I have a love/hate relationship with August.  I hate August because it sometimes feels useless.  August is long and hot and dreary.  Summer reading is wrapping up or is over already, but it is too soon to start thinking about next year.  Patrons seem to be far too preoccupied with tying up their own summers and getting ready for back-to-school to participate in programming.  Most autumn activities and programming don’t kick into high gear until after Labor Day.  And, there are no universally recognized holidays in August to offer staff a mental break from their routines.

Thank you to all of the libraries that have already participated in the #FundLibraries Challenge! We've seen some incredible creations from libraries who want everyone to know how they make a difference in their community. Who knew you could make such wonderful things out of books? 

It really demonstrates the energy and passion our libraries have for the work they do for their patrons. Below, we've linked you to the social media posts from our participating libraries:

RAILS has a new tool for libraries to stay connected to the My Library Is... campaign. As part of the campaign, you can subscribe to receive a regular newsletter with links to blog posts, templates, and resources. Anyone who is interested in telling the story of the library and proving the library's value to stakeholders is encouraged to subscribe. This email arrives the first Monday of every month. 

Four members of the My Library Is… Advisory Team will share their library stories in this panel presentation. Representing school and public libraries, the panelists will discuss how their libraries have engaged their patrons, educated their stakeholders, and expanded the reach and value of the library to their communities. A short Q&A will follow.

Panelists:

When we have a message we want to share with the public, we turn to our list of what I like to think of as tools, and decide which will best help us get the word out. Depending on the message, we use a combination (or all!) of these tools: social media posts, print and electronic newsletter blurbs, flyers, bookmarks, press releases, blogs, etc. But what I think is the most important tool is probably the one that’s been around the longest… actual word of mouth.