MARKETING IN 2023 AT ELMHURST PUBLIC LIBRARY

LIS 761
Midterm Paper
Mary Salata

Marketing for libraries has become an increasingly hot topic in the modern sphere.

Regardless of the size of the library, the number of staff, and the budget, libraries are finding

ways to incorporate marketing into their operation using the resources they already have, or

allocating increased resources, depending on their individual circumstances. For the purpose of

this paper, I reached out to the Head of Adult Services, Bryan, at the Elmhurst Public Library, in

Elmhurst, IL, to request an opportunity to interview a staff member there regarding the

marketing taking place at the Elmhurst Public Library. Through Bryan, I was immediately

connected with Brianna, the Head of Marketing Communications for Elmhurst Public Library,

and our conversation is the basis for this paper.

For purposes of better understanding the circumstances surrounding the Elmhurst Public

Library, I would first like to detail some demographic information about the population they

serve. The Elmhurst Public Library serves the community of Elmhurst, and its population of

approximately 45,000 residents (U.S. Census Bureau, 2021). The Elmhurst Public Library has

one location, walking distance to the city center. The entirety of the city of Elmhurst covers a

little more than ten square miles. 15% of homes in Elmhurst speak a language other than English

at home. In Elmhurst, 95% of households have a computer and nearly 93% of houses have an
internet subscription. Of the population of Elmhurst, approximately 25% are under the age of 18.

More than 16% of the population is 65 years of age or older. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2021).

Brianna functions as a department head within the library – her department being

specifically geared towards marketing and effective communication of the library’s goals and

offerings. She has been in this role for approximately three months at the time of the writing of

this paper. Within this department, Brianna has three other staff members who work directly

under her. They include a Communications Specialist, a Graphic Designer, and a Marketing

Specialist. Brianna shared that her own background which led her to her current position

included an undergraduate degree from Columbia College of Chicago, IL, in Marketing.

Following her completion of that degree, she went on to get her Masters Degree in Library and

Information Sciences. At the time that Brianna attained her Masters Degree, approximately ten

years ago, her MLIS program did not have any class offerings geared specifically towards

marketing for libraries. Fortunately, thanks to her undergraduate degree, Brianna already had a

marketing base from which to work. When Elmhurst Public Library had an opening for Head of

Marketing Communications, it seemed like a natural role for her, given her educations and

passions. For herself and her team, Brianna says that continuing education opportunities

generally come in the form of webinars and workshops. Typically, staff members find an

opportunity and present it to library administration, who then approves and sponsors their efforts

which enables them to attend these things.

Though the Marketing and Communications Department has four staff members

dedicated specifically to it, nearly all of the library staff is actively engaged with marketing in

different ways. Brianna explained that her department directly creates all of the publications and

messaging put out by the library. The library offers a print newsletter discussed in further detail
below, email blasts, and utilizes social media platforms. Primarily, the social media platforms the

library uses are Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter. Programming and new collection

offerings are the main things shared with patrons through those various mediums. If another

library staff member has something they specifically want to promote, Brianna says that the staff

member typically will reach out to the marketing department and connect with the staff there

about their ideas. From there, they then work together to develop something to be put out to the

public for maximum effectiveness.

The Elmhurst Public Library publishes a quarterly newsletter. This newsletter, entitled

"Fine Print," includes information on offerings from the library, including programming and

collections. For example, the most recent edition included a section on books that have been

made into movies that the library has in their collection, as well as books that are not released yet

that the library has on order called "Coming Attractions." The programming featured in the

edition is divided by either target age group or by genre. It is in full color and easy to read. Per

the Elmhurst Public Library website, the Fine Print is mailed to every household in Elmhurst.

With 16% of the population being over 65, this is an important way to make sure that everyone

has access to the library’s marketing efforts. In the event that you lose yours or need an

additional copy, more print copies are available at the library. The most current edition and three

most recent past editions are also available via the library website. (Elmhurst Public Library,

2023).

With approximately a quarter of the population of Elmhurst being under 18, and almost

all households having internet access, Elmhurst Public Library also utilizes many online

marketing resources. Upon signing up for a library card, any patron who provides an email is

automatically opted-in to receive weekly email updates on library happenings, according to

Brianna. The library's website also offers additional email marketing opportunities. Patrons can

voluntarily subscribe to get library news and notable titles delivered to their inbox, and can

specifically choose the newsletters they are interested in. Options include Coming Attractions

organized by age-group of the consumer, "must-read books," weekly events, weekly news, and

books by genre. (Elmhurst Public Library, 2023). That, combined with frequent posts to social

media platforms, ensures that the library is reaching their online users.

