue On!”
✅ Clear Title:“Fall Craft Workshop for Teens – Make Your Own Bookmarks”
Why it works: It specifies the audience (teens), the season, and the activity.
Educational Workshop
❌ Clever Title:“Brain Boost Bonanza”
✅ Clear Title:“Free SAT Prep Workshop for High School Students”
Why it works: It uses direct language that matches what a student or parent might search for, like “SAT prep” or “high school test help.”
Wellness Event
❌ Clever Title:“Zen in the Stacks”
✅ Clear Title:“Free Yoga Class at the Library – All Levels Welcome”
Why it works: It clearly states what the event is, where it’s happening, and who can attend.
Include a bullet list of key takeaways or what you’ll learn at the top of the page.
This helps both readers and AI quickly understand the content. Try this on blog posts and key webpages.
Here’s how you might structure key takeaways at the top of a library card sign-up page.
A library card is free to all residents of Tree County.
Applicants need to fill out a form and have one document with proof of residence. The form can be sent to the library via email or presented at any library location.
Applications presented in person will be processed immediately. Applications sent via email will take 1-2 days to process.
Once an application is accepted, you’ll be given a card, which you will you to check out items, reserve meeting rooms, and register for programs.
Ask ChatGPT to provide you with a list of keywords or frequent questions around your topic. You can also search for your topic on Google and look at the ‘People Also Ask’ section. The website Answer the Public can provide you with some frequently asked questions as well.
Structure your content with bullets, steps, or lists.
Clean formatting makes it easier for AI to scan and summarize your content. You’ve probably noticed this post has been full of bullets and lists. That’s intentional! The bonus benefit is that it makes your blog and website easier to read.
Write in natural, conversational language.
Avoid jargon. Focus on being clear and helpful. Remember that searchers will not use jargon to look for answers to questions that may lead them to your library. Try to imagine what your community would put into the search bar, and then use those words in your blog or landing page.
When possible, include a staff member’s name and job title on a page.
AI looks for expertise or credentials when scanning pages. This is easy for a blog… just include the name of the author and their title in the post. For a landing page, consider adding a line like this: “Need help signing up? Email Maria Lopez, Library Services Manager, with 15+ years of experience helping patrons, at mlopez@treelibrary.org.”
Ask your partners to link to your website and blog.
When other trusted sites link to your content, it signals credibility to AI and search engines.
Use internal links whenever possible.
Link to related blog posts or pages on your site to help AI understand your content’s structure and relevance. That has the added benefit of keeping people on your page longer, which improves your trust and credibility to Google and AI, which means you’ll show up in search more often!
Try to stay within best practice lengths for word count.
BlueHost.com says for blogs, the ideal range is between 1,500 and 2,500 words. This gives readers comprehensive coverage of a topic. It’s also easier to include keywords and internal links for longer posts.
But… here’s something to remember: Google and AI tools prioritize quality over length (and so do most readers!) Don’t try padding your posts, as that can hurt your ranking.
Neil Patel, who is a trusted expert on SEO, says that for landing pages, word count isn’t a direct ranking factor. Rather, you should focus on the user’s experience and provide enough information for a community member to act.
Has your library’s website traffic taken a hit? Are you using any other methods to drive more traffic to your library’s website? Let me know in the comments.
Subscribe to this blog, and you’ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address and click on the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:
April 2026 might sound far off, but big accessibility changes are coming — and they’ll directly affect how you market your library.
The new regulations aren’t just a compliance issue; they’re an opportunity to make your marketing better for everyone. Yet, I’m not seeing many libraries getting ahead of this.
So in this episode of The Library Marketing Show, let’s talk about what’s changing, why it matters, and what you should be doing right now.
Plus, I’ll give kudos to a library with a one-of-a-kind video for National Library Card Sign-up Month.
Do you have a suggestion for a future episode’s topic? Do you want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here.
Subscribe to this blog, and you’ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address. Then, click the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:
Subscribe to this blog, and you’ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address. Then, click the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:
Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
Quick Summary
Print marketing is not dead. When used strategically, it helps libraries cut through digital noise and even strengthens digital marketing.
Measure return on investment of print marketing with opt-ins, QR codes, custom trackable links, and interactive prompts.
Repurpose print content across social, blogs, and email to extend its reach and prove its impact.
Every day, I run with anticipation to the mailbox.
