To (too?) Public: library Marketing and Public Relations in Public Libraries Today. Presentation by Alan Watkin, Chief Officer for Libraries, Leisure and Culture, Wrexham Borough Council 1996-2011

1. Wales: a national promotional strategy for libraries
BBC Wales reported at the end of February that public libraries in the country
were increasing their usage levels with in 2009/10 some 14.7 million visits and a
total of 681,000 active book borrowers – an increase of 5.4% on the previous
year. (The population of Wales is approximately 2.5 million) The increase in
usage contrasts to the experience of our neighbours England who saw a
decrease of 1.6% in the same year.
This picture of increased use continues, with for example, Wrexham, my own
Authority, experiencing a probable further 5% increase in 2010/11. This increase
is across all elements of the service including book use, information research, IT
and as a community meeting space.
This positive trend reflects a deliberate central government policy position
whereby the Welsh Assembly Government identified the library service as a key
part of the cultural, social and educational infrastructure of Wales – it is to me
one of the most commendable impacts of our country gaining its first national
parliament for 500 years when the Assembly was created in 1999. Interestingly
another Assembly initiative has been a publishing programme the Library of
Wales – which they have subsidised so that twentieth century literature in the
English language by welsh authors has been reprinted often after being out of
print for decades.
In this very brief presentation I will try and outline the context of the Welsh library
plan, give a very quick overview of the library plans (the third 3 yr plan will come
into effect this summer) and focus on the marketing programme and one of its
particular facets’.
Context
Public library services in the UK (with the exception of N Ireland) are delivered
and managed by the local authority whose responsibility is to provide an
appropriate service and determine the level of expenditure. In 1996 most library
services in Wales were struggling having suffered several decades of under
investment particularly during the Thatcher era of public expenditure reductions:
in consequence buildings were tired, stock and resources severely depleted and
some were predicting their demise. Our new government in developing its own
independent policy position sought to reverse this period of decline not out of any
sense of nostalgia but rather as already noted, from recognition of the key role
that libraries could play in Wales of the twenty first century.
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2. Following extensive consultation with the sector, the Assembly created a new
administrative department – Cymal, which has the responsibility for developing
policy and advising the Minister in respect of museums, archives and libraries.
This new division was and is largely staffed at managerial level by professionals
from the sector – it also has a Ministerial advisory board made up of
appointments from the sector in Wales which crucially is always chaired by the
Minister, thus allowing direct access to our most senior level of government. In
relation to our sector, Cymal developed a library plan which incorporated a
number of elements for example:-
Library standards – endeavouring in qualitative and quantative terms to provide a
base line for what constituted an acceptable level of services for today – this
would include, for example, levels of usage, investment in resources, distribution
of and opening hours of libraries, staffing levels and qualifications etc
When first introduced there was considerable discussion in the sector that the
approach would lead to a lowering of standards to a minimum common level and
from a political point of view that it represented undue government interference in
the affairs of local authorities: my experience is that the standards have been
genuinely beneficial in raising performance and the level of resources. Thus in
Wrexham, the level of investment in stock doubled in the period of the first library
plan and has been maintained at that level. I and I think most of my colleagues,
are delighted that the Standards remain as a central element of the library
environment in Wales even though in England they have been abolished
Another element in the Plan is enhancing and improving the Building Stock – a
very simple and inexpensive grant programme was introduced whereby some £3
million per year (approx 3.5 m Euros) was made available in modest amounts,
namely £100,000 for a small library and £300,000 for a large, regional library with
up to 90% funding to modernise existing libraries. In Wrexham, this together with
the one and only European funding source we have been able to access in the
last 15 yrs has meant that 9 out of our 11 libraries have been transformed in the
last decade. In each case the Assembly’s contribution has acted as a catalyst to
extract a significant capital contribution from the authority, for example our
central library received a grant of £300, 000 with the County Borough Council
adding some £180,000 (I would note that the design of the libraries has been
heavily influenced by the work of our marketing programme team).
The third element workforce development - a self explanatory element the value
of which you will I know readily appreciate. This has included the development
and delivery of an annual national programme of training events, particularly in
respect of professional and technical skills, funded attendance at diploma and
graduate levels (including an ICT diploma developed by our colleagues in
Scotland which has been delivered by colleges in Wales) and specially
commissioned programmes to meet specific and changing skills needs.
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3. The fourth element is the development of national ICT held resources for
example one portal for all library services in Wales, the joint procurement of
information resources and databases etc. and perhaps most importantly a
national marketing initiative which has seen some one and a quarter million
pounds invested by the government in the programme in the last 6 yrs and even
in the current difficult financial reality of public expenditure in the UK further
funding being provided for this new financial year- one of the last but most
pleasing little tasks that I performed at the end of March was signing a contract
for the 2011/12 marketing programme for some £150,000.
