The Class

LIS 2830 - MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS FOR LIBRARIES

Course Description:  The creation, design, and production of publicity and marketing. Strategies of effective public relations: lobbying, fundraising, news management, market and audience research, and needs assessment.

Each year, students in the “Marketing and Public Relations for Libraries” course plan and implement a promotional campaign to celebrate National Library Week.  In the past, students have created a promotional video, a speed networking event, and a book sale.  This year, the 60 students “came together” to plan and promote 20 events to encourage people to visit their library – whether in a small town or on a campus.  All of the projects are highlighted on the School’s National Library Week website at www.sis.pitt.edu/~nlw.  This class incorporated students who were on-campus in Pittsburgh and students who participated via distance learning technology as part of the University of Pittsburgh’s FastTrack MLIS program (an online degree program).  The off-campus students were from many different locales including the Virgin Islands, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Raleigh.  Therefore, the projects undertaken were planned utilizing technology and were implemented in libraries from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, from Greensburg to Gettysburg, from Ohio to North Carolina.