What do you think?
Rate this book
Start a Revolution: Stop Acting Like a Library
“But this is how we’ve always done it!” Objections to taking a fresh tack are about as common as budget shortfalls, and the two are more closely related than you might think. At the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library in Arkansas, Bizzle and his colleagues defied common practices by using creative risk-taking in marketing and outreach to transform their library into a dynamic institution that continues to grow and thrive. Here they recount their story, sharing techniques for success alongside a provocative marketing philosophy that will spur libraries to move beyond their comfort zone. Focusing on creative ways to pull patrons in rather than just push the library out, this book
-Steers libraries towards defining their brand, explaining why it is crucial to meeting the needs of their users and potential users
-Offers strategies for getting stakeholders on board and engaged, including how to address budgeting concerns
-Demonstrates the importance of the library’s website as the digital “main branch” of the library, with guidance for creating and promoting it
-Details the systematic marketing campaign undertaken at the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library, encompassing both traditional and new media channels such as billboards, posters, newspapers, TV and radio, and mobile technology
-Takes the mystery out of how to use social media platforms as public awareness tools, complete with detailed strategies and step-by-step instructions
-Shows how to pull it all together into a manageable campaign through strong leadership and teamwork
By the time readers have finished this book, they’ll have a roadmap for revolution at their own institution.
-Steers libraries towards defining their brand, explaining why it is crucial to meeting the needs of their users and potential users
-Offers strategies for getting stakeholders on board and engaged, including how to address budgeting concerns
-Demonstrates the importance of the library’s website as the digital “main branch” of the library, with guidance for creating and promoting it
-Details the systematic marketing campaign undertaken at the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library, encompassing both traditional and new media channels such as billboards, posters, newspapers, TV and radio, and mobile technology
-Takes the mystery out of how to use social media platforms as public awareness tools, complete with detailed strategies and step-by-step instructions
-Shows how to pull it all together into a manageable campaign through strong leadership and teamwork
By the time readers have finished this book, they’ll have a roadmap for revolution at their own institution.
216 pages, Paperback
First published December 11, 2014
3 people are currently reading
211 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
October 22, 2015
Lots of review, but some good resources as well. These seemed like they'll be most useful to me:
https://color.adobe.com (color combinations)
www.dafont.com (fonts)
www.tweetstats.com (twitter account stats)
www.tweriod.com (helps determine when your followers are on Twitter)
Always nice to have a refresher course on a topic like marketing since it's not something I intentionally think about regularly. Quick, easy read.
https://color.adobe.com (color combinations)
www.dafont.com (fonts)
www.tweetstats.com (twitter account stats)
www.tweriod.com (helps determine when your followers are on Twitter)
Always nice to have a refresher course on a topic like marketing since it's not something I intentionally think about regularly. Quick, easy read.
May 23, 2015
Decent introduction to basic library marketing. It was interesting to read about some of his more clever ideas. The sections on website usability and Facebook ads were really simplistic - OK as a general introduction, but there are countless books and resources out there that provide much better information.
October 7, 2019
Now THIS is library science literature. Filled with fantastic ideas, trials and errors, and successes, Bizzle and Flora introduce different ways in which to draw your community in to the library. But how?
They suggest reaching outside of the library for more ideas. Ben Bizzle, for instance, isn't a librarian--though he works in one. He is in charge of design and marketing and all those interconnected jobs, and he's made it work. By imbuing humor and good design into library advertisements, he's made the library a household topic, some place that's viewed as fun, interesting, and dare I even say cool?
Of course, not every idea was a hit, and not every idea made it past the library director or even his committee. He includes those ideas, too. Because you can't have successes without a few failures! Or in-fighting.
Some ideas that he and his team have proposed and made work were: advertisements in the form of funny e-cards, a YouTube series, revamping the library website (a topic that's come up in PLENTY of literature), social media, and more. And not only that, but he explains how he's made all of these work: he explains Facebook's advertising finances and algorithms, how to adjust advertisements depending on the social media you're using, how absolutely essential watching tutorials are. Because hey, there's a lot we don't know, and there's a lot we can learn from!
This is a highly entertaining and educational book on the library field today, and for that alone it's so worth reading. The photographs of their advertisements are pretty dang funny, too.
Review cross-listed here!
They suggest reaching outside of the library for more ideas. Ben Bizzle, for instance, isn't a librarian--though he works in one. He is in charge of design and marketing and all those interconnected jobs, and he's made it work. By imbuing humor and good design into library advertisements, he's made the library a household topic, some place that's viewed as fun, interesting, and dare I even say cool?
