MARKETING
Issues
of Importance
Marketing
is a key component in developing a digital collections program. Partner
agencies will be delighted with being a part of a well-known, well publicized
effort, that is focused on public access benefits of the project. Staff
may be accomplished presenters who are adept at using current presentation
software and methods. Presentations of the new digital collections can
be scheduled for a variety of citizen and library conferences, meetings
and workshops. Staff may also conduct training sessions for target audiences
both in the use of the digital database for searching as well as using
the digital collections for informational purposes.
The digital collection web site and database are the program's window to the world. Care must be taken to design a web site that can be easily modified and updated and incorporates good graphic design principles. However the web site will not carry the program on its own. The digital service and products must be marketed and promoted as well. Standard marketing techniques such as identifying target audiences and communicating the value of the collections should be followed. To accomplish this an organization may issue press releases and announcements, in both paper and electronic editions. You may also wish to contract with a graphic designer to produce high quality brochures and flyers. There may be opportunities to distribute a number of other informational products such as copies of some of the digital images.
As part of its marketing plan to build product identity and a long term recognition of digital collections, the project may need to design and trademark a logo or image. Such design elements can be used consistently so customers automatically recognize the look and feel of the digital collections and communication.
TOP
Options
to consider:
Once created your users will want to know what the digital
files contain and how to use them. Costs associated with public relations
materials will have to be factored in. Marketing costs will involve staff
time for webmasters, graphic designers and publications personnel. Promotional
material should be created and distributed to patrons and prospective
users of the digital database. These functions draw heavily upon library
resources.
Planning ahead and making marketing one of the primary activities of your project plan will allow you to capture many of the project activities on film or digitally. Great publicity can be generated by involving your users in the project by informing them of the progress being made toward your goals. For example the Tacoma Public Library works in partnership with the local News Tribune newspaper to publish digital photographs from the Richards collection. This serves two purposes. It helps the staff to identify people and places in the photographs. More importantly it keeps the local users involved in the success of the digitization project.
One of the best ways to find ideas for promoting your digital collections is to view how other organizations present their collections. Sample other digitization projects at:
California Views:
The Pat Hathaway Collection of Historical Photos
http://caviews.com/faves.htm
Historic Post Card
Collection at the Colorado State Archives
http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/tour/post.htm
Scugog Shores Historical
Museum - Canada
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/scugog/
Small historical museum, good interpretation of materials, good organization
Victoria Tombstone
Tales of Ross Bay Cemetery
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/tombstone/
Guided tour of the cemetery, with examples of grave art, historical features.
Luxton Museum of the
Plains Indians
http://collections.ic.gc.ca/luxton/
Notice links to questions and grade-specific activities at the bottom
of many pages.
Early Canadiana Online
http://www.canadiana.org/
Good search interface for large collection and multi-page navigation.
Crow Canyon Archaeological
Center
http://www.crowcanyon.org/
Lots of interpretive material for kids, teachers, lesson planning. Good
organization of complex topic.
Doing History / Keeping
the Past
http://hewit.unco.edu/dohist/
Aimed at children, lots of links for educators, presents Colorado history.
North Suburban Library
System: Local History Digitization Project
http://www.digitalpast.org/nsls.phpS
Statewide collections listed and accessed.
The Northern Great
Plains, 1880-1920
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award97/ndfahtml/ngphome.html
This site presents nice option for large collections and statewide access
to diverse collection,. photo collections, various versions of image,
thumbnail, JPEG, hand-colored; uses browse by subject option.
