Denver Public Library Marketing Critique

The Denver Public Library (DPL) is by far the most social media involved library I've ever seen. Their commitment to their patrons is amazing and they can boast that “79 percent of all Denver residents hold Library cards and borrow close to 10 million items annually.” The Library states that they “constantly seek new ways to serve its customers” and that's what they are doing by putting their brand out into the World Wide Web. At a time when other libraries are hurting for funding, and laying off staff, DPL is thriving. While they have had reductions in their operating hours their budget was increased in 2010 by $910,800.

So what are they doing over there at DPL that is giving them so much success? Besides providing amazing programming, a very well done website, and a wonderful collection; DPL has created a huge social networking presence. When you arrive at the main DPL website you are greeted with a navigation menu at the top of the page. One of the headers is “Social Media” which a user can click on finding all the ways DPL information can be found online. Instead of hunting around the page looking for Twitter or Facebook icons, DPL puts all their links in one easy to find location.

On the main Social Media page a user is greeted with many options. There are several main categories including: Facebook, MySpace, Video, Flickr, Twitter, Newsletters, Podcasts, and RSS. The side bar provides even more options including: Blogs, and Video/Audio/Online Exhibits. Under each of these main headers is a multitude of sites. The Denver Public Library doesn't just feature a main Facebook page, instead they have one for the main library, another for Fresh City Life, Western History & Genealogy, the Denver Public Library Friends Foundation, and Evil Companions. There is a teen MySpace page, Flickr account, and Twitter feed. DPL provides 16 different Newsletters ranging from Mystery Books to Special Events. They even have podcasts of children's books and poetry being read aloud (along with several others).

So let's take a look at some of these social networking applications, how well they're being utilized and what improvements can be made. First, we'll look at the main DPL social networking involvement. The DPL has a Facebook page that is dedicated to general library news and announcements. The page is updated frequently and all patrons who write on the wall are answered within a day or two. One patron posted: “what happends [sic] if I loose my card”. The next day a response was given and a thank you received. Posts tend to cover a broad range of things which is to be expected from the main Facebook page. There are photos from new branches, event announcements, book recommendations and more. DPL is reaching a large audience with their Facebook page as well with 4,189 'liking' their page.

For however active the DPL Facebook page is, the Twitter feed has got it beat. The Twitter feed has about half of the followers that the Facebook page has which is great considering that Twitter has a smaller overall audience. The feed seems more personal on Twitter than Facebook with the moderator posting many times a day. The posts tend to cover a broader range of subject matter, not just reporting on library events. Whoever is posting also makes sure to reply to Tweets from followers when they mention a favorite book or comment about volunteering. This small personal touch allows patrons to feel more connected to their library seeing that they care about more than just disseminating information to the masses.

The DPL also has a Viemo page and a YouTube channel. However, neither of these is of much use. The Viemo page hasn't been updated in over a year and only included 9 videos (none of which are that interesting). The YouTube channel has around 40 videos, but again hasn't been updated in seven months. On YouTube DPL has added their commercials from PBS, some patrons explaining how the library changed their lives, tutorials, and some staff picks videos. While some of the videos are interesting, there was nothing too captivating or any reason to return again.

Another popular area within the DPL social networking world is Fresh City Life. Advertised on their Facebook page:

Fresh City Life hosts programs each month that entertain, educate and invigorate Denver Public Library customers. From DIY classes to fashion shows to writer's workshops, Fresh City Life is always free and always fun!

Essentially Fresh City Life (FCL) is a community engagement program which hosts most of the DPL workshops. If any area in the library needs a strong online presence it's the workshop department! In order to make sure patrons attend events libraries need to reach out into the community building a name and image for themselves. This is just what FCL and the DPL have done.

