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March Meowness: How Cat Photos Forgave Library Fees and Won Hearts Worldwide

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.”

“One key strategy was timing. We intentionally didn’t announce too early. By waiting until just a few days before the campaign, we created a sense of urgency and excitement that encouraged immediate participation.”

-Linnea Sheldon

“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.”

“We’re still making the case for the importance of marketing and communications in libraries to our city officials, but all of these wins have made it even clearer just how important our field is to the success of libraries across the globe.”

-Linnea Sheldon

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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

Need more inspiration?

How One Library Marketer Played an April Fools’ Prank On Her Community… and Got Incredible Reach on Social Media!

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The Secret to Library Instagram Success? Start With the Story, Not the Promo

Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library

Key Takeaways

  1. Start with a video concept, not a promotion. Focus on an engaging idea first, then connect it back to library services. This approach makes Reels feel authentic rather than like an advertisement.
  2. Keep production simple and relatable. Using an iPhone, a tripod, and free tools like CapCut or Instagram’s Edits app creates approachable videos that audiences find more trustworthy than overly polished content.
  3. Engagement matters more than views. The most successful Reels spark conversation, shares, and community pride. Your library wants impact that goes beyond vanity metrics.

Emily Bradshaw was a book lover from an early age.

“Some of my favorite library memories were from the Scholastic Book Fairs at school,” Emily recalls. “Our school librarians did such a great job getting us excited about books, and the book fairs were the pinnacle of that excitement.”

Emily, who grew up in the far southwest suburbs of Chicago, came to work in a library in a roundabout way. First, she became a high school English teacher. Then, she got her MLIS. She spent about five years as a Reference Librarian whose “other duties as assigned” included marketing. Marketing was her favorite part of the job, so she started to look for marketing-specific library jobs.

That’s how, three years ago, she landed a job as the Content Coordinator at Helen Plum Library in Lombard, Illinois. Among her responsibilities is the library’s Instagram account. 

Now, here’s something I probably shouldn’t confess. But I want to be fully transparent.

I love scrolling Instagram. But I’m finding that it’s tough for one person working in a remote office to create engaging content, particularly videos, for Instagram.  (Know your weaknesses, dear readers!)

A few months ago, after watching hilarious/inspiring/creative posts on the Helen Plum account, made by Emily, I emailed her and begged her for help. She looked at the account I am trying to build and sent me a list of tips. (Thank you!)

Then, I asked her if she would also share her expertise with my readers. Here is her interview. Scroll to the end for the tips Emily shared with me for making engaging, effective Instagram Reels.

What inspired you to start creating Instagram videos for Helen Plum Library?

I started at Helen Plum in September of 2022, and short-form video was quickly becoming the most popular form of social media, so I knew we had to start consistently making videos. My job includes the management of our social accounts, so I always just considered it a regular part of my job from the beginning.

How do you decide what content to feature in your videos? 

I always start with a video concept instead of starting with a promotional need (with a few exceptions). Maybe this is a hot take (and perhaps a difficult argument to make to your admin), but I find that starting with “How can we promote XYZ service” usually results in less engaging, less effective content.

If you flip the order and start with a video concept, then try to make it relevant to your services and organizational mission, the promotional aspect will follow.

The few times I’m asked to promote a specific program or service, I spend a lot of time thinking about how I can make it engaging and not appear “promotional,” because no one likes being advertised to.

-Emily Bradshaw

For instance, this video’s concept started with an audio clip I liked from BBC’s The One Show of Harlen Coben discussing the benefits of reading. The original video went viral, and I thought it was a compelling audio clip to use over shots of our collection. I didn’t start with “how can I promote our collection,” but this video does promote our collection by nature.

What tools or apps do you use to film and edit your videos?

I film on an iPhone, which works well for the persona we present on social media. We’re a mid-sized, friendly hometown public library, not filmmakers or professional advertisers. So I don’t want our videos to look overly produced or fancy. I honestly think having an overly polished look for Reels puts people off since it makes you look less relatable and more like an ad.

I also use a basic tripod. You should always use a tripod for stationary shots. You may not realize how big a difference it makes until you see it.

For audio, I use lapel mics for on-camera speaking if it’s appropriate for the video. To record voiceovers, we’re lucky enough to have a recording booth in our makerspace. But before we had that, the voice memos app on my iPhone worked just fine!

Editing tools depend on how complex the video is. If it’s simple, I use the Edits mobile app, which is Instagram’s answer to CapCut. If the video requires more labor-intensive editing, I use the free desktop version of CapCut because editing on a tiny phone screen gets difficult. After I’m finished in CapCut, I still use Edits to add captions, audio, or other features before posting to Instagram.

Adam Moserri has said that Instagram is giving a slight boost right now to Reels that use Edits, so I take advantage of that. (Aside: everyone should follow Adam on Instagram – he is constantly giving updates on Instagram tools, algorithms, and more!)

Do you use a script or storyboard before filming, or is it more spontaneous?

It depends: the more complex the video, the more thorough my planning. For shorter, simpler videos, the storyboard just lives in my head. For others, I simply write down a list of shots I need.

