I had a crazy thought last night about how librarians could use the whole Mayan Calendar / End of the World thing to our advantage. I posted it on a Facebook page of US librarians this morning, and some liked the idea, so I'm putting here for all of you.
Idea: Librarians could make photos / posters saying something like, "See, we're still here. Trust librarians when you need facts!" and schedule them to post on 12-22-12. Sort of like READ posters with books about Mayans.
The great Jessamyn West ran with the idea and made this fire-ball image. You are all welcome to share it, with her blessings. Or make one of your own with a meme generator or other tool.
Then I made this one that you can post today:
There are lots of funny ways you could illustrate this point. And there are links you can add to send people straight to the facts about Mayans and more:
* A short article posted today on the Library of Congress blog
* A piece from National Public Radio (NPR) that you can either read or listen to
* Find others written in your own countries!
And here's an example of how some people chose to celebrate with tours of Maya Spirit Tours...
You can use other lines too:
* Separate fact from fiction at your library.
* The library has facts to live by.
* No matter what the question is, your library has the answers. Just ask!
* Still here? We knew you would be. Learn about Mayans at your library!
Do you want to look smart? Do you want to remind people that, no matter what the question is, you have the FACTS at the library? Use these images, or make your own, to post on social media in the days ahead.
Assuming there will be days ahead ... ;-)
++ If you make some, please share links in the comments below, or post the images to my Libraries Are Essential Facebook page.
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2 comments:
The library has a lot to gain from marketing, but it has to be done through a means that speaks strongly to the target market, on a platform that has extensive reach. If you’re a university library, you’re catering to a largely youthful audience. Ask yourself: “What are the kids into nowadays?” and use that info to be able to create some sort of marketing scheme so that the students will avail of your services and/or facilities even outside of having to do schoolwork. I’ve even heard of a university library that uses “memes” to communicate to its students. Needless to say, their campaign to reach out to the students has been more than successful.
Alan Holaday
You're right, Allan, and that's what we always encourage people to do -- targeted marketing. This was just a fun little idea to help librarians take advantage of something that was a very hot topic at the moment.
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