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A Library Marketer Shares Her Simple but Strategic Secret for Retaining 70 Percent of Her New Cardholders!

Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library

When Mary Short was little, the local public library was just a block from her school and regular childhood destination.

“My favorite memory is going to the library with my best friend, Nancy, and being able to pick out whatever books I wanted. I felt so grown up,” recalled Mary.

Now Mary is grown up, and working for that same organization, the Grosse Pointe Public Library, as Marketing and Programming Coordinator. She landed the job five years ago after working in communications for a large, international company.

“Before joining I had no idea all of the fabulous services the library provides,” said Mary. “I’m still learning about them. And I love sharing all the great programs and services we offer.”

Mary’s initial lack of knowledge of the full breadth and depth of the library is not uncommon. But here is a vital fact to keep in mind whenever you land yourself a new cardholder.

It costs 5-7 times more to get people to sign up for a library card than it does to get people who already have a card to use it more.

Harvard Business Review

So, it makes good sense for libraries to get their new cardholders to use their cards and keep using them! And the way to do that is through intentional, strategic library marketing. An onboarding email series works, as Mary will tell you.

“When I first started working at the library, I made my brother get a library card,” explained Mary. “He hadn’t had one in years. And he mentioned to me that he didn’t know what the library offered besides checking out books. And I realized we had no way of introducing the library to new cardholders. So, that was one of the primary goals I had was to develop an onboarding series of emails.”

Mary’s email onboarding series consists of six emails in total. The first email is sent 14 days after the patron has received their library card. It’s a welcome to the library from the library director, personalized with the recipient’s first name.

That first email includes an overview of the library’s services. The language drives home the message that the new cardholder is now a member of the library, an idea she borrowed from another library.

“Being a member is so much more meaningful than just being a cardholder,” suggested Mary. “Membership has benefits and you feel more a part of a team, more invested when you’re a member.”

After that, new cardholders get an email every two weeks until the series is complete.

“Each following email focuses on one service,” explained Mary. “Like downloading or streaming music with your library card for free, getting magazines for free, using our special collections such as the tool library, seed library, Wi-Fi hotspots, and book discussion kits. The final email is 10 totally free things you can do with your library card.”

Using this strategy, Mary’s library now has a new cardholder retention rate of 70 percent, a phenomenal success. Even with that great rate, Mary occasionally tweaks her messages.

“After a few months, I check to make sure the messages are still relevant and update some of the images or add a new service,” explains Mary. “It’s important to keep the messages current.”

When Mary isn’t celebrating her onboarding email campaign success or doing the other library promotions, she is looking for inspiration… from you!

“I signed up for a ton of email newsletters from a variety of libraries including the New York Public Library and the Oak Park Public Library in Chicago,” shared Mary. “I also visit libraries whenever I travel, and I take their materials and see how they position their signage.”

“One of the first ideas I borrowed from a library was from the New York Public Library. They did a promotion as a take-off on Black Friday. They created great graphics around that theme and said everything is 100 percent free at the library. I loved it. I contacted them to make sure it was ok for me to steal the idea and they said, of course, you can use that. That was before I knew libraries are wonderful about sharing ideas.”

“I also go to the Library Marketing and Communication Conference and participate in several Facebook groups, like The Library Marketing Book Club. I attend every free marketing, social media, and email marketing webinar I can and of course subscribe to Super Library Marketing.” (😊)

And Mary considers herself fortunate to do this library promotional work for Grosse Pointe.

“I never would have dreamed I’d be working for my local library,” said Mary. “I feel so honored to have this job. I learn something every day and am so proud of all that our library does for the community.”

More Advice

8 Secrets to Writing Irresistible, Must-Open Library Email Subject Lines PLUS 6 Free Tools To Ensure Success!

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I’m Issuing a Challenge! 3 Key Phrases I Want Library Marketers To Say More Often

Watch this video

The #LibraryMarketing Show, Episode 198

I would like to issue a challenge to my library marketing friends. I have three phrases that I want to hear you say more often: to each other, to your coworkers, and to the world in general.

I’m going to explain why these three phrases are so important to the success of your work in this episode.

Plus we’ll give kudos to someone doing great work in library marketing.

Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here.

Thanks for watching!

Will I see you soon?

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:

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Threads Is Released! What Your Library Needs To Know Right Now About This New Social Media Platform. (Emergency Episode!)

Watch this video

The #LibraryMarketing Show, Episode 197

There’s a new social media platform in the world. It’s called Threads and the release has been unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed in my career in communications.

It’s become the most rapidly downloaded app EVER. And you’re probably wondering what this means for your library promotions.

