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Kids! @ your library® Campaign
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The ALSC “Kids! @ your library®” opens a powerful new chapter in The Campaign for America’s Libraries, a multi-year public awareness and advocacy campaign sponsored by ALA. The ALSC campaign will launch to the public in fall 2006.
Target audiences for the first phase are kids K-4, their parents and caregivers.
Our message: So much to see, so much to do @ your library®.
We encourage public and school youth librarians to work together in reaching out to children and their families. For ideas and strategies specific to school library media centers, see the American Association of School Librarian's (AASL) School Library Campaign at www.ala.org/@yourlibrary.
For an excellent example of a library-school system partnership, check out the A+ Partners in Education developed by the Howard County Library and the Howard County Public School System in Maryland at www.hclibrary.org/partners.
1. Think first.
You are free to adapt/use the materials to be provided in a way that works for your library and community. That may be developing a whole campaign or simply using the campaign logo/message to compliment your library’s existing promotions. Think about how the campaign can support your library’s goals, e.g., a more visible presence in the community, an increase in library card registration, better attendance at programs, greater use by immigrant children and their parents.
2. Start at the top.
Tell your director about the campaign and how it might benefit your library. Try to tie in with your library’s priorities and chances are greater that you will get the support you need. Ask permission to move forward in developing a plan and budget.
3. Get a team together to brainstorm.
Include representatives of other departments, as well as children’s services. Almost everyone has contact with children and/or their parents and may have good ideas to contribute. You may want to include representatives from schools, parent or youth organizations. This will help to promote a sense of ownership and encourage support for your efforts.
4. Make a plan.
Having a plan will save you time and money and help to ensure that your efforts make an impact. See the Communication Plan Outline below. Be ambitious but realistic. For example, you may choose only to focus on first graders or immigrant children the first year.
5. Recruit partners.
One of the best ways to get more bang for your buck is to recruit other organizations/community businesses to help deliver the message. Focus on those who can help you reach your target audience(s), what you would like from them (stories/ads in their newsletter, cash donations, etc.) and what you can offer them in return.
Use this outline as a guide in creating your own plan. Each step should build on the others.
1. Introduction (Briefly explain why the campaign is needed.)
2. Goal (The dream. Big picture. What you would like to happen?)
3. Objectives (Doable, measurable outcomes/steps toward toward your goal, e.g., a 25% increase in use by children)
4. Positioning statement (What would you like the library’s image to be?)
5. Target audiences (Be specific: No more than 3. Also identify internal audiences: Staff, student assistants, Friends of the Library, other library “family.”)
6. Key message(s): There’s so much to do, so much to see @ your library.
7. Communication strategies (How will you deliver the message to your key audiences? e.g. media, publications, displays, presentations, word-of-mouth marketing. Include a time line, who is responsible and a budget.)
8. Evaluation measures (What worked and what didn’t? Did you achieve your objectives?)
Go to Kids! @ your library® Main Page