This issue opens in an especially colorful way, with a cover story about one library’s drag queen storytime experience. Then it flows from drag to swag, with a how-to on choosing the right giveaway items for your needs. You’ll also find an interview with a masterful academic marketer and, finally, lots of interesting tidbits in the ICYMI section. Dig in!

Examples to Emulate

'Plum' Loco: Communicating With the Press and the Public About a Drag Queen Storytime Program
By Bessie Sullivan
You might have seen media coverage of drag queen storytimes at libraries that have spurred protests, negative commentary, or even threats. Well, here’s an article written by a librarian who was actually in the trenches. Read how Bessie Sullivan, CEO of an Ontario library, prepared for the worst, addressed the public, and controlled the media’s narrative.

How-To

Be Strategic With Your Swag
By Kathy Dempsey
Having read and participated in countless discussions about what sorts of neato tchotchkes to purchase, MLS editor Kathy Dempsey takes on the question by looking through the lens of strategic marketing. She encourages swag shoppers to do research and plan ahead so they’ll buy useful merchandise that will get lots of impressions over its lifespan.

Interviews With Marketing Masters

NCSU’s Chris Vitiello: Know ‘What Your Users Want’
By Judith Gibbons
In her first 2023 installment of Interviews With Marketing Masters, Judith Gibbons talks with a communications strategist from North Carolina State University. Chris Vitiello discusses being an intermediary and working with library liaisons.

ICYMI

Libraries in the News Around the World; PR Contests to Enter
By Kathy Dempsey
Enjoy this serving of links to library stories from the U.K. to Ukraine and from the Netherlands to China. And don’t forget that March 18 is the deadline for entering the John Cotton Dana PR Awards contest.