Promoting Music Library Resources -- With Mixed Results
Clayton Crenshaw, Music Liaison Librarian
Crouch Fine Arts Library, Baylor University
ClaytonE_Crenshaw@baylor.edu
This is a preprint of an article whose final and definitive form has been published in the Music
Reference Services Quarterly, Volume 17, Number 4, 2014. Music Reference Services
Quarterly is available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/wmus20/current.
Abstract
This article reports the results of efforts to promote music library resources. Selected new
books and CD recordings were promoted using a service desk display. Circulation statistics for
those items were compared with other new items that were not promoted. The display proved
to be very effective. Two literature databases and two audio databases were also promoted
using multiple methods. Usage statistics from the promotion period were then compared with
those for the previous two academic years. A slight increase in use was observed for one
database, while overall usage declined for the other three.
Introduction
As a constant stream of new materials is added to the music library, and as many thousands of
dollars are spent annually on subscriptions, the desire of librarians and library staff members is
to see these resources used frequently. This recalls two of Ranganathan’s Five Laws: “books
are for use” and “every book its reader.” But those ideals are often not fully realized in our
libraries, whether the information resources are on the shelves or online. At Baylor University’s
Crouch Fine Arts Library, we saw many new items and some valuable databases getting little
use, so we planned and implemented a variety of marketing activities designed to increase use
and awareness. By studying the results of these initial efforts, we hope to create better plans
for the future and thereby increase our marketing effectiveness.
1
Marketing is described as the combination of four groups of tools: product, price, promotion, and
place.1 Our efforts were focused on promotion and place; since we were working with library
resources that had already been acquired, product and price did not factor into our plans.
New Items Display
When new physical books and recordings are added to the Crouch Library collections, they are
normally sent directly to the stacks. Faculty members and students can keep up with new
arrivals on the Library’s website, but the vast majority of these new items get little use. Except
for LP recordings, the media stacks are closed. The book stacks are open, but circulating items
are located on the opposite side of the floor, out of sight from the service desk and main traffic
areas. To promote the new items, a small display was developed using book stands and a rack
for CDs, which incorporated a sign designed by the University Libraries’ Marketing and
Communication office (Figure 1). The display was placed for maximum visibility: at the service
desk where circulating items are checked out and returned, which is also adjacent to the
Library’s main entrance.
Figure 1 Service desk display of new books and CDs
2
Literature Review
Though promotional displays are an infrequent topic in the library literature, Camacho,
Spackman, and Cluff2 summarized more than four decades of research in this area. It
consistently showed a higher level of circulation for items that are displayed prominently. In
their academic library, books that were moved to discipline-specific display shelves received a
58% increase in circulation. The shelves were augmented by online lists of the recommended
books.
In other recent studies, Jacobson described a mobile display cart containing both books and
audiovisual materials. After progressively fine-tuning the items featured to the tastes of his
public library patrons, up to 90% of the items received use.3 Librarians at James Madison
University achieved a dramatic increase in the circulation of a recreational reading collection,
simply by turning a visual barrier into a highly visible display space. They also created thematic
displays of items from the general collection, which circulated at a rate of 27%; this compared
favorably to the 17% rate for the general collection as a whole.4
Methods
From the new books and CDs cataloged for the Crouch Library from June 1, 2013, to April 30,
2014, 90 CDs and 24 books were selected for promotion. Excluded from the study were books
with a copyright date earlier than 2010; books in the MT class that are primarily notated music;
and unpublished recordings of performances on the Baylor campus. All other new books and
CDs were studied.
Books were typically available for check-out within one week of being cataloged, and CDs within
two weeks. Those selected for promotion were put on display at the service desk. Two books
were displayed at one time, along with 6-8 CDs. The rack permitted only two CDs to be visible
at any one time, so they were occasionally rotated from front to back. Original dust jackets were
3
saved and used with the hardback books on display. All items were given a status of “display –
available” in the library catalog, and book dummies in the stacks also directed patrons to the
service desk. Items were on display for a maximum of two weeks; if they had not been checked
out during that time period, they were replaced. Those that were checked out from the display
area were shelved upon return and not displayed again.
During the months of September–December, the promoted items were selected by the music
librarian. Selection was based on two factors: musical content, intended to reflect the diverse
audiences within the School of Music such as vocalists, instrumentalists, music historians, jazz
musicians, etc.; and visual appeal, including aspects such as interesting graphics, engaging
photos, bright colors, and clear typography.
