Unite marketing and outreach librarianship to build trusted relationships with your whole community. 

Course Description 

Join us to learn how to more effectively engage with your community and build services that make patrons feel valued, welcomed, and heard. Unite your marketing and outreach functions to better identify your patrons’ needs and ensure that they are aware of the programs and services you offer.

You’ll learn how to assess who you’re not reaching with communications and services, and establish a strategy to connect with them through traditional and alternative channels including innovative outreach and mobile programs, partnerships, PR and more.  We’ll review effective feedback mechanisms that provide clear metrics. For libraries with limited budgets and staff, we’ll brainstorm low-cost, creative ways to boost engagement with limited resources.

You’ll complete workshop assignments to draft your own outreach initiative over 3+ weeks in an interactive online classroom environment with personal coaching from an expert in the field. In addition, you’ll have access to our foundational bonus content—rich supporting materials you can explore at your own pace, including a series of webinars from Library Journal and School Library Journal contributors, readings, activities, and videos.

Our transformational online courses have given thousands of librarians the tools and vision for meaningful change. The live sessions run on Tuesdays, June 7, 14, 21, 2022 from approximately 2:00-4:00 pm ET (recorded for on-demand viewing) with an ongoing facilitator-led workshop over 3 weeks. Don’t miss this opportunity!
 

When you attend this interactive online course, you’ll gain the tools to:  

• Assess who you’re not currently reaching

• Establish a strategy to reach people who fall into those gaps

• Align marketing and outreach efforts around engagement strategies

• Develop community feedback mechanisms with clear metrics

• Evaluate your community feedback mechanisms with clear metrics

• Align library programs with community goals

• Strategically engage community partners

• Embrace radical empathy

• Identify targeted ways to communicate library services and programming

Live sessions are also available on demand 

Can’t make a live session? All guest speaker sessions are recorded and available on demand following the initial broadcast.

Certificate of completion provided 

15 professional development credits are available

For support with online courses, please contact libraryjournal@edmaker.co

Group Rates

Have a team attend and increase your impact!

Discounted registration fees are available for groups of 3 or more. When you register your team for our online courses, they will be placed in the same small workshop group, where discussions and project-based assignments receive feedback from an experienced librarian.

Send us a request for a quote.

If your group prefers to work separately, just let us know.

2022 Advisory Committee

We thank the following course advisors who have helped shape the program and course work.

Klem-Marí Cajigas, Family Literacy Coordinator, Bringing Books to Life, Nashville Public Library

Erica Freudenberger, Outreach & Engagement Consultant at Southern Adirondack Library System

By registering for this event you confirm that you have read and agree to our Code of Conduct.

For support with online courses, please contact libraryjournal@edmaker.co.

Course Format

One-Week Timeline (Course Runs 3+ Weeks)

DAYS 1-2 On Demand	DAY 3 2.5 hours	DAYS 4-7 1-2 hours (optional)
PRE-LIVE SESSION - Resources - Discussions - Bonus Content	LIVE SESSIONS - Guest speakers via webcast - Q&A via chat - Recordings available on demand	WORKSHOP - Project-based homework, applied to your job - Personalized feedback from a facilitator - Group discussion in a workshop setting	3-WEEK WORKSHOP - Facilitator-led feedback WEEK 1 Reimagine your library WEEK 2 A fresh look at your audience WEEK 3 Synthesize your action plan

Inspiring Live Guest Speakers + Facilitated Group Workshop for Project-Based Learning

Live session with Andrea Blackman and Tasneem Ansariyah Grace	Live Guest Speakers Each Week Engage with presenters via live video stream, visual presentations, and chats Map out your own equity initiatives with guidance from an expert advisor Leave with refined, robust strategies designed to make a lasting impact on your community Workshop tangible antiracist approaches to your work with input from peer groups

Online Course Features

Recordings of guest speakers

Recordings Available After The Live Session Real-time guest speakers and conversation via live video stream (with recordings available afterward) Instructor-led online course features personalized interaction over 3+ weeks

Facilitator-led workshop

Online Classroom Organizes All Materials Workshop assignments to help you make progress on your goals Individualized attention from course facilitators who work with you in a coaching environment in the workshop to help sort out challenges Ongoing group conversation via discussion forums

Early Access On Demand Resources

Resources To Support Learning Supporting resources (articles, videos, worksheets) in the online classroom to provide a foundation for your work Access all course content for six months after the course ends Bonus: Register early and get immediate access to archival video recordings from related courses and other bonus content

Week 1: Tuesday, June 7, 2022

Session 1 | 2:00-2:45 pm ET

Discovering and Sharing Your Library's Story

Learn to tell your library’s story in a fresh way in this insightful session from the co-founders of the Library Land Project. You’ll practice seeing the library through your patrons’ and colleagues’ eyes and find the unexpected stories of your library. You’ll learn how to transform your library’s story and operationalize it in your marketing and outreach efforts.

Speakers:

Workshop Q&A | 2:45-3:00 pm ET

An introduction to this week’s assignment and an open Q&A related to your project-based work in this course.

Session 2 | 3:00-3:45 pm ET

Connecting Marketing and Outreach

When library marketing is disconnected from outreach efforts, there is a missed opportunity. In this session we’ll explain how to bridge that gap at both large and small libraries and discover how to establish a strategy to reach new audience members through innovative communication, outreach, programs, and partnerships. This session will share best practices and inspire new ideas.

Speaker:

Week 2: Tuesday, June 14, 2022

Session 1 | 2:00-2:45 pm ET

Understanding Community By The Numbers

Take the temperature of your community – and what matters to them by gathering useful data. Learn how to initiate new feedback mechanisms for your existing audience and how to leverage outside data to understand audiences you’re not reaching. This session will show examples and help you identify metrics that can help you shape marketing and outreach plans.

Speakers:

Workshop Q&A | 2:45-3:00 pm ET

An introduction to this week’s assignment and an open Q&A related to your project-based work in this course.
 

Session 2 | 3:00-3:45 pm ET

New Community Engagement Efforts

A look at innovative community engagement programs from leading institutions.  

Speaker:

Week 3: Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Session 1 | 2:00-2:45 pm ET

Communication Strategies To Showcase Services and Programming

Communication sometimes gets short shrift when resources are limited (and even when they’re not). This session will leave you with simple strategies to communicate internally among staffers and externally with the public. You’ll leave with clear strategies to support your services and programming with winning communication practices.

Speaker:

Workshop Q&A | 2:45-3:00 pm ET

An introduction to this week’s assignment and an open Q&A related to your project-based work in this course.
 

Session 2 | 3:00-3:45 pm ET

Align Community and Library Aspirations

Work toward common goals to connect your library to larger community initiatives. This session will showcase partnership examples and best practices for building relationships with outside institutions.  

Speaker:

For support with online courses, please contact libraryjournal@edmaker.co