Despite having a formal marketing department and many established marketing tactics,

the Elmhurst Public Library does not, at this time, have an actual marketing plan. The Elmhurst

Public Library Strategic Plan 2016-2021 included a section specifically devoted to Marketing as

a Service Initiative, including setting a goal for the creation of an overall marketing plan

(Elmhurst Public Library, 2016-2021). It seems that to date, however, that no such plan has been

created. Perhaps this is not too surprising, though, because according to data collected by the

Library Journal, in 2018 only twenty percent of libraries had a marketing plan in place. An

additional fifteen percent were in the process of creating a marketing plan and more than fifty

percent of libraries surveyed felt that they could use one. (Library Journal, 2018). Brianna says

that the creation of such a plan could well be in the future of the library.

Another interesting fact was that 15% of homes in Elmhurst speak a language other than

English at home (U.S. Census Bureau, 2021). There was no further breakdown of these

languages and their prevalence immediately available for the purposes of this paper. While this is

not an overwhelming amount of the population, I was surprised by its lack of impact at this time.

A look through the marketing efforts of the Elmhurst Library did not reveal any marketing

materials online that were offered in a language other than English. For example, Fine Print is

published only in English. Social media postings are also made exclusively in English. The email
newsletter blasts are English. It may be a worthwhile effort by the library to survey the

population and find out if there is a need or desire for an expansion of inclusivity of other

languages in marketing efforts.

Regarding evaluation, the Elmhurst Public Library is already using surveys to determine

the impact of other things. Per Brianna, for her purposes, surveys are usually the main thing used

to evaluate the effectiveness of their marketing efforts. These surveys are often administered at

the end of a library program. The library also uses feedback received through other mediums,

such as the online platforms utilized by the library and third-party entities such as Google

Reviews. Brianna says she has plans to implement further evaluation in the future to maximize

the impact her team is having in the library’s success and to ensure continued public support.

Elmhurst is very supportive of their public library. When discussing advocacy for the

library, Brianna shared that the library administration is very on board with any and all effort put

forward by their staff. They are eager to support new initiatives, and also support efforts for

evaluating these initiatives. Brianna specifically shared that one of her goals is to create a new,

engaging, “one-off” marketing campaign for something that is a priority for the library and the

community. Additionally, more and more library staff are supporting marketing efforts and

trying to engage with them, which has created a very positive relationship and effective working

environment for the marketing department within the library. With regard to the community,

Brianna says that they are especially fond of Fine Print, very active in the library’s online

marketing efforts, and for her as a professional, it has been very interesting to see a community

that responds so much to marketing and she makes sure to pay special attention to it.

At the close of our conversation, I asked Brianna if there was anything I missed, anything

she would like to elaborate on, or anything else she wished to add. Brianna concluded her
insights by sharing that in her opinion, marketing in libraries has come a long way from even just

five years ago, but even now a lot of libraries are just beginning their marketing efforts. For her,

though she has future goals to build towards as she is new in her role, it is good to see a library

such as Elmhurst Public Library where the marketing is in a really good place. According to her,

it is also good to see libraries in general incorporating marketing more and more, and to see them

making it an important priority. Personally, I think that Elmhurst Public Library is an excellent

example of a library putting the efforts and resources into figuring out how to navigate marketing

effectively, and I look forward to what they do next.

This paper was based in large part on an interview conducted via telephone on March 7, 2023,
with Brianna, Head of Marketing and Communications for the Elmhurst Public Library of
Elmhurst, IL.
In furtherance of this paper, I also personally explored some of the marketing and messaging put
out by the library, census data to better understand the mentality behind and effectiveness of
these efforts, and a survey by Library Journal regarding the general state of library marketing.
They are cited below.

OTHER REFERENCES

Elmhurst Public Library. 2016-2021. Elmhurst Public Library Strategic Plan 2016-2021.
Retrieved from https://elmhurstpubliclibrary.org/about-us/strategic-plan
Elmhurst Public Library. 2023. Email Notifications. Retrieved from
https://elmhurstpubliclibrary.org/about-us/building-information/sign-up-for-email-notifications/
Elmhurst Public Library. 2023. Newsletters. Retrieved from
https://elmhurstpubliclibrary.org/about-us/building-information/newsletter/
Library Journal. Spring 2018. Public Library Marketing Survey. Library Journal Research
Publication Spring 2018.
U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.) QuickFacts: Elmhurst city, Illinois. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/elmhurstcityillinois