Library Worklife

Volume 2, No. 3 • March 2005

Recruitment

No Boundaries. No Limits. Know Your Library.

By Susan J. Kaplan

No Boundaries logo That’s the rallying call to all who live or work in New Jersey. The concept of the first ever statewide marketing campaign for New Jersey’s libraries was developed by marketing consultant Parker & Partners of Absecon, New Jersey. At its center is Super Librarian: “With help from your librarian, you can do just about anything. The library is your local knowledge resource and your librarian is your expert tour guide.” Norma Blake, State Librarian, described the surprisingly easy choice from three creative concepts developed by Parker & Partners. “Super Librarian was selected for its eye-catching graphic novel look and its unexpected character for a library image, which we hope will cause the public to look at libraries and librarians in a new way.” It is a powerful, fun brand icon for a TV spot, companion posters, in-house handout materials, an optional library card design, and other forms of communication. You can see the thirty-second TV spot, which began airing in the fall of 2003 on local access and commercial cable stations, at the campaign Web site. The TV spot was also aired in February for a nation-wide library audience during a teleconference on library marketing. The Web site features a library finder to easily connect state residents to their local library’s Web site, as well as campaign Resources for Librarians, success stories, and a link to the Super Librarian online store. Super Librarian promotional materials, including posters, bookmarks, temporary tattoos, and buttons, have been distributed to libraries throughout the state.

In addition to the initial branding initiative, a three-year marketing plan was adopted by the Statewide Marketing Committee, whose members represent all types and sizes of libraries and library groups. The plan encompasses a variety of campaigns and tactics to highlight various library services, and target diverse groups of potential library users.

What’s Next?

A teen contest was held last fall to write a backstory (bio) for the Super Librarian and a comic book is under development. The Super Librarian Online Store debuted in November and has seen brisk sales to librarians and their fans in 30 states and abroad. All proceeds go towards statewide marketing activities. Other activities and additional media placements will be implemented as funding from sponsors becomes available.

A priority of the first stage of the campaign was to reach out to New Jersey’s specialized library communities so that the campaign could reach even more of the state’s residents. Professional library associations now include the Health Sciences Library Association of New Jersey, the New Jersey and Princeton-Trenton chapters of SLA, the New Jersey Library Association, and New Jersey’s Virtual Academic Library Environment.

The New Jersey marketing steering committee includes co-chairs Susan Kaplan (New Jersey State Library) and Cheryl O’Connor (INFOLINK Regional Library Cooperative), Arlene Sahraie (Bergen County Cooperative Library System) and Manny Rosca (Somerset County Library). For more information, contact Susan Kaplan at skaplan@njstatelib.org.

Susan J. Kaplan is a Consultant with the Library Development Bureau, New Jersey State Library.

We would love to hear your feedback on this article!