Of course, not every idea was a hit, and not every idea made it past the library director or even his committee. He includes those ideas, too. Because you can't have successes without a few failures! Or in-fighting.
Some ideas that he and his team have proposed and made work were: advertisements in the form of funny e-cards, a YouTube series, revamping the library website (a topic that's come up in PLENTY of literature), social media, and more. And not only that, but he explains how he's made all of these work: he explains Facebook's advertising finances and algorithms, how to adjust advertisements depending on the social media you're using, how absolutely essential watching tutorials are. Because hey, there's a lot we don't know, and there's a lot we can learn from!
This is a highly entertaining and educational book on the library field today, and for that alone it's so worth reading. The photographs of their advertisements are pretty dang funny, too.
Review cross-listed here!
September 23, 2015
A summary of what one library did, marketing-wise, to increase awareness of their programs and, well, existence. I really liked a lot of the ideas: yearly awareness themes that influence marketing looks, using the local movie theater to show an ad, partnering with a local business to use library ad coasters, using humor to catch attention, using postcards to promote events and handing them out at events or on daycare visits, etc. A lot of it is stuff I wish we did, cool looking things that support the work that is being done. It's clearly focused on what what one library (with a good budget and creative admin/board) did, and is probably not applicable in all locations, but I do believe that libraries need non-librarians bringing knowledge and expertise to marketing and awareness to the field. This is a good place to start.
(The bits about everyone taking personality tests and using them to gauge how to best communicate with them was also interesting, but felt a little odd to me.)
(The bits about everyone taking personality tests and using them to gauge how to best communicate with them was also interesting, but felt a little odd to me.)
March 12, 2015
Sorry....underwhelmed. This book is kind of..."I made a Facebook page." It is an anecdotal account of one library staff's experience in working with marketing and media. He strikes me as neither a librarian nor a marketing/mass communications professional. His heart is in the right place and I am sure that I picked up a tip or two...but reading Computers in Libraries likely yields more information on the same topics he addresses. I hate to be a hater...but this book was mediocre at best. On the good side, I think I read it in less than two hours.
March 21, 2015
Bitterly disappointing. A more fitting title for this book would be, "stop using social media like a library." Except for a few marketing slogans, this titles proves overly wordy and full of "here's what I did stories." If your library team already works together and thinks creatively, you can skip this title.
April 12, 2015
Didn't see anything outstandingly original in this book.
July 30, 2015
Great info....a must read for my librarian friends.
December 30, 2023
This book is about marketing, mostly through the library website and social media with some discussion of traditional advertising venues (commercials, billboards, etc.). Social media stuff can become dated very quickly, but my chief concern is that in discussing all of this activity I never saw the author mention patron privacy (esp. when dealing with 3rd party software) or accessibility (if they tested their website redesign with screen readers, for example). I guess it's possible that wasn't the book the author wanted to write and they did do it, but when you start out with a weird humble brag about how you didn't even have a library card when you got hired at the library I'm less inclined to give you the benefit of the doubt.
So I had big issues with this book to begin with, but two quotes in particular jumped out at me:
"Initially, we weren't completely forthcoming with the six patron volunteers we recruited for the video." (page 60)
"I've spent the last six years working in a magical place, with magical people who do magical things." (page 164)
I'll let you judge the first quote for yourself, but the second one is a pet peeve of mine. No. It's not magic. It's people who studied and trained and work hard to do a job. And equating their work with leaving milk and honey on the doorstep at night and pulling rabbits out of hats is pretty profoundly disrespectful to the work his colleagues and other librarians do. It erases their labor and expertise, and makes me wonder if the author ever got around to getting that library card.
So I had big issues with this book to begin with, but two quotes in particular jumped out at me:
"Initially, we weren't completely forthcoming with the six patron volunteers we recruited for the video." (page 60)
"I've spent the last six years working in a magical place, with magical people who do magical things." (page 164)
I'll let you judge the first quote for yourself, but the second one is a pet peeve of mine. No. It's not magic. It's people who studied and trained and work hard to do a job. And equating their work with leaving milk and honey on the doorstep at night and pulling rabbits out of hats is pretty profoundly disrespectful to the work his colleagues and other librarians do. It erases their labor and expertise, and makes me wonder if the author ever got around to getting that library card.
