Sustaining Library Marketing Activities with an Annual Schedule

This article provides an overview of the development of a marketing plan in an academic medical center, including its guiding principles, aims, and measures for success. Considerations for the creation of marketing plans at hospital libraries are offered, based on the experiences encountered by the library’s marketing team. Promoting library services and resources can be difficult in the hospital setting, where most staff time is dedicated to direct patient care and there is little time available for scholarly pursuits, training opportunities, and other non-clinical activities. In addition, frequent staff turnover or program cycles (resident programs, fellowships, etc.) can prevent the accumulation of institutional knowledge over time. Yet these realities are the very reason librarians must market their resources and services. As outreach has been found to be an effective marketing tool (1), the Cleveland Clinic Floyd D. Loop Alumni Library (Alumni Library) staff developed an annual schedule of marketing and outreach activities. This schedule allows us to stay connected with the clinical schedules and educational activities occurring throughout the hospital, while providing the ability to include action items and promote the identification of new marketing opportunities.