Communication Outreach Is Self-Promotion and Marketing: Proactive Community Outreach Is an Unshirkable Responsiblity of Academic Libraries--A Case Study of Western Kentucky University Libraries' Partnership with the Community's Public Library and Bookseller

Communication Outreach Is Self-Promotion and Marketing: Proactive Community Outreach Is an Unshirkable Responsiblity of Academic Libraries--A Case Study of Western Kentucky University Libraries' Partnership with the Community's Public Library and Bookseller

It is not enough to transform a conventional library of book storage and lending into an electronically driven powerhouse of digitization. In addition to increasing and enhancing its collections, facilities, equipment and patron services, a library needs also act proactively to reach out to its patrons and its community. Outreach projects and programs will help build community and thus library’s support bases. Besides, community outreach is one way to extend library services to the society and help build it into a harmonious one. This presentation is a case study of how Western Kentucky University (WKU) Libraries partners with the local public library and booksellers, with solicited financial support from local businesses, to initiate a series of community outreach projects and programs, such as Internet workshops, Southern Kentucky Book Fest, Black History Month, Kentucky Writers’ Conference, Kentucky Live! And Faraway Places lecture series, to name a few. The paper gives WKU Libraries’ rationale for doing all these, how they did them, the benefits of doing so and the lessons learned. Most importantly, the paper demonstrates how all types of libraries can universally use WKU Libraries’ example.

Yuan, Haiwang

2006-07-19

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