4.5 Marketing to Your Users

The FDLP was established to provide the citizens of the United States with access to Federal Government information. Public access remains the highest priority of depository libraries. Public access begins with public awareness; it also includes internal and external promotion, and outreach efforts.

Your library should make every effort to ensure the public is aware of the depository collection and the services available in the use of government information. Publications MUST be stored in accessible locations. Depository promotion should extend to all potential user groups of your library including your own library staff, the library’s primary users, and the general public. Depository outreach in the surrounding communities should be ongoing and increase visibility of the depository, depository resources, and depository services.

While the utility of government information is well documented, the informational resources of many Federal depositories remain underutilized. Usage of depository materials varies widely from library to library, depending on the visibility and the accessibility of the documents collection in the libraries. Because underutilized depository collections are not cost-effective, it is in the best interest of your library to engage in public awareness, depository promotion and outreach. Increasing public awareness, and therefore usage of the depository, will provide additional justification for your library administrator to increase funding, staffing, and materials in the depository

4.5.A Public Awareness

Public access to government information begins with public awareness. In order to benefit from the resources of Federal depository libraries, the American public needs to be alerted to these valuable informational resources provided at taxpayers' expense. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways including signage, bibliographic control, web sites or pages, flyers, brochures, and other handouts.

4.5.B Signage

Depository libraries MUST post signage or the depository emblem in a prominent location, preferably visible from the exterior of the library, indicating the library is a Federal depository and government information resources are available for use by the general public without charge. Free decals and other promotional materials are available from GPO and can be ordered online (http://www.fdlp.gov/order/index-23.html).

4.5.C Bibliographic Control

The single most important action your depository can take to increase public awareness and usage of depository resources is to provide access to those resources through the library's online public access catalog. For more information, see chapter 6 of this Handbook.

4.5.D Web Sites or Pages

Library Web sites or pages are a popular 21st century vehicle for publicizing depository collections and services. Your depository library is encouraged to develop web sites, homepages or bookmarks for government information and to work cooperatively with other depository libraries in your area to provide links to prominent or useful sites for the general public. Links to current news topics can incorporate both documents and non-documents. Examples might include controversial Supreme Court decisions, elections, pending legislation, and natural disasters. Academic librarians often use subject-oriented Web pages for classroom instruction. For assistance in developing a Web page, refer to the GODORT template (http://www.ala.org/ala/godort/godortcommittees/gitco/govinfotemplate.cfm) and download FDLP graphics to place in a prominent location on depository library web pages (http://www.fdlp.gov/promotion/promographics.html).

Library web sites and pages are an excellent way to publicize access to depository collections and services in the use of Federal Government information. Information posted on a web site or page MUST not conflict with the provisions of Title 44, United States Code, chapter 19 or other written policies of the depository library program that ensure public access to FDLP resources.

4.5.E GPO Marketing Program

GPO provides depositories with free promotional materials including folders, bookmarks, pamphlets, posters, decals, and classification charts. You can order these materials through the Desktop — Promotional Materials section. You can create packets to distribute at library programs, or simply put them out for users to take as needed.

Many agencies will also provide the library with free publications to distribute to the general public. One of the best sites for receiving bulk orders of consumer information pamphlets is the Federal Trade Commission. An excellent comprehensive resource for consumer publications is the Consumer Information Catalog which can be obtained through the Federal Citizen's Information Center or viewed online via pdf

4.5.F Internal Promotion of Your Depository

Your depository can be thought of as a library within a library; depository operations, therefore, mirror all the functions of the larger library of which it is a part. Your depository library should not be thought of in isolation, but as an integral part of the larger library. Internal promotion consists of cross-training, circulating e-mails, routing interesting government documents, conducting tours, and other activities which promote your depository to internal staff, faculty, and administrators.

4.5.G Cross-Training

As a part of the larger library, all levels of library staff, from director to clerical worker, should be aware of the unique resources of your depository collection. Public service staff throughout the larger library should be familiar with the documents collection, the formats available, and how to access online publications. Cross-training library staff also develops library-wide expertise and awareness of government resources in your depository. If your depository reference service is integrated with the reference services for the larger library, all reference staff play a role in providing access to, and service in the use of, government information resources.

