Amplify Your Impact: Creating a Bespoke Approach to Community Engagement: Influencer Marketing for 21st Century Libraries and Archives

Abstract

Let’s face it. The past few years in library and archives land have been extremely trying for everyone, whether you are a seasoned professional with extensive experience, a new colleague, or a customer. The pandemic, budget austerity, divisive political environment, and onslaught of attempts to censor inclusive stories from school libraries, public libraries, and K-12 and post-secondary curricula have taken a significant toll. As digital connections played an essential role in keeping our institutions relevant during the first 12–18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, our profession is having a renaissance in understanding how to leverage social media to amplify positive stories about our people, collections, services, and communities. It is high time for information professionals—beyond just communications, marketing, and community engagement-focused colleagues—to formally understand the power of influencer marketing in deepening sustained engagement with users.