During the months of March-May, selection of promoted items was randomized. (Displays in
January and February were thematic in nature and not included in the study.) By removing the
element of curation, visibility then became the only factor being tested. A local accession
number system is used for CD call numbers, so only those with call numbers ending in 0 or 5
were chosen for display. From a list in call number order, books were chosen sequentially by
their class number (e.g., ML 410); where there was more than one with the same class number,
only the first in the group was displayed.
Results
Circulation statistics for the promoted items were compared with those for: (1) the rest of the
new items of the same format that were received during the study period but not promoted; and
(2) items in a control group, drawn from the non-promoted items and having content similar to
an item that was selected for promotion. Matches between recordings were based on
characteristics such as composer, time period, performance forces, and musical genre, and
4
more than one of these where possible. Book matches were based on similar subject matter,
such as Benjamin Britten, conducting, jazz performance, or musical theatre.
Each item with circulation activity was counted only once, regardless of the number of checkouts it received during the study period. As shown in Tables 1 and 2 below, 65% of the CDs
and 50% of the books selected and promoted during September-December were checked out.
In the control groups for the same period, 23% of the CDs and 27% of the books were checked
out. The figures for all items not promoted, including those assigned to the control groups, were
11% for CDs and 16% for books.
Circulation activity was similar, but lower overall, for the March-May period when selection of the
promoted items was randomized. In the promotion group, 36% of the CDs and 30% of the
books were checked out. Thirteen percent of the CDs in the control group showed circulation
activity. An insufficient number of content matches were found to form a control group for the
books. For all items not promoted, 7% of the CDs and 16% of the books were checked out.
Table 1 CDs with circulation activity
Selective
Display
(Sept – Dec)
Randomized
Display
(Mar – May)
Promotion Group
31/51 = 65%
14/39 = 36%
Control Group
9/39 = 23%
4/30 = 13%
57/534 = 11%
27/363 = 7%
Selective
Display
(Sept – Dec)
Randomized
Display
(Mar – May)
Promotion Group
7/14 = 50%
3/10 = 30%
Control Group
3/11 = 27%
(no control group)
36/219 = 16%
21/134 = 16%
All Not Promoted
Table 2 Books with circulation activity
All Not Promoted
5
Database Promotions
Like most academic music libraries, the Crouch Library provides a wealth of databases for
faculty and student use. They are accessible to authorized users from a homegrown directory,
the library catalog, and a discovery tool. Some are underutilized despite their valuable content
and the presence of a thriving music school on our campus. Four music databases were
selected for promotion and study during the 2013-2014 academic year, using several different
methods detailed below.
Literature Review
In the library literature one finds descriptions of numerous methods that are used to promote
electronic resources. The written word plays a role in many of them, as expected, but personto-person methods also show up frequently. Information about the results of these efforts is
sparse and sometimes lacking in detail.
Thompson and Schott reported success in boosting use of library databases by redesigning a
library website for easier access and promoting the new e-resources page through e-mail,
flyers, library instruction sessions, and presentations to faculty members.5 In a second case
study, they tied increased usage to an overhaul of the library’s instruction program. This
included new instruction request forms, faculty workshops, pathfinders, and updated web pages
on library instruction. Curriculum revisions and a new course requirement were also cited as
factors contributing to the increases.6
Millet and Chamberlain pointed to their instruction sessions with peer-to-peer tutors as the main
factor leading to greatly increased use of Academic Search Premier on the campus of Trinity
University. Monthly usage statistics increased as much as five-fold over a period of five years;
however, it was not clear exactly which usage metric was being compared.7 Betz et al.
described a peer teaching program using graduate students to introduce the Scopus database.
