Public Relations

Public relations and marketing are more than simply advertising the library's existence. Everything the librarian does or says is public relations fodder. Properly used, public relations and marketing activities can create a favorable library image with both the library's governing authority and the librar's target audience. They also allow the librarian to educate everyone on the library's role in both society and the legal system. The purpose of public relations is to develop a relationship between the library, its governing authority, and its users. The failure of even one of these relationships makes the library ineffective or completely unable to adequately serve its public. Such failures mean the library can find itself at the bottom of the funding list at budget time, first on the cut list for budget or service cuts, or treated as a necessary evil that translates into “merely existing” with minimum wage, volunteer, or community service room-sitter coverage.