Perhaps. I should explain why I am signing the contract. When Cymal launched
its marketing initiative, they concluded (I believe absolutely correctly) that it would
be inappropriate and potentially ineffective for a civil service dept to endeavour to
run day in day out such a programme. They thus invited tenders from interested
parties. We decided to bid for this work based on our experience as a
Department of Leisure services, Libraries, Culture Heritage and Communication
in which we had since its inception in 1996 specific marketing posts held by
individuals with professional marketing qualifications and skills. (An approach
which I would recommend) I felt very strongly that we had much to offer the
programme and that it would be beneficial locally in at least three ways:-
 It would allow us to understand and be aware of national developments
and projects at the earliest possible stage
 It would significantly enhance our local marketing effort
 And, not to be forgotten it created employment opportunities locally
Thus, starting in 2005/2006, a small but one hundred per cent dedicated team
began work on the Wales marketing programme – they were supported ( I think
they would agree with that verb) with direct strategic advice from myself and the
Wrexham library officers, staff at Cymal and an advisory sector group with
representation from across the country.
In the time remaining, rather than run through the chronology of the programme’s
work over the last six years, I intend to focus on one particular aspect namely the
motivation and up skilling of staff throughout the country so that a national
workforce of marketeers was creates so as to reach each and every element,
branch and mobile of the library services throughout Wales.
Very briefly the project began with a thorough and expert analysis of where
libraries were in respect of marketing (with one or two notable exceptions) I am
sure that you can guess – the concept of the hand written poster and the
occasional photograph in the local press were alive and well!! An analysis of the
target audience, our potential customers, which identified a series of key
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4. moments in our lives when there is significant change and thus we are most
open to new ideas and initiatives and an assessment of staff and management
attitudes throughout the country. Some of the elements which the programme
created includes:-
 Development of an online staff toolkit (bilingual) which has became an
excellent resource for staff to access information, documents, training
manuals, presentations and evaluation reports. This has become a vital
component of the national campaign as staff can download artwork, logos
and information.
 Development of the bilingual portal library. wales.org which is a single
point allowing the public to access information about public library services
including the latest news and information about national campaigns, It also
has reference resources AskCymru, catalogue search facilities and the
facility for people to join the library
 Introduction of an annual campaign, this is something that has enabled
staff to brand existing events or put on new events under an umbrella
message/ theme using quality artwork designed nationally. Thus in
autumn 2008 we launched “Happy Days” – this was a bilingual awareness
campaign for public and academic libraries. It included;
1. Using real library users in artwork and strap lines encouraging
people to take a fresh look at their library and the reason why
libraries make them happy.
2. Dedicated pages on library.wales org and a staff toolkit.
3. Celebrity events in four regions of Wales including a high profile
launch with the Heritage Minister. Using different celebrities to
target different audiences – Ruth Jones and Gethin Jones from the
world of television, Cerys Mathews – pop star and lead singer of
Catatonia and Colin Jackson Olympic medalist and athlete. This
generated exceptional press coverage both nationally, regionally
and locally in all media.
4. National library user survey asking why libraries made people
happy in order for us to compile a top ten list of reasons which has
resulted in a searchable database of personal stories being
available on library.wales.org for public view which colleagues
across Wales can access for advocacy purpose.
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5. Happy days came second in the 7th IFLA International marketing Awards 2009 –
only being beaten by the Bank of Singapore’s work which I suspect has
significantly greater funds.
 The identification of major events of interest to the Welsh nation and
linking libraries to such events, for example for the first time ever the
Ryder Cup Golf match between Europe and the USA was hosted by
Wales last October. This created a huge level of public interest and media
coverage. A special campaign was directed at golfers which attracted
some 10,000 new members – the hook for the promotion was that if you
joined your library and used your membership your name was entered in
to a free draw for tickets- which were a rare and much prized commodity
 All of the events/programmes and activities are supported by the national
team, for example through the creation of national marketing materials
available on line. And national press releases which are so designed as to
need local quotes and data to be added: this simple device has resulted in
significantly increased press, media and social network coverage whilst
ensuring consistent and professionally presented messages are used
throughout Wales.
However, as I have already mentioned, I believe that the major element in the
success of the programme – success which is attested to through the increased
usage levels of the library networks and also via the scrutiny and assessment
processes of the govt each year before they will agree to offer resources and a
contract for another year’s activities is the development of the skills of library
workers across the country.
