Subject: CDL-ALA conference report, part 2 of 4
From: Lynn Sipe <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Sat, 29 Jul 2006 12:43:50 -0700

Collection Development Librarians of Academic Libraries Discussion Group

Topic 2:  Strategies for Promoting Your Collections
Facilitator: David Feinmark, Washburn University
Reporter: Suzanne Martin, Fletcher Technical Community College

Univeristies represented include Washburn University, Fletcher Technical 
Community College, University of Hawaii, Good College and Lewis-Clark State 
College.

After considering strategies for promoting collections to various user 
groups, the roundtable concurred that building personal relationships is 
the strategy that yields the best results with faculty. Relationships with 
faculty can be developed through:
( 1 ) participating in faculty meetings of academic departments
( 2 ) interacting with faculty on an individual basis
( 3 ) serving as a liaison to teaching faculty
( 4 ) cultivating faculty who are truly interested in library resources
( 5 ) helping with development of course assignments requiring use of 
library resources
( 6 ) fulfilling faculty requests for book purchases as quickly as possible
( 7 ) publicizing library resources and services at new faculty orientations
( 8 ) learning about new faculty's  research and teaching interests
( 9 ) posting library news or new book lists on specific department websites
(10) emailing notifications of new journals to faculty

Promoting the library to students may require different strategies.  One 
possible method is a blog on the student Internet. The blog needs publicity 
and prominent visibility on the website. Students and faculty are allowed 
to participate. Book promotion through appealing bulletin board displays 
may be effective for users who come into the library.  Getting information 
to students is sometimes a problem, and information may get to them only at 
point of need.

Report edited and abridged by June Schmidt, Chair.

June Schmidt
Associate Dean for Technical Services
Mitchell Memorial Library
P.O. Box 5408
Mississippi State, MS 39762
662-325-7672