I decided to record an emergency episode today instead of a regular blog post. This episode will break down what your library needs to know about Threads and help you figure out the first steps to managing an account.

Plus we’ll give kudos to someone doing great work in Library Marketing.

Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here.

Thanks for watching!

More Advice

Details in New Report Can Help You Create More Effective Social Media Posts for Your Library!

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Simple Changes Your Library Can Make To Capture Attention in the Email Inbox📧

Watch this video

The #LibraryMarketing Show, Episode 196

There’s an easy trick that your library can use to get attention in the email inbox.

What is it? I’m going to share with you in this episode!

Plus we’ll give kudos to someone (or perhaps a group of someones?!) doing great work in Library Marketing.

Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here.

Thanks for watching!

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:

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This May Be the Most Difficult Part of Library Marketing: 5 Steps To Manage the Expectations of Your Library Co-Workers

Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library

A few weeks ago, as part of a post about exhaustion in marketing, I asked you to share your experience with burnout on the job.

To be honest, I didn’t want to get any responses.

I was hoping my fears about the prevalence of burnout were totally unwarranted and off base.

But….

I received more than a dozen anonymous messages. All were thoughtful. And incredibly heartbreaking.

My readers love their job. They love the library. They are trying their best.

But…

They are freaking tired. They are overworked. They feel disrespected and unappreciated.

There was a common denominator in all the responses. Many of my readers are dealing with unrealistic deadlines and results expectations.

Here is a sampling of responses.

“I have observed a lack of comprehension among management regarding the substantial time investment necessary to fulfill their expectations. It is crucial that we cultivate a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by library marketing professionals and foster a supportive environment that prioritizes their well-being.”

“If a program or event is a success it’s the people who ran the program that made it a success. If it’s a flop it is because it wasn’t marketed well.”

Libraries in general do not respect marketing. They look at us as glorified flyer makers. If you aren’t a librarian, then your opinions and recommendations on how to best promote something are not as valid as theirs. Regardless of how many years of professional experience you have, it doesn’t matter.”

Oof.

I know you are not a miracle worker. You know you are not a miracle worker.

But…

You are expected to be a miracle worker.

And while I cannot promise you that I can completely fix this issue, I can relate. I faced these same issues in my time at a library.

I do have a 5-step guide, created from my experience.

This will not erase your burnout. But it can make your work environment more tolerable. It will do that by building respect and understanding of your library marketing position.

Step #1: Erase the mystery of your job.

I’ll never forget a conversation I had at the Library Marketing and Communications Conference. One of the attendees told me she was so happy to be amongst people who understood her job.

“I feel like I work on an island,” she told me. “Everyone just thinks I sit around playing on social media.”

Your co-workers, supervisors, and library administrators don’t understand your job, just as you might not fully grasp what it means to work in collection development or cataloging.

So, the first step in managing their expectations is to give them an idea of what it is you do every day. Create an internal communications plan to explain, in simple terms, how promotions work to make their job easier.

You can do this by writing a post for your internal staff website, sending an email to staff, in casual conversations with your co-workers, and requesting time at the next staff meeting, as Chris Boivin of the Jacksonville Public Library did.

I’d also suggest you consider allowing co-workers to shadow you for a day, I did that during my time at the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library and it was incredibly effective.

In each of these interactions, explain to your co-workers the timeframe a good library marketer needs to:

  • Research a target audience for a library program or service.
  • Create promotions, including writing creative, impactful copy, making graphics, creating an email newsletter, etc.
  • Tell them about the Marketing Rule of 7 and how you compete with all the other content in the world.
  • Show them how you set success measures for your promotions. 

You might also think about creating an infographic or a timeline chart to visualize the process for them. And then, invite them to collaborate with you. As one of my readers said,

“Marketing is not a solitary endeavor but rather a collective effort that benefits from the ability to bounce ideas and thoughts off one another. Encouraging teamwork not only enhances the quality of marketing initiatives but also fosters a sense of camaraderie and support among library professionals.”

In your conversations with co-workers or supervisors, ask for their ideas. Can they picture a certain graphic? Do they think the audience on a certain social media channel will align with the promotion? What would they write about it if they oversaw the copy?

Step #2: Consider their needs and fears.

Let your staff members and supervisors tell you what they need from promotions.

Much of the criticism of library marketing comes from a place of fear.

Is your co-worker worried about losing funding? Is program attendance tied to their job performance-rated problems? Is the director worried about losing a ranking or their job due to low circulation numbers? Are they worried about being embarrassed when no one shows up for their promotions?

