What’s Inside the Box?OR

Marketing your library with the

Libraries Building Communities reports

Marketing

‘… the aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous. This may sound strange but the aim is to know and understand the customer so well that the product or service fits him or her and sells itself.’

- marketing guru Peter Drucker, 1973

Libraries Building Communities

• A research project of the Library Board of Victoria and the Victorian public library network

• Reports published February 2005

What’s the research about?

• Who is using Victoria’s public libraries and why

• What people most value about our libraries

• Examples of the best / most innovative services

• Who is not using public libraries

• Identifies barriers to use

• Identifies potential new users

• Strategies to increase community engagement

• Future roles for public libraries

How information was collected

Existing publications: reports; ABS data

New qualitative and quantitative data collected through:• 9 focus groups with library users • 9 focus groups with library non-users• 6 focus groups with library staff• 400 telephone interviews with residents• 35 face-to-face interviews with key influencers• 8,602 responses to an online survey

Important things to note

The largest and most complex information gathering / research exercise of its kind undertaken in Australia

Information gathered about library users statewide that has not been available before

Information gathered about individual library services that has not been available before

Information gathered about library users that, for the first time, can be compared to ABS data

Report One: Setting the Scene

• Background

• Key concepts

• Government policy

• Victorian public library network

• Similar studies

• Project objectives

• Methodology

Report Two: Logging the Benefits

• Profiles of library users

• Reasons for using public libraries

• Frequency of use

• Satisfaction ratings for different services

• $ value placed on services by library users

• Views on the future role of public libraries

• Challenges if libraries are to meet their potential

Report Three: Bridging the Gaps

• Population segments least well served

• Barriers to use

• Strategies to increase community engagement

Report Four: Showcasing the Best

• 34 case studies of innovative programs in Victorian public libraries

• Emphasis on partnership initiatives – homework clubs, telecentres, vocational guidance programs

How libraries help to build strong communities

• Overcoming the digital divide

• Creating informed communities

• Supporting learning and literacy

• Building social capital

Important characteristics of public libraries

• Free and accessible to everyone

• Responsive to local needs

• At the forefront of innovation

• Well-known

• Well-used

• Well-resourced

Challenges if public libraries are to realise their potential:

• Additional financial resources

• Development of library infrastructure

• Development of stronger partnerships

• Upgraded technology

• Workforce development

Libraries Building Communities

Library users by age group (online survey):

10%

13%

17%

19%

16%

13%

12%

0-19

20-29

30-39

40-49

50-59

60-69

70+

Libraries Building Communities

0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00%

0-14

15-19

20-29

30-39

40-49

50-59

60-69

70+

Females

Males

Proportion of male and female library users (online

survey):

Libraries Building Communities

Library users by employment status (online survey):

27%

27%5%

40% Full Time

Part Time

Unemployed

NILF

Libraries Building CommunitiesLibrary users and non-users by household type (telephone survey):

0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0%

couple/dep chld

couple/non dep chld

couple

one prt dep chld

one prt non dep chld

other family

group household

lone person

Non-users

Users

Libraries Building CommunitiesFrequency of library use (online survey):

Libraries Building CommunitiesActivities people undertake at the library (online survey):

Source - Online Survey

4.8 4.2 4.2 4.0

4.54.1 4.0

4.2

1

2

3

4

5

Bookloans

Computer services

(PC/Internet)

Audio-visual lending (CD/

cassette/video/DVD)

Magazine loans

Gap analysis (importance vs satisfaction)

Imp

ort

an

ce

(m

ea

n)

1=

low

imp

ort

an

ce

, 5=

hig

h im

po

rta

nc

e

1

2

3

4

5

Sa

tisfa

ctio

n (m

ea

n)

1=

low

sa

tisfa

ctio

n, 5

=h

igh

sa

tisfa

ctio

n

Importance (n=approx 8331) Satisfaction (n=approx 1689)

Libraries Building CommunitiesGap analysis: importance of service and satisfaction rating (online survey):

3.9 3.9 3.9 3.8

4.1 4.13.9

4.1

1

2

3

4

5

Newspapers/talking

newspapers

Children's and young

adultservices

Communityinformation

Remote webaccess to

catalogue anddatabases

Gap analysis (importance vs satisfaction)

Imp

ort

an

ce

(m

ea

n)

1=

low

imp

ort

an

ce

, 5=

hig

h im

po

rta

nc

e

1

2

3

4

5

Sa

tisfa

ctio

n (m

ea

n)

1=

low

sa

tisfa

ctio

n, 5

=h

igh

sa

tisfa

ctio

n

Importance (n=approx 8331) Satisfaction (n=approx 1689)

Libraries Building CommunitiesGap analysis: importance of service and satisfaction rating (online survey):

Libraries Building CommunitiesAreas in which public libraries excel (telephone survey –

users only):

Libraries Building CommunitiesEstimates of the monetary value of library services and resources:

Service $ Value

Children’s programsSchool holidaysStory-times

$20 - $30 per child$10 - $16 per child

Adult programsTalksDay workshops

$10-$15 per person$30-$60 per person

Borrowing books $20-$30 per book

Reference books $200 -$250 per book or $50 per month

Using written resources eg newspapers on site $2 per item or $100 per month

Using audio-visual services on site $10 per hour

Staff consultation on information retrieval $60 - $100 per hour

Process a loan $3.50 per book

Home Library Service $150 per person per year

DVDs $7 each

CDs/videos $4 - $12 each

Internet $5 - $8 per hour or $50 per month

Libraries Building Communities

Libraries are our best chance to create a centre of community spirit and activity

The most important thing to a community is reading, and what better place to

encourage this in the young than a library

Libraries Building Communities

Knowledge and information are empowering communities to better themselves and our libraries are central for those who have a

language, other than English, as their main language

Libraries Building Communities

The role of public libraries as key players at a community level in building learning

communities, and helping to form skilled and information-literate communities, is fundamental to the future wellbeing of

Australian society

Libraries Building Communities

It is the holder of much of the knowledge about our local area and gives us a link to

our past, present and future

Civic pride and fondness is generated by a well-used and friendly library environment

Libraries Building Communities

It doesn’t matter who you are, when you walk through the door you have equal privileges

Library – it’s one thing the whole family can do

When I wasn’t working I would say it saved my sanity

Reports available from

Every public library service manager in Victoria

State Library of Victoria website

www.slv.vic.gov.auDownload at no cost, or purchase from the Online

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