For immediate release | November 30, 2010

A tutorial for marketing academic libraries

CHICAGO—ALA Editions, the publishing imprint of the American Library Association, is making available “Marketing Academic Libraries eCourse.” Adapted from the bestselling ALA Editions book by Brian Mathews, “Marketing Today's Academic Library: A Bold New Approach to Communicating with Students,” this Web-based, self-paced tutorial provides guidance on mastering social networking and other Web 2.0 technology to effectively market all aspects of the academic library’s appeal. Quizzes at the end of each lesson test each participant’s knowledge, while “Further Reading” suggestions point in the direction of additional information. Comprising an estimated 4.5 hours of instruction, the nine lessons in the eCourse are:

  • Why Should Libraries Advertise?;
  • Knowing the Student User;
  • The Library as Product;
  • Market Research and Your Library;
  • Focus Groups and Ethnographic Techniques;
  • Building Relationships;
  • Creating Your Brand Strategies;
  • Promotional Building Blocks;
  • Measure the Impact.
This eCourse is also available as part of a bundle, which includes enrollment in the eCourse and the companion e-book.
Mathews is the assistant university librarian for outreach and academic services at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has used technology for a variety of library outreach initiatives. He previously served as the user experience librarian at the Georgia Institute of Technology and as a reference librarian at the George Washington University. Mathews has published numerous journal articles and is an active speaker and panel member on a variety of library topics, particularly on increasing the awareness of library services to students. He is an advocate for empathic design and is currently exploring new ways of encouraging patrons to participate in scholarly, creative, cultural and service-oriented endeavors. He blogs at The Ubiquitous Librarian.
ALA Store purchases fund advocacy, awareness, and accreditation programs for library professionals worldwide. ALA Editions publishes resources used worldwide by tens of thousands of library and information professionals to improve programs, build on best practices, develop leadership, and for personal professional development. ALA authors and developers are leaders in their fields, and their content is published in a growing range of print and electronic formats. Contact ALA Editions at (800) 545-2433 ext. 5418 or editionsmarketing@ala.org.

Contact:

Jill Davis