Library friends, we did it! We made it through 2025. We faced numerous issues and threats to libraries, yet we celebrated many triumphs. I’m proud of you. I’m proud of this community. And if no one has told you this lately, GOOD JOB YOU!
And now, we look forward to a new year and new chances to grow the connection between your library and your community.
Want to make 2026 your best year yet? Let’s start by learning from the content your fellow library marketers found most helpful this year.
Most Popular Super Library Marketing Articles of 2025
I hope you are looking forward to 2026 as much as I am. My next post will be on Monday, January 5, when I’ll unveil the State of Library Marketing. I’ve got a calendar full of posts and videos featuring tips to make your work easier, as well as profiles of libraries to inspire you. Happy holidays!
Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
Key Takeaways:
Local business partnerships drive library engagement: By collaborating with local businesses during Library Card Sign-up Month, St. Johns County Public Library expanded its reach and boosted card sign-ups, proving that community-driven campaigns can significantly increase library visibility and impact.
Simple tools and clear communication fuel success: The library’s use of a streamlined online sign-up form, ready-to-use promotional materials, and consistent email updates made it easy for businesses to participate and promote the initiative.
It led to year-round advocacy from partners: What began as a one-month campaign evolved into a lasting network of support.
“One of my favorite places was the library,” recalls Alex. “I have so many fond memories of going there with my mom, then wandering over to the used bookstores on Beach Street to see what treasures we could find. Those visits really shaped my love of libraries and books from an early age.”
“In middle school, I joined the Turtle Patrol through the library with my mother, and it turned out to be a lot of fun,” says Hana. “That experience wouldn’t have been possible without the library.
Now, both women work at St. Johns County Public Library. Alex as Community Engagement Coordinator and Hana as Marketing Coordinator. The duo manages partnerships, campaigns, print promotions, digital marketing, and more. Along with a third coworker, they form the Marketing and Engagement Department at the library, helping with promotions at six branches and two bookmobiles.
“We’re a very community-driven organization, and I believe all of us genuinely see our community members as partners,” says Alex.
I reached out to Alex and Hana because of their unique approach to Library Card Sign-up Month. They go a step beyond the usual “sign up for a library card” campaign and get local businesses to throw their support behind the library by offering discounts to library card holders all month.
Alex and Hana confess they got the idea from the North Little Rock Library System in Arkansas, which helped them figure out the logistics of the campaign before they tried it for the first time in 2024.
“It took us a little over two months to bring in all of the participating businesses for this year’s Community Connections,” explains Alex.
“Our approach was straightforward: we reached out by email, phone calls, and in-person visits, and we leaned on relationships our staff already had with local business owners. We also made it as easy as possible to sign up by creating a simple online form.”
“It also creates a win-win. Our cardholders discover great local spots, and businesses get extra visibility. It’s about extending the library experience beyond our buildings and into everyday life.”
The campaign took a lot of coordination. Hana laid out the full plan, channel by channel:
Social Media: “We focused heavily on social media, especially Facebook and Instagram, because we knew that is where much of our audience already spends time. We highlighted both the value of a library card and the benefit of supporting local businesses through Community Connections.”
Ads: “To build awareness, we launched a month-long ad campaign and distributed printed flyers to participating businesses and community organizations. We also used Peachjar to reach families directly by sending digital flyers to parents of Pre-K through 5th-grade students across the county.”
Local media: “We sent out two press releases in partnership with our Office of Public Affairs team. One encouraged businesses to join the Community Connections program, and the other, during Library Card Sign-Up Month, highlighted the campaign and featured our partners.”
New cardholders: We also created a welcome campaign for new library cardholders, which included a full list of participating businesses as a thank-you and an incentive to explore their community.”
Local officials: “We held a proclamation ceremony and shared updates with our local officials to amplify awareness and community pride.”
Hana says that to keep communication smooth and consistent with their many business partners, she and Alex send regular email updates with key dates, promotional materials the partners can share, and reminders about ways to get involved. Many of the businesses also helped spread the word through their own social media and storefront signage.
The library proved you can build momentum with a campaign like this, year over year. In the first year, the library had 34 businesses on board. This year, that number doubled to 68 businesses. The library also saw an 8.5 percent increase in card sign-ups over the first year of the campaign.
“From the first year to this year, the main change was confidence,” reflects Alex. “In year one, we were pitching a brand-new idea and asking businesses to take a chance. This year, we could point to the success of the program, share the number of partners from last year, and show how much visibility participating businesses received. That made the ‘ask’ more compelling and helped the program grow.
“We also noticed that the businesses were much more engaged this year. One of the big differences was that we created a digital folder with ready-to-use social media images and sample copy. That simple resource made it easier for businesses to spread the word, and we saw them sharing and promoting the partnership more actively than before.”
But great campaign success is measured in more than just concrete numbers. Hana says they used several success measures when reflecting on the success of the campaign, including feedback from businesses and patrons.
For example, a local ice cream company said, “We are thrilled to partner with the St. Johns County Library and to tap into the creativity of their incredible staff! Just like books spark joy and imagination, we can’t wait to bring their flavor ideas to life with an ice cream collaboration the entire community can celebrate and enjoy!”
If you’re thinking this might be something you want to do next year for Library Card Signup Month, Alex advises you keep the process simple for the businesses that partner with you.
“A short online form and clear instructions go a long way,” says Alex. “Also, don’t be afraid to make the ask! Many businesses are excited for opportunities to connect with the community; they just need to know how.”
“This initiative has created a network and year-round advocacy for both the library and local businesses to support each other,” adds Hana.
“The Community Connections initiative is making an impact much bigger than we could have ever imagined. At the heart of it all is our local community, and we’re so excited to explore partnerships beyond Library Card Sign-up Month.
