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MARKETING LIBRARY SERVICES
The Only Conference for Library Marketers Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary
by Kathy Dempsey
The mood was jubilant at the Library Marketing and Communications Conference (LMCC) in November 2024. That’s because the 2-day event was the 10th annual LMCC—a major achievement for a grassroots conference. It was launched in 2015 because a group of volunteers (led by yours truly) saw a need for it. (You can read about how LMCC got started and what the first conference was like at bit.ly/LMCC-2015-launch.)
Library marketing communications (marcom) workers have always embraced this specialized conference. They’ve said the professional connections it’s enabled have helped them to feel less alone. I’ve attended all 10 times, and every year, it feels sort of like a family reunion. LMCC has taken place in several cities; for 2024, it was back in St. Louis, right next to the city’s iconic arch. As has happened several times before, the event sold out, proving the need for it. The 440 attendees included paraprofessionals and degreed librarians who do marketing and promotion work part time or full time, as well as marcom professionals who’ve entered our field. Registrants came from public, academic, and special libraries all over the country to enjoy the feast of sessions and networking cooked up by members of the Library Marketing Conference Group (LMCG), which is the nonprofit that oversees the event.
The 10th anniversary excitement sizzled from the start. A celebratory image was part of a slide show that ran across massive screens in the ballroom of the hosting Hyatt hotel. The LMCG’s board marked the occasion by releasing a new logo and branding. (For marketing folks, that’s a very big deal.) After the first full day of sessions, there was a lively reception in a top-floor party space In another nod to its big anniversary, the LMCG increased the number of scholarships for this year. The group had awarded six scholarships in recent years. This time, it was able to help 10 marcom workers attend for the first time, thanks to corporate sponsors.
In her opening remarks, LMCG board president Maria Atilano (also the subject of the May/June 2024 Interviews With Marketing Masters column in Marketing Library Services) attested to the importance of these professional gatherings. She told the crowd that she’s been attending LMCC since 2015 and has been a volunteer since 2016. She noted that the experience has been impactful, saying, “It fundamentally changed my career as an academic librarian.”
Another testimonial followed: Angela Hursh introduced the keynote speaker since her employer sponsored the session. Hursh explained that she used to be the content team leader for the marketing department at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Five years ago, at her first LMCC, she happened to sit with a NoveList administrator. That meeting led to Hursh being offered the job of senior engagement consultant of the LibraryAware communication platform at NoveList, where she still works today.
When Courage Goes Viral
This conference has always covered diverse topics and welcomed diverse speakers. At LMCC 2024, the first day’s keynoter was Michelle Li, an award-winning journalist and anchor at St. Louis’ local NBC affiliate station, who had recently gone viral for her response to a complaint from a viewer. Her talk, “Very Demure, Very Mindful, and Very Asian Futures in Library Marketing,” told the full story.
Adopted from Korea by American parents, Li became a naturalized U.S. citizen. In January 2022, she mentioned on air that she’d enjoyed some dumpling soup on New Year’s Day, which is something many Koreans do. A viewer was offended that she’d brought her ethnicity into the broadcast and left a rude voicemail for Li. Hurt by the overt racism, Li made an Instagram post in which she played the anonymous voicemail (instagram.com/p/CYNnvkAAb9I); a few days later, she did a short segment to respond (instagram.com/p/CZQmk2Rgyr-). TMZ picked up the story, and many other media outlets followed. Li’s post went viral, snowballed into the global hashtag #VeryAsian, and led to the formation of the Very Asian Foundation (VAF; veryasianfoundation.org). The VAF then started the May Book Project, a “national campaign that helps libraries be more inclusive by donating Asian American youth literature to at-need libraries.” This was a story about how small, local occurrences can spread far and wide via traditional media and social media. It was also an inspiring profile in courage that drew a standing ovation from the audience.
Social Media Safety
This conference always has four sessions running concurrently in each time slot, so it’s like a buffet of information. As my first course, I chose a talk on crisis communications by Michal Utko from Okanagan Regional Library in British Columbia. Even if you don’t do communications work at your library, you’ve likely heard of the challenges that many have faced for hosting drag queen storytime programs. Sharing the announcements about events like this is a delicate matter: You need to get the word out to people who might be interested while carefully (and legally) responding to people who strongly oppose such gatherings.
Utko mostly spoke about handling social media accounts and their public comments. He said libraries should have social media policies to guide the way they deal with unkind—or even threatening—messages. It’s often illegal to block followers or to delete their commentary, and replies must be worded tactfully. Utko offered numerous tips for these situations:
- Have a written zero-tolerance-for-threats policy to refer to if you need to ban problematic commenters.
- Consider writing standardized replies that social media staffers can cut and paste, since it’s simpler and safer than writing individual responses.
- If you fear backlash, protect your staffers by removing their names and email addresses from your website. Instead, create a contact form or use a generic email such as comments@yourlibraryname.
