College and Research Libraries PR: The State of Public Relations in Academic Libraries Vikki Ford This article presents an overview of current public relations (PR) efforts in academic libraries. The results of a survey on the use and effectiveness of PR programs offer a series of interesting findings. The responses show that PR is regarded as important and can be effective in helping academic libraries to reach targeted audiences. A library is not a luxury, but one of the necessities of life.-H. W . Beecher1 eecher' s statement is particu- larly true in the United States, yet our libraries today are beset ~!!i.§~ by the same budget shortages that threaten many other vital public ser- vice agencies. Faced with financial woes, librarians have joined representatives from other types of institutions across the nation in telling their stories through public rela- tions (PR) as a means for increasing public awareness of and support for their ser- vices. A review of the literature on library . PR suggests that public libraries adopted this response to financial problems long before academic libraries. 2 However, no surveys have been conducted to gather statistics that would support or refute this assumption. In 1979library PR consultant Alice Nor- ton found only three college libraries with full-time PR positions. 3 This situation may have reflected legislative restrictions against funding PR positions or campus structures assigning responsibility for aca- demic library PR to existing public infor- mation offices. 4 In 1981 Sally Brickman cited three rea- sons for academic libraries to reach out for public attention: (1) to inform users about collections and services; (2) to demystify academic libraries and make them more user-friendly; and (3) to generate funding to meet the skyrocketing price of books and journals during a period of budget cutbacks. 5 Libraries are often considered the heart of the university. 6 Even so, many campus communities are unaware of their li- brary's resources and fail to challenge its potential. 7 Citing the combined need to provide better user information, to build a positive image, and to project that image to users and potential support groups, Carroll urges academic libraries to join the communications era of the 1980s.8 To fill the information gap surrounding library PR programs, a survey was con- ducted to characterize and determine the scope of the current state of academic li- brary PR. Forty-eight library directors at universities with student enrollments of nine to twelve thousand were surveyed. A Vikki Ford is an account executive at Brodeur/Martin Co., a public relations firm, 50 Washington St., Reno, Nevada 89503. She was formerly the public relations officer in the University Library at the University of Nevada, Reno. 395 396 College & Research Libraries questionnaire was designed to determine • If the library had a PR program • What elements comprised the program • Who was responsible for its operation • How effective it was The conclusions of this study are based on the results of the survey and a review of the literature . REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Two major tasks t,hat face libraries today are informing users of the resources avail- able and maintaining adequate financial support in the face of inflation and budget cuts. 9 Both require solutions to communi- cation problems that result from out- moded stereotypes of libraries as musty storehouses for ancient tomes of little in- terest to anyone except historians. 10 Academic librarians may no longer take for granted the existence of a built-in sup- port group in the university structure. 11 In fact, most librarians recognize that li- braries have no raison d' etre unless they are used. This has led to the increasing uti- lization of marketing surveys as a basis for rna tching library services to user needs. 12 Today, it is generally acknowledged that academic libraries must join the PR trend started by public libraries. Increased public understanding of the mission and value of academic libraries is important for maintenance of quality higher education. To increase this understanding requires communicating effectively the role of the library to the academic community-to professors, students, and administrators, as well as legislators and the general pub- lic. Ironically, part of the reluctance to use PR in the competition for public attention and funding comes from that very lack of funds. 13 PR programs cost money and in- . stitutions coping with a shortage of funds often are unwilling to part with money for items not viewed as necessities, such as · PR. To understand PR' s history in academic libraries, it is helpful to view the stages all institutions go through . Daniel Carroll calls this ·process organizational aging. During their early years, organizations are concerned with image and audience September 1985 appeal because acceptance means sur- vival. During this stage, considerable em- . phasis is placed upon effective communi- cation with the public. During the middle years, following the initial period of success and rising confi- dence, public relations efforts tend to de- crease. Only a limited number of market- ing surveys are conducted and few user education and information programs are available. But organizations communicat- ing inadequately during these years will find themselves on the defensive later, fending off threats to their existence be- cause they have lost touch with their audi- ences. 14 . Academic libraries appear to fall into the category of elderly nonprofit organiza- tions whose value to society has not been questioned in the past. Now, however, li- braries, universities, and other educa- tional facilities face mounting criticism. Their role and value in a complex, information-oriented society often is mis- understood or underrated . Whether academic libraries are middle- aged or elderly, their PR efforts appear to have increased in recent years. Literature devoted specifically to academic library PR was nonexistent ten years ago. Since then, the topic has received some atten- tion, although most books are devoted to public library PR programs with only aT! occasional chapter on academic libraries. b Recent articles recommend that PR ef- forts should begin with and receive the commitment of library administrators. 16 Directors are instrumental in gaining sup- port from all library personnel for the PR effort and in developing understanding and support for library goals among col- lege officials and influential community leaders. 17 Thus, the director acts as the pri- mary salesperson for the library and for its PR program. 18 Of all user groups, teaching faculty are perhaps the most vital. Faculty under- standing of library resources and services will have the greatest impact on their own and student use .19 Alsmeyer outlined methods for reaching faculty and commu- nicating vital information; these include personal contact and the use of print and broadcast media . . He encourages use of two-way communication with all user groups to help stay in tune with their needs. 