As we all know, one of our greatest strengths is that we have committed and
enthusiastic colleagues in direct face to face contact with their customers each
and every day. The team firmly believe that the most effective way forward is to
use colleagues’ local knowledge, commitment and networks whilst ensuring high
standards across the country, It was self apparent that the marketing programme
needed to mobilise the front line work force although there were one or two
barriers to overcome, thus some of the workers themselves felt that they were
already too busy to undertake what at first they saw as additional duties.
However a greater barrier was often their line manager dare I say it qualified
professionals who saw the empowerment of their teams as in some way
personally threatening.
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6. Regardless of these initial barriers, much has been achieved, particularly via
programme of training which has up skilled and enthused colleagues. Key
elements of this development process were:-
Stage 1
Marketing and user focus training which had the following aims:-
 To enable key staff to have an understanding of marketing and how it
relates to their role, responsibilities and aims and objectives within the
library service
 To understand how marketing practice can benefit the service
 To enable key staff to incorporate marketing into management planning
and operational delivery
 To engender a marketing philosophy into all areas of service delivery
With the following desired outcomes:
 The development of a marketing culture across the library’s service
 A culture which informs strategic decision making and future planning
processes
 Skills development for librarians and library supervisors
 A legacy of a training package that could be used locally for the induction
of new staff
Stage 2
Retail Innovation Training
The introduction of approaches and skills from the retail sector delivered,
Authority by Authority by a specialist retail trainer. The programme allowed staff
to take a new look at where they worked and empowered them to act as most of
what was needed did not require additional resources
This programme included;
 De cluttering – libraries act as centres of the community and in doing so
display a wealth of material from partner organisations, community groups
and individuals. This sits alongside governmental information, local
information, and tourist information. There is often a requirement for
literacy information, education information and specific library promotions.
This amounts to a level of “promotional noise” that creates clutter and
confusion.
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7.  Zoning – Libraries cater to a wide variety of audiences and must
acknowledge that one size does not fit all. People with different
requirements need different environments. There was a general
consensus of opinion during the initial consumer research that libraries
should be suitable and welcoming to all, but provide areas or zones to
cater to different groups. Zoning will be possible to different degrees in
different libraries but should be adopted in every library. Successful and
cost effective techniques formed part of the training programme.
 Merchandising – merchandising (stock display) programmes have been
successfully implemented. Popular lines of stock need to be promoted;
stock should be showcased and not hidden. Merchandising policies must
take account of the fact that people browse in different ways and require
different types of display to fulfil their needs.
 Signage – research highlighted a lack of clarity in library signage. Library
signage has been improved nationally both in terms of visual style and
placement. Attention also needs to be paid to the placement and wording
of signage. Clarity and ease of access are crucial in developing new
customers and retaining existing ones.
 Atmosphere – The atmosphere of libraries is created from the moment
people enter the building. Negative messages had to be removed e.g. “No
smoking” “No food and drink”. Supermarkets and bookshops don’t feel the
need for this type of signage, yet they are not full of smokers.
Stage 3 Advocacy
Advocacy is one of those frequently used words in the library sector that is open
to wide interpretation. It is also a powerful and invaluable communications tool for
all organisations. If understood and incorporated into development strategies and
plans, advocacy can play a vital role in a developing organisation whether it
seeks to enhance political support, to work collaboratively, to improve
engagement with existing and new audiences or to sustain and develop
resources. Advocacy – say it loud and clear was a one day seminar designed
to develop the, marketing champions’ skills base but which has now been made
available more widely
The course covered;
 Introduction to the concept
 Exploration of its practical application in more detail
 A range of case study material drawn from complementary sectors
 Took delegates through a series of workshops and discussions through
which they develop a practical framework for their own advocacy strategy
relevant to their work context
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8. One word of explanation regarding Marketing Champions, this is a network of
individuals with at least one in each of the 22 library services in Wales – they can
be at widely different levels of the service- from front line workers to heads of
service. They are identified by the Authority as the lead “enthusiast” for the
programme and act as a two way communication channel to and from each
service, as a national sounding board for ideas and initiatives and as the catalyst
for local activity.
A brief snapshot- of the Wales national promotional strategy – a case study-
which has worked for us. The programme has:-
 Raised the public profile of libraries with government, ministers and local
politicians
 Helped develop key national partnerships for example with the BBC
 Has enabled local library services to deliver effective and affordable
marketing at local levels whilst drawing on quality products initiatives and
materials produced nationally
And, above all else, is raising the profile of libraries with our current and potential
customers and increased our customer base and usage.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING
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