"Read" done right

Remember when I commented on the city council member trading cards?

I found something, by way of this post at Library Stuff, that illustrates the point I was trying to make.

The Carmichael Library at University of Montevallo in Alabama has these great Read posters with prominent members of their staff and student body. You can find them on the Carmichael Library Blog.

They got it right! Yay!

I think that the key to making successful library promotional materials like this is to focus on a diverse group of people who are high-profile enough to be easily recognized.

In a university setting, I could see putting posters up in the student union and some of the lecture halls in addition to having them in the library. Product placement is a good way to keep the library at the front of your users minds.

For a public library, I could see putting them in a grocery store or local ice cream shop.

I think that this adds a new dimension to "be where your users are." This is a way to promote your services in places where people go on a regular basis without beating them over the head with the "Library good! Reading good!" message. It is subtle yet captivating.

--Erin