How do you engage and attract library non-users?
Welcome back! In my last blog (Who doesn’t use public libraries? And why? , 17 February 2022) I suggested that there was a 40-60 split in community use of public libraries. That is, around 40% of people use a library in any given year and 60% don’t. Use varies through the life cycle, with non-use further influenced by factors which include alternatives, awareness, access, experience and interest. In this piece I want to talk about what can be done to attract and engage people who are not yet library users.
First up – I don’t believe any library needs to or should pursue an objective of having 100% of the population as library users. 100% of people don’t use the local pool or Council gym. 100% of people don’t use kindergartens or community centres in any year. So let’s be realistic about this. [However, I would like to think that everyone capable of conscious thought understands that public libraries are a valuable community asset, but I’ll start with the 76% we have now and work my way up (Why it is impossible to close a public library, June 14 2021).]
The first non-user group I want to consider are the not interested. These people don’t think a library has anything to offer them because they don’t read, etc. Some of this might be down to a lack of awareness of the full range of services, activities and facilities at the library, but if so I’m putting them in the ‘not aware’ category. For some people the disinterest can change as their life circumstances change, so they may not be lost forever. My advice with this group is to leave them be. You could spend a lot of energy and resources trying to convert disinterest into awareness into engagement into use. If you have a community-wide approach to raising awareness of library offerings they will pick up some of this messaging and might become library users when the time is right. Or they may not. And that’s OK.
The second group is the people with alternatives. These people have other means of accessing the services a library offers. They buy their own books, have good internet access, have their own spaces to relax or study, etc. If they are readers you might appeal to them through author talks or literary events, but outside that I’m once again inclined to leave this group alone. They tend to know what a library could do for them, they will also hear the community-wide messaging, and if there comes a time when they are less able to access alternatives they will turn up (onsite or online).
If you only have a finite amount of resources to run your library you want to put them where they can most efficiently deliver greatest community and individual benefit. Which is why I’d rather direct my energies to the remaining three non-user groups. [And if you’re a public library with infinite resources I’d like to meet you – I’m a consultant.]
Perhaps the easiest group to tackle is the unaware who don’t know what services a modern library offers. They probably haven’t been in a library since they went to school and just think ‘books’. Or they might be migrants who have no concept or understanding of a universally accessible free library service. The approach with this group centres on communication and education, and might involve some whole of community and some targeted activities. For example:
community-wide promotional campaign to raise awareness of library services
inserting information about libraries in Council newsletters, media announcements, distribution of rates notices, etc.
promotion of library stories via social and traditional media
engaging with organisations that can act as an intermediary in reaching people you might find hard to reach (e.g. schools, community centres, migrant resource centres, social welfare organisations)
hosting visits from those organisations or getting local clubs to hold their meetings at the library
running information sessions at the library or library tours.
It’s amazing to see people who haven’t been in a library for 20-30 years wandering around with eyes wide open as they realise what their library is and could be for them.
The next group is those who have limited access. These people would use the library if they could but they face barriers in terms of opening hours, transport (own or public), library location, disability access, etc. The solution for this group is all about breaking down those barriers, but the barriers are different for different people. And you can’t magically pick up your library and place it in the busiest part of town, or move the bus routes to stop outside your door. But subject to resources there are things you can consider.
Review library opening hours to allow for an early morning, evening or weekend opening (whatever works best for the community, which you find out by asking them).
Review disability access into and around the library and in accessing collections and services.
Offer outreach services that take the library out into the community (e.g. programming with partners, pop ups at shopping centres or transport terminals, services for housebound people and/or residents at nursing homes/retirement villages, attendance at festivals and civic events).
Explore the option of an open library (safe and secure 24/7 library access).
The last group are non-users because of their experience of a library (and we can now throw COVID reluctance into the list of possible causes of non-use). This is probably the most difficult group to engage because you have to acknowledge that negative experience or perception and turn it around. The approaches with this group go beyond the positive promotion of the library to explicitly address the negative factors – and even then you might not change someone’s views. Consider:
removal of library fines for late items and reservations (I don’t need to go into the argument why these are a bad thing)
presenting the library in a positive welcoming way – outside and inside (e.g. bright look and feel, quiet zones and activity zones, smiling helpful library staff)
reviewing library policies and customer service practices.
Ultimately, the success of these approaches comes down to creating positive experiences and telling positive stories about library use. And often the best people to tell those stories are your own customers.
If all of that sounds a bit daunting don’t worry. You’re not trying to engage everyone in the community – the library walls would burst if you did. You’re trying to reach people who might realise the greatest benefit from using library services.
So my main point is, you can’t lump all of the non-users into a single basket – they are different, as shown in these two quotes from a recent community survey of people who don’t use a library.
“The library is central to community life. It is a source of knowledge, a meeting place, a symbol of community strength and open to all.”
“It costs me lots of money via paying my rates for something I don’t ever use or will never use. Make it support itself financially by subscription. Why should my rates be used so bludging teenagers can sit on their arses and game?”
Pick the battles you can win or must win.