In all your conversations with your fellow staff members, make certain you ask them what a successful promotion would look like to them. That gives you a chance to understand how to explain how doing library marketing right will help them to avoid bad outcomes.

Step #3: Set promotional guidelines.

Now that you and your staff have a clear understanding of each other, it’s time to set expectations.

As you do this, be sure to explain that these guidelines are in the best interest of both you and your fellow library staff members. You are all on the same team and working for the same goals.

Set a clear timeline for when information needs to be submitted to create effective promotions. If your library allows your co-workers to review work related to their department, let them know when they can expect those drafts and what the timeline is.

In every back and forth with co-workers, repeat these expectations and make sure your deadlines are clear. In my job, I use email to ask for review and feedback and I set a day and time, which I highlight in bold lettering.

Step #4: Share your successes AND failures with context.

Reporting is one of the clearest ways to demonstrate to your co-workers why a promotion does or does not work.

You don’t have to share the results of every promotion you do for your library. Pick two each month to highlight: one that was successful, and one that didn’t do as well as you hoped.

“Wait, you want us to talk about our failures?”

Yes. I do.

Share the basics of the promotion. Where did you release it? Was there any positive or negative feedback from the community? How effective was it? What would you do differently next time?  

Step #5: Repeat.

The Marketing Rule of 7 also applies to your internal audience.  And turnover is heavy at libraries. You’ll need to keep working on erasing the mystery of your work, talking with your staff about their needs and fears, explaining your guidelines, and sharing your successes and failures, every month.

More Advice

Effective Library Internal Communication Is Not Impossible! Libraries Share Tips for Keeping Staff Up to Date, Engaged, and Happy

Hats Off to Great Library Marketing

Kudos to…

York Public Library for this email.

Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County for this blog post.

Upcoming Appearances

Will I see you soon?

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:

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5 Tips Gained From Experience To Maximize Your Valuable Digital Signage and Boost Your Library’s Promotional Power

The Library Marketing Show, Episode 195

Your library’s digital signage is every bit as important as the print signs and posters you put up. But how can you maximize the effectiveness of your digital signs?

I have five tips to help you get the most out of that incredibly valuable space, all learned during my time with the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library.

Plus we’ll give away kudos to a library doing outstanding work in library marketing. Watch the video to find out who is being recognized.

Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here.

Thanks for watching!

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:

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Want To Boost Your Library Marketing Creativity? Here Are 10 Ways To Reduce Stress so You Can Do Your Best Work

Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library

For my birthday, my 23-year-old daughter gave me a gratitude journal. She told me about her own practice of writing in her journal first thing in the morning and right before bed. She gives herself space to list what she’s grateful for and sets her mindset for the day.

In fact, she’s got a whole routine for morning and night that’s incredibly healthy. She eats well, exercises, and tells me all the time that I’m worth taking care of. She’s my self-care inspiration.

I’m trying hard to follow her example. I think people of my generation (Gen X) have been trained to overwork. We were told that productivity equals worth. But that philosophy leaves many of us feeling exhausted, overworked, and underappreciated.

Burnout is real, especially for communicators. Nearly 75 percent of people working in marketing and communications say they experience burnout.

I want to help my readers avoid burnout and love their job in library marketing! These are my personal tips for managing stress.

10 tips to manage stress in library marketing

#1: Create a space where you want to work.

When I worked at the library, my office was in a windowless basement. It was lit by fluorescent lights and was incredibly sterile. It looked like a glass cage.

I was happy to have my own workspace, but it was not a space in which I wanted to work. So, I made a few minor changes.

I hung blue twinkling lights around the perimeter and bought a funky blue desk lamp at Goodwill. I papered the glass windows with cards and notes that I’d received from former interns and co-workers. I bought a tiny portable speaker and played soft music through my iPhone while I worked.

These changes may seem very small. But they worked to create a place where I looked forward to coming each morning.

You can do the same by auditing your current workspace. Is your desk a place that will foster creativity and productive work?

If not, then spend some time working on your workspace. Dim the lighting. Declutter your desk. Store some snacks or your favorite candy in your desk. Bring your favorite mug to work to make coffee or tea time more enjoyable. Hang some artwork.

If you’re working in a shared area, do what you can to add a personal touch to the space. And invest in headphones so you can play music or white noise or whatever you need to help you focus.

#2: Don’t eat at your desk.

Stopping for half an hour to eat gives you a natural boost in productivity and it helps to refresh your mind for the second half of your workday.

Don’t use this time to catch up on emails. Grab a book. Head outside if you can and spend half an hour in the sun.

#3: Don’t try to multitask.

It’s tempting to try and tackle several tasks simultaneously. That seems like a productive use of time. But it’s the opposite because you do none of them well.

