Marketing Leisure Reading in the Academic Library

[Michelle Reale]

Our University Library will be adding a McNaughton collection in late August. I am very anxious about marketing this collection. I'd be interested in discussing how to exploit such a collection in a setting that hasn't always "welcomed" "low brow" (bestsellers!) reading.

[Luke Vilelle]

One interesting idea I heard recently was wheeling a bookcart of such popular titles into a dining hall, a student center, a residence hall, or some other similar place on campus, and setting up a mobile checkout station for the materials. I believe they also wheeled some DVDs with them. Sorry I can't remember where they did this, but they did indicate it was fairly successful. It helps increase the visibility of the collection, and has the added bonus of increasing your visibility on campus!

[Michelle Reale]

Luke,
I've seen this suggested too, and I think it is a great idea. Kind of bolsters the growing opinion that you go where the students, rather than waiting for them to come to you. I am still surprised at how many students manage to get through school without ever visiting the library. I am all about being visible and marketing both ourselves and our wares wherever and whenever feasibly possible.

[Julie Elliott]

I like this idea--in the past when I have suggested we "take services to the users" its been turned down pretty definitively as something that would make us look bad (that it would harm our faculty status if we are taking our services to cafeteria, etc.). Have any of you had any luck with taking any kind of library services outside the library? I love this idea of taking a cart of books to where the students are. Do your universities have any kind of library presence in student housing?

[Julie Elliott]

Hey Michele,

How is the McNaughton collection working out?