Developed and led by experts in the field, our new online course 360° Engagement: Uniting Marketing & Outreach Librarianship will teach you how to more effectively engage with your community and build services that make patrons feel valued, welcomed, and heard. 

Over 3 weeks, you’ll learn how to 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. 

Join the live sessions on Tuesday, June 7, 14, and 21 from 2:00-4:00 pm ET where you’ll learn how to assess who you’re not reaching with communications and services, establish a strategy to connect with them through traditional and alternative channels, review effective feedback mechanisms that provide clear metrics, and brainstorm low-cost, creative ways to boost engagement with limited resources. You’ll also participate in an asynchronous, facilitator-led workshop in our interactive classroom where you’ll create your own initiative with personal coaching from an expert in the field.

Learn more about our program below!

Program

Week 1: Tuesday, June 7, 2022

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

Pushing Beyond Your Audience: How to Identify People Your Outreach Is Missing

Learn to assess the gaps in your audience so that you can broaden your communication and services to new patrons. In this session, you’ll discover how to establish a strategy to reach new audience members through innovative communication, outreach, mobile programs, and partnerships. 

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. Community partnerships can play a key role in supporting a library’s extended outreach. This session will share best practices and inspire new ideas.

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.  

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

New Community Engagement Efforts

A look at innovative community engagement programs from leading institutions.  
 

Week 3: Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Session 1 | 2:00-2:45 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.  
 

Session 2 | 3:00-3:45 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.

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