If I’m doing a voiceover video, I write a script and a shot list to go with it. And for the most complex videos, I have a detailed outline of shots, timing, which people are in which shots, etc.

But sometimes the result is a bit different than my original plan. I always film more than I need so that while I’m editing, I have options for what works best.

How do you get your coworkers excited about participating in videos?  

This is a common struggle. From my experience, if you start making engaging content that people enjoy, your coworkers will earn your trust and become more comfortable. When I started two and a half years ago, I was on my own, but now that we have a booming Instagram account, I have coworkers asking to be in videos!

It takes time, but that time pays off. If you’re still on your own, there are a lot of ways to make videos without coworker participation, such as POV (point of view) videos.

What types of videos have gotten the most engagement from your audience?

Our most engaging videos have messages that resonate with readers or library lovers. Readers are passionate and want to share that passion, so they share these types of videos with their friends and followers.

An example is our video about “reading what you enjoy” rather than what anyone thinks you should be reading. And more recently, with libraries in the U.S. under funding threats, this video about how we provide free services resonated so much that James Patterson posted it to his feed.

Other types of videos that get lots of engagement include anything humorous (see our spoof of The Bear) and anything in which viewers can share their own opinions. Our series of “Real Librarians Rating Fictional Librarians” has the most fun and lively comments sections of any videos I’ve ever posted, with folks debating the merits of favorite (and not-so-favorite) librarians from pop culture.

How do you measure the success of your videos? 

The number of views is the first thing I measure since it’s what Instagram measures before anything else. However, I still consider many of our lower-view videos successes based on comments and shares.

For instance, I expect videos that are more specific to our local community to get fewer views simply because they are targeted to a smaller population to begin with (like our Lilac Time video). So, with those, I look at the number of comments and shares.

I have also been asked if we’ve seen an impact on our local community. Since we’ve had so much success, do our videos reach actual cardholders, or is the reach too broad? The answer is yes, we are reaching our community. We regularly receive comments at our service desks about how much our patrons enjoy our videos.

How do you stay inspired and avoid burnout when creating content regularly?

I get inspired by other content creators across many industries. I do a lot of scrolling. I save videos that inspire me into an “Ideas” collection on our account, so I have a trove of inspiration there if I need it. These not only include libraries, but also other reader-related accounts — Bookstagram influencers, publishers, etc. — as well as other companies and organizations I follow, especially local ones (all our Chicago-area museums, DuPage County Forest Preserve, etc.).

What advice would you give to a library just starting to create short-form videos for social media?

Scroll. Get a pulse on what’s happening in your content area and in your local community. Then try participating in a trend that you can make relevant to your organization and your target audience. Trends are easy and low-pressure, and they are good starter videos to try if you’re a beginner developing filming and editing skills.

Once you start to feel comfortable with simple videos, don’t be afraid to try your own original content ideas. Your library is unique, so show off what’s unique about it.

-Emily Bradshaw

This is easier said than done, of course, and like anything, it takes time and persistence. But originality will take you to the next level. Try new things, and don’t take yourself too seriously.

Emily’s 6 tips for creating Reels

  1. Using sound bites from Bookstagram creators helps me save time and can have powerful effects. No audio to edit! Here’s an example.
  2. For many videos in which I appear, it’s just me and a tripod with no other people to help (here’s an example of that.) I typically hide an earbud in my ear if I’m lip-syncing or have the audio playing on a separate device nearby.
  3. Creating a video clip content bank of reusable B-roll is incredibly useful in a pinch! I have about two dozen various shots of our adult stacks alone. Batch-filming can also help if you have the time to block out for shooting a bunch of stuff all at once to use later.
  4. Consistent scheduling: I post one video per week for Helen Plum Library, which works for me. Typically, I’m working on next week’s video the week before, so I’m always one week ahead. I find this to be the perfect balance of making sure I have something lined up while still being timely and flexible enough for the content to vibe with the current social media climate.
  5. One of the most valuable things to me is literally scrolling through Instagram and saving videos that inspire me. It also helps me to see what works and what doesn’t.
  6. If you’re looking to expand your audience, I recommend using trial Reels, which will share out your Reel only to non-followers and give you insights. Then you can decide whether to share it with your followers after 24 hours.

Need more inspiration?

Should You Start an Instagram Account at Your Library Just for Teens? Here’s the Pros and Cons List.

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How Storytelling Is Revolutionizing One Library’s Video Strategy

Photo courtesy of Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library

It’s not surprising that Tina Walker Davis and her communications team at Deschutes Public Library in Bend, Oregon, have a robust and interesting video strategy for YouTube. Tina, who grew up in the San Francisco Bay area and graduated from Washington State University, has a previous career as a television anchor and reporter.

“I left journalism to go into marketing and communications and owned my own marketing business for 10 years until I made the financially disastrous decision to open an independent bookstore,” explains Tina. “While the bookstore didn’t pan out, it did enmesh me in the literary community here, including the library system.”

Tina took a job at the library in 2012 in event planning and coordination. Now she’s Communications Manager for the library. She manages four people, including a Graphic Design Coordinator and Dana O’Connell, Keifer McCool, and Michael Rivera, who are all Digital Communications Coordinators.