I can’t help myself. As a member of Gen X, snail mail was a significant part of my life when I was growing up. A letter or postcard from a family member or friend brought me such joy. We had phones, of course, but no social media. So if a friend went on vacation, I couldn’t follow each step of their journey on Instagram.
I also love mail because it’s physical. There is something about the feel of paper in your hands that adds to the joy of reading. It’s why I prefer print books to eBooks.
And I know that digital correspondence is also permanent, but there is something different about a stash of letters, held together with ribbon or string, kept to be read again years later.
What does any of this have to do with library marketing?
The 10th Annual Super Library Marketing survey closed a few weeks ago. I’m analyzing the results now and will publish the full report on January 5, 2026.
But one theme has emerged already: Library promotions are getting lost in the constant digital noise.
I work with hundreds of libraries worldwide every day at NoveList. They’re all facing this struggle. And some are beginning to lean on print to cut through the noise.
That’s because print still matters when it’s intentional, measurable, and audience-focused.
Print is not dead. It’s strategic!
It might feel old-fashioned or even risky to invest staff time and budget in print. After all, email and social media offer instant metrics and quick reach. But here’s the truth: Print has never been more valuable.
Now, I realize this statement may come as a surprise. Readers of this blog know how much I value email marketing. It is, hands down, the most effective use of your marketing time.
But clever library marketers know that there are some audiences we cannot reach with email. Print helps you connect the dots between those groups. It can spark attention in people who might otherwise overlook your digital promotions. And it can deepen the relationship with those who are already engaged with your library.
Imagine this: You’ve been on a store’s email list for years, eagerly clicking through their sales messages. Then one day, a coupon shows up in your mailbox. Suddenly, the brand feels even more present, more valuable, and you’re more likely to act on the next email, too. (BTW, this example is born of my own experience with Bath and Body Works!) And it works because…
Print doesn’t replace digital marketing; it amplifies it.
How do you know if your print marketing is working?
Here’s the challenge I’ve always faced with print marketing: How do you prove that it’s effective? How do you know it’s worth the investment? Because, let’s face it, print can be costly.
Here are five concrete ways you can measure the effectiveness of print marketing at your library.
1. Start with an opt-in model for longer print publications.
Many libraries print thousands of copies of their print newsletter or magazine. Then they send them out to all the people living in their service area. They might also send copies home with each child in their school district.
I totally understand that strategy. But it’s akin to sending un-targeted email messages. If someone isn’t already engaged with the library, the sad truth is they may throw that print piece in the trash. That’s a waste of money for the library and a waste of time for you.
A better approach is to ask readers to opt in to the publication. There are a couple of ways to do this.
Ask people to sign up either when they sign up for a library card or through an email campaign.
Send your print publication to anyone who donates to your library’s fundraising groups.
Put copies out in your branches. You can also distribute copies to partner organizations with locations that have a lot of foot traffic, like museums and theaters. Be sure to include a QR code so those new audiences can sign up to receive their own copies at home.
2. Make your print marketing interactive.
Ask readers to post a social media comment on a story or an event in your print publication. This works really well for print calendars and fliers.
Add a unique hashtag to the piece, and ask people to use it when they post their comment. Then count how many comments you receive.
You can also ask readers to send an email with an answer to a special prompt, like, “Which storytime is your child’s favorite?” Create a special inbox to receive comments from your print publications. Then you can count the number of emails you receive.
3. Use custom trackable links.
When I worked at the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library, I used Bit.ly to create special trackable links for our website. With a free Bit.ly account, you can edit the back half of a link and then track how many people click on it. This makes it easy to see which traffic is coming directly from your print marketing.
4. Add QR codes.
Add a QR code to your print piece, then track how many scans you get. One library marketer I spoke with takes this a step further by creating a different QR code for each poster, depending on where it’s displayed. That way, she can compare engagement across different locations or departments!
Pro tip: This strategy works for all your library’s print pieces, from bookmarks to event flyers. If you ever feel like you’re doing too much print marketing, the data you collect from trackable links and QR codes can help you make the case for (or against) continuing.
5. Repurpose your content across other channels.
Save time and amplify your content by repurposing stories from your magazine or newsletter into social posts, blog articles, or email content. If those repurposed pieces perform well digitally, it’s another signal that your print marketing is resonating.
When I worked at the library, many of the stories we published in our quarterly newsletter or on our blog were repurposed in this way. This helped us to get more traction for the stories and gave us another way to measure whether the story is interesting to our audience.
