The Beginning

The first 2 weeks of class have given me a lot to ponder as I begin to think more specifically about the research proposal.

My initial research themes centered around library outreach and marketing. I am beginning an internship with the Outreach Department at the local public library, so am just beginning to scratch the surface of the purpose of the department, the activities and services they provide, and how that department plays a role in the overall mission of the library. I am also interested in the role of outreach and marketing in rebranding the library as services shift. I have been asked several times throughout the course of the program if people still use the library. Some think that the library is nothing more than a home for old books. These conversations again remind me of the importance of library marketing, to inform and increase awareness of the library's products and services.

That is a pretty broad area of interest, so I began by searching the online article databases of the Thomas Cooper Library to do a preliminary literature review. I started with the basic broad search terms of "community outreach" and "public libraries." As I begin to browse the literature, an intimidating phrase began to pop up..."non-user." There were several articles that discussed this non-user and the use of marketing and outreach activities to attract the elusive non-patron of libraries.

Thus begins my research interest. I'll follow the outline from the FFT for my initial reactions to this topic.

Starting where I am: My interest lies in shouting from the rooftops about how wonderful the library is. I am passionate about literacy and technology and the library as a stronghold of community involvement and a pillar of education and entertainment. My experience as a library volunteer and patron will be useful as I think about how those activities were marketed and the demographics of the patrons. This proposal will help to provide data about the community and how to shape outreach to serve the underserved and increase awareness about library programs while building stronger relationships with the community. My marketing background will be useful as well in shaping questions for non-users.

Idea: What do you wish to gather information about? Simply put, I wish to gather info about the non-user. Do they make up a certain demographic or geographic area? Why are they non-users and how can they become users? Are there no services they need/want, or are they just unaware of them? How do non-users achieve their information needs?

Purposes: Why do you wish to gather this info? This information will be useful in shaping library marketing efforts and also programming ideas. The Outreach department could use information about the non-user to shape community involvement if there are patterns of non-user activities or behaviors. This information will also help to guide the library's marketing efforts and could ultimately help to increase library patronage and participation.

Constraints: It is easy to see who library users are, but where do you start looking for non-users? Will a survey be possible, and if so, how will results be calculated if there is minimal feedback?

I am excited to learn more about marketing to the non-user. Hopefully the information I have found so far will prove useful in my initial research.

Let the research begin!