By: Andi Barnett, Public Relations Specialist

We know the life of a librarian is a busy one, so it’s understandable that local public relations (PR) activities often fall to the wayside. Yet we have consistent proof that securing news stories in your local TV, radio, newspaper and online news outlets benefit your library in very tangible ways!

PR can:

  • Generate awareness of digital and physical services
  • Attract new users
  • Increase circs
  • Promote all aspects of the library
  • Tie into library’s strategic goals

One powerful example is the Million Checkout Club local PR outreach. 73 OverDrive library partners reached or exceeded 1 million checkouts in 2019. Many promoted this achievement on their own. In addition, 22 partners gave us permission to conduct local PR outreach on their behalf with a personalized press release announcing this achievement.

Of those, 19 received TV, print, radio and/or online coverage (including 2 partners securing their own using our press release template)!

As of March 4, there have been over 100 unique pieces of coverage since Jan. 9. This equates to millions of current or potential library users learning about how wonderful their local public library is through this story.

The sky’s the limit with PR opportunities in your city, town or territory! Some other examples of “newsworthy” items that libraries have used to generate media coverage include:

At the end of the day, your library offers an amazing service that so many community members still may not know about. If you’re interested in getting started with local PR or just learning more, visit the Outreach tab on the Resource Center or contact your Account Manager.