This trick can also help your community to learn that you have print promotions and give you a reason to solicit sign-ups for the print version!
How is your library using print marketing?
I’d love to hear how your library is using print. Share your experiences in the comments below.
Subscribe to this blog, and you’ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address and click on the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:
Are you looking to increase clicks on your library’s emails, social media, and websites? The secret may be the faces that you choose in your promotions!
In this episode of The Library Marketing Show, I’ll reveal the one thing that makes stock photos actually work… and this is backed by science.
Plus, I’ll give kudos to a library that started a basic service but promoted it in a not-so-basic way!
Do you have a suggestion for a future episode’s topic? Do you want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here.
Subscribe to this blog, and you’ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address. Then, click the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:
Is your library’s online content working as hard as it could? Google has released some guidelines to help you create content that’s not only helpful for your patrons but also gets noticed by search engines, including Google, of course!
I’ll break down the latest advice in this episode of The Library Marketing Show.
Plus, we’ll share kudos with a library that went above and beyond on social media!
Do you have a suggestion for a future episode’s topic? Do you want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here.
Subscribe to this blog, and you’ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address. Then, click the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:
Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
When she was growing up in Leicester, Massachusetts, Linnea Sheldon found the library to be… boring.
“While I enjoyed reading and admired the librarians, the library itself didn’t feel very exciting,” confesses Linnea. “Today, libraries are dynamic community hubs offering so much more than books, and I love that part of my job is sharing these opportunities with the community. When people say, ‘I didn’t know the library did that,’ I can truly relate.”
Now, in her role as Community Relations and Communications Manager for the Worcester Public Library, Linnea works hard to make sure her community finds the library to be exciting and dynamic. She’s a team of one, communicating to a city of more than 210,000 residents across seven branches and two bookmobiles. She does receive generous help from library staff with tasks like social media posts, flyer design, calendar postings, and more.
And the library is vital to this city. Linnea says nearly 20 percent of her community lives in poverty. So, when she was approached in 2023 about offering a fee forgiveness program, she was fully supportive.
“We had many kids who went home before the pandemic and left books behind in schools,” explains Linnea. “We also have a growing population of unhoused individuals in our community, and we were finding that we were losing patrons because they had lost or damaged items on their accounts.”
“From a marketing standpoint, I knew that the right hook was key for an initiative like this to succeed. I also knew I would have no budget. My goal was to come up with something fun and easy enough that people would not only want to participate but would also want to tell their friends and family about.”
Linnea, who is a self-professed “cat person,” decided to lean into her love for felines to create her campaign, which she called March Meowness. The premise was simple: People could trade cat photos for fee forgiveness.
“We began planning in the fall of 2023 and chose March 2024 because there weren’t any competing campaigns planned,” explains Linnea. “The actual marketing push happened just a week before launch. With limited time and resources, I created our collateral and focused on social media, signage, and email as our primary channels.”
“Another pivotal decision was to pitch the story to the media before we launched it ourselves. Local outlets loved the playful concept, and the first article went live within the hour. Even press outlets in Boston picked up the story, and from there it snowballed. By the time we officially launched on our website and social media, we already had significant buzz and community interest.”
Linnea says the community response far exceeded the library’s expectations. Worcester Public Library decided to launch the promotions a few days early, at the end of February. Patrons were thrilled to be welcomed back in such a fun, positive way.
“What surprised us most was that even people without fees wanted to participate,” says Linnea. “Many people asked if their cat photos could be applied toward another community member’s account, a generous show of support that really embodied the spirit of the campaign.”
The library displayed submissions on a “cat wall,” and soon cat photos started arriving from across the country. After the story was picked up by The New York Times, it spread internationally, and the library was suddenly receiving cat pictures from all over the world.
“The volume was incredible, and staff from across departments volunteered to help,” recalls Linnea. “We developed a workflow: Some saved the photos, others responded to emails, others formatted and printed the pictures, and still others hung them on the wall.”
“Our circulation staff cleared fees for patrons, and my director and I fielded multiple media requests every day. It was an all-hands-on-deck effort, and while it was exhausting, it was also one of the most energizing experiences we’ve ever had at a library.”
Besides the multitude of patrons whose fees were forgiven, the campaign led to some incredible marketing results. Those included:
10.7 percent increase in physical visits
9.2 percent rise in circulation
10.2 percent increase in new library card registrations when compared to the previous month.
