Planning, Management, Marketing & Advocacy
Apply the fundamental principles of planning, management, marketing, and advocacy.
“You want weapons? We’re in a library! Books are the best weapon in the world! This room’s the greatest arsenal we could have.”
– Russell T. Davies (b. 1963. Welsh screenwriter and television producer)
Evidence
INFO 204 – Marketing & Outreach
This discussion encouraged me to contemplate why a particular institution has been so successful in its marketing and outreach efforts. The Getty Research Institute (GRI) is a great example of an information organization being actively involved with the community. The GRI mission statement dictates that they are dedicated to furthering knowledge and advancing understanding of the visual arts and their various histories through its expertise, active collecting program, public programs, institutional collaborations, exhibitions, publications, digital services, and residential scholars programs (Getty Research Institute, 2020). The in-person programs and online interactive exhibitions encourage individuals to further explore, learn, and inquire about the collections.
Promotion helps spread awareness of what events and exhibitions are being held at the Institute as well as the museum itself. According to Alman (2018), “Information organizations need to promote the resources and services that are available and to provide evidence that they add value to the communities served”. I noticed that the Getty Museum seems to promote events for the Institute on various social media platforms while the Institute itself only has a Facebook page that is monitored. Having multiple social media accounts to upkeep might be difficult due to a lack of staff or time. The GRI most likely researched what platform to utilize to be able to promote events and advocate for their collections more effectively.
INFO 204 – SWOT Analysis – Part 1 & Part 2
For this group project, we chose to conduct a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis on the Library of Congress. My main role in the group was to be the facilitator, so when one of our group members seemed stressed and overwhelmed, I reached out to them when they became unresponsive. I found out that our teammate was going through difficult personal circumstances, and I did my best to be understanding and compassionate. From that point forward, I would check in with them regularly to see how they were doing and if there was anything I could do to help. Though I wasn’t the team leader, I feel that being a facilitator is an important role as well. It is a skill that all good managers should have, possessing the ability to monitor the morale of the team and reach out with compassion to those who may be struggling.
Other responsibilities included locating three scholarly sources and summarizing them for the literature review (Part 1), conducting an environmental scan of the political changes and trends of the institution (Part 1), summarizing two articles for the annotated bibliography (Part 2), and working on Objectives 1.1-1.3 of the strategic plan (Part 2). This in-depth look at the Library of Congress inspired us to contemplate how the institution can improve and grow overall. Our strategic plan centered around expanding access to library services, providing new opportunities to engage patrons, encouraging lifelong learning, and increasing the library’s visibility, both nationally and globally.
For this project, I designed and planned a theoretical art exhibit. I chose to focus on one of my favorite art movements of the 20th century, simply known as ‘Dada’. This long-term project required research on the history of the Dada movement, the prominent individuals involved, and the notable artwork. I then came up with a title for the exhibit, Dada: The Art of Anti-Art and started to pick artwork, drawings, and objects to display in the exhibit from one archive of my choosing. The next step was to research and write labels for each of the items to be displayed. The final step included visualizing and explaining the layout of the exhibit. I used the room layout provided and designed diagrams that accompanied each section of the exhibit. It took some working and reworking to come up with a design flow that worked. The lights, temperature control monitors, object stands, and craft supplies for the optional hands-on activity for visitors came out of an allotted budget.
This project made me appreciate the time, planning, and potential management that goes into creating an art exhibit from an archival collection. To ensure the success of the exhibit, collaboration with all relevant vendors and co-workers must occur. Their assistance and cooperation are crucial for achieving the desired outcome. Proper transportation and care of artwork during the exhibit is also vital. While writing the introductory essay and curatorial narrative, I gained insight into the information I would use to create a proposal for my exhibit and explain the significance of the topic, artist, and artwork. The project was challenging, but it was also fulfilling.
Conclusion
In closing, the interconnected principles of planning, management, marketing, and advocacy are vital to the success and functionality of information settings. By utilizing these skills, I will be able to lead with compassion, interact with current and potential patrons, increase the visibility of collections, and develop strategies to enhance existing protocols. Through the application of these acquired skills, I possess an ability to lead with compassion, engage with current and potential patrons, enhance the visibility of collections, and formulate strategies aimed at advancing information organizations.