Constantly switching focus makes you less productive and strains your brain. Try your hardest to focus on one task at a time.

I’ll often close my email and Teams when I know my focus might be pulled away from an important task. When I worked at the library, I would take my laptop into the stacks or into a conference room. A change of scenery can often help you hyperfocus on a task that needs tackling.

#4: Take breaks during the day.

You want to look away from your computer every 20 minutes.  And every hour, give yourself a few moments to take a mindful break. Stretch, look out the window, or go outside and really pay attention to what you see, hear, feel, and smell.

If you need help with this, there are lots of apps for your phone that will remind you to take time for yourself. Or you can use Tomato Timer on your laptop or desktop to nudge you.

#5: Create a shut-down routine.

When you’re done working, create a routine to tell your brain that work time is over. Turn off notifications on your phone if you can. Shut the computer. Resist the temptation to look at your library’s social media accounts when you’re not on call. This is an especially important step for those of you who work from home.

#6: Give yourself the grace to be imperfect.

Even though I know it feels like it sometimes, no one will die if your email or social media post doesn’t get the engagement you were hoping for.

So much of what impacts our marketing is out of our control. And all of marketing is an experiment. That’s what drives innovation in your promotions.

If your promotion fails, it doesn’t mean you are a failure. Give yourself permission to try something else!

#7: Celebrate success.

Success is a great motivator, and we often focus too much on what we have to do next. We should spend just as much time celebrating and examining the emails, social media posts, flyers, website graphics, videos… etc. that do well.

Why did a specific promotion work? How did that tactic help your library reach its overall goals? Ask yourself this question for every promotion you do. Pretty soon, you’ll start to see your successes pile up!

Before you leave work each day, write down one thing you did well that day. Share your successes with your co-workers (and keep a running list for your performance review.) You can also share your successes every Friday on the Library Marketing Book Club Facebook page.

#8: Find ways to recharge your creativity

You might have noticed that every time I interview a library marketer, I ask them what they do for inspiration. That’s because motivation naturally flags over time. It helps to have sources of inspiration and energy when we’re stuck in a rut.

Go to a conference. Read a book. Listen to a podcast. Watch a TED Talk. Read a blog post. Meet with a mentor. Pick one thing that will get your creativity and productivity flowing again and schedule it as part of your regular work routine.  

#9: Use your vacation and sick time.

If you are having a day where you’re just feeling drained, exhausted, and stressed, use your sick time to take a mental health day.

And plan to take time off from work at least once a year. For me, disconnecting from work for an extended period is the best productivity boost. For the first day, I’m super tempted to check my email. Then, I go into a period of about 2-3 days where work is the furthest thing from my mind. I have a job?? Then, right around day 5, I start to process new ideas for promotions and posts for this blog! I end up sending emails to myself with those ideas so I can tackle them when I get back.

But I firmly believe that I would never come up with those new ideas if I didn’t give myself permission to not think about work. And for me, that means physical separation from the office. Maybe you’re the same way!

#10: Ask for help.

73 percent of people don’t ask for help on the job when they need it, according to Study Finds.  The survey also found that 53 percent of people feel held back from achieving certain goals in their lives because they try to go at it alone.

These numbers are incredibly sad.  And I would hope that you would feel comfortable enough in your library to ask your co-workers and fellow library marketers for help. But if that’s not something you can do, you can always reach out to me. I’ll always do my best to get back to you.

More Advice

How to Get Stuff Done Without Losing Your Mind: My Top 6 Time Management Tips for the Busy Library Marketer

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:

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A Former TV Star May Use Your Library as a Publicity Stunt: How To Prepare Now Through Promotions

Watch this video

The #LibraryMarketing Show, Episode 194

My childhood TV crush is organizing an event at public libraries across the United States and your library needs to get ready for it, especially in terms of promotions.

Watch this episode for tips on how to prepare now and educate your community about the importance of inclusive reading.

Plus we give away kudos. Watch the video to find out which library is being recognized.

Do you have a suggestion for a topic for a future episode? Want to nominate someone for kudos? Let me know here.

Thanks for watching!

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:

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We Have a Problem: Burnout Is Real. Here Are the Top 5 Threats to Library Promotional Work.

Photo courtesy Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library

I sometimes daydream about taking a nap in the middle of the workday.

It would be easy enough. My office is in a shed in our backyard and ya’ll, there’s a pullout bed in here. I could totally take a power nap any time I wanted to.

But I never do.

Why NOT?? Seriously, what is wrong with me?