“Michael almost exclusively does video work, and Dana and Kiefer both manage social media,” says Tina. “Dana also does all of our Spanish-language communications. I’ve told the team many times that I’ve never worked with such a collaborative group.”

“We have bi-weekly brainstorming sessions that are so fun. There’s no agenda. It’s just a time for us to come together and talk about what we’re seeing, what we’re excited about, and generally throw some spaghetti at the wall. A lot of our best content was conceptualized in those brainstorming meetings.”

Deschutes Public Library’s YouTube channel was already up and running when Tina began her job. At first, Tina’s team used it to share story time videos and videos of their marquee events, as well as a Why We Love the Library series in 2016 and 2017. At the end of 2019, they had 265 subscribers.

Then COVID hit. Like most libraries, Deschutes Public Library pivoted to online programs and saw its subscriber count grow to 14,500 at the time of this writing.

When Tina hired Michael in 2022, he “brought a wealth of professional video production experience—just phenomenal skills in shooting and editing, but also a fantastic eye and ear for storytelling,” exclaims Tina.

“The first video he did for us was promoting our Summer with the Library program, and I knew immediately that we were going places with our videos. He started another Why We Love the Library series, with this video being one of my absolute favorites.”

“I don’t know if it’s my background in journalism, but I’ve always believed in the power of stories to do the work that we can sometimes struggle to do in marketing.”

“We can run ads telling people how great the library is, but it’s so much more impactful when it comes from real people who truly believe in the power of libraries to change lives.”

-Tina Walker Davis

Dana says the library’s strategy, when it comes to producing videos for YouTube, is to strike a balance between the information the community needs to know about the library and fun or trending content.

“Everyone who comes into the library has a story,” explains Dana. “Some of our human-interest pieces come from referrals by our public services staff, in the form of kudos from our online web form, or a chance meeting while in one of our branches.”

“Staff, volunteers, and customers offer the chance to talk about the library in a unique voice where we aren’t necessarily promoting a product or service. For me, it’s about having a touch point with a customer and listening to what excites them about the library; no two answers are the same.”

“One thing we do every time someone is interviewed for a video, regardless of the topic, is to ask, ‘Why are libraries important?’” adds Tina. “The answer to that question is evergreen. We can pull the answer and use it along for a series of shorts, turn it into a graphic quote for social, or string together several answers for a stand-alone piece.”

Dana and Kiefer shoot and edit the short-form, vertical format for Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube shorts. Michael uses videography equipment to do the longer-form and documentary-style videos.

“But rarely do they work alone,” explains Tina. “They’re writing together, and often Dana or Kiefer will act as Michael’s grip during shoots and take care of the interview portions. Michael is definitely a dedicated videographer, but it’s truly a team effort between the three of them—and it’s magical.”

All videos from Deschutes Public Library have captions for accessibility and clarity. They also have video thumbnails featuring a branded, consistent look. That helps to capture the attention of scrollers while making sure viewers know this content comes from the library.

“When I choose the image(s), I’m looking for a visually pleasing frame that tells the viewer just enough to pique their interest without giving away too much of the story,” reveals Michael. “The best images will also have some clean space in the frame that the title will naturally fall into.”

“The title in the thumbnail usually doesn’t match the video title, and that’s on purpose. The main title is always clear and matter-of-fact, while the thumbnail title often uses one of the most impactful quotes in the story. The key here is to be concise to maximize the size of the text in the frame, so the titles are usually no more than six words.”

Deschutes Public Library doesn’t rely on pure chance to get views on its videos. They promote them!

“Our flagship eNewsletter has 55,000 subscribers, and we’ll sometimes link to videos from the newsletter,” says Tina. “We embed some videos on our website. In particular, we’ve used our videos on our website to help inform the public about our bond projects.”

“I also do some paid promotion of videos on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram if I can see that a monetary ad boost is needed and will help us really target our Deschutes County residents.”

“So, with all that said, our investment in YouTube as a platform was very organic. It started slowly, but we saw real growth. But nothing happens on YouTube alone in terms of storytelling. Anything that is shared there is also pushed out on Instagram and Facebook, and some also make their way to TikTok if they’re humorous or have that viral potential.”

Tina and her team say the videos help boost awareness of the library and its services, and they’ve received a wealth of positive community feedback.

“Our recent viral video — where our director, Todd Dunkelberg, is giving a Gen Z-inspired tour of the new Redmond Library — was a great community experience. Between Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, we are now close to 5 million views on that video. But what I loved seeing was locals commenting amongst folks from across the country and the world — the locals took so much pride in claiming the library as their own (‘That’s MY library!’).”

“And Todd became a little local celebrity after it, with folks coming up to him in the community and telling him how much they loved the video. We immediately jumped on the ‘Slay’ and ‘So Julia’ lines and created stickers with the characters Todd points to in the video, and those were really popular with our customers.”

For inspiration, Tina and her team often look inside and outside the library world.