On the main DPL website there is a page for FCL. This page has links to the Twitter feed, Facebook page, Blog, a Newsletter, Event details and even Recipes. Pretty much any of the information that you could gather from the social networking sites can be found on this main page. A patron could even subscribe to the newsletter and have all the event information sent to their email. The blog can also be subscribed to via RSS allowing patrons to receive event details through an aggregator. People like to get their information delivered to them in different ways and the FCL program really speaks to that. They don't limit how their patrons receive information, instead giving them multiple options and allowing them to pick which one works best for them.

Besides the main web page, FCL has a Twitter feed and Facebook page, with around 1,000 followers each. Both of these get updated regularly with Tweets sometimes appearing four or five times a day. Both outlets seem to mainly get used for event announcements, but since that's the purpose of FCL doesn't seem like there needs to be more.

The other thing FCL has is a YouTube channel. Yet much like the DPL YouTube channel, FCL's is pretty lacking. The channel has 15 videos, but is not updated much at all. It seems like they do post a once a year overview of their workshops and a few other workshop related videos.

Last, let's take a look at what DPL offers their teen patrons. There are a few different ways that teens can access information. First, is the main teen web page through the DPL. The site is fairly basic, but does provide some great resources. On the home page there is a “Follow Us” area with links to the teen Twitter Feed, MySpace page, Flickr, and the main DPL YouTube channel.

With over 1,000 friends it would seem like the MySpace page was very active with teen patrons. Instead it seems that the Twitter account feeds the MySpace page providing the same status updates in both locations. If you look in the comments section you'll find the last post was made 97 days ago. Seems like in many ways the MySpace page is kind of dead in the water.

When taking a closer look at the Twitter feed, also with a little over 1,000 followers I found the tweets to be interesting; announcing events and things like Ron Weasley's birthday. Tweets are made every couple of days, usually only one a day. Taking a look at the followers I was kind of disappointed. There were almost no teens following. Followers included librarians, companies and a teen here and there. The Flickr does have a lot of photos of events and artwork. Yet it seems to be geared towards younger teens and tweens.

So with all this amazing social networking going on what can Denver Public Library to do improve their service? My first suggestion would be to abandon sites that are not updated regularly. If the library is not going to take the time to put videos up on YouTube or Vimeo on a regular basis, then they should focus their attention elsewhere. The Web is an ever changing environment where it's important to keep up. The first thing I think when going to a site and seeing there haven't been updates in a year is to never visit there again. Why would patrons want to waste time checking back in to see if there have been more videos loaded?

For instance, Fresh City Life could do great things with their YouTube channel. Consider creating tutorials of workshops. These can be posted after a workshop has been given allowing patrons to revisit a skill. If they took a knitting workshop it could be a big help to have another video lesson when they get home. Perhaps doing a more advanced lesson online while teaching the basics in a class. Adding a Flickr account may also be useful for FCL as they can post photos of patron projects and workshops.

I also think there could be quite a few improvements done to the teen social networking involvement. DPL seems to be going in the right direction with their main page and FCL, but for some reason that is not translating over to the teen area. Why no Facebook for teens? Why no dedicated YouTube channel? Teens are going to be the most wired demographic and yet DPL isn't reaching out to them nearly as much. Their Twitter feed isn't updated very often, the MySpace is fairly dead (and redundant considering it's updated via Twitter), and while they do have a newsletter many teens view email as a thing of the past. The teen feeds and pages should be getting updated regularly and there should be more involvement between librarian and patron. It would be great to see tweets replying to teens, or a Facebook page where teen questions could be answered quickly. DPL should also consider ways to reach out to older teens, perhaps leaving the MySpace page for its younger audience and adding a Facebook page to reach out to the older teens.

Overall, Denver Public Library is doing an amazing job with their social networking. They have created a brand for themselves that works. The library is showing that they care about their patrons and want to make sure they provide any and all possible means for them to access their services. They may want to refine a few things, focusing their efforts on the most effective tools, but no one can say they're not trying! I think most libraries would be ecstatic to have over 4,000 followers on Facebook. My best guess is that over time DPL will only get better with their social networking involvement.