For many of you, a midday work nap is something you could never consider. You simply don’t have time. Marketing your library is not the only work task you are expected to do. You are answering phones. You’re filling holds. You’re making sock puppets for story time. You’re cleaning the restroom.

Your work is demanding. And for many of you, it’s leading to staff burnout.

Burnout is a big problem in library marketing. A quarter of all public libraries in the United States lost staff positions after the pandemic, according to the Public Library Association. And in more than half of those libraries, those positions were not replaced.

So, we’re doing more with less. And the burden is even heavier for those of you working to promote your library.

According to a survey by Blind, the burnout rate for anyone working in marketing and communications was already high pre-pandemic, at 74.8 percent. After the pandemic, that rate shot up to 83.3 percent.

We have a problem. But I’m certain my readers already knew that.

What do we do about it?

For the next two weeks, I want to address this issue. I’ll share some strategies I’ve learned in my own work and research.

I decided to write this series now because:

  • Summer is stressful and busy for library promotions.
  • You’ll do better promotional work when you aren’t stressed, and that’s good for your library.
  • I like you. A lot.

What the heck is burnout?

The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies burnout as a “syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”

There are three main symptoms:

  • Feelings of fatigue, lethargy, or exhaustion
  • Feelings negative or apathetic about your library marketing work
  • Reduced productivity

Why are library marketers experiencing burnout?

This is, by no means, a comprehensive list. But I talk with libraries every day as part of my day job. And here are the main causes of burnout I’ve noticed.  

Outside threats, like book challenges, hostile library boards, and antagonistic community members.

I put this first because, to be honest, I think it’s the biggest threat to libraries right now.

The constant, never-ending, soul-sucking, scary, demeaning, and demoralizing effects of book challenges are doing more than impacting our freedom to read. It’s threatening the very existence of libraries by making working conditions impossible.

This month, during Pride, I have held my breath every time I see a library post on social media. I tentatively check the comments, looking for anyone who might say something derogatory.

I hear stories from fellow library marketers who tell me they receive replies to their regular library emails from people threatening and demeaning them.

And I’ve listened as library staff break down in tears, describing hostile community members who threaten them, dox them, and call them all kinds of names, for doing their jobs–providing inclusive books and services.

Lack of support or recognition from leadership

You, my readers, are smart. You think strategically about your promotions and measure your results. And when you take those results to your boss and they ask you to keep doing the thing that isn’t working anyway… that leads to burnout.

If you are a manager reading this, here is a call to action: your job is to support your staff. Your job is to remove hurdles so your team members can do their best library marketing work.

That doesn’t mean you have to agree with every idea your team members bring. But if you disagree, provide context. And allow your team members to conduct library promotional experiments, even if you personally think they’re going to fail. You could be wrong. And the goodwill and trust you build with your team members are valuable.

Unrealistic deadlines and results expectations

How many times have you been asked to create an email, a social media post, or an ENTIRE campaign… right now, like yesterday.

Library marketing work takes time and it’s difficult to get others to understand that. And when they don’t, that leads to stress and burnout.

It’s also stressful when you’re receiving pressure from fellow staff who expect you to drive hundreds of people into their programs.

Remote work and mobile devices

There is a downside to remote work—one I personally struggle with.

Before the pandemic, most of us had to commute. And that driving time, as stressful as traffic can be, did create a barrier that helped us disconnect from our work.

Now, it’s so dang easy to open your laptop after dinner and finish that email newsletter you didn’t quite get through today. Or to check your email. We also carry these little computers around in our hand/purse/pocket that keep us constantly connected to the office.

For a while, my home office was in my bedroom. HUGE MISTAKE. I would wake up in the middle of the night, glance over at my to-do list for the next day which was laying on the desk right next to me, and suddenly, the gears in my brain would start churning.

Don’t get me wrong: working at home is FANTASTIC. But remote workers do have to consciously create a barrier between their workday and their home life.

The never-ending promotional content cycle

The work that sets library promotions aside from every other bit of work in the library is the constant need for online content.

Update the website. Write a blog post. Record a podcast episode. Post to social media.

The content beast is always hungry. And that constant need to feed the beast leads to burnout.

Are you experiencing burnout?

If you are feeling like one more social media post or newsletter is going to put you over the edge, you are not alone. Next week, I’ll share 10 tips for avoiding burnout for anyone working in library promotions.

Meanwhile, if you feel comfortable, share your burnout experience here. This form allows you to remain anonymous. I’m not a therapist, but hopefully, the act of writing about your feelings will help ease the burden a bit. I care about you.

More Advice

How to Get Stuff Done Without Losing Your Mind: My Top 6 Time Management Tips for the Busy Library Marketer

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:

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