In 2015, Wellington County Library partnered with Whitehots Inc. to bring the best of the company’s marketing and merchandising techniques to our Rockwood Branch with the intention of increasing circulation and raising the profile of the branch in the community. After the initial six-month pilot we presented the positive results at OLA Super Conference 2016.
A year later, we have followed up on our plans to expand the project. Wellington County Library has extended the strategy system-wide and started testing the addition of nonfiction titles to the project. Libraries are looking for ways to increase circulation, without increasing budgets. Whitehots, in the meantime, has responded to many requests to duplicate our success in other library systems. A new feature to be introduced this year is a Whitehots Clients’ Portal to give access to marketing information and ideas direct from their web site.
Outcomes:
– Attendees will be able to see firsthand how creating display space in the branch and on the shelves work to create interest among patrons and increase circulation for designated collections.
– Attendees will come to understand that this strategy is adaptable across a multi-branch library system, where not all branches are created equal in terms of size, staffing, collections and space.
– Attendees will learn the benefits of partnering with a library vendor on projects to help increase collection awareness and circulation for the library.