Technical service librarians and others can benefit from instruction on the many unique aspects of depository operations. While specific times for cross-training such staff should be developed, many activities can be conducted on an on-going basis. For instance, you should always be on the alert for government publications that other staff would find useful for reference, teaching or personal interest.

Other effective ways you can promote the depository internally include circulating e-mails pertaining to current news events that are document related, routing interesting document titles and shipping lists, conducting individual tours of the documents department for new staff members, creating mini-training sessions before the library opens, and sponsoring formal training sessions to teach staff how to answer difficult user questions about government information resources.

In a successful depository, services to depository users are often fully integrated into the overall services to all users, and library personnel know and can enthusiastically recommend depository resources to all users.

4.5.H External Promotion of Your Depository

Your depository library should also develop strategies for promoting the depository operation to the library's primary users and the general public. External promotion may target all of the users of your depository or specific user groups that may be under-served.

4.5.I Targeting All Users

Displays, bibliographies, brochures, flyers, Web pages, current awareness announcements, and other traditional library promotional tools are typically employed to target all users. These tools often highlight resources and services in the use of resources that are of general interest or resources that have public demand or media attention.

You can create a display of colorful, controversial, unusual or provocative documents. Such a display can dispel the myth that documents are "dry, boring and legalistic." For examples of displays created by other depositories, see the Government Documents Display Clearinghouse (http://lib.mnsu.edu/govdoc/finalfront2.html). Generally, the more creative and library-specific a promotion is, the more effective you will be in attracting people to the depository.

4.5.J Targeting Specific User Groups

If you are a depository in an academic or special library, you can contact department or division chairs, student organizations or clients to inform them of the unique services and benefits the depository offers the user group. A review of future class offerings is one way to get started. The depository coordinator might assist a faculty member in structuring a library assignment, creating or contributing to a class Web page, participating in class conferencing, or teaming up with a subject specialist to present an instructional session using government information resources.

If you are a depository in a public library, you will probably have a community resource file which could be used as a starting point to identify potential user groups. A letter explaining the depository program and some of the subject areas in your collection, relevant to the group being contacted, is a good first step. Then follow up with an offer to speak to the group or to help with research or special projects. Because the memberships of such community organizations change, this project could be repeated every 2 to 3 years. An example is to speak to nonprofit groups about the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (http://12.46.245.173/cfda/cfda.html), Grants.gov (http://www.grants.gov/), and using American FactFinder (http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html?_lang=en) to retrieve statistics for grant proposals.

Of course, external promotion includes contact with individuals either in casual conversation or through formal notification of recent acquisitions or other holdings in their areas of interest.

4.5.K Outreach

Promotional activities can no longer be confined to the four library walls. Depository coordinators are finding it necessary to reach out to users and non-users by leaving the depository and going to where they are. Getting outside the depository is the best way to attract non-users.

Find opportunities to exhibit or present subject-specific workshops at local conventions or conferences; this is a good way to reach out to non-users. Many school districts offer educational opportunities for teachers. Some have days dedicated to training. Contact your local school districts to become a part of these activities. Promote the free resources of the Federal Government available for teachers and students. Some of these resources include lesson plans and teacher kits. Some useful sites to use might be Federal Resources for Educational Excellence(http://www.free.ed.gov/), American Memory Learning Page (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/index.html), Ben’s Guide (http://bensguide.gpo.gov/), and the Gateway to 21st Century Skills (http://www.thegateway.org/).

Another form of outreach is through local media outlets. Your library's depository status, resources, and services could be highlighted on the local cable television's scrolled community announcements. Contact the local radio and television stations. They all run public service announcements and are often interested in generating programming that would be educational or service oriented. FDLP Public Service Announcement and Articles (http://www.fdlp.gov/order/psa.html) are provided by the Superintendent of Documents. Contact local newspapers to invite a reporter to visit your depository.