Melissa Grygla
LIBR 283- Marketing of Library &
Information Services
Spring 2010
 Established
in 1916, final merger with
Herbert Kraft Free Library in 1962.
 At it’s peek the library had 32 staff
members, and approximately 16
branches. In 1986 “Woman in the Box”
trial cut the library back to a staff of 7
with 3 branches. The library still has only
7 employees and 3 branches.
 Organization Centered Mindset with no
marketing budget.
 Current
Mission Statement:
• “Our mission is to provide for the informational,
education, and recreational needs of the citizens
of Tehama County and to serve as an archive for
the rich historical resources of our area”
(Tehama County Library, 2010).
 Goals
and Objectives:
• At present the Tehama County Library does not
have any goals or objectives, as the Head
Librarian does not see them as a necessity.

Recommended Mission Statement:
• Our mission is to provide for the informational, educational, and recreational
needs of the citizens of all ages through reading and technology, and also to
serve as an archive for the rich historical resources of our area.

Goals and Objectives:
• GOAL: The residents of Tehama County will have the computer and information
literacy skills they need to successfully manage and analyze information.
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OBJECTIVE: 200 adults a year will attend basic computer classes taught at the library.
OBJECTIVE: The library will provide computers to at least 2000 users annually.
OBJECTIVE: The library will provide 8 classes a year on database use.
OBJECTIVE: 1000 people a year will access online databases providing information on a
variety of topics.
• GOAL: The library will have a collection of new and popular fiction, non-fiction,
periodicals and audiovisual materials.
 OBJECTIVE: 9,000 items of current interest will be circulated annually.
 OBJECTIVE: Library staff will annually review periodical subscriptions, adding and
eliminating titles based on use and cost. (Shasta Public Libraries, 2010).


Staff tends to neglect scanning local or
national resources to evaluate environmental
influences.
Possible forces of the macro-environment,
which can most likely affect this organization,
are the physical, competitive, and economic.
•
•
•

Physical: Large County area, little public
transportation, three library branches open
very few hours.
Competitive: Local bookstores, Tehama
County Department of Education, has many
similar free programs, Local Churches with
their own libraries, and two other county
libraries in large communities with a one
hour drive of Tehama County.
Economic: Nationwide economic crisis.
Reduction in county funding equates loss of
state funding.
The current internal forces which can affect the
library are staff and volunteers
•
Staff: Abrupt with users, sometimes rude,
expect users to know how to use services.
•
Volunteers: Very helpful, assist patrons and
make them feel welcome.


Since the Tehama County Library staff
currently only monitors the local newspaper
for environmental influences, there can be
several changes made by staff to promote
better environmental scanning and analysis.
Possible Resources:
•
•
•
Primary: Surveys and focus group studies can
give the library necessary insight to make
productive changes.
Secondary: Newspapers, journals,
periodicals, the U.S. Census, the World Wide
Web (WWW), local and regional government
documents, geographic data, school statistics,
traffic counts, and the Chamber of Commerce
(Koontz, 2006).
Local resources which the Tehama County
library should consult are the Red Bluff Daily
News, the Record Searchlight, the Tehama
County website, the Red Bluff and Corning
Chambers of Commerce, and the Tehama
County Department of Education
 There
is no list of stakeholders, although
a formalized list may be useful in the
event of staff turnover.
 Six Identified Stakeholders:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Library Staff
Library Customers
The Tehama County Board of Supervisors
Friends of the Library
The Wheeler’s, an individual donor
Baker and Taylor, the library’s largest vendor.

Strength
•
•
•
•
•

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Large group of Volunteers
Experienced Staff
Relationship with Customers
Dedicated Children’s Librarian
Strong relationship with Tehama
County Department of
Education.
• Internet policy, inflexible.
• Small staff.
• Increase in staff burnout and
stress related illness and/or
injury
• Lack of funding
• Not all staff members are
following policies and
procedures.
Opportunities
Grants
Technology costs are reducing.
Marketing to the public.
Online database availability
thorough North State
Cooperative.
• Staff training in policy and
customer service.
•
•
•
•
Weakness

Threats
Reduced funding.
Rapidly changing technology.
Loss of current employees.
Internet, research no longer
requires traveling to the library.
• E-book readers
•
•
•
•
 Currently, Tehama
County Library, only
collects registration card data for new cards.
They do not use this information for any
other purpose.
• Recommend plotting address data on maps
• The library should consider collecting email
addresses as a contact method.
 Recommended Sources
• Census Data
• Local paper & Chamber’s of Commerce
• US Public Library Geographic Database
 Geographic
Marketing- Use the library
card registration information.
 Demographic Information- From
recommended sources collect
geographic information to identify
characterizes of the community and
identify target markets.
 Identify currant usage habits- Utilize
Library staff who interact with customers.

