Marketing Plan

Polk County Public Library
Marketing/Communication Plan

Introduction: Polk County Public library is "bursting at the seams". We are bursting with pride in our innovative technology opportunities - public/private partnerships - excellence in service to our community - and our ability to meet the information needs of our library users. Our present main library is "bursting at the seams" because it is just too small. It was constructed in 1967, when our county population was under 11,750 people.   Thirty-seven years later Polk County has almost 19,000 residents and we are still in the original 6.000 + square foot facility. Based on guidelines established in 1998 by the North Carolina Public Library Directors Association, the minimum square footage for any public library serving a population under 25,000 should be 16,000 square foot. No wonder we are "bursting at the seams"!

However, things are changing soon! A new 16,500 square foot state of the art library is more than a vision for Polk County.   Ground breaking will take place in January of 2005.   The new state of the art facility will have shelf space for 52,000 volumes, 7400 AV materials, and 120 periodicals, a meeting room, a spacious children's area, a local history/special collections room, and plenty of space for computers. Our new main library building will not only meet the needs of our present community and will meet continued needs for years to come. This construction project builds on the success of our Saluda Branch Library, which opened in December 2000.   It serves as a wonderful example of blending historic architecture with modern technology and is a source of pride for the whole Polk County community.

The library has a plethora of resources and services - a welcoming and eager staff - and an old, rundown, over-crowded main library and a bookmobile that can use a facelift. Can we "sell" today's library while building enthusiastic anticipation for tomorrow's new facility?  

Goal(s) :

•  Polk County Public Library is recognized as an information leader in the community.

•  Polk County residents will identify and make use of resources and services available to them at the library - right now.

•  Widespread enthusiastic anticipation will be evident for Polk County Public Library's new main library building.

Positioning Statement :   Polk County Public Library opens the door to a lifetime of leisure and learning. From toddler programs to assistive technologies, the library and library patrons are friends for life. A customer-friendly environment is evident in our main library, our Saluda branch, our bookmobile and in our e-branch (library website). Whether it is browsing a newspaper, researching a topic, checking a stock quote, reading a mystery, watching a movie, listening to music, learning to search the Internet, or just sitting ... there is room for you at the Polk County Public Library.

Key Message :  

Limitless Opportunities @ Polk County Public Library

Key Audience(s) :

Empirical results show that the level of a customer's personal positive involvement with a library has a direct bearing on his or her evaluation of the library's service. The public library can tailor quality benefits to meet the actual needs of the target market. With carefully planned marketing strategies, public libraries can attract potential customers and encourage them to try and also continue to use the library's services, as well as change the use patterns of current customers.

Infrequent users and residents that do not have library cards:   North Carolina State Library Statistics for 2002-2003 show that nearly 40% of Polk County adult residents have a Polk County Public Library card, while 34.5% of children have a card. In a study conducted by The National Center for Education Statistics, 62% of adult Americans have library cards and 44% of families have visited their library in the past year.   We must evaluate perceptions of infrequent and non-library users in order to identify how we are not meeting their information needs and how we can better serve them.

Community groups:   John McKnight has provided convincing evidence in Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community's Assets that when communities focus on their assets rather than their needs they often can create something much better than they could have envisioned alone. He also notes that the informal network that exists within a community and neighborhoods is often the most compelling method of building capacity.

Outlying county residents: Researcher Joan Durrance, who conducts public library studies, clearly states that an individual's experience with the library is critical to his/her perception of it.   If the library is viewed as a helpful, non-threatening place the individual will return and will tell others of their positive experience. The individual will support funding efforts and encourage others to do the same.   Another researcher, Christine Koontz, states that public perception of libraries, and the degree to which librarians can shape it with savvy marketing strategies, will greatly impact their success in attracting patrons and funding, And McKnight states that individuals make up the grassroots base of any community.   By identifying those individuals and including them in targeted audiences, they mobilize support for the effort.   If users perceive that library staff is going the "extra mile" to provide great service, the users will travel the "extra mile" to use the library.

Youth: According to American Library Association studies, children who are active library users at a young age form a lifelong association with libraries. Children participating in library story times are more likely to become successful readers.   A strong correlation exists between library support and parents who come to the library with their children.

Secondary:   Informed stakeholders are powerful influences.   Seventy percent of the funding for Polk County Library operating expenses comes from county funds. Fifty percent of the cost of the new $2.5 million library is funded through the county capital improvements project fund.   The matching fifty percent is raised through private donations solicited by the Library Development Committee composed of Board members, Friends, and other stakeholders.   The Board of Commissioners must know the return they are getting from their investment in the library.

Evaluation Questions:

It is a given fact that the average citizen does not know the wide range of resources and services available to them through their public library.

Can the Polk County Public Library raise the level of awareness of and support for the resources and services provided to the country residents and library visitors?

Can we "sell" today's library while building enthusiastic anticipation for tomorrow's new facility?  

What resources and services does the library offer?  

How well do these resources and services meet the needs of the community?

How are targeted audiences using the library?  

What are their perceptions of library resources and services?

Can the library incorporate outcome-based evaluation into the regular activities of the library?

As a result of the marketing plan implementation, are staff and volunteers better informed about library resources and services and better prepared to assist user with them?

As a result of the marketing plan implementation, are individuals using the library in new and different ways than ever before?

PDF Version of Marketing Plan