November 13, 2016
I had the pleasure of watching Mr. Bizzle speak at the 2016 Pennsylvania Library Association conference. His book is as equally charming as his oral presentation. It is largely based on his experience working on a forward-thinking marketing and creative team at his public library in Arkansas. He shares what worked, what didn't work, and most importantly, his logic behind why. He shares the details of many of the library ad campaigns, everything from roadside billboards to Facebook advertising, since his arrival at the library in 2008. For anyone not familiar with the potential of Facebook to advocate and promote their library services, Bizzle provides an excellent "how-to" overview. Perhaps his most convincing argument lies in the numbers. His penultimate chapter entitled "Convincing the Decision Makers" gives the example of how a simple $50 Facebook ad can show a reach of thousands of viewers, and that public awareness can increase the value in virtually any service the library may offer. Bizzle at the end acknowledges he is not a writer by trade, just a "tech guy who knows a little bit about people," but his personal, anecdotal style of writing, for me, was effective, inspiring, and heartfelt. I deem this a worthwhile read for any librarian, both decision makers and those, such as myself, who work on the front lines of public service.
May 21, 2019
If you are a librarian looking to see how to reach a wider public and/or bring more people in to your library then this is a good book to read! I found some really interesting tips and ideas. I also implemented some of them to see how it would work for the library I work at. It works! Woah, does it work!
He covers a lot of areas for marketing and promotion for all types of libraries. They are very applicable and realistic. The appendix section is also very helpful and explains in more detail the things Bizzle was talking about. Appendix C is especially helpful. If you are having a hard time convincing a library's stakeholders of something you believe will be beneficial to the library there are some good, helpful ideas and tips on how to get a "yes".
Overall, great book. Highly recommend for people who are new at marketing especially for libraries.
He covers a lot of areas for marketing and promotion for all types of libraries. They are very applicable and realistic. The appendix section is also very helpful and explains in more detail the things Bizzle was talking about. Appendix C is especially helpful. If you are having a hard time convincing a library's stakeholders of something you believe will be beneficial to the library there are some good, helpful ideas and tips on how to get a "yes".
Overall, great book. Highly recommend for people who are new at marketing especially for libraries.
February 20, 2018
If you've already started your revolution, this will provide external validation that you're on the right track and give you some pointers. Being a library director, I didn't need the chapters and paragraphs about convincing decision makers; I'm saddened that many front-line librarians must have to make the case to their directors or that library directors have to make the case to their boards. That's precisely why we need a revolution. The parts of most value to me were the chapter about marketing and why a library should have a marketing budget. Good stuff.
September 9, 2017
This was fine. It was published in 2015 and as it discusses all types of marketing strategies, including social media, it is one of those things that is starting to become outdated before it even hits shelves. Some of it felt repetitive. I appreciated that the author gave tips for how to extrapolate the ideas to other systems, but it still felt very much like a long list of details about how and why these strategies worked for his library system alone.
October 31, 2017
The title is pretty vague, but mostly the revolution is "USE TECHNOLOGY". It takes libraries, some who still need to learn this lesson, that the Internet and Online Resources (many of which are free) can be used to the benefit of the library.
Check it out for the ways to use Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more to the library's advantage to further market the library and its resources (whether it be in print, AV, or online), programs, etc.
Check it out for the ways to use Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more to the library's advantage to further market the library and its resources (whether it be in print, AV, or online), programs, etc.
February 25, 2021
A great basic introduction to ramping up a library's outreach, specifically its digital presence. I enjoyed it, but because it's a few years old and technology moves so quickly (especially social media, which was a HUGE focus of the book), I would love to see an updated edition. Still, as is this is worth a read if you're a library/librarian looking to up your social media and digital game.
June 2, 2018
This had a lot of good information on marketing using social media, as well as other marketing and programming ideas. Not all can be implemented in smaller libraries like mine but I will definitely use some of the information provided, particularly in regards to Facebooking for libraries.
July 6, 2017
Some helpful info on good looking graphic design & websites. Could reference again in the future.
July 3, 2018
Some good information about updating your library!
September 15, 2018
Much of this was geared towards bigger libraries with large marketing budgets; however, there were still helpful hints and useful ideas on how to attain some exposure in the community.
January 11, 2019
3.5. Definitely learned some things, but this topic also gets outdated very quickly!
March 11, 2017
This was an easy to read look at marketing and promotion for public libraries. It provided a good base of understanding on the topic, especially in regard to Facebook. I found the elements about designing a good website to be the most useful and I will definitely be looking back to that chapter. I found the author a bit self-congratulatory, and I didn't need as much info about the social media aspects as it provided. Overall, though, it was nicely packaged bit of info that's easy to digest. I would recommend to librarians who are embarking on a new marketing journey.
