Promoting eMagazines with Your Print Collection

A simple way to promote eMagazines is along with your actual print display.  Many of the magazines that we have in print are also available through Overdrive and Zinio.  Our library has placed a small sign with each magazine on display that may also be checked out in a digital format.  For those patrons who love eMagazines this is a nice reminder that their favorite magazines may also be found on their device.  For those patrons who are unaware of eMagazines it’s an eye-opener. Download an easy template HERE.

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Other marketing and promotional resources and templates may also be found at the Overdrive site — resources.overdrive.com.

Lynne
Sewickley

 

 

 

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‘Tis the Holiday Season!

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Get your users into the holiday spirit and share a reminder that your digital collection is available even when the library is closed. Are all your books on holiday baking checked out? Need some materials to read while waiting at the airport for your weather-delayed plane? Going on a long road trip? Don’t forget the sleighful of downloadable materials, many of which are immediately available.

Wrapping gifts? Use Freegal and type in search term “Christmas” to retrieve all types of Christmas music. Download Christmas tunes by Tropical Steel Band to get you in a festive mood. Or Perry Como’s “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”.

Don’t want to put on your boots to get a holiday dvd? With Hoopla, you can get instant dvd’s. See the categories of “Festive Holiday Flicks and “Holidays with a Heart”. Hoopla also has holiday music.

Going on a long road trip to grandma’s house? Use OverDrive to download audiobooks to keep everyone entertained.

OverDrive also provides downloadable marketing for their collection. Check out their Winter Promo Pack for fun holiday social media graphics, print-ready flyers to display, and promotional materials.*

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Need some light reading to wile away the time spent waiting in an airport lounge? Don’t forget to use Zinio to download the latest edition of your favorite magazine.

And, best of all, It’s all FREE!!

Karen (Northland)

* Hoopla, Freegal, Zinio and OneClick all have marketing materials too!  Questions about getting print marketing materials? Contact Sarah Beasley for more information.

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Top 7 Reasons to Use the Library Instead of Pirating Media

Woman on laptop computer with man reading bookMedia consumers prefer to get their content quick, free, and easy.  It is no secret that many of these consumers are turning to illegally downloading media through sites like The Pirate Bay.  The Institute of Policy Innovation estimated the damage piracy has done to the music industry alone at $12.5 billion.  There are a number of reasons why we should remind people that using the public library digital resources are a smarter option than downloading media illegally.

1. The Copyright Alert system is working with Internet Service Providers (including Comcast and Verizon) to identify violations.  These violations may generate alerts that could lead to the ISP slowing down a user’s connection speed. Source

2. More than 200,000 law suits against pirates have been filed since 2010. Source

3. Using library media, although free, still supports the artists and producers who are creating the content.

4. The stream of new media will dry up if its creators aren’t compensated for their work.  The quality and quantity of what is produced will shrink without a way to get paid.

5. Most of the media the library offers through OverDrive, Hoopla, Zinio, and Freegal is available just as quickly, in the convenience of your own home, as obtaining it illegally.  Although there could be a wait time if the media is checked out.

6. Piracy is illegal.

7. Library resources are free!

Dustin, Sewickley

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The Big Library Read is Back (soon)!

The Big Library Read this spring was such a success that OverDrive is doing it again—and so are we.

The next Big Library Read will begin September 16 at 12 AM EST and run through September 30, 2013 at 12 AM EST. This time they’re featuring a children’s book, Nancy Clancy, Super Sleuth by Jane O’Connor.

Fancy Nancy: Nancy Clancy, Super Sleuth by Jane O’Connor

As before, both the eBook and audiobook will be available for simultaneous use. Checked out copies of this title will expire at the end of the lending period and not at the end of the program, so a child who borrows the book on September 29th won’t lose access on October 1st. The chosen title will once again be prominently displayed on our OverDrive site and during this program checkouts for the eBook will not count against licenses purchased by us.

Based on our previous experience, the program’s success doesn’t necessarily depend on any in-house advertising. But libraries interested in highlighting this program may wish to check out the marketing kit available from OverDrive. Materials provided virtually include a press release template, poster, bookmark, and web graphic. OverDrive will also promote Big Library Read on your website via a graphic and a link on the title details pages for more information about Big Library Read.

OverDrive is also planning a hosted forum and online chat with the author. They promise that more details are to come.

During the Big Library Read program, OverDrive plans to measure title impressions, views, checkouts, and social media interaction to further its advocacy efforts for libraries in validating the unique and valuable role they play in connecting readers with books and authors. Aggregated data will not contain any personally identifiable information and will be shared with publishers, libraries, and library associations.

And speaking of ways that libraries connect readers with books, have you heard about Library Reads? This is a new, online forum that allows librarians from across the country to participate in creating a list of the top ten most recommended books coming out each month. It’s an all-volunteer endeavor that welcomes your opinions if you want to share them and encourages you to share the lists created. For more information, check out their FAQ.

Lisa (CLP)

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