6
After implementation of the program on six university campuses, searches of Scopus doubled
within a five-month period.8
In another academic library, Smith reported increases in usage statistics following a variety of
marketing activities that were not specific to databases.9 The increases in usage statistics were
not quantified. Brannon described several database promotion activities that led to unspecified
increases in use by patrons of her public library. Activities included staff training, database
classes in the library, school visits, in-house ads, signs, informational cards, and distribution of
imprinted pens, pencils, and magnets.10
In their 2013 book, Marketing Your Library’s Electronic Resources, Kennedy and LaGuardia
concluded that “ . . . there is not enough published information yet about the marketing of eresources to be able to point to a particular strategy or grouping of techniques as best practice
to attain a favorable outcome.”11 Yet there is no shortage of literature about marketing
techniques used, developing marketing plans, assessing marketing plans, and even analyzing
marketing plans. So why aren’t more libraries reporting the results of their carefully planned
efforts? Perhaps because it is difficult or impossible to show cause-effect relationships with any
certainty, since there are factors influencing the use of electronic resources that cannot be
consistently captured, observed, or measured. These can be as subtle as the location of a link
on a web page, or as ephemeral as a mention from a professor in the classroom. Some
libraries may be reluctant to share results because the news is not good, or because they are
more concerned about sustaining their marketing activities than they are about measuring
results in a meaningful way. Whatever the reasons, more objective data needs to be shared so
that libraries can eventually develop best practices and focus their limited resources on the
techniques that hold the most promise of success. To quote Kennedy and LaGuardia again,
“We firmly believe that if you can't measure it then you shouldn't do it. If you're going to be
7
accountable for your marketing efforts you have to be able to report back on how successful
you've been.”12
Methods
In this study, four databases were selected for promotion:

Music Index;

Retrospective Index to Music Periodicals (RIPM);

Music Online: Classical Music Library;

Naxos Music Library Jazz.
Music Index and RIPM index music literature; Classical Music Library and Naxos Music Library
Jazz provide access to streaming audio recordings. Use of all four was relatively low when
compared to other music databases offered by the Library. Each database was promoted using
two or three of the following:

a sign on or near the service desk;

a website ad on the Crouch Library home page;

a post on the Crouch Library Facebook page;

a shortcut icon on the desktop of computers in the Library’s lab.
Promotional activities took place between September 2013 and May 2014. Table 3 details the
methods used for each database, as well as the approximate number of weeks that each one
was available for viewing. Because viewing older Facebook posts requires some effort on the
part of the user, these were counted as viewable only as long as they were the most recent one
on the page.
8
Table 3 Database promotions and number of weeks viewable
Promoted Database
Music Index
RIPM
Naxos Music Library Jazz
Classical Music Library
Signage
Website Ad
12
13
17
6
9
5
-
Facebook
Post
<1
<1
2
2
Desktop
Icon
28
-
Results
At the end of the study period, monthly totals for user sessions were examined for changes and
year-over-year comparisons were made. The sessions metric was selected for its consistency–
-representing one visit by one user–-rather than searches, which can vary widely during a given
session. Where possible, monthly session totals from September 2013-May 2014 were
compared with the monthly totals for the two previous academic years.
Usage patterns for the two literature databases, Music Index and RIPM, were similar to those
for the previous years; the numbers of sessions declined slightly. This followed overall
increases in sessions for both databases from 2011-2012 to 2012-2013. Figure 2 shows the
monthly totals for Music Index, which were down 6% overall compared with the same months
one year earlier. Figure 3 shows the monthly totals for RIPM, which were down 7% overall
compared with the same months one year earlier.
9
User Sessions Per Month
500
450
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
Music Index 2011-2012
Sessions
Music Index 2012-2013
Sessions
Music Index 2013-2014
Sessions
Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May
Figure 2 Monthly sessions for Music Index
450
User Sessions Per Month
400
350
300
250
RIPM 2011-2012 Sessions
200
RIPM 2012-2013 Sessions
150
RIPM 2013-2014 Sessions
100
50
0
Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May
Figure 3 Monthly sessions for RIPM
Statistics for the streaming audio databases were less consistent. As shown in Figure 4, Naxos
Music Library Jazz experienced occasional spikes in usage during the 2011-2012 and 20122013 periods. There were none of those for 2013-2014, which resulted in a 40% decline in
sessions from the previous year.
10
User Sessions Per Month
70
60
50
Naxos Music Library Jazz
2011-2012 Sessions
40
30
Naxos Music Library Jazz
2012-2013 Sessions
20
Naxos Music Library Jazz
2013-2014 Sessions
10
0
Sept Oct Nov Dec
Jan
Feb Mar Apr May
Figure 4 Monthly sessions for Naxos Music Library Jazz
In January 2014, the Crouch Library transitioned to a new platform for Classical Music Library.
From that point on, unfortunately, no session data was available from the publisher. Total
sessions for September-December 2013 increased 17% year-over-year, as shown in Figure 5.
