About the program

Why and how we developed the OCLC advocacy campaign

Seeds of change
The idea of doing advocacy grew naturally out of OCLC's 2003 Environmental Scan: Pattern Recognition report and the many presentations and discussions that resulted from it. As library staff members read and reflected on trends in our larger culture, the idea of "branding the library experience" continued to resonate. The necessity of marketing library values—especially in the era of tighter budgets—was obvious.

So OCLC decided to put our money where our mouth was.

For the calendar years 2005 and 2006, OCLC shifted advertising from library-specific publications to a new audience of nonlibrarians who influence budget decisions and technology purchasing for libraries. See the advertising schedule of placements.

Talking the talk
Why the switch? Our members requested it. They told us how difficult it can be to demonstrate library value in concrete terms. So OCLC developed a campaign on behalf of libraries that speaks to administrators/funders in their financial language—in terms of ROI, economic impact and statistical research. These facts might spark new insight, new thinking. At the very least, it might get the ball rolling.

Research and fact-finding
For the most recent public library campaign, we featured Gregory Maguire, author of the 1995 bestseller, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which later became the award-winning Broadway musical, Wicked. Maguire credits the public library of his youth with engaging his imagination, fueling a passion for literacy and effectively starting his writing career. The latest advocacy ad from OCLC showcases this aspect of libraries: as a career inspiration zone. And Maguire's story is proof that rich imaginations can yield bestselling results.

For our original public library campaign, E & J Gallo Winery graciously agreed to partner with us. They would be our mini-case study of a successful small business that got their start in a library. We feature Matt and Gina Gallo in the ad, as they are the third generation to run the business—which currently produces more wine than the entire country of Portugal. (Gallo produced 675 million liters of wine on average from 1997-2001.) The company also happens to be Information Week's Top IT business of the year for 2004.

For the academic library campaign, we interviewed an MBA student and the university reference librarian who regularly goes to the classroom and share the podium with business professors. By entering the students’ learning environment, she feels her work reaches the students now more than ever. "I used to think that all my work was done behind the reference desk," she told OCLC. "But now I can meet students and faculty at their point of need and be much more effective." This collaborative approach, supported by technology such as course management systems, was a story that hadn't been highlighted in the press. Her experience inspired the creative for the ad.

The school library campaign came about through a simple realization: school (K-12) libraries are where almost all of us begin to experience the library. This ad features two girls who use their school library to discover an inspirational story about a woman from the past who overcame great odds. With help from their school library, students like these girls can also overcome great odds to realize better grades, high test scores, and future professional success. Because of the educational foundation provided by the school library, a child's window of opportunity is flung wide open.

If you're curious to see more of our fact-finding, take a peek at our bibliography.

Review and approval
All ad concepts and content were presented to the October 2004 meeting of Members Council. We received good feedback from the member delegates and made adjustments based on their input.

We encourage more member libraries to share your success stories >>