Cats and libraries

I was very tired last night, and yet still pondering the issue of marketing and promoting libraries as I tried to get to sleep. Bear with me.

I was thinking that marketing libraries back to the people who pay for the service is a bit like my cat, who I feed and care for, mounting a campaign to remind me how great he is (good for stress levels, brings me mice/birds with loving care and thought, good company, useful trip hazard) so that I keep feeding him. I'll feed him anyway, regardless of any such campaigns, because I just will. He is mine, I am his.

I must admit to being foolishly surprised, as I completed my Information and Library Management masters, that we, librarians, must spend so much time promoting our libraries back to the target user groups. The NHS Trust pays for us, therefore why do we have to remind them that we exist? Ahhhh, because it's bigger than just 'me and my cat', we have several thousand potential users to target in specific ways and say, oi, we can help you, do please get in touch, it would be great to work with you.

How?

How to promote a library service to both staff/students at a university, and staff at an NHS Trust?

Erm.. in different ways. Targeted emails. Inductions for new staff/students. Reference management training sessions for staff/students at the uni, and for NHS staff. Posters up in the relevant places. Emails to NHS staff with whom I have already worked, to remind them that I exist, the service exists, and how can I help you/ we help you/ we help your colleagues?

I'll find out more on this theme later on today at a training session. I thought I'd get some of my crazy reflections down 'on paper' beforehand. I'm also clearing my head a bit before I read through my Chartership portfolio one more time before printing three copies to be spiral-bound (so old-school!), and then posted off to the nice CILIP people. Then.. wait. Hope for the best. Start thinking about my new CPD needs and how to meet them. Oh, and get on with the latest CPD23 Things 2012 project.