March 11, 2017
How-to Guide + Binge (tone) = Start a Revolution
February 25, 2015
This book is a good read when it comes to library literature. It should almost be called marketing and social media marketing for libraries... I felt like the "revolution" aspect of the title was a little misleading and thought it would be more about revolutions across the board for libraries including a focus on social justice or maybe even more innovative programming. Besides whatever expectations I had of the book, I enjoyed it immensely regardless.
The unfortunate thing with a book like this is that what is popular on social media or how facebook is managing their pages or your page's reach will change almost immediately once it is written. But the core ideas of the book on switching up your traditional marketing strategies to reach out to the users in your community that don't enter the library or already attend programs are good. I really liked the billboard strategies and the fact that they do employ good graphic design. It does wonders for revamping the image of a community's library. Their typography posters were elegant and something I could see working really well in the community I work in.
I think the advice offered is fun, and different, but then again for some communities wouldn't work. For example they don't advertise programs much on facebook in their library. A lot of our patrons on facebook do like to see programs that are coming up and like those posts. They tend to get a lot of reach. So you really have to pick and choose between the strategies offered and ultimately know your community and how they will respond. Being in an older community, our users aren't going to get the quirky memes that they have used in this book. But once again, that's not the author's fault--they're just explaining what has worked for them, and that's valuable. And hey, maybe those strategies would reach the elusive twenty-somethings that are around in our community. This book also just left me with a desire for our own marketing team and designers instead of us having to do all of our regular work and then work on the promotion as well and managing social media. I love that I get to be a part of the marketing done at my library, but it's also great to have staff training specifically in design, video-editing, and the like to pull off some of these ideas...which most libraries don't have.
The unfortunate thing with a book like this is that what is popular on social media or how facebook is managing their pages or your page's reach will change almost immediately once it is written. But the core ideas of the book on switching up your traditional marketing strategies to reach out to the users in your community that don't enter the library or already attend programs are good. I really liked the billboard strategies and the fact that they do employ good graphic design. It does wonders for revamping the image of a community's library. Their typography posters were elegant and something I could see working really well in the community I work in.
I think the advice offered is fun, and different, but then again for some communities wouldn't work. For example they don't advertise programs much on facebook in their library. A lot of our patrons on facebook do like to see programs that are coming up and like those posts. They tend to get a lot of reach. So you really have to pick and choose between the strategies offered and ultimately know your community and how they will respond. Being in an older community, our users aren't going to get the quirky memes that they have used in this book. But once again, that's not the author's fault--they're just explaining what has worked for them, and that's valuable. And hey, maybe those strategies would reach the elusive twenty-somethings that are around in our community. This book also just left me with a desire for our own marketing team and designers instead of us having to do all of our regular work and then work on the promotion as well and managing social media. I love that I get to be a part of the marketing done at my library, but it's also great to have staff training specifically in design, video-editing, and the like to pull off some of these ideas...which most libraries don't have.
September 14, 2015
It was ok and did spark a few ideas. Here's what I want to remember:
Need to build Facebook community first and use humour. Regular Facebook ads don't work anymore, try boosted ads instead.
"Successful promotion is based on the quality of the creative content needed in order to capture the attention of the target audience and the appropriate distribution of the content so it is seen by the target audience."
Text-a-librarian service: use Google Voice web interface.
Don't talk about marketing and advertising, talk about public awareness and outreach.
Newspapers, radio, tv: provide positive community news stories, don't buy ads. Think about billboards.
Have an annual public awareness campaign theme.
High-quality posters are eye-catching. What about drink coasters?
p. 147: general colours and emotions guide:
Red: action, adventure, fire, lust, power, excitement, energy
Blue: trust, security, intelligence, cleanliness, peace
Yellow: happiness, warmth, creativity, cheerfulness
Orange: energy, cheerfulness, warmth, excitement, vitality
Green: money, nature, freshness, freedom, tranquility
Purple: nobility, wealth, magic, mystery, sophistication
White: innocence, peace, cleanliness, purity, calmness
Black: power, dominance, boldness, seriousness, authority, elegance
Need to build Facebook community first and use humour. Regular Facebook ads don't work anymore, try boosted ads instead.
"Successful promotion is based on the quality of the creative content needed in order to capture the attention of the target audience and the appropriate distribution of the content so it is seen by the target audience."
Text-a-librarian service: use Google Voice web interface.
Don't talk about marketing and advertising, talk about public awareness and outreach.
Newspapers, radio, tv: provide positive community news stories, don't buy ads. Think about billboards.
Have an annual public awareness campaign theme.
