These are two key skills that library professional needs in order to enhance the visibility of the library service and what it can offer; as well as improving service quality and user experience.
What do I need to know?
Twitter – most organisations, including the NHS, health and academic libraries; Twitter is a good outlet for promoting your service and what it can offer. A help guide for new users about getting started can be found at https://help.twitter.com/en/twitter-guide. Once you’re on Twitter you can have a look at what other health/NHS libraries are posting for inspiration.
NHS Library and Knowledge Services – the main site can be found at https://www.libraryservices.nhs.uk/; a marketing materials bank is also available to access at https://www.libraryservices.nhs.uk/lksl/lks_marketing.html.
Knowledge for Healthcare (KfH) – This organisation, in collaboration with NHS England, provides resources of value with the aim of improving your library service. There is also a blog and KfH also provides a list of recommended books and other sources of information on promotion and marketing for health librarians.
KfH Value and Impact Toolkit – Designed to allow you to indicate the importance of your service to stakeholders, and the difference or change that results from contact with the library service, this can be found at https://kfh.libraryservices.nhs.uk/value-and-impact-toolkit/.
Useful books:
- Social Media for Creative Libraries – Phil Bradley
- Marketing your Library: Tools and Tips that Work – Carol Smallwood et al
- The Library Marketing Toolkit – Ned Potter
- Social Media Marketing: An Essential Guide – Chase Barlow
- Library Marketing Basics – Mark Aaron Polger
Who can I contact?
Have a discussion with your library colleagues about what the library is currently doing in terms of promotion and what it has done in the past.
Library events are great for networking opportunities and getting new ideas.
Sign up to your local network to receive emails from other library professionals sharing ideas and asking questions
Health Libraries Group 