- Remember that internal email threads are often preserved and can become public if your library is hacked or sued.
“You don’t have to read all the messages. And you don’t have to reply to all the messages,” Utko reminded listeners in the interest of self-preservation. If there’s a lot of vitriol, you can run messages through a tool such as Zapier (zapier.com), which can be programmed to spot specific words or threats and take automated actions.
Sample Message
In recent months we have witnessed an increase in abusive, misogynistic, and racist engagement on social media and online platforms, including a greater number of violent threats. As a result we will be turning off comments on our social media platforms to ensure that all those who consult our information can do so in an environment that is respectful to all. |
Here’s the sort of sample message that Michal Utko recommended using to keep your social media accounts safe. |
Improving Email Marketing
Email platforms are another space in which marcom and technology have come together. This was evident in a session about revising automated emails. In fact, outreach and engagement librarian Alena Manjuck began by pointing out that emails “are an extension of our brand.” Partnering with systems librarians at Nevada State University, Manjuck and user experience librarian Lauren Johnson ran a 2-year project to study, assess, and improve the impact of the automated emails the library routinely sent to students.
The team members began by culling the many email templates the library had, then testing them with students to rate the templates by impact. They discovered that some messages weren’t clear and that some were even misinterpreted as spam. After analyzing the data from surveys and interviews, they prototyped new templates with attention-grabbing subject lines, less library jargon, and other changes. Additionally, they made sure all new templates followed the branding style guide. Finally, they resolved not to send an email unless there was a goal to be achieved and a clear call to action for recipients (sign up for an event, complete a form, etc.) to meet the goal. Their final analysis proved that the changes truly were beneficial.
A Retrospective Keynote
The second day’s keynote featured Jennifer Burke of IntelliCraft Research, LLC in Pennsylvania (also past-president of the LMCG board) leading a discussion with two seasoned marketers who’ve presented at LMCCs before. All three women on the stage contributed quote-worthy points.
Nicole Fowles, from the Delaware County District Library in Ohio, began by saying that the conference had “amazing synergy” and that LMCC was a big reason for awards her library had won. She had met people at prior LMCCs who’d told her about ALA’s John Cotton Dana (JCD) award for library PR campaigns. Fowles got excited about starting a new campaign, and the project ended up winning a JCD in 2018.
Burke (a former MLS columnist) recalled being at an early LMCC and thinking, “I found my people!” She added that being among those who faced the same challenges was “almost like group therapy.”
Meghan McCorkell, from the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, drew applause for summing up the importance of carefully targeted messaging: “If we’re talking to everyone, we’re not talking to anyone.” That’s sort of an inside joke in the wider public relations field. We ask, “Who do you want to target with this campaign?” and the boss says, “Everyone.” (Many staffers don’t realize that targeting is essential, so they want to use the same message for everyone. Get it? Trust me, it’s funny.)
Designing Collateral Without a Design Degree
Graphic design is another digital task that today’s library workers must do, even if they haven’t had classes in—or experience with—design software. Canva is a favorite tool for non-professionals because of its price (there’s a free version) and ease of use. In many libraries, there is no dedicated full-time marketer or designer, so anyone who creates programs or events ends up having to make their own promotional materials.
One of the speakers in this “tips for non-designers” session, Jennifer Rothschild from Arlington Public Library in Virginia, admitted that her main work includes readers’ advisory and print acquisitions. But she’s also tasked with collection promotion. She shared a number of lessons she’s learned from making DIY promo materials:
- Design consistency “is crucial for building brand recognition.”
- “Making your materials accessible [to those with visual or other disabilities] is essential.” Try the free suite of evaluation tools at wave.webaim.org.
- You can save time by using templates and style guides.
- Design with a minimum font of 12 points and a maximum palette of three or four colors.
- Repurpose content and designs created for one use (poster or flier) for other promotions (social media, bookmarks, etc.).
Looking Forward to More Library Marketing and Communications Conferences
I’ve given you just a small taste of LMCC goodness here—there was so much more. I shouldn’t neglect to mention that wonderful networking opportunities are always baked in. The conference registration fee ($499) includes breakfasts and lunches for all attendees, and making new friends at those group tables is always one of the highlights of the event. In addition, the evenings boast organized dine-arounds that you can sign up for: Choose a favorite type of restaurant, and meet people who could become lifelong connections.
If this LMCC appetizer has you hungry for more, mark your calendars now: LMCC 2025 will take place Nov. 12 and 13. This year—in fact, for the next 3 years—the event will remain at the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at The Arch. If you can’t wait until November, connect with this group online today. You can sign up for the email list (major announcements only) at librarymarketingconference.org. You can also join the Facebook discussion group (fairly active) at facebook.com/groups/186801321504603.
The LMCG will host various webinars throughout the year, leading up to the next big event. So, if you’re a techie who has anything to do with communications or marketing, you’ll get a lot from these folks. Meet me in St. Louis this November.
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