Marketing Today's Academic Library: A Bold New Approach to Communicating with Students

by Brian Mathews

In Marketing Today’s Academic Library, Brian Mathews uses his vast experience to speak directly to the academic library practitioner about matching services with user needs. This book proposes new visions and ideas, challenging the traditional way of thinking and providing a framework to target users more precisely.Most library marketing intended for undergraduates promotes the collection, reference and instructional service, and occasional events such as guest speakers or exhibits. The guiding principle of Marketing Today’s Academic Library is that marketing should focus on the lifestyle of the user, showcasing how the library fits within the daily life of the student. Mathews’ personal and compelling presentation will assist readers in Challenging and rethinking their marketing strategies Demonstrating their value through applied relevance Focusing on the needs of the student and their expectationsWritten in a concise and engaging manner that speaks to popular anxiety points about new marketing techniques, this book is filled with tips and strategies that academic librarians can use to communicate with students, surpassing their expectations of their library experience.

Genres: Librarianship, Nonfiction, Library Science, Reference

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book shows its age a little bit, being published in 2009, and it is more than likely that "today's" academic library is already farther down the road. Some of the core philosophies are solid and I marked a few tiny ideas that will work nicely in my library. Most of it is just rehashing what is out there in the business literature, plus a lot of self-citation on Mathews' part.

Ideas to ponder:
Starting conversations instead of giving away endless goodies with our logo (we are so guilty of this) (pg. 2)
Day user vs. night user (pg. 10)
Types of users based on frequency of library use (pg. 13-14)
Design workshops (to learn what students would want in a space, need to use this for the study room overhaul) (pg. 60)
Big-picture concepts to consider using for the library (pgs. 93-95, although I imagine you shouldn't market the library as all of these at once!)

[Coral · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book isn't what I set out looking for (help making a marketing plan and style guide), it offers some good insights and points at some really useful resources. My library's assessment team just spent a semester reading Creating the Customer-Driven Academic Library, and now I really wish we would have held off and read this, instead. This has a lot more assessment-related content and, honestly, a lot more about being customer-centric. It's also a little more balanced between library-as-place and online services.

There's a lot in here about making partnerships with students. And faculty, as well, but the student focus is what really makes the book, for me. I love the idea of creating a student advisory group for the library (which I'd never considered), as well as the general theme of coming up with ways to fit into students' lives, instead of trying to get them to use the library on our terms (which I consider often, but still think is a minority viewpoint among librarians).

I guess I should add: I enjoy Brian Mathews' blog, so perhaps it's unsurprising that I would enjoy his book.

(One minor nitpick: The references to MySpace and discussion of "getting started with blogging" or making podcasts are a little distracting and kind of date it, a little, but those are such minor points, in the scheme of the book, that I would still recommend reading it—with the caveat that you should ignore anything mentioning a specific technology. I imagine the second edition will be more technology-agnostic.)

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent read for anyone who needs to learn how to reach out to today's college students. While it is obviously geared toward folks who are in charge of marketing the library and its services, I think there is a lot to take away for folks who do first year outreach. Many of the techniques and ideas that Mathews presents can be easily adopted (or adapted) and put to work. This is definitely a must-read for anyone working on a marketing campaign for their library.

[Loyola University Chicago Libraries · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clear, engaging, easy-to-read manual on how to target your marketing efforts towards today's undergrads. While traditional marketing strategies focus on the library itself, Mathews argues that it is more effective to highlight how the library, its services, and its products can fit within the daily life of the student. Lots of good ideas here for those interested in PR in the academic library.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mathews has great ideas to start marketing the academic library. Most of the ideas in the book would not work at my college because of funding, size, etc, but it really does get the juices flowing. I am coming away with lots of great ideas.

[Amy Wainwright · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read through this once and was hoping to give it another read-through. I thought it was fantastic and if I wouldn't have had to return this to the library, I would have gladly re-read it 5 more times. Definitely going to buy this one!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for all academic librarians!

[ACRL]

Read by ACRL Member of the Week Erin Dorney. Learn more about Erin on the ACRL Insider blog.

[Tressa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great book on marketing for academic libraries. It's current and fresh with new ideas.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just on second chapter but can already tell the author has a unique viewpoint.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative, offering useful, usable marketing advice for academic libraries - though not as bold as the title would suggest.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has some great, practical ideas!