Opening Hour Computer Users
• Homeless and unemployed members of the community.
• Low income.
• Use the library as a gathering place and information
center.

After School Rush
• School age children.
• Male and Female, low income families.
• Use the library for entertainment and research purposes.

After Work Families and Adults
• Taxpayers who help to fund the library.
• Many of these users are educated, and completed high
school or college.
• Use the library for entertainment and research.
Information Products and Services
CHILDREN’S SERVICES
Product Items: Preschool story hour, class visits, and
the Summer Reading Program
Product Item: Pre-school story hour
Primary Customer Market: children between the
ages of 1-5, with parent who are able to bring them
to story hour and stay during the program
Price: Travel to the library, and willingness to go on
the only day the program is offered.
Promotion: Word of mouth, information printed in the
library brochure, and flyers put on the counter of
the library at the beginning of every school year.
Place: Tehama County Library, Red Bluff Branch
Recommended TWEAK: Price and Place
Currently the library only provides story hour on
Wednesday’s at 9:30 AM at the main branch. This
prevents many parents from bringing children to
story hour, by adding an additional evening story
hour more parents and children may be able to
come. The library could also investigate the
possibility of having story hours in the smaller
library branches as well.
New Customer Market(s): Working parents with
children between the ages of 1-5, maybe some
families with older children.
REFERENCE SERVICES
Product Items: Volunteer Genealogy Research,
Online Databases, Reference Materials Collection
Product Item: Volunteer Genealogy Research
Primary Customer Market: Individuals interested in
local history and family genealogy research.
Price: Travel time, access and availability, wait time
Promotion: Word of mouth, information through the
Tehama County Historical and Genealogical
Society website.
Place: Tehama County Library, Red Bluff Branch
Recommended TWEAK: Price
Currently the users of this service have to come
into the library when volunteers are in the library.
Sometimes volunteers fail to show up during the
hours that they are assigned. Investigate the
possibility of an on call volunteer. Stress the
importance of the schedule to the volunteer.
Schedule volunteers during all library open hours
and cross-train in other areas of the library for
times they are not needed to assist with
Genealogy.
New Customer Market(s): This concept does not
really open a new market; however current
markets will be able to access the resources with
less difficulty and more dependability.
CHILDREN’S PRESCHOOL STORY HOUR
Customer Behavior Measures

Criteria• Number of Children attending Wednesday
Story Hour
• Number of Participates attending the Evening
Story Hour

Objectives• Increase attendance by 50% in 12 months.

Method(s)- Gather statics though weekly sign in
sheets.
Customer Satisfaction Measures

Criteria• Surveys completed monthly by Participates
(1-4 Questions)
• Enjoyment of stories and activities
• Use of materials for children between the
ages of 1-5.

Objectives• Customer surveys focus on their enjoyment
and encouragement of the programs.
• Customer enjoyment by 25%
• Circulation statistics for materials for children
between the ages of 1-5 increase in one year.

Method(s)- Surveys given to program participates
and personal interviews of staff and attendees.
VOLUNTEER GENEALOGY RESEARCH
Customer Behavior Measures

Criteria• # of individuals requesting assistance.
• # of materials accessed by individuals
requesting genealogy research assistance.
• Time spent with each individual.

Objectives• Increase usage by 10%.
• Develop time slots, for users to sign up with
volunteers.

Method(s)- Gather statistics from sign-up sheets,
tally circulation records, and materials used by
type.
Customer Satisfaction Measures

Criteria• Usability of materials in the Local History
Section.
• Enjoyment of center atmosphere.
• Confidence that volunteers will be able to
assist them in locating specific information.

Objectives• Customer usability by 10% in one year.
• Customer enjoyment by 10% in one year.
• Customer confidence by 25% in one year.

Method(s)- Quarterly personal interview by
library staff with volunteers assisting with
genealogy research.

Using 1 to 4 question surveys the library is more
likely to receive responses, and will be better able to
assess their strengths and weaknesses.
• Possibly used to evaluate: children’s programming, reference
services, and other products and services the library provides.
Secret shopping.
Constantly monitor the evaluation of services in
order to best meet the overall needs of business’ and
user’s.
 Begin to include a marketing plan and budget
annually.
 Improve the mission statement, goals, objectives, and
retrain staff.
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Koontz, C. M. (2006) Environmental Scanning: Discover What’s Happening Out
There and What it May Mean for Your Library. Retrieved from May 3, 2010 from
the Angel Course Management System.
Shasta Public Libraries. (2010) Strategic plan 2009-2012.
http://www.shastalibraries.org/spl/index.php.
Tehama County Library. (2010). Site currently under construction.
http://72.32.126.34/