Library Marketing Resources - Print

Some provocative/useful print resources for Library Marketing:

Beth Dempsey, “Cashing In on Service” Library Journal, Vol. 129, No.18, Nov. 1, 2004. p. 38-41.

Entrepreneurial ventures make money and extend the library’s misson.

Steve Krug. Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, Indianapolis: New Riders Publishing, 2000.

Good web design is critical to marketing online content and services, and this short book offers a wealth of solid advice.

Beryl Glitz. Focus Groups for Libraries and Librarians, Medical Library Association, 1998.

Focus groups provide uniquely useful information about customer needs and perceptions. Although the context is medical libraries, the approach could be used in any type of library.

Malcolm Gladwell. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, New York: Little, Brown, 2000.

An interesting book about how small but precisely targeted ideas can become a social epidemic, that behavior can ripple outward until a critical mass or "tipping point" is reached. A bit of a cross between chaos theory and viral marketing.

Howard Shultz and Dori Jones Yang, Pour Your Heart Into It. (Hyperion, New York, NY. 1997.)

Among the books you'll find at a local library is Howard Shultz’s account of the rise of his company, Starbucks Coffee. In it, you will read about a pretty simple concept called the “third place.” You've got your house. You've got your office. And then you’ve got your hangout. Starbucks. Books plus coffee equals people. People hanging out. A third place.

Paco Underhill. Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999.

Highly readable account of what motivates us to spend our time, attention and dollars with useful implications for display and merchandizing in libraries.

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