A check of search statistics also showed an increase overall, with higher search totals for six of
the nine months in the study period. This followed a large decline in use over the previous two
years.
User Sessions Per Month
350
300
250
Classical Music Library
2011-2012 Sessions
200
150
Classical Music Library
2012-2013 Sessions
100
Classical Music Library
2013-2014 Sessions
50
0
Sept Oct Nov Dec
Jan
Feb Mar Apr May
Figure 5 Monthly sessions for Classical Music Library
11
Similar to the control groups for CDs and books, usage statistics were also examined for three
other databases that have content similar to one of the promoted databases. Within this group,
large swings in usage were observed in the year-over-year numbers for sessions (Table 4).
Table 4 Session totals for databases not promoted
RILM Abstracts of Music Literature
International Index to Music
Periodicals
Naxos Music Library
Sept 2012 May 2013
4,637
Sept 2013 May 2014
2,010
Year Over
Year
-2,627
2,564
10,280
7,716
301%
6,870
4,345
-2,525
-37%
% Change
-57%
Discussion
The retail-style display of new books and CDs at the service desk proved quite effective at
driving use. This was particularly striking because it runs counter to a trend of declining use.
Crouch Library book circulation has declined for the past two years; CD circulation has
decreased in four of the last five years. While these changes in format preferences should not
be ignored, our patrons’ demonstrated interest in the physical items on display is an important
finding that will inform collection development decisions.
A higher percentage of items in the control groups were circulated than the non-promoted items
as a whole. This suggests that some uses of the promoted items can be attributed to their
content alone. But the impact of promotion is clearly a larger factor, since the promoted items
were circulated at a much higher rate than those in the control groups.
Consistent with Jacobson’s experience, display items circulated at much higher rate when they
were thoughtfully selected by a librarian. Compared to the randomly selected items, circulation
rates were 20% higher for books and 29% higher for CDs. Even so, items that were selected
randomly and promoted received much more use than those that were not promoted.
12
In contrast to the results for physical items, there was little evidence that the promotional
activities for the targeted databases led to increased use. Quite the contrary--compared to the
previous academic year, the total number of sessions declined for three of the four. Music
Index and RIPM showed small decreases, while the one for Naxos Music Library Jazz was
substantial. Monthly totals for those databases did not show any spikes in usage that might
indicate a response to the promotions.
The one bright spot was Classical Music Library, which over a four-month period showed a
modest increase in sessions. The lack of data for the rest of the study period makes this result
inconclusive, but the increases in both sessions and searches suggest that the promotional
activities may have had a positive effect. It is perhaps important that this database was
promoted mainly by means of a large, colorful poster, 22 x 28 inches, placed at the end of the
service desk. The other signs used to promote databases were 8.5 x 11 inches and less
interesting graphically. The Classical Music Library poster was also on view for a greater
number of weeks, being used in rotation for about half of the academic year.
While most of the promoted databases showed small changes in usage patterns, large changes
were observed among three similar databases that were not promoted. This indicates that,
beyond the Library’s promotional activities, there were other factors influencing database
selection and use by our patrons. A few of the possibilities: the addition of the Summon
discovery tool in August 2013; new instructors for a graduate course in music research
methods; and expanded discoverability of streaming music titles in both the library catalog and
the discovery tool.
13
Conclusions
This study confirms the continuing value of displays in increasing circulation of featured library
materials. Even a display of randomly selected items was shown to be effective. But for
libraries that are able to invest more time and effort, a curated display is the way to achieve
maximum impact. While most of the previous studies were focused on books alone, these
results demonstrate that the technique is equally useful for media items. Future research could
explore what motivates patrons to take items from the display, how they use the items, and to
what extent the initial check-out generates more uses through word-of-mouth advertising.
With the possible exception of the poster-size sign, the methods used to promote databases
were not shown to be effective in increasing use. It must be acknowledged that some of them
were inconspicuous, such as the small shortcut icon on computer desktops and the website ads
on the lower half of the Library’s home page. Further research is needed to test the
effectiveness of posters and other promotional methods with high visibility, such as large digital
signs or website ads in a prime page location. Once consistently effective techniques can be
identified, libraries can better target their efforts and avoid wasting time and money on those
that elicit little response.
In studying database promotions, the potential for influences outside the library cannot be
avoided. Rather than relying solely on vendor usage statistics, then, triangulation of research
methods is needed to increase confidence in the results. Surveys, interviews, and website log
analysis are examples of additional methods that could be employed.
