Marketing Your Library’s Electronic Resources. By Marie R. Kennedy and Cheryl LaGuardia. Chicago, IL: ALA, 2018. 218 pages. Paper $65.00 (ISBN 978-0-8389-1565-3).

Marketing library sources and services is an ongoing venture that entices patrons into the library. Often marketing is associated with library activities such as storytimes, arts and crafts programs, and musical events. Although patrons may be aware that, in addition to physical books, they can obtain a range of electronic information through the library, they may be less aware of just how extensive that body of information is. As authors Kennedy and LaGuardia note in their preface, patrons would be much more likely to use digital resources if they knew what was available and how their specific needs and interests could be met.

Beyond emphasizing the importance of marketing electronic resources, the primary objective of this book is to identify strategic steps that libraries can use to craft an effective marketing plan. The authors have successfully conveyed the intricate details of developing a plan, including crucial first steps such as identifying the needs and concerns of patrons; analyzing how well a library is meeting those concerns; setting goals; and designing, initiating, and evaluating the marketing strategies that are implemented.

The book comprises two parts. Part 1, “How to Design Your Marketing Plan,” offers six chapters that guide the reader through the marketing process. Chapter 1 covers activities such as taking inventory of current library resources while considering additional ones, obtaining usage statistics, engaging patrons, and garnering staff and volunteer participation with marketing strategies. Chapter 2 focuses on developing the plan, gathering information about the community, designing a strength-weakness-opportunity-threat (SWOT) analysis, and instituting an action plan. Chapter 3 describes techniques for implementing the plan, marketing the library’s resources, and expanding on the SWOT analysis. Here, the authors also offer information about how specific types of libraries (college/university, medical, public, school, and special) have instituted marketing plans. Chapter 4 helps readers identify the problems being addressed, develop strategies to solve them, and manage budgeting. Chapter 5 emphasizes assessment, especially regarding the effectiveness of the library’s website in directing patrons to resources. In this chapter, the authors also offer examples of online forms for reporting difficulties using library resources. Chapter 6 addresses revising and updating a marketing plan. Most chapters include lists of recommended supplemental readings.

Part 2 provides actual marketing plans from various libraries: an all-electronic library, two public libraries, a community college library, two university libraries, and one technical college library. The book incorporates a number of appendixes with examples of marketing tools ranging from physical flyers to various digital options, such as e-mails, blogs, and digital signage.

The book offers a number of helpful features, including figures and tables that illustrate the authors’ points, as well as URLs of reports and rubrics that readers can download and adapt to their own needs. The authors maintain an appealing writing style that integrates a conversational tone with scholarly references that expand on ideas and research related to each topic. Although the book specifically addresses marketing a library’s electronic resources, much of what the authors describe and recommend could be extrapolated to marketing any library resources and services, which actually makes the book appealing to a wider audience than might be expected from the title. Another positive attribute of the book is its relevance to all types of libraries; anyone involved in marketing their library’s resources in any type of library should find this volume useful.—Ellen Rubenstein, Assistant Professor, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma