[Publib] The need for librarians

[Fred Beisser]

Much like any commercial organization, libraries have to effectively let 
their customer/patrons and community know what they are doing and more 
importantly how the community benefits from having a great library 
system. Some call this effort publicity and some call it publc 
relations. Others might call it "tooting your own horn" and not feel 
comfortable with it. However, when it comes to securing funds for 
operations and new facilities, it becomes obvious how valuable an 
ongoing public relations campaign can be when it has already educated 
the voting public over the years.

One of the masters of communicating library value is located Douglas 
County, Colorado which shares a border with the county where I am a 
library district trusee. His frequent missives over the years have 
become a weekly column in several local community newspapers and are 
always very easy to read and flow wonderfully to point out the value of 
a library. His library district will have a ballot initiative to provide 
funding for a new library in one of the growing communities (65,000) in 
his library district. You can see a catalog of his past columns at
http://www.douglascountylibraries.org/aboutUs/index.php?pageName=Library%20Column%20Index%2006%2F07 
.

I suspect that in November the ballot initiative will pass.

While it may not be the nature of many folks to "toot their own horn" 
and, like me, many of us were told in childhood one doesn't brag, we can 
overcome that. Let's let the public know the value of the many services 
that we offer.

Fred Beisser
Trustee
www.elbertcountylibrary.org
Colorado

>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org
>[mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Fred Beisser
>Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 10:29 AM
>To: publib at webjunction.org
>Subject: [Publib] The need for librarians
>
>Check out "33 Reasons Librarians Are Still Extremely Important at
>http://www.degreetutor.com/library/adult-continued-education/librarians-
>needed.
>
>Fred Beisser
>Trustee
>www.elbertcountylibrary.org
>Colorado
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