Introduction
Within an information organization, planning, managing, marketing, and advocacy are all interconnected. Planning is a preemptive phase when managing a project or team. Before implementing a plan and especially when planning an event, research, brainstorming, and outreach can be required. Managing the process can be challenging but with tools like Google Docs, Sheets, and Trello, progress can be easily tracked and documented. Marketing for an event usually comes later in the process, closer to when the event will be held. An institution’s web presence can be utilized to aid in spreading the word and providing details about an upcoming event.
COVID-19 changed how individuals utilize libraries, especially in public and academic settings. With more people using online searching and research methods, it became increasingly important to shift the marketing and advocacy strategies to meet this need. Having a web presence is now vital for all settings, especially archives, to expand the audience, provide contact information, state reading room protocols, location, and hours of operation. In addition, it is effective for advocating the collection’s relevance and usefulness.
Planning
Planning is considered to be the first step when managing a project and/or team. It allows managers/team leads to think ahead about all the things that need to be done and the methods that will be utilized to complete them, to accomplish the organization’s goals (Moran, 2022). Creating a strategic plan is just one of the methods that is implemented. In an information setting, a strategic plan aids in creating and identifying projects, programming, and that align with the institution’s mission and vision. Sometimes a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis is implemented to gather information for the strategic plan and can include internal and external factors. By relating and incorporating the vision of the information organization to its activities, a well-articulated plan can justify the budget for critical programs and if those resources are not available, the plan will direct the development of alternative methods (Hirsh, 2022).
Management
Management in an information setting includes managing projects in addition to collaborating with support staff, committees and task forces. Increasingly, information professionals are required to combine working tasks such as collecting, organizing, preserving, and disseminating information along with managerial responsibility (Moran, 2018). Management skills usually take time to develop, and individuals become better managers through hands-on experience. In addition to this, different information settings require different types of management. Information professionals need to possess managerial skills including communication, critical thinking, interpersonal, political, financial, assessment, and evaluation skills (Hirsh, 2022). Regardless of the setting, managers should also possess compassion and understanding, sometimes referred to as emotional intelligence. Managers must continue learning, growing, and improving.
Marketing
Marketing management is defined as planning and executing programs designed to influence the behavior of target audiences by creating and maintaining beneficial changes to satisfy individual and organizational objectives. Instead of selling a product, a library or archive is offering a service, hoping to influence user behavior that will, lead to the fulfillment of the institution’s mission and strategies (Romaniuk, 2018). Information organizations use social media to promote events, provide hours of operation, and location as well as interacting with current and future patrons. Connectivity and transparency have enabled three critical power shifts from vertical to horizontal power bases from individual to social decision-making and from a focus on exclusivity to inclusivity (Romaniuk, 2018). This idea also ties in with advocacy, showing patrons highlights of the collection, conservation efforts, and programming.
Advocacy
In every information setting, professionals should strive to promote the use and understanding of materials in addition to also serving as advocates for programs and the organization’s needs (Society of American Archivists, 2022). Support from the public, stakeholders, and patrons is vital to keeping the various information organizations open and operating. This includes funding such as local taxes, state and federal aid grants, and donations. Being transparent and open with patrons about the collections and operations will ideally encourage trust and connection. This connection with patrons can create a symbiotic relationship. The institution provides information and the patrons can choose to provide support either financially, by volunteering or by being an advocate. If an information organization can identify, cultivate, and empower 3.5% of information supporters that exist in the community, they can bring about real lasting change (Hirsh, 2022).
References
Alman, S. W. (2018). Communication, Marketing, and Outreach Strategies. In S. Hirsh (Ed.), Information services today: An introduction (2nd ed.) [Kindle version] (pp.106 -117). Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.
Getty Research Institute. (2020). The Getty Research Institute: Library. https://www.getty.edu/research/library/
Hirsh, S. (Ed.). (2022). Information services today: An introduction. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Incorporated. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/sjsu/detail.action?docID=6891082
Moran, B. (2018). The New Manager: What You Need to Know to Achieve Managerial Sucess in Today’s Libraries. In K. Haycock & M.J. Romaniuk (Eds.), The portable MLIS: Insights from the experts. Libraries Unlimited.
Romaniuk, M. (2018). Libraries and Marketing: So Essential but So Misunderstood. In K. Haycock & M.J. Romaniuk (Eds.), The portable MLIS: Insights from the experts. Libraries Unlimited.
Society of American Archivists. (2022). SAA Core Values Statement and Code of Ethics. https://www2.archivists.org/statements/saa-core-values-statement-and-code-of-ethics