September is Library Card Sign-Up Month And We Need to Leverage It to Spread the Good Library News

September is Library Card Sign-Up Month and it is THE BEST time to communicate the worth and importance of your library to your community-- directly. 

ALA has graphics and ideas on how you can spread the positive message about your library but today, I want to share what my library is doing because while the ALA information is helpful, it is only a general and it can be overwhelming if you don't know where to begin.

To that end, I want to use today's post to to model the behavior I want to see and help you by offering a real world example.  Here is the link where my library (I am on the Board) is communicating to the community exactly are doing for Library Card Sign-Up Month.

The first thing you should notice is that we are not only using this month to incentivize new library card sign-ups, but we also are rewarding those that have a card already as well. This is the first mistake libraries make during National Library Card Sign-Up Month. They only worry about the "Sign-Up" part. Rather, we need to think about it as a month to share how awesome having a library card is.

Which leads to the second thing we are doing. Our Executive Director and I worked to meet with Village officials (me) to write up a Proclamation (her) and encourage them to share it as part of their first September Board Meeting (both of us). It was not hard to convince everyone to get on board but it does take time and leg work. We had to start discussing the idea via email in May and then I had an in person meeting with an elected village trustee in July. Our Executive Director sent a draft proclamation-- which I have included below-- for them to approve. And by mid-August, we had it set for the 9/9 agenda.

One of the nice things about this Proclamation event is that the Village told us to "use it as a commercial" for the Library. They want us to pack the room and encouraged people to get up for public comment to say great things about the library.

That is what Library Card Sign-Up Month should be-- a commercial about everything you can do with a library card. Yes it is called "Sign-Up" month but again, when we focus on the stats and the tallying of the number of new card holders, we lose track of the marketing opportunity we have here-- a chance to get ahead of those who want to tell our story for us and in a negative (untrue) light.

This is the biggest mistake we have made in the last 4 years as others have attacked us. We have not gotten out in front of the story. We are too busy playing defense and fighting off attacks. We need to communicate what we do and our worth to a free society much better. Library Card Sign-Up Month is a slam dunk for that. We have a National spotlight to communicate how great we are through our services. And because it is a long standing, recognized event-- since 1987-- people will listen.

So I am encouraging all of you to stop thinking about adding cardholders this month and instead use the media spotlight to highlight the good work of your library and its workers.

Below, is the draft version of what our Executive Director wrote up for the Proclamation. Please feel free to use the more generic parts of it in your promotional events. 

And if you are so inclined, you can watch me and my fellow library supporters and Board members here:

Proclamation Designating September as National Library Card Sign Up Month in the Village of La Grange:

• Village of La Grange Board of Trustees Meeting, September 9 at 7:30pm
  La Grange Village Hall Auditorium. Click here to find watch options. 

Proclamation Designating September as National Library Card Sign Up Month in the Village of La Grange

*Whereas* National Library Card Sign Up Month originated in 1987 as an initiative via then-United States Secretary of Education William Bennett and the American Library Association and has been celebrated annually since; and

*Whereas* the American Library Association and libraries nationwide remind people of all ages that signing up and actively using your library card is the first step to academic success and lifelong learning; and

*Whereas* a library card provides equitable access to reading materials, technology tools, and serves to strengthen community connections; and

*Whereas* a library card contributes to a strong local economy by providing access to the technology and training that are critical to the success of jobseekers, entrepreneurs, local businesses and students; and

*Whereas* libraries are constantly transforming and expanding their services and opportunities to meet the current needs of the communities they serve; and

*Whereas* a library card provides critical access to tools that encourage free thought, exploration and the pursuit of personal excellence; and

*Whereas* libraries uphold the right to access information and promote a free society that values choices in content and affirms the ALA Freedom to Read and View Statements; and

*Whereas* library workers create welcoming and inclusive spaces for people of all backgrounds and ages to explore diverse ideas, exercise, imagination and practice literacy in all forms; and

*Whereas* the La Grange Lending Library first shared books via the La Grange Women’s Club in 1896; and

*Whereas* in 1903, the La Grange Public Library was constructed with grant funds from Andrew Carnegie, establishing its presence that has persisted for 128 years; and

*Whereas* it is the mission of the La Grange Public Library to enrich our community by inspiring connections, providing access to meaningful resources and encourage curiosity in an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere; and

Now, therefore be it resolved that the Village of La Grange will designate September as National Library Card Sign Up Month in La Grange, Illinois, and publicly recognizes the service of library workers in our community and schools and across the nation.