46 percent increase in website traffic
244 percent increase in engaged Facebook users.
120 percent increase in Instagram interactions
16 percent increase in TikTok followers from the previous month.
“We also tracked over 500 media stories on March Meowness,” shares Linnea. “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt even came to our library to shoot a story.”
“But the real impact was seen when you look at how our patrons were helped. Staff successfully unblocked 930 patron accounts during the campaign, while the Library Board of Directors later approved the forgiveness of an additional 3,787 accounts due to the success of the campaign.”
This past June, Linnea and her library received a John Cotton Dana Award for the campaign. That’s how I first heard about it. Sitting at the award ceremony, I can tell you there was nary a dry eye in the room when Linnea described the outpouring of cat photos from people around the world, eager to help her community reconnect with their library.
And it’s no surprise that Linnea and the library repeated the campaign this year, with a few adjustments.
“We knew nothing could match the scale and virality of the original campaign,” explains Linnea. “This year, we launched March Meowness 2.0: Marchier and Meowier. For every cat photo donated to our cat wall, the Worcester Public Library Foundation pledged $1 toward our summer reading programming.”
“The response was wonderful, we received 2,500 photos, and once again, community members came out to see the cat wall grow. We also introduced a new element: a cat mascot with a community naming contest, which resulted in the winning name Whooskers.”
“While this year’s campaign was more localized and didn’t capture the international attention of the first, our community was still excited for its return and embraced it as a fun, meaningful way to support the library and one another.”
“One of the best outcomes of this campaign was the way it allowed staff to connect with patrons and the community in an entirely new way. Library work can be particularly challenging. We deal with serious issues every day and support people in deeply meaningful but often difficult ways. March Meowness brought a sense of lightness and joy.”
“The initiative also opened incredible doors for our library and for me personally. In the past year, we have received more awards than at any other time in our organization’s history. The campaign has connected me with library marketers across the country and strengthened relationships within my own community in ways I never imagined possible.”
And when she’s not creating award-winning campaigns, Linnea says she looks to other libraries, nonprofits, large companies, and this blog (thank you!) to stay on top of trends and get creative ideas.
“I’m subscribed to a wide range of email marketing lists, I’m a regular social media user, and I follow marketing and nonprofit influencers on LinkedIn,” shares Linnea. “I also make a point to research the campaigns and libraries that win marketing awards each year. It’s inspiring to see the creativity and innovation happening across the field.”
“Harris County Public Library was one of the first libraries that really stood out to me on social media; they showed me that taking a slightly unconventional approach could actually expand your reach.”
For a library looking to launch a campaign like March Meowness, Linnea has four key pieces of advice.
Always start with your patrons. This campaign may have been fun and lighthearted, but it grew directly out of a real need identified by our New Users Task Force. Our community needed a fee forgiveness program to remove barriers to access. Without that foundation, the idea wouldn’t have resonated the way it did.
Lean into what makes your library unique. For us, it was cats. We were already known for our cat memes, and many staff (me included) are passionate cat lovers. That authenticity made the campaign feel natural and genuine, which helped it connect with people.
Remember that making marketing fun can actually make your job easier. While responding to the overwhelming interest took a lot of work, the creative and promotional side of the campaign was surprisingly simple. Of course, not every initiative lends itself to this kind of playful approach, but finding ways to add a little fun to a program or campaign benefits both patrons and staff.
It helps immensely to have supportive colleagues and leadership. Over the years, I’ve built strong relationships with staff and with our Executive Director, who is always willing to try new and creative ideas. That trust and openness were critical in bringing March Meowness to life.
Subscribe to this blog, and you’ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address and click on the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:
A viewer wants to know if it’s worth it to make a Facebook Event for every program that the library puts on, or if that strategy is just kind of spammy, busy work. In other words, do Facebook events really drive attendance to library programs?
You might be surprised by the answer! I’ll share that and a checklist to help you decide if you should use a Facebook Event in this episode of The Library Marketing Show.
Do you have a suggestion for a future episode’s topic? Do you want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here.
Subscribe to this blog, and you’ll receive an email whenever I post. To do that, enter your email address. Then, click the “Follow” button in the lower left-hand corner of the page. You can also follow me on the following social media platforms:
Super Library Marketing: Practical Tips and Ideas for Library Promotion 