Library outreach: Is your library reaching out to you?

When I think of library outreach, my mind tends to think about the local libraries in my region and whether or not I can "feel" them.

• Do I know that they exist?
  
• How do I know that they exist?
  
• Do they reach out to me (maybe something appears in my mail from them)?
  
• Do I hear people talk about them?
  
• Are they on the news or in the newspaper?
• If I'm a library card holder, does that library make more of an effort to ensure that I use its services?
• In terms of their digital assets, do I have any clue what the library has and what resources are new?

As you plan and implement your library's outreach activities, you should survey your service area to find out if you are indeed reaching them. You might even ask a very general question -- "Tell me what you know about the library?" -- then listen carefully to the responses. I bet you will learn a lot that will help you refine (or expand) your outreach activities.

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This post is the last in a short series, since my workshop on "library outreach" on February 17. The other posts are:

• Library outreach: measuring success
• Library outreach: Dealing with the technically challenged
• Library outreach: Reaching out to the elderly
  

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Technorati tags: Libraries, Outreach