Do you love your local newspaper? Montana is blessed with many small-town, locally run newspapers that focus their attention on the surrounding community. Many of us have a love/hate relationship with our community papers. My experience is that these papers tend to get their facts correct about half the time; they can be very one-sided and, especially in the case of small town papers, are filled with local gossip (very entertaining and great for genealogists but not really news-worthy). Newspapers' biggest advantage though is that they reach a large percentage of our constituents.
And through their articles, papers offer essentially free advertising.
The key is to be sure the newspapers run positive, promotional articles that loudly splash how wonderful we are. Be sure to develop a good relationship with the local news/events reporter (who in the case of very small papers may also be the editor and photographer). Regularly invite this person to the library. Reporters can take photos and write up articles about new materials your library has received. If you have up-coming events, don't just promote it through a blip in the local calendar, write a news release about why the event is significant or how it will benefit the local community. If one of your staff is recognized in some way, through an award, a presentation they give, or an idea they have to improve library services, be sure this person is recognized in the paper.
Remember, our users are readers, that's what keeps us in business. Why not promote ourselves where they tend to read?
Jennie Stapp
Technical Services Librarian
Montana Historical Society
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