-Hana Tucker
And if they could do anything differently? “It would be to set earlier deadlines for print materials and communicate those clearly from the start,” confesses Alex. “Last-minute details are always tricky to manage. But overall, the program works because it’s a true win-win: libraries promote local businesses, and businesses help celebrate the power of a library card.”
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.
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Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
When Jennifer Fermino graduated from college with a B.A. in English, she needed help figuring out how to put together a resume that would land her a job in communications. She found that help at what was then the New York Public Library’s Mid-Manhattan Library (now the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library).
“It was an invaluable resource for a young person who really didn’t know what she was doing or how to translate any of her job skills, which was then primarily waitressing and nannying, into the career path I was aiming for,” recalls Jennifer. “I would also add I am in good company: President Obama also credits the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library with helping him get his first job.”
And now, 20 years later, after stints as a reporter for the New York Post and the New York Daily News, as well as PR agencies and as Communications Director for the New York City Council, Jennifer works for NYPL as Vice President for Communications and Marketing. She’s been at her dream job for about a year and a half.
“It’s amazing to work for a system that serves three boroughs in the greatest city in the world (Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island),” enthuses Jennifer. “We have 92 locations and there is never a dull day.”
Jennifer and a team of nearly 30 people run all marketing and promotions for the library. And her first 18 months on the job were, shall we say, a trial by fire.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams proposed huge cuts to the library’s budget earlier this year… $58.3 million to be exact… that would have forced NYPL to dramatically reduce hours. The budget cuts also threatened the library’s budget for books, programs, and maintenance. Prior cuts, enacted in late 2023, forced all NYPL branches to close on Sundays.
Soon after these new cuts were announced, NYPL, along with the Brooklyn and Queens Public Libraries, launched a massive campaign to show the importance of the city’s three libraries. And New Yorkers, as well as library lovers from across the country (myself included) jumped in to show their support.
For months, I was served a social media post from NYPL every time I went online, on all channels. It felt like a coordinated, consistent effort to keep reminding people of the threat of the cuts. And that’s why I reached out to Jennifer. I wanted to know how her team managed the campaign.
“It was a sustained effort to tap into the goodwill that people have for libraries and keep the cuts front and center,” says Jennifer. “I give huge credit to Victoria Reis, our social media manager, who is creative and has an understanding of both online culture and our audience.”
“We began repurposing the famous “This is fine’ meme with our mascot Patience and it was an immediate hit with our followers. People really connected to the campaign, and the message – that we already lost Sunday service and were in danger of losing more – resonated.”
“The reaction kept growing and growing. Towards the end of the campaign, one of our memes – again a repurposing, this time of the “girl explaining” meme, went over the top viral. Last I looked it had over 7M views on X (Twitter).”
The team included messaging on other channels as well and worked hard to stay coordinated.
“Special shoutout to our talented Managing Editor Katherine Ward, whose job was to keep it all together for us,” declares Jennifer.
The team coordinated messaging using four main tactics:
Their NYPL Connect newsletter, which I encourage any library or NYC lover to sign up for, as well as regular reminders of the cuts on our home page.
Letter writing stations in branches in which patrons could easily write city leaders to support libraries.
Rallies of supporters at City Hall that the press was invited to cover.
And, as mentioned, a fun, creative social strategy.
“We honestly didn’t know what was going to happen – everyone was hopeful but on pins and needles,” remembers Jennifer. “Reporters started calling me saying they had sources saying we would be saved, but I refused to believe it until it was official. People were congratulating us, but I felt like it was jinxing us. It took a bit for me to finally accept that it was over.”
“Thankfully, the Mayor has a history of supporting libraries, and we are grateful that he funded us. We also had the City Council, including Speaker Adrienne Adams, firmly in our corner throughout.”
“But I can say that our campaign engaged New Yorkers and showed how much people love their libraries, which is so important in the budget process.”
While they fought the budget cuts, NYPL’s marketing team had other promotions to balance.
“We had launched our “Books for All” campaign celebrating the freedom to read and standing against book bans right before the cuts were enacted,” explains Jennifer. “We continued that campaign all year long because the issue is of such importance to us.”
“We also just finished our ‘Summer at the Library’ campaign with Brooklyn and Queens to promote reading and education city-wide during the summer break for schools. Although not technically part of the advocacy campaign, efforts like this help show why funding libraries is so important.”
“We are always exchanging ideas and talking about how to engage New Yorkers,” says Jennifer. “It is a great relationship. We are partners throughout the advocacy campaign and continue to do great work together.”
“In fact, we are planning a national Freedom To Read Day of Action on Oct. 19 with Brooklyn and Queens, as well as the American Library Association, Unite Against Book Bans, and the Association for Rural and Small Libraries to stand against censorship. We have many libraries already signed up and invite everyone to join us.”
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Lisa at Oshkosh Public Library asks “Do you have any examples of libraries that do an exceptional job welcoming new cardholders? What do they focus on when someone signs up for a library card? How do they follow up to gauge their new cardholders’ experiences and ultimately turn them into regular library users? I’m talking about libraries that do a great job engaging with new cardholders – not just bombarding them with all the rules involved with using the library.”
I use an email drip campaign to introduce the best of what my library offers. But readers, help a sister out! Tell us what you do in the comments.
KUDOS this week to the Princh blog for their blog article “Why The Library Intimidates Me.” It was heartbreaking and great food for thought for library marketers. Read it here.
Have an idea for the next Library Marketing Live Show?Submit it now.
Check the Upcoming Events page to see where I’ll be soon. Let’s connect!
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Super Library Marketing: Practical Tips and Ideas for Library Promotion 