Marketing Think Tank 2021

Marketing Libraries Think Tank kicks off with a dynamic keynote address and interactive Q&A with Rebecca Raven, Michelle Arbuckle, and participants. Let’s unpack the pandemic and how it continues to impact our marketing directions.

Libraries around the world have been changing hours, policies, and services since the pandemic began. Even if your building(s) have been fully open for months, the public might still be confused about what to expect. To draw people back to your spaces and services, your outreach needs to be creative and attention-getting, as well as thoughtful, reassuring, and well-planned. To help you reach everyone in your community effectively—even people without internet access—this training session will offer guidance, ideas, and a marketing plan template that’s ready to fill in and roll out.

A practical session focusing on your website and in-branch promotions through an accessibility lens. We will share accessibility checking tools and other resources to incorporate into your day to day tasks and examine the current provincial legislation.

While some of our libraries have found various ways to be open during the pandemic, others (like those of our panellists) are more fully reopening our spaces after a long hiatus. With new rules, changing guidance, and other unpredictable obstacles, communication is especially challenging. This session will be a conversation with local communicators & marketers in the public and academic sectors about what’s happening in their libraries right now and what they are doing to navigate obstacles. In this interactive session, participants are encouraged to share what they are doing and what’s working for them at their library.

Reaching every person in the community, whether or not they have access to technology, a permanent address or are experiencing other barriers, is increasingly vital during this challenging time. From direct face-to-face information sharing to on-the-ground, multi-language and targeted grassroots outreach, every effort is important. Panelists will discuss these issues and how they are using multiple tactics to achieve good outcomes.

Does getting your library on TikTok live in your mind rent-free? Already there and wondering how to land on everyone’s #FYP? The creators and faces of four booming #librarytok accounts join us for a panel discussion breaking down how they got started on the app, the time and resources it requires, how they measure success and why sometimes TikTok just hits different. TikTok will also be on hand to offer some tips and tricks, and advice on posting cadence and content creation best practices.

Want to do some research before the event? Check out our panelists' Tik Tok accounts to see what they do! 
Jessica Bellows, Reference Assistant, Whitby Public Library, tiktok.com/@whitbylibrary
Laura Nicolucci, Media Partnerships Lead - Entertainment, TikTok
Bailey Randolph, Teen Services Librarian, Grand Prairie Public Library tiktok.com/@gppubliclibrary
Mychal A. Threets, TikToker & Digital Community Librarian, Solano County Library
tiktok.com/@solanolibrary, tiktok.com/@mychal3ts
Erin Wilson, Children's and Adult Fiction Assistant, Whitby Public Library, tiktok.com/@whitbylibrary

Rebecca Higgins, Mental Health Educator, leads us through an interactive 30-minute session, where we will explore strategies for navigating the uncertainty, change and stress exacerbated by the pandemic. Using the ABCs of self-care (awareness, balance and connection), we will add simple, practical tools to our wellness toolboxes.

Ainara Alleyne, age 12, connects with library lovers of all ages as Hamilton Public Library’s first Junior Librarian in e-Residence. She loves to share her favourite reads on Instagram and create posts about books with characters and themes that celebrate diversity and culture. Koren, joins Ainara in conversation about her role and how you can begin a residency in your own system.