“I’m guilty of being an Instagram reels scroller,” confesses Tina. “My brain often goes to, ‘Could we put a spin on that?’ Often in our brainstorming sessions, we’ll bring forward videos that we’ve seen over the past two weeks, share them with the team, and see if there’s something we can do along those lines.”

“Library systems are really growing into their own niche on social. They’re funny, sometimes irreverent. People really enjoy watching library folks, who are perhaps historically thought of as buttoned up, be funny.”

– Tina Walker Davis

Tina says the key factors in the success of the library’s video marketing strategy are her talented team and library leadership that believes in the power of communication.

“I know that for a lot of libraries across the county, being able to spend this kind of time on video work is an absolute luxury,” says. Tina. “I feel very fortunate to not only have the trust from our leadership to do that work, but also lucky to work with a team of communications professionals who are passionate about the work and the message.”

“The goal is to remind our customers, the taxpayers who make the library’s work possible, that the library is here for them, in whatever way they may need, from checking out a book to finding a job. We’re here to meet people where they are and make their lives better.”

Need more inspiration?

From Shelves to Screens: How an Academic Librarian Captures Student Narratives for Library Marketing

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From Shelves to Screens: How an Academic Librarian Captures Student Narratives for Library Marketing

Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library

If you’ve spent any time in the library marketing space, you are likely to know John Jackson. John is head of Outreach and Engagement at the William H. Hannon Library at Loyola Marymount University. His love of libraries started with his mother’s volunteer work.

“My mother volunteered in a small church library in Florida,” recalls John. “As a child, I often spent my weekends helping build book displays or checking out materials to patrons. I knew about OCLC (Online Computer Library Center) and bib records before the age of 12.”

“One of my favorite memories from that time is traveling with my mom annually to attend a regional conference for church librarians. We’d pack up a U-Haul full of library display materials and then recreate those displays at the conference.”

John landed a job with Loyola Marymount in 2015. The private R2 university has approximately 10,000 students, including those pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees. John says the university has a central marketing and communication unit, with employees who cover all areas of external relations work, including photography, graphic design, social media, and licensing.

“At the library, the outreach team is comprised of three full-time employees: me, a student engagement librarian, and an event manager,” explains John. “We also have part-time student employees who assist with various aspects of our programming and outreach work.”

“The library’s marketing support currently consists of me, a student graphic designer, a student social media assistant, and a student videographer. I should note here that marketing is only a portion of my job. Like most librarians, I wear many hats, including collection development, research support, and faculty liaison responsibilities.”

I reached out to John after seeing one of the videos from the Library Fans series, produced by his library. Links to the full series are at the end of this post.  

John says the idea came from a presentation on empathy-centered storytelling at the 2023 Library Marketing and Communications Conference and from the videos produced by the Los Angeles Public Library.

“I wanted to create a series that told true stories of library users and did so using high-quality video production,” explains John. “My goal was to promote the individual ways that students from diverse backgrounds (e.g., undergraduate, graduate, commuter, transfer, first-generation, parents) use the library in their day-to-day lives on campus.”

“I also wanted to show, as a proof of concept, that high-quality video production was worth the investment of time and resources. This was also a way to celebrate and recognize some of our hardcore library users: the folks we see regularly in the building every day.”

-John Jackson

John says his team worked on the video series over one semester. They recruited students who were heavy users of the library and familiar faces in the building. They also asked library staff to solicit nominations.  

“Our student videographer, John Mac Menamie, is an amazing cameraman and (thankfully for us) owned all his own equipment,” says John. “We were incredibly lucky to hire him onto our team when he was a first-year student, and it’s been amazing to watch his skill set grow over the years.”

“For each of the shoots, we preselected the location so our videographer could spend a few minutes setting up the camera and lighting before the ‘Library Fan’ arrived. We sent prompts and guiding questions to our interviewees in advance to give them an idea of how the conversation would go, but we did not write a script for each interview.”

John used a trick that journalists often employ. He spent the first five to 10 minutes of the interview in small talk with his subject to help them feel more at ease. John says filming usually takes only 10 to 15 minutes. Then, depending on what the interviewee said, John and the videographer needed to shoot footage, known as B-roll, to match the narrative and cover the edits.

Once the videos are edited, John shares them on Instagram, knowing it is the preferred platform for his students. But he’s also taking this opportunity to experiment on other platforms, like YouTube.

“We know from sources like Pew Research Center that usage of YouTube exceeds all other platforms among traditionally aged college students and in the next generation of 14–17-year-olds,” declares John. “So, I’m hoping to build up our content library there. We already have hundreds of tutorials and event recordings on YouTube, but the Library Fans videos are our first attempts at short form on the platform.”

“Most academic libraries are not breaking records when it comes to social media. We’re not likely to ever be the next Milwaukee Public Library. Because our primary target audience (currently enrolled students) is limited and has a churn rate of more than 25 percent every year at graduation, our socials will not grow over time. So traditional growth metrics like followers, likes, and view counts don’t mean as much to me.”

“I tend to focus on the metrics like watch time, sentiment analysis of comments, and sends or reach. Those are the measures that will answer the question, ‘Did this hit right?’”

