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Marketing the Library to Undergraduates
Outreach and Information Literacy
Marlo Maldonado Young, M.L.S.
Undergraduate Outreach Coordinator, UCSD Libraries
Presentation Overview
• Discuss marketing and outreachrelated concepts, practices
• Discuss undergraduate info-seeking
behaviors, library perceptions
• Discuss interrelatedness of marketing,
outreach, and IL
What Is Marketing vs. Outreach?
• Ultimately, strategic public relations that also integrates
strategic communications activity
• Marketing is a process w/three major functions:
1. Identifying opportunities to promote an awareness
of the library to target audiences
2. Influencing target audience choices through brand
building and promotion
3. Servicing target audience to develop loyalty, gain
repeat business, and generate word-of-mouth
advertising
• Outreach is a function or mode of marketing, and even
instruction
Why Market & Outreach?
5 Simple Reasons
1. Encouraged by OCLC, ACRL, IL Best
Practices, among others
2. Supports campus and library public relations,
marketing, and educational agendas
3. Tremendous lack of awareness, competition,
misconceptions
4. To educate, inform, empower, and serve
5. Major opportunity to re-assert, re-define our
roles, value, skills, etc.
Undergrads
18-24 Years Old
Net Generation “Born Wired
•Accustomed to “instant information”, Digital Immediate
Gratification
•Embrace “social software” and collaborative technologies
•Associate computer, Web w/conducting research
•Seamless “infosphere” w/out boundaries between work,
play, & study
•Graphically-oriented
•Astute consumers; heavily marketed
Undergrads & Libraries
What Do They Want?
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Collaborative space
Noise-friendly and quiet spaces
Computer friendly
Comfortable, mobile furniture
Food & drink
Library as Place
Role of the library as a place to study and socialize was
more important than place to get info
Council on Library & Information Resources Report, 2003
Undergrads & Research Behaviors
• Research online; simple search engines,
instant results
• Issues of time and difficulty of concern
• 71% used Internet as major source, 2002
• Minimal exposure to research process, terms,
website evaluation
• Using both physical & virtual library
Undergraduate Outreach Program
UCSD Libraries
Mission: Stimulate a greater awareness of the UCSD
Libraries, its services, programs, and resources
Goals:
1. Heighten campus, particularly UGs, awareness and
understanding of libraries for more effective use
2. Increase collaboration with students, faculty, staff
Objectives:
1. Provide direct, in-person contact with UGs, staff, etc.
2. Provide Libraries representation in print and
electronic sources of campus info
3. Create networking and educational opportunities
from involvement with campus events, committees,
liaison roles
Undergraduate Outreach Program
• Libraries-wide planning, communication, activity,
assessment
• Committee structure w/budget, 20K
• Targets UGs directly and through student affairs &
support services, colleges, co-curricular programs,
staff, provosts, student orgs. etc.
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Interfaces w/subject libraries outreach
• Working towards an Integrated Marketing
Communication (IMC) approach
Integrated Marketing Communication
IMC
• Synergistic use of public relations in tandem with
other promotional tools to influence
perceptions and behaviors
• Strategic process used to plan, develop,
execute, and evaluate persuasive brand
communication programs
• Effective library outreach requires strategic
marketing & communications activity
• Creates a brand identity for the library
What is a Brand, Branding?
• It’s the definition of your library that exists
in each student’s mind
-includes their expectations, impressions,
preconceived notions –all things
• Branding is how you aspire to be recognized
-it’s achieved through strategic and consistent
marketing, communication, outreach activity
Creating UG Awareness, Appeal
Visibility
• Regular Campus Event Participation
-Outreach Table: branding, cool incentive
items, smiles, fun 
-Marketing materials make first impressions, too
-Fantastic oppty to also network w/campus folk
-15 to 20 events year
Integrating into an Online UG Community
• Study Break
http://sixth.ucsd.edu/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewforum&f=29&sid=e39041d240d4738a5122f1e742417ba9
-Online discussion forum re: the libraries!
-Informal
-Two-way communication
-Can post polls, include images
“I think this it's awesome that we have a forum
just for the library!”
Increasing Visibility, Awareness through
Online Learning Tool
• Get Started! http://libraries.ucsd.edu/services/getstarted/
-Modular learning tool
-Linked within all WebCT courses
-Extensive usability w/UGs; 25K visits in its first
three months
-Internal “press kit” w/marketing messages &
graphics @ orpheus.ucsd.edu/ioc/getstarted.html
Advertising the Library to Increase UG
Awareness
• Representation in key UG publications
• Less text is more!!
• Student images?
• Library logo?
• Graphical designer?
• 3K/year
Library Newsletters
More than just News
• Allow the library to regularly present
itself as a brand and as a place
• Involves and features students
• Uses plain language
• Breaks down sophisticated concepts,
jargon
• $4K/year, 14K/copies
http://libraries.ucsd.edu/services/navigator/
Incentive Items
They’re Powerful
• Assist in influencing behaviors, perceptions
• Communicate “fun”, “cool”
• Serve as after-the-fact reminders
• Can encourage communication
• $7K/year
Jacquie: whatsnewpromos.com/
Co-Marketing through
Campus Relationships
• Campus Involvement
-UCSD Marketing Council
-Undergraduate Colleges
-Student Affairs
-Event planning committees
-Student Government
-K-14
Education & Outreach Council
-Office of Admissions & Relations with Schools
Co-Marketing through
Co-Curricular Partnerships
• Orientation programs (freshman & transfers)
• Tailored workshops for Student Affairs
Programs:
Information, Speech Preparation, and Public Speaking
Information & Leadership: Knowledge is Power!
Effectively Communicating Knowledge
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Student Health: Peer Health Educator training
Student Organizations
Exhibit, event partnerships
Athletics
Conclusion
• Marketing and outreach:
-Enables students to connect with and better
understand us
-Is a non-traditional, yet strategic form of
educating students
-Creates an identity for your library
-Showcases while advocating for libs
-Stimulates awareness and relationships
-Supports IL on conceptual and practical
levels
Contact Info:
[email protected]
(858) 822-4803