Publishing SIG
MARKETING TO LIBRARIES SURVEY
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Publishing SIG MARKETING TO LIBRARIES SURVEY |
Question: Has anyone done any marketing to libraries, and if so, how do you tap into them?
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Sue Keller, University of Alaska Sea Grant.
We have built a database of libraries (to whom we send publication announcements and catalogs) from targeted library lists we have purchased, and from lists of Alaska libraries available to us from the state government. Also we have purchased table space at American Library Association meetings and other librarian meetings.
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Julia Graddy, Publisher * Maupin House, Inc.
Library marketing can be done through distributors such as Quality. They work slowly and pay even more slowly, selling only a few at a time and tying up inventory. You don't get much money this way. Going to the biggest library journals for reviews is a good way to get noticed. Getting a review, though, can be tough.
Generally speaking, libraries prefer hard case books. And they love the acid-free paper.
State libraries (usually located in the state capital) often have mailing lists available for sale to the public which are not too expensive. You could try a sample mailing to libraries in one state to gauge the return.
There are library jobbers, and of course the wholesalers, such as Baker & Taylor, do serve libraries as well. They like to show demand, however, before they order.
Murr's Library Service , 4045 East Palm Lane, Suite 5, Phoenix, AZ 85005, attn: Greg Bruns, 1-888-273-0279 is a good guy and knows the territory well. You can pick his brain for more ideas.
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Diane Nelson, Extension Communication Specialist, Iowa State University.
When we were fully staffed we did a quarterly list of our new publications and sent it to all Iowa libraries. Twice several years ago we also took displays of publications and copies of our catalog
to the state librarians convention.
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Jane Honeycutt, Louisiana State University.
We are required by law to send 25 or 35 copies to state library. We don't sell our publications except for a handful, so we'd just send them
to others. I do know the Ag Summary is sent to all high school and university libraries.
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Brian Meyer, Iowa State University.
Every year we send a mailing of our college annual report to all libraries in Iowa. It's simply that. We get current addresses from the State Library
of Iowa, which publishes a directory every year.
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Frankie Gould, LSU AgCenter.
Actually we have contacted 4-5 libraries throughout the state -- Ones that we feel cover the diverse audiences of Louisiana --- What we are proposing are information Kiosks that we or a county faculty would have to maintain with current literature -- preferably on topics that are of
interest to a broader audience --- ex: Gardening -- home improvement - food safety --- flood/storm protection --- we have not implemented this project yet -- ran out of money.
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Judy Winn, Texas A & M.
We've not marketed for-sale items to libraries, but we did make an effort to get Extension publications into libraries several years ago. We got a list of libraries from the Texas Library Association and sent each of them a copy of our CD that contained Extension publications. We surveyed them later and found that about half of them were using it or making it available to clients, and half weren't. At that time not all libraries had public access
computers with CD-ROM drives.
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Lisa Jasa, Publications Editor,University of Nebraska.
We've done it a couple ways. When we were promoting a new web site and story archive, I got a mailing list of all the libraries in the state from the Library Commission. We sent posters, cards and somewhat personalized letters to each and I followed up with phone calls to some of the libraries.
For an earlier project, I sent a story which was used in their newsletter to libraries.
Since then we've had requests from several libraries for additional promotional materials for the site, which they used at local meetings.
We also send four copies of each of our Extension publications and newsletter to the State Library Commission, which archives them and makes them available on request to branch libraries.
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Amy Hartman, Electronic Document Librarian, Kansas State University.
One of the things we've done here at Kansas State is to put most of our extension and ag. research publications onto a CD-ROM, and make it available for free to schools and libraries.
How did we get our mailing list? The American Library Association produces a book every year (ALA membership directory) that lists all of the libraries in the country by state, with information on addresses, phone numbers, key personnel, number of users, size of collection, budget, technology, etc. Most large libraries have a copy. I went through the Kansas section of it, contacted the libraries that looked like good prospects, and found many that wanted our material. (I found that letters got better responses than e-mails and phone calls.) I also got lists of public schools, and contacted the larger ones of those. I also asked our extension agents and other staff to suggest libraries that might want our material, and sent an announcement to the newsletter of our Kansas State Library: http://skyways.lib.ks.us./kansas/.
We also make print copies of the material available, particularly to our own university library and to other large ones in the state. We invited librarians to visit our distribution center, and they were happy to pick up some of our free publications. County staff might want to invite their local librarians in to browse the material available and to chat.
We work closely with the library at our university, and they catalog some of our publications such that you can look up a publication, click on it, and *poof* get the whole publication online, rather than hunt for it in the boxes of agricultural documents in the basement. Once it is in one library online catalog this way, other libraries can look for these publications through OCLC, which is a network of library information.
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Diane Blake Bowen, Communications Specialist, Texas A & M.
I e-mailed a copy of your request to Alyson Williams, a good friend of mine who has 12 years of experience working in libraries.
The most efficient (but probably not the fastest) way to market to libraries is to get one's book or serial reviewed by library journals. Here's a secret: the review does not have to be glowing. Just the fact that the publication was considered worthy of review is usually enough. Acquisitions librarians love having reviews to point to in case their selection choices are challenged.
Practices vary by institution. Some libraries make a point of acquiring small-press and alternative publications (but there are review entities for these pubs, I'm sure).
For public libraries, some of the review journals include Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Library Journal, etc. There is a review publication strictly for reference works, another for academic libraries, several for children. There may also be regional review sources. (I'm pretty sure the Texas Library Journal reviews materials of a regional interest.)
My recommendation is to define the target audience (academic, public and/or special libraries), then contact an acquisition librarian (I'd just call, ask who that person is and ask to speak to them). Get a list of the review journals he/she is using to make acquisitions. Then submit an ARC (advanced review copy) or a copy of the publication for review.
Academic libraries respond to professors' requests, so if the work is scholarly, marketing to the professors should increase sales.
Sales literature/brochures will be responded to by special libraries (like what we have here at TWCC--I do look at sales literature--even faxes--about safety publications), but I imagine that sales literature probably doesn't do much for general acquisition librarians at the large institutions.
Direct marketing literature to public and academic libraries might work if review sources are cited, but I have to think that that's an expensive approach.
What I suggest is that she pose this very same question to a mailing list of acquisitions
librarians. Here's a URL which might be useful:
http://acqweb.library.vanderbilt.edu/acqweb/acqnet.html
Contact the list manager to see this same question can be posted.
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Evie Engel Liss, Oregon State University.
Until July 1996, we routinely sent one copy of each new and revised Extension publication that sold for less than $3.50 to a library mailing list of nearly 300 libraries throughout Oregon (I think all Oregon libraries are affiliated with the Oregon State Library, so we utilize a mailing list they developed).
Because of the increased mailing and publication costs, we advised libraries that we no longer could share them without charge, provided information about how to order, and referred them to our Web site for viewing and/or ordering. In many cases libraries order copies and/or provide information about our Web site to their clientele. We also send each new catalog to a major mailing list that includes these libraries.
My experience is they want the publication only from a serials librarian angle--to get it into their system
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Debby Weitzel, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension.
As a member of the Publishers Marketing Association (www.pma-online.org/programs.cfm), you can submit a flyer to be incorporated into their monthly direct mail packet that goes to acquisition librarians throughout the U.S. Flyers reach public (2,600 names), school (K-12 Library- 3,250 names), university (College, Jr. College & University --3,300 names), and corporate libraries. Will also sell library lists for a discount if you are a member.
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