-John Jackson

“If I want to get the word out about the library, I rely on email marketing. But if I want to ‘set the vibe’ for the library among our students, Instagram, and in particular Reels, is where I spend my time.”

The library’s videos have performed exceptionally well. As of mid-May, the series has received more than 13,000 views, accounting for 26 hours of watch time. That’s incredible! Now, John has plans to use some of the video content for other promotions.

“Because these videos are already so short, I haven’t been pulling soundbites for stand-alone marketing assets,” explains John. “However, I expect I’ll be using pieces of these videos in future promotional videos: New student orientation videos, for example.”

John says his first piece of advice for any library looking to replicate his success is to buy its own equipment.

“Our videographer graduates this year, and with him goes the camera he used to make these videos,” laments John. “I should have done that from the start, and now I am in the unfortunate situation of having to find funding for our own equipment before the next school year begins.”

John finds inspiration for his work from many different organizations.

“In the realm of video production, Los Angeles Public Library, The Getty, and the Huntington are my go-to sources for inspiration,” shares John. “For content motivation, I love what Utah Valley University’s Fulton Library, the University of California, Santa Barbara Libraries, and the J. Willard Marriott Library at the University of Utah are doing. For inspiration more generally, I read Rachel Karten’s Link in Bio religiously as well as Meghan Kowalski’s Content Prompt newsletter.”

Watch the full Library Fans series

Need more inspiration?

Ensure Your Digital Library Marketing Passes Accessibility Tests: Expert’s Urgent Advice

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How One Library Marketer Played an April Fools’ Prank On Her Community… and Got Incredible Reach on Social Media!

Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library

When Siobhan Egan was a teenager, she kept a big secret in the trunk of her car.

“After I got my driver’s license, I used to drive around to all the local libraries and hit up their Friends book sales,” explains Siobhan. “I would buy tons of books and store them in the trunk of my car because I didn’t want my parents to know I was spending all my money on books.”

“I got away with it for many months until my dad took my car for an oil change and found my trunk stuffed with books. Unsurprisingly, my parents just laughed and told me they weren’t surprised.”

Nowadays, Siobhan is the Community Engagement Librarian at Barrington Public Library. She does all the marketing for this library, which serves a population of about 17,000 people. She also runs programs. She’s busy but not too busy to play pranks on her patrons.

“I’ve always been a big fan of April Fools’ but only when the pranks are fun and lighthearted,” says Siobhan. “I wanted to do some sort of library April Fools’ prank that would make people laugh and also help bring attention to the library. My goal with our April Fools’ pranks has always been to show the library as a fun and innovative place and to get attention on social media.”

And so, in 2022, an idea formed. The library had just recently created a Library of Things as well as completed a reorganization of our collection and the creation of a space called the “Library Lounge” with tables and cozy reading chairs as well as a newspaper and magazine collection. Siobhan realized she could be creative, get attention on April Fools’ Day, and promote the space by… filling it with cats!

“The boisterous laugh I received when I presented the idea at our Department Heads meeting was all the approval I needed,” exclaims Siobhan. “I am very lucky to work at a library and under a Director who trusts us enough to go along with whatever crazy idea we have. And when I told her that I thought Library of Cats would be a great way to boost engagement, she loved it.”

That’s when the planning began.

“Because I am primarily a programming librarian, I am constantly thinking and working at least three months out,” explains Siobhan. “I usually start thinking about next year’s April Fools’ Prank on April 2. I write down a bunch of ideas, sit on them, come back, and see if I think they are still funny, sit on them some more, and then start testing them out on my family and colleagues. I usually start with my husband because I know if I can make him laugh, I can make anyone laugh.”

“Then I slowly start floating the idea around to my colleagues and gauge their reaction. If they don’t instantly burst out laughing and instead ask clarifying questions, I know it’s not the right idea, and back to the drawing board I go. I’m happy to say that most years, I’ve gotten it on the first try.”

“On social media, you have about three seconds to make an impact on someone and stop people from scrolling onto the next thing. If you can get them in those three seconds, the likelihood of them engaging with your post (liking, commenting, sharing) skyrockets. So, I work to create graphics or photos that are eye-catching and make people pause or do a double take. A cat sitting under a sign that says ‘Library of Cats’ is incredibly eye-catching if you ask me.”

“At the same time, I am writing down phrases and ideas that come to me; ‘Do NOT leave cats in the book drop!’, ‘Be sure to check the cat-alog to see what breeds and ages are available for check-out,’ and ‘Please note: the library is not responsible for damage to household items or bodily injury caused by cats during the duration of your check-out.’”

“The copy is what really sells the prank. You’ve caught their eye with the pictures, now you need to take it home with copy that is outlandish enough that they keep reading.”

-Siobhan Egan

Siobhan has also done an April Fools’ Day prank featuring Dwayne the Rock Johnson.

“That was actually my favorite prank so far,” confesses Siobhan. “Right after the success of Library of Cats, I had the idea to pretend we had renamed our library, and thus, the Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Memorial Library was born.”

