Ask an Advisor Answers

Question: At the public library where I work as marketing and outreach coordinator we are working to build interest and participation in adult programming. Attendance is often low for those programs that teach life skills, (adult literacy, how to manage finances, etc.). Can you suggest resources I could explore to see how we can effectively market our programming and what adult programming is most popular in the public library setting? Thank you.
Answer: Thank you for contacting Ask an Advisor of the CTB. We do not have expertise about which programming is most effective in public libraries. However, it may be worth the time and resources to conduct a needs and resource assessment in your community to determine which issues higher priority for people. One strategy for a broad-based community assessment would be to identify organizations in your community that share interest in promoting life skills. Finding a few organizations to partner with could provide feedback about priorities, partners in marketing, and potential presenters. On the CTB website, you may want to look at the "Solve a Problem" tab listed on the purple bar on the homepage. In particular, Solve a problem / 5. There is not enough community participation . This has a list of common issues related to low rates of participation. You may want to use the questions to reflect on your programming. Additionally, some of the resources links listed on this webpage may be helpful. Again, thank you for contacting Ask an Advisor. Hopefully the ideas and information was helpful.
Question Date: Sat, 04/11/2009