Acknowledgment
The author wishes to thank Mandi Marshall, Carl Flynn, Jason Kersten, and Darlene Youts for
their assistance with this research project and Eileen Bentsen, Christina Chan-Park, and Sha
Towers for reviewing the manuscript.
14
Notes
1
Philip Kotler and Gary Armstrong, Principles of Marketing, 9th ed. (Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice
Hall, 2001), 67–68.
2
Leticia Camacho, Andy Spackman, and David Cluff, “Face Out: The Effect of Book Displays on Collection
Usage,” Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship 19, no. 2 (April 2014): 115–122,
doi:10.1080/08963568.2014.883874.
3
Alan Jacobson, “Building Displays That Move the Merchandise,” American Libraries 43, no. 1/2 (2012):
44.
4
D. Yvonne Jones et al., “Simple Marketing Techniques and Space Planning to Increase Circulation,”
Collection Management 36, no. 2 (April 4, 2011): 111–116, doi:10.1080/01462679.2011.553774.
5
Mark S. Thompson and Lynn Schott, “Marketing to Community College Users,” Serials Librarian 53, no.
3 (2007): 63–68.
6
Ibid., 68–73.
7
Michelle S. Millet and Clint Chamberlain, “Word-of-Mouth Marketing Using Peer Tutors,” Serials
Librarian 53, no. 3 (2007): 98–102.
8
Brie Betz et al., “Marketing Library Database Services to End Users: Peer-to-Peer Outreach Using the
Student Ambassador Program (SAm),” Serials Librarian 56, no. 1–4 (January 2009): 251,
doi:10.1080/03615260802687088.
9
Debbi A. Smith, “Strategic Marketing of Library Resources and Services,” College & Undergraduate
Libraries 18, no. 4 (October 2011): 340–347, doi:10.1080/10691316.2011.624937.
10
Sian Brannon, “A Successful Promotional Campaign: We Can’t Keep Quiet About Our Electronic
Resources,” Serials Librarian 53, no. 3 (2007): 43–52.
11
Marie R. Kennedy and Cheryl LaGuardia, Marketing Your Library’s Electronic Resources : A How-to-DoIt Manual for Librarians, (Chicago: Neal-Schuman, 2013), 32.
12
Ibid., 38.
Bibliography
Betz, Brie, Stephanie Willen Brown, Deb Barberi, and Jeanne M. Langendorfer. “Marketing Library
Database Services to End Users: Peer-to-Peer Outreach Using the Student Ambassador Program
(SAm).” Serials Librarian 56, no. 1–4 (January 2009): 250–54. doi:10.1080/03615260802687088.
Brannon, Sian. “A Successful Promotional Campaign: We Can’t Keep Quiet About Our Electronic
Resources.” Serials Librarian 53, no. 3 (2007): 41–55.
Camacho, Leticia, Andy Spackman, and David Cluff. “Face Out: The Effect of Book Displays on Collection
Usage.” Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship 19, no. 2 (April 2014): 114–24.
doi:10.1080/08963568.2014.883874.
Jacobson, Alan. “Building Displays That Move the Merchandise.” American Libraries 43, no. 1/2 (2012):
42.
Jones, D. Yvonne, Margarite McCandless, Kara Kiblinger, Kelly Giles, and Jenne McCabe. “Simple
Marketing Techniques and Space Planning to Increase Circulation.” Collection Management 36,
no. 2 (April 4, 2011): 107–18. doi:10.1080/01462679.2011.553774.
Kennedy, Marie R., and Cheryl LaGuardia. Marketing Your Library’s Electronic Resources : A How-to-Do-It
Manual for Librarians, 2013.
15
Kotler, Philip, and Gary Armstrong. Principles of Marketing. 9th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice
Hall, 2001.
Millet, Michelle S., and Clint Chamberlain. “Word-of-Mouth Marketing Using Peer Tutors.” Serials
Librarian 53, no. 3 (2007): 95–105.
Smith, Debbi A. “Strategic Marketing of Library Resources and Services.” College & Undergraduate
Libraries 18, no. 4 (October 2011): 333–49. doi:10.1080/10691316.2011.624937.
Thompson, Mark S., and Lynn Schott. “Marketing to Community College Users.” Serials Librarian 53, no.
3 (2007): 57–76.
16