“I created a new logo for our library, photoshopped him into a bunch of photos around the library, including standing outside the library with our Director, and got to work on the copy for the prank. I even went as far as to create a new sign to put above our front door and down by the street as people drove by.”

“I purchased a cardboard cutout of The Rock (which to this day, lives in my office) as well as bought rocks and wrote Dwayne on all of them to give out. We had many confused people come into the library wondering if The Rock made a huge donation or if we had lost our marbles.”

As you can imagine, community members and patrons of the library LOVE the April Fools’ pranks. The social media posts garner a lot of comments.

“I do love reading all the comments and seeing people share it,” says Siobhan. “I think the best part about the Library of Cats prank was that my dad, who lives in Tennessee, had one of his friends share it with him on Facebook, not knowing that his daughter had been the mastermind. Seeing that kind of reach, across many states, was really cool. It’s also funny reading some of the comments of people who don’t get that it’s a prank and thought we were actually lending cats!”

“99 percent of the feedback we get every year is overwhelmingly positive. And it does amazing things to bring attention to the library. Our Library of Cats prank reached over 100,000 people on Facebook in less than 24 hours.”

-Siobhan Egan

Of course, with April Fools’ Day just two weeks away, I asked for a preview of this year’s prank. Siobhan was a bit tight-lipped about what she had planned.

“All I will say is that I was inspired by the question of how the library could leverage current inflation and skyrocketing prices at the grocery store to increase circulation and help people out,” reveals Siobhan. “It is probably one of the more topical and current ideas I’ve had yet, and I hope something that brings a smile to people’s faces. And I’m sure will also make some people mad…which is part of the fun!”

For libraries considering how to replicate Siobhan’s success, she has some advice.

“I would stress the importance of trusting your gut when you are working on marketing or programming campaigns like April Fools or anything else,” Siobhan says. “If you think something is funny or you have that feeling that something will resonate with people, it probably will. Don’t be afraid to push the boundaries a little bit and challenge people’s preconceived notions of what a library is.”

“Also, be prepared for angry patrons and make sure your staff is prepared as well,” says Siobhan. “With Library of Cats, we had people accusing us of torturing animals and wondering how we could ever consider lending cats. We also had people stop by the check out a cat and then be mad at us that we didn’t actually have them!”

Need more inspiration?

Discover How a Library’s Innovative Campaign Skyrocketed Web Visits!

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How One Library Marketer Advocated for (and Got) an Additional Promotional Staff Member

Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library

Have you ever wondered what you could do for your library if you had more people working on promotions?

Staffing up in library marketing is very uncommon. I believe this is a huge mistake that many libraries make. Leaders and board members don’t understand the essential connection between smart, strategic library marketing and the organization’s success.

So when I learned that Nicole Fowles of the Delaware County District Library successfully advocated for and got an extra library marketing staff member, I had to ask her how she did it! Nicole grew up in New Philadelphia, Ohio, and was a regular visitor to the Tuscarawas County Public Library Main Branch.

“I have fond memories of storytime with Mrs. Pittman,” remembers Nicole. “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt was a classic! But even more special was bringing my own children back to that library when we visited the grandparents for them to get to enjoy a storytime.”

Nicole is now the Communications Coordinator for the Delaware County District Library, a five-branch system with a bookmobile and other outreach services. DCDL serves a population of nearly 166,000 people.

Nicole came to the library in 2012. She had one Communication Specialist but was certain she needed more help.

“As the Library grew, the strain on our department of two grew, as well,” explains Nicole. “In 2018, the Library passed a levy with the promise to build a new branch. Feelings of overwhelm were setting in, and we knew it was time to really look at what jobs we accomplished for the system, what was being asked of us, and what we could realistically provide to the best of our abilities.”

“The first thing I did was sit down with my Communications Specialist and perform a job task audit. We each took a stack of colored Post-it notes and in about 30 minutes wrote down every job that we do or anticipate doing with the construction of the new branch.”

Nicole says it became clear their job responsibilities were unbalanced and not always aligned with the library’s priorities. So, she decided to use a graphing technique she had learned from business books.

She created a chart. At the top, she put two columns: Library needs and Library doesn’t need. Then, on the side, Nicole made two rows, one labeled I like, and one labeled I don’t like.

“Take your tasks and put them into those squares,” directs Nicole. “What do you like doing, but the library doesn’t need? What do you not like doing but the library needs? This gives a clear, hard-truth picture of tasks that might need to be eliminated or that could be given to a different person.”

“We took the Post-its that remained and looked at the common themes. Much of the work that was overwhelming me had to do with maintaining the website and managing email communications. I liked those tasks, and the library needed those, but I was doing both jobs poorly because I was not giving them the time or investment of education they deserved.”

“I knew the potential we could reach with email segmentation, but I had no desire to even begin to creep into that world because I was already overwhelmed with the basics of simple bulletin communications.”

“Our patrons were not being served in the best way that they could be. We knew a second Communications Specialist was needed to focus on the website and email communications.”

-Nicole Fowles

Nicole says the next step was to approach her director. But before that meeting, she did some additional prep work.

“I looked at the job description and had to decide if we’d keep the same job description or if it would need to be a new title,” remembers Nicole. “We decided to keep it the same, as this person would still have much cross-over with general communications duties. We’d post it with clarity that we were focusing on digital comms. I also needed to be sure that the organization’s pay scale for the title was appropriate for the job we wanted to accomplish.”

“When I had title, job description, and overall benefits and pay impact figured out, I listed the things I wanted to do and the cost if I simply contracted them out. I got various quotes for full-scale website management from other companies. I also got quotes for contract email support or PR for-hire agencies.”

“In the end, the benefit of hiring someone who would do the work of those two contracts (web and PR agency), in addition to being a DCDL employee and helping as needed with other Communications Department duties (campaigns, community events, etc.) outweighed the cost of hiring external contract help.”

Armed with that pitch, Nicole was ready to make her case to the director.

“The Director was sympathetic to our anecdotal evidence,” recalls Nicole. “He was also receptive to the financial analysis of what those things would cost if we used outside contractors as opposed to an internal employee.”

Nicole had to get approval for the potential staff member’s salary and benefits from the Board of Trustees. She knew the board liked to be on track or ahead of similar libraries, so she made sure to provide that information.

“Take a close look at your Board of Trustees and attend a Board meeting, if you aren’t already,” advises Nicole. “It’s wise to know where they dig in and where they relinquish control to their Directors.”

“I had already learned after many years of attending Board meetings that they were big on the numbers side and slightly competitive, and those would be the angles I’d need to use to approach them.”

-Nicole Fowles

As you know from the title of this post, Nicole was granted an extra staff member! That meant her original Communications Specialist could focus on print communications and social media. Nicole says the work she put into advocating for a second Communications Specialist focused on digital marketing was well worth it.

“Our website was not showing up on Google searches well, but she cleaned up our Search Engine Optimization,” says Nicole. “We did not have a great place to utilize news. We now effectively have a blog. A widget that I constantly broke but desperately wanted to use was something she took and ran with and used on several other pages that needed it! Our website needed a drastic facelift, specifically regarding organizational hierarchy; she led the charge.”

And Nicole’s second staff member also took the library from sporadic monthly emails to email marketing success.

“Our new employee was able to build many segments and help us reach our cardholders more appropriately for targeted messages,” shares Nicole. “She helped create a brand-new Mature Reader newsletter that specifically reaches our 55+ community, a Pre-K newsletter utilizing our mascot, and an A-Z newsletter specifically for children going into kindergarten. Our reach has grown leaps and bounds.”

What’s next for Nicole and her staff? She’s now building the case for an internal communications specialist after seeing an inspiring presentation by the Spokane Public Library at the 2024 Library Marketing and Communications Conference.

Nicole has one final piece of advice for her fellow library marketers.

“Read the business books!” she implores. “Most of what inspired me to do our task analysis came from a book called Do More Great Work by Michael Bungay Stanier. There are many more out there!”

One way to get more business books into your TBR is to join The Library Marketing Book Club! I’m now the co-host of the club with Anna Lowry of the Central Rappahannock Regional Library. Want to join? Contact me here.

Need more help?

How One Library Got All the Stock Photos It Needed for Promotions in Just One Day!

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Discover How a Library’s Innovative Campaign Skyrocketed Web Visits!🚀

Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library

Kelly Rembert grew up in rural Wisconsin but went to Detroit after college.

“Growing up, I visited the library regularly but never thought of working there,” confesses Kelly. “I loved the books and looking at the displays. In college, I studied journalism and German. ”

“After college, I was working as a secretary at a bank ­‑ which wasn’t for me – and read an article about how a bunch of librarians would be hitting retirement age soon. It was a lightbulb moment. I realized that I like working with people and I like books, so I enrolled in library school a few weeks later at Wayne State University.”

Kelly now works as an Outreach Librarian for Southfield Public Library, which is located in a suburb of Detroit. The library has an individual location serving 80,000 residents. 

Kelly started soon after the ribbon was cut on a new building, some 21 years ago. She’s part of the Community Outreach department, which oversees the library’s marketing, promotion, exhibits, and large programs.  In addition to Kelly, the department has a full-time intern, a part-time graphic artist, and a part-time assistant.

One day, Kelly was attending a webinar when she got a big idea for a publicity campaign called 30 Days of Savings.

“I wanted a way to call attention to all the great things the library can do to help save patrons money and time, especially with the high inflation cutting into our paychecks. We decided to highlight one library program or service each day.”

-Kelly Rembert

“We came up with ideas and taglines. We fought against our wordy librarian tendencies and kept the tagline short and simple.”

“We highlighted services that fit the day. For example, Election Day was ‘Learn from History: Study the Past to Define the Future.’ The Saturday after Thanksgiving was ‘Stream Movies: Save on Streaming’, where we highlighted free movies on Hoopla and Kanopy.” 

Though the planning process began in June, the library decided to launch 30 Days of Savings in November. They put all the information into a spreadsheet which included the message idea, the tagline, and the URL to be used by patrons.

You can download a copy of Kelly’s plan below.

30 days of savingsDownload

From there, the library’s graphic artist produced graphics to use in print, on the website, and on social media.

In October, Kelly and her team created the website, got all the social media posts scheduled, and printed out signs and a large calendar.  Before they knew it, it was November, time to launch the campaign!

“First thing each morning, the savings of the day were posted on Facebook and Instagram and highlighted on our website,” explains Kelly. “The savings item was also added daily to a large calendar located in our lobby. A special e-newsletter was sent at the beginning of the month to highlight the 30 Days of Savings program, and the daily savings items were featured in our weekly e-newsletters.”

“Information about the campaign was also sent to our local schools and some of them shared it with their students. Additionally, we sent out information to our elected officials and key community contacts and it was featured in the weekly Lathrup Village e-newsletter, which is our contract community.”

The month passed quickly and soon it was December. Kelly and her team were eager to analyze the results of their campaign. 

“We looked at our statistics to find out if the campaign was a success,” says Kelly. “We compared our web views in October, before the campaign, to our numbers in November and each page view went up.  The 30-day webpage was viewed over 1,300 times and we had almost 1,600 clicks from our e-newsletters.” 

Putting the campaign together took thought and planning but no outright costs.  Since the parameters are now set up, continuing the program will be easy.

“We plan to repeat this each April and November,” comments Kelly. “We will highlight the services we didn’t fit into November and repeat some programs and services again.  This is a great way to draw attention to some of our lesser-known services.”

When Kelly isn’t planning her own big campaign, she’s fangirling over the marketing efforts of nearby Ferndale District Library and Grosse Pointe Public Library. She also loves to follow the work of Milwaukee Public Library, the Library of Congress, and the Community Library Sedona. 

She gives your library full permission to replicate the 30 Days of Savings.

“I hope that other libraries will gain inspiration from this and put their own spin on it,” declares Kelly. “What benefits one library benefits us all.”

Want more help?

Library Reveals Inner Secrets of Award-Winning Marketing Campaigns… Now You Can Replicate Them!

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How a Library Director’s Secret Strategy Transformed Community Outreach

Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library

Amanda Weakley was pursuing a master’s degree in English when a comment from a professor changed the course of her career.

“I took an elective in Library Science,” recalls Amanda. “The class went well, and the professor commented that I would be a great librarian. Shortly after that, I noticed a vacancy at a local library and applied. Once I started working in libraries, I knew it was where I wanted to be.”

Amanda grew up in Rappahannock County, Virginia, located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She’s been a cardholder of the Rappahannock County Library since she was a preschooler.

Now she serves as director of the library, where she started working 14 years ago. Rappahannock County Library is a small, rural library that serves a population of just over 7,000 people.

“Currently, we have 3.5 FTE employees, me included, so we all do a bit of everything,” explains Amanda. “If there is an idea, we work together to see it through, usually a person or two handling every detail from planning to presentation and assessment. It is a lot of work, but the reward of successful library services and programs is immeasurable.”

With such a small staff, the library must get the most out of every tactic they use to promote their library. Rappahannock County excels in two areas: their word-of-mouth promotions and their partnership promotions.

Partnership marketing involves collaborating with other organizations, businesses, or influencers in the community to achieve mutual goals. Word-of-mouth marketing is all about building a buzz through community members, staff, and volunteers. It encourages people to spread positive stories, experiences, and testimonials about the library.

Staff members are often the key to both strategies. They are trained to spread news about new services and upcoming events and look for partnership opportunities.

“It really is a way of optimizing resources,” says Amanda. “Especially with a small staff and a small community, it helps to have as many happy patrons as possible and community partners advocating for you and spreading your news. We have friends of friends, clients, and members of partner organizations attending our events, using, and recommending our materials and services.”

“For as long as I have worked in libraries, and even prior, my focus has been on positive experiences and connections. I want everyone to have a positive experience or association with the library, be it through participating in a program, staff interaction with individuals, or staff collaboration with community partners.”

“We know people talk, so let’s give them wonderful things to say about the library and library staff! In a small community, I think word travels faster, and our organic tactics have evolved into strategic decisions.”

Amanda says libraries of all sizes should focus on what they do best in their community. Then, build and maintain healthy relationships with patrons and community partners around those key resources.

And don’t be surprised if it takes time to see the results from word of mouth and partnership marketing.

“There is a reality that you can work hard to get the word out and make connections, but there will always be people who will not receive your message,” explains Amanda. “It’s frustrating when you do everything to share information and someone says, ‘I did not know you offered that!’”

“If you have the opportunity, talk to the person, and see where they seek or find out information. Learn from each interaction and try to meet people where they are with a positive library or library staff experience. After a positive experience, your mentions will stand out and have more impact.”

The strategy’s success is easy to see if you look at Rappahannock County Library’s Facebook page. They are often tagged in photos and posts by their partnership organizations. That gives their library exposure to a whole new audience of potential patrons.

“We want our patrons and partners to tell people about us, send people our way, and even send us or our services to people. It’s a cycle of working for people, and if all goes well, they seem to work for us by continuing to market for us without even realizing it!”

P.S. You might also find this helpful

Navigate Library Alerts Seamlessly: 7 Proven Messaging Techniques

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