High-quality posters are eye-catching. What about drink coasters?
p. 147: general colours and emotions guide:
Red: action, adventure, fire, lust, power, excitement, energy
Blue: trust, security, intelligence, cleanliness, peace
Yellow: happiness, warmth, creativity, cheerfulness
Orange: energy, cheerfulness, warmth, excitement, vitality
Green: money, nature, freshness, freedom, tranquility
Purple: nobility, wealth, magic, mystery, sophistication
White: innocence, peace, cleanliness, purity, calmness
Black: power, dominance, boldness, seriousness, authority, elegance
July 15, 2015
This is great...if you have an unlimited budget, the world’s greatest director, and a tech-savvy board. All cynicism aside, there are some good ideas and thoughts here. Parts of it, though, were a little too techie for me. Sometimes I’m a bit old school and think building web pages, mobile sites, coding, etc. is not where librarians’ energies should be directed. But if a librarian is helping someone build or redo a web page, this book has lots of pointers and tips that a librarian could contribute to the design. Good info on graphic layouts and calendars. The sections on Facebook and Facebook advertising were interesting and enlightening. Good things for Facebook page administrators to pick up on, including the importance of paying attention to Facebook Insights, which show when users are online, and how you should post at those times. Facebook algorithms discussion is interesting, but confusing. Still, you can’t help but be impressed that a $50 Facebook ad will reach about 10,000 people. Nonprofits and small businesses should really capitalize on that. Also some good ideas on getting the “buy in” from your director and board. Overall, some great ideas, but you do need lots of time, money, staff resources, and the blessing to do it all.
April 18, 2017
Lots of interesting, exciting ideas. Alas, a lot of it is really more applicable to public libraries (I'm academic), but I still got some good concepts out of it. Facebook is discussed at length, and appendices in the back from guest authors address Twitter and Pinterest.
The main nugget I've retained from this title (aside from just recalling some of the more daring advertising campaigns that are totally impractical for my setting, like billboards) is the simple idea that giveaways should be (to borrow from another title) useful, usable, and desirable. Don't just buy cheap crap for the sake of passing something out, because that crap will be thrown out or relegated to the back of the junk drawer. Invest a little more in something a little nicer that people will actually want and want to use. And make sure your name is on there so they can keep remembering, each time they use it, where it came from and whatever other associations come with that!
The main nugget I've retained from this title (aside from just recalling some of the more daring advertising campaigns that are totally impractical for my setting, like billboards) is the simple idea that giveaways should be (to borrow from another title) useful, usable, and desirable. Don't just buy cheap crap for the sake of passing something out, because that crap will be thrown out or relegated to the back of the junk drawer. Invest a little more in something a little nicer that people will actually want and want to use. And make sure your name is on there so they can keep remembering, each time they use it, where it came from and whatever other associations come with that!
October 7, 2015
Most of this book is tips and advice on building your website presence and a marketing presence that is definitely easier when you have a larger library, the staff to help out, and a budget to make it all possible. Most of the information in the first 2/3 of the book focused on the different kind of websites and apps you can use and the author's opinions on each. I'm not sure if they use his suggestions in practice - the ideas he suggested were interesting, but his library's website is very busy.
There are also chapters on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. I didn't get a chance to read those chapters, other than the one on Facebook, which provided some very interesting and good tips.
There are also chapters on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. I didn't get a chance to read those chapters, other than the one on Facebook, which provided some very interesting and good tips.
April 1, 2015
Ben Bizzle presents a lot of great ideas, without sugarcoating things. Anything worth fighting for is never easy in libraries, and Ben does a good job of showing all of the legwork that went into everything his library has done. I follow the Craighead County Jonesboro library heavily online, so I was aware of many of the things they were doing. I appreciated the behind the scenes aspect of it, and the book got me to thinking about how I can help our library make the same impression in the community. I recommend it to any librarian or library that feels stuck in a funk where fresh ideas for promoting the library are concerned.
April 29, 2015
Great ALA title concerning marketing at the library. Tip #1 - Don't say advertising or marketing. Say "outreach" and "public awareness". This book is written by one of ALA Think Tank's enthusiastic members, Ben Bizzle, and he goes into detail about the benefits of swag, such as drink coasters for local restaurants with library info, Facebook ads, billboards, and don't forget, you want to buy the NICE pens. This information is written by someone that works in the public library system, but I don't see why the techniques couldn't work in other organizations, depending on budgets and policies.
November 29, 2015
I probably should have guessed based on the author, but this book is very specific to the PR and marketing elements of libraries, with some discussion of virtual/web services. Bizzle doesn't really address "revolutionary" actions in terms of services, staffing, collections, policies, etc. etc. This would be great for librarians in large or collaborative public systems who haven't had the chance to see Bizzle speak.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews