Think like a business act like a library: library public relations

Information Outlook, Sept, 2003 by Daniel Stuhlman

Having a Good PR Plan

Every library deals with a "public." Whether your library is large or small, general or special, organizational or city, private or public, you need to be concerned about your patrons and potential patrons. Libraries are always concerned with improving services and communications for users and support groups. Every library has support groups, such as taxpayers, trustees, donors, administrators, or owners, to whom the library needs to constantly prove the value of its services. Both users and nonusers need to know what the Library offers and what it could offer if given more support. No library can coast on the assumption that its services are vital to its city or institutions. Libraries are vital only if the community perceives them as vital.

Public relations is a process for all librarians. We promote our individual libraries, our library groups, our profession, and information services in general. Libraries compete for the time and attention of the public. The public must be educated on many levels. Public relations is a communications process in which every part of the library has a stake. Public relations is not limited to the professionals or those who write press releases. Good public relations results from good operations that leave positive impressions on users and nonusers. Good impressions strike the public in many ways, through words and environments.

Finding solutions means finding the correct questions. This article will raise questions, make you aware of situations and difficulties, and offer some ideas for you to implement.

Librarians' Expertise

Not everyone understands the depth of librarians' expertise or how they can be of help. A few years ago, a computer magazine editor wrote about a problem with a talk show host. The editor, who needed to contact the host, did not realize that a librarian could help her with this question. I had recently researched the process of contacting celebrities because a few weeks earlier, a fellow librarian had needed to contact a well-known actor. This librarian couldn't find the answer with his resources and so put the query to fellow librarians. I made a call to a cousin who is an actor, and he was able to give me the clues I needed to find websites for information on entertainment-industry agents or attorneys. A great deal of such contact information can be found via a website. If the celebrity wants to be contacted, the process takes two phone calls. I was able to help this editor through an e-mail. She sent a personal thank-you. I was hoping that she would mention in her column that a librarian had helped. She didn't, but I hope that I won at least one friend of the library.

Many times I have seen queries for help from scholars on Internet mailing lists. Frequently the answers require a reference interview. Librarians need to clarify the questions to give the appropriate help. Once the question is clarified, the answer is much easier to find. Scholars need to know that librarians can listen and help guide them in this clarification stage of research.

If you have examples of how you helped a patron, you should spread the word as to what you did. Tell everyone about the expertise of your staff and librarians in general. Community relations is the process of letting nonusers understand what libraries and librarians have to offer. Tell everyone that librarians listen and help solve puzzles.

Library Staff

A big problem in organizations (this is not limited to libraries) is inadequate internal communications. All staff members need the information and tools to do their job. When the public sees well-informed staff, they have a positive view of the library. The public does not always know the difference between a librarian and a paraprofessional. Everyone is an expert in some aspect of the library's operation. Seek the opinion of all levels of staff when creating a philosophy of operation, priorities, policies, and rules. When staff members have a stake in the decisionmaking, they will be better able to follow the policy.

The following is an example of poor communication and a solution for correcting the problem. Library ABC has a policy that only qualified reference librarians may answer patron questions. No matter the question, even those concerning directions, the clerk must refer the patron to the reference desk. This kind of policy leads to patrons feeling pushed aside and given the runaround and causes them to view the front desk staff as uncooperative or ignorant. The staff feels helpless.

The improved policy is to make sure that all staff members are cross-trained in many aspects of the library operation. The improved policy should be discussed with professional and clerical staff to make sure they understand how to make patrons feel welcome. The first contact staff member makes sure that he or she answers the question or directs the patron to the best person. Questions concerning directions and events do not require the expertise of a reference librarian. Such questions directed to reference librarians may be passed to another who can better serve the patron. All staff stay informed about events and activities in the building so that patrons feel welcome.