Yesterday I attended the SOHO business show here in Syracuse. (SOHO = Small Office, Home Office) All of the exhibitors were businesses/organizations who felt their services were pertinent to small businesses. There were no libraries -- digital or brick -- among the exhibitors, nor any business information products. Thus there were no clues to the vast amount of information available that businesses can tap into.
As information professionals, we can't expect our customers (or patrons) automatically think of us and our resources, we must continually market ourselves. How cool it would have been if the local libraries had had a booth at the SOHO show. They could have demonstrated business related databases, talked about the services they have to help the business community, and even registered people for library cards. It was an opportunity missed.
If there is a business show in your area, would it be worth your while to exhibit at it? Could you collaborate with other institutions to share the cost and create a dynamite booth space with pertinent information? Could you collaborate with a vendor? Would doing so raise your organization's profile and possibly expand your user-base?
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