Tuesday, July 23, 2013

In which I have a great idea

Last week I attended a department meeting for the first time since I started here. I picked a good day to do so, because one staff member brought in a feast of produce from her garden: tomatoes, basil, olives. Combined with fresh mozzarella from Chapel Hill Creamery and a fruit salad, it made for a delicious lunch.

It's not really required that interns attend these meetings, but I was glad I did so. More than anything I've done at this field experience, the weekly meetings provide the best insight into the marketing department's goals and what the department really does for the library. Today we discussed, among other things, the open house celebration at the East Regional branch, how to acknowledge donors to the library, and a promotion for a volunteer drive that the library is doing in conjunction with the American Cancer Society.

One issue we addressed was how best to acknowledge donors to the library. Those who donated over a certain amount will have their names engraved on a plaque that will hang at one of the branches, while those who donate under a certain amount will have their names put on a bookplate. The issue was how to show gratitude to the middle-of-the-road donors, and I hit upon a solution which I think is actually going to be put into effect: patron picks. Essentially, these donors would have the opportunity to select five or so books that would go on a recommendation shelf along with their name. It's a simple idea, requires almost no extra resources, and seems as though it would appeal to numerous people.

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