Judith Gibbons has been MLS’s longest-running columnist, contributing Interviews With Marketing Masters since 2010. Across 15 years, she’s produced profiles of 48 accomplished marketers to help the rest of us improve our skills and outcomes. After a rich and varied career in Kentucky libraries, Judith claimed to be retired, but was always eager to meet new marketers and share their stories.

All good things come to an end. After 15 years writing the Interviews With Marketing Masters column for Marketing Library Services, it’s time to pack up my virtual Rolodex and reflect on the baby steps that became leaps in library marketing during my career.

But first, I must extend sincere thanks to all of the enthusiastic and talented librarians and marketing managers who gave so generously of their time to offer insights into “how they did it good” as intentional or accidental marketers. Creativity, spunk, and dedication were hallmarks of the group. (They also were fantastic in meeting deadlines.) From Calgary to Chattanooga, South Carolina to South Africa, my favorite response was often to the question, “What advice would you give a fledgling marketer?”

I must also extend sincere thanks to Kathy Dempsey for publishing numerous articles of mine, for inviting me to write the introduction to her 2009 book The Accidental Library Marketer, and for accepting my pitch for an interview column featuring the foremost library marketers. From acquaintances to colleagues to friends, Kathy encouraged me to sleuth out a wide swath of talent for MLS readers.

Looking Back Over 50 Years

And now, let’s step back and look at the past 50 years of library marketing from one woman’s perspective.

Library marketing bloomed in the 1970s. A dynamo named Peggy Barber arrived at ALA brimming with youth, energy, and marketing expertise. She initiated innumerable resources still used by libraries today. These include the founding of the ALA Public Information Office (PIO), National Library Week, READ posters, and the library-logo street signs.

In 1975, Barber wrote, “ALA is placing major emphasis on a campaign to increase the visibility of libraries at national and local levels.” Under her direction, the PIO put together an entire marketing package, including posters, bookmarks, and celebrity print endorsements placed in national media. This provided a basis for even the smallest library to promote its services.

As Kathy Dempsey wrote in a memorial featured in the November/December 2019 issue of Marketing Library Services, “Even if you never knew Peggy, you definitely know her work. Her accomplishments were legion, and they formed the basis of ALA’s promotional presence.” They also jump-started formal and informal marketing in libraries.

The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA), like many other state libraries, used Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA), and later Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), funds to distribute ALA-produced materials to county libraries. So libraries staffed by many talented paraprofessionals had an opportunity to take the materials and run with them. This enhanced professionalism, while providing invaluable assistance to staffers who were writing weekly library columns, doing presentations for Rotary, or discussing libraries at local government meetings.

KDLA also encouraged state and local staff to get involved in ALA. Many found their niche with other marketing professionals and librarians in the Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA), which subsequently became the Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA). It is currently called Core and concentrates on leadership, infrastructure, and the future.

Swap & Shop and John Cotton Dana Events

A great addition to ALA’s annual conference and to library marketing was the Swap & Shop, formerly run by LAMA’s Public Relations and Marketing Section (PRMS). Now it’s called the PR Xchange, and it falls under the Core division. It once had themes like PR Survivor: Great Ideas That Didn’t Get Voted Off the Island and featured committee members dressed like cowboys, gangsters, or space aliens, depending on the conference locale or topical theme. Conference goers were lured into a large meeting room filled with generous amounts of annual reports, bookmarks, summer reading materials, and whatever best stressed the participating libraries’ marketing efforts. Individuals could grab pertinent materials to take home and to emulate in their local library marketing.

Attendees also had the opportunity to talk one-on-one with library marketing professionals, to see the winners of a Best of Show contest, and to attend mini sessions geared toward developing marketing expertise. As a 2005 ALA press release said, “Would you like to participate in one of the best library public relations shows in the world? Do you want to learn more about library marketing and public relations from the pros?” This annual Sunday morning event was the place to be.

Some attendees enjoyed the experience so much that they joined the fun as members of the committee. Speaking from experience, this was a wonderful way to be actively engaged in doing a “Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland” routine, learning from others, and working toward a common goal of presenting an informative, vibrant, and relevant conference session in an informal setting.

A companion PRMS committee ran a contest for the John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Awards (JCD). Begun in 1946, these longest-running ALA awards are given for excellence in marketing and publicity in all types of libraries.

Writing about the prolific John Cotton Dana in 2007, Peggy Barber and Linda Wallace said, “Dana instinctively knew what modern day marketing theory tells us: it’s all about people, not stuff. And communicating what libraries have to offer is as important as providing the service.”

With generous funding from the H.W. Wilson Foundation and now also supported by EBSCO, for many years the awards have been presented at an upscale hotel gala featuring a string quartet or pianist, mountains of gigantic shrimp, luscious hors d’oeuvres, and unbelievable petit fours. The closest equivalent would be taking tea on the Cunard Line. For many LAMA members, this was the pinnacle of ALA annual.

Over the years, I’ve served as an ALA councilor and as a member of the JCD Award committee. In a 2011 American Libraries article, “The Best in Library Branding,” I wrote, “In the John Cotton Dana award’s 65 years, there have been many memorable entries. A small-town Texas librarian perched on the courthouse roof seeking increased funding. ZZ Top serenading students at an academic library. Garfield the cartoon cat becoming an official elementary school mascot with permission of creator Jim Davis.”

Winners exhibit creativity, diversity, and originality. Goucher College celebrated its Jane Austen collection, and the University of California–Santa Cruz publicized its acquisition of the Grateful Dead Archives. The New Jersey State Library encouraged residents to “Tell Us Your Story,” while the Tacoma Public Library announced, “You’re Due for a New Adventure.” Deerfield Public Library in Illinois shared a retrospective titled, “The Fight to Integrate Deerfield: 60 Year Reflection,” and Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick, Maine, hosted “The Art of Wonder,” an exhibit featuring the works of famed local artist Robert McCloskey, with accompanying programs.

Long-Running Support From the ALA PIO

A supporting presence was the ALA PIO. Its longtime director, Linda Wallace, maintained communications efforts with the press that emphasized developments in the library profession and publicized events like Banned Books Week and Library Card Sign-Up Month. The PIO continues to produce information and materials for local libraries, although now it’s organized as the Communications and Marketing Office (CMO).

An example of an easy-to-use guide was “Marketing @ your library.” As chair of the ALA Public Awareness Committee in 2007, I wrote in the introduction, “This workbook will help you tell your library story, by leading you through steps on how to prepare an effective marketing campaign.”

A cadre of young, talented, and enthusiastic PIO staffers worked magic by translating marketing campaigns into readily identifiable nuggets for use by accidental marketers. These broad-based tutorials, plus conference programs, made Marketing 101 easily accessible to libraries of all sizes and staffs with varied backgrounds.

Final Words

After almost 50 years of library work, I still go back to the 2011 words of Peggy Barber: “In these times, marketing is more important than ever. Libraries have to be organized, focused, and consistent about marketing and communication. … It’s about two-way communication, listening as well as telling and selling. It’s about people not stuff. It’s about building relationships and partnerships. Your library marketers are essential.”

After 15 years of producing Interviews With Marketing Masters columns, there’s still a treasure trove of common sense, great advice, and insight available to nudge the next generation of library marketing masters to promote their services. As MLS ends its long run, that’s a wrap for me—but definitely not for library marketing.