20 In spite of an increase in literature ad- dressing the need for academic library PR programs, little research could be found to show whether college librarians agree on the need for such programs. In 1977, Vre- cenat conducted a regional study of 424li- brary PR programs, 16 of which were in academic libraries, and commented that few academic librarians participated in the study and that many seemed unaware of the possibilities available. 21 More recently, Frank Wylie, director of public affairs at California State University and ex-president of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), completed a national survey of library PR programs. The results were presented at the Ameri- can Library Association's 1983 Annual Conference in Los Angeles. 22 Academic libraries composed 34 percent of the population of this study, which gen- erated a 50 percent response rate. Results show that public libraries are three times more likely to have PR programs than aca- demic libraries. The other results of the study did not distinguish between aca- demic and public libraries, but a review of the statistics gathered gives a general pic- ture of library PR today. Of all libraries surveyed, 58 percent have PR programs. More than two-thirds of those programs were coordinated by li- brary staff rather than through outside sources or agencies. The survey did not ask whether library staff meant PR profes- · sionals or librarians. While 90 percent of the programs had management backing, only 19 percent of the respondents claimed to have a formal PR program. Existing programs focus two-thirds of the PR efforts on external communications and one-third on inter- nal. Two major problem areas in library PR programs emerged from this survey: ade- quate planning, i.e., designing activities to reach targeted audiences with specific information, and evaluation of results. Commenting on the survey results, · Richard Sweeney, director of public li- braries in Ohio's Columbus and Franklin PR: The State of Public Relations 397 counties, said libraries need professional PR practitioners. 22 Wylie's review characterizes PR pro- grams as being in the toddler stage in pub- lic libraries, but still in their early infancy in academic libraries. To provide direction for current programs and future research, more information on the number of uni- versity libraries having PR programs would be useful. Determining the amount of interest in the topic and the problems now being experienced will provide a ba- sis for future research. THE STUDY For this study of the state of academic li- brary PR, forty-eight state university li- braries were surveyed. All receive state and federal funding and have student en- rollments between nine and twelve thou- sand. A questionnaire was designed to deter- mine what elements academic library PR programs have in common, who adminis- ters them, how long they have existed, how effective they are, and what the results have been. These questionnaires were sent to the directors of the forty-eight academic libraries chosen. The results necessarily reflect administrators' opin- ions on the usefulness of the programs. Forty-one of the forty-eight directors re- sponded. This resulted in a response rate of 85 percent, extremely high for any sur- vey. Responses confirmed that planned PR programs are still new to academic li- braries. Only one administrator has had a program for more than fifteen years (thirty-three years). Three have had pro- grams for more than ten years (eleven, twelve, and fourteen years). The rest fell below the ten-year mark, with most indicating they never had a planned PR program administered by one person. Of those who do, four are one year old, four are two years old, two have existed for five years, and four for ten years. It may be assumed that the twenty who did not respond to this particular question do not have planned programs assigned to one person or did not understand the question (see table 1). . 398 College & Research Libraries TABLE 1 PLANNEDPRPROGRAMS ADMINISTERED BY ONE PERSON None 1 2 5 10 11 12 14 33 Total Number of Programs 13 4 4 2 4 1 1 1 1 31* *Ten respondents to the survey did not answer the question from which these data are derived . The majority use library-trained staff and campus information offices, often in combination, to perform PR tasks (see ta- ble 2). Only five use staff with back- grounds in journalism or PR. Twenty- seven use 'I other library staff,'' twenty-three use the campus information ' office, and eighteen use the two in combi- nation. Of the six "other" answers, two use committees, one depends on the director, another on both the director and assistant director, and two said their programs do not depend on one person or are not coor- dinated. The favored channels of communication , are through displays, exhibits, and posters, with thirty-six of the forty-one us- ing these methods. Next in priority order are press releases, courses in using the li- brary, complaint boxes or boards for li- brary users, in-house publications, slide/ tape shows, and receptions honoring fac- ulty and donors (see table 3). More direct forms of communication September 1985 with targeted audiences, such as em- ployee, faculty and student newsletters, speakers for community groups, radio and television, and interaction between li- brary staff and Friends groups, are used less frequently. The five who checked 'I other'' did list more personal forms of contact for targeted groups. One arranges monthly lectures by out-of-state guest speakers in the library. Another has tours, workshops, and speakers in the library, while two others listed informal coffees and memoranda to department chairs. One library indicated a good response to a series of informal receptions for groups of community leaders. The first was de- signed for lawyers, and more receptions, as well as follow-up activities with inter- ested guests are planned. Overall, academic library PR programs were considered "very important." This is particularly true when programs are for the purposes of informing users, increas- ing use, improving the image of librarians on campus, generating financial support, and increasing the library's budget. Fore- stalling criticism of the library and recruit- ing first-rate library faculty and staff were rated low. Few rated PR programs as ''not important" in any of these categories, al- though recruiting staff was rated the most unimportant purpose (see table 4). Thirty-three academic library directors view their PR programs as "moderately" effective; only five rated them as highly ef- fective, and two stated that their programs are not worthwhile. Directors who gave high ratings to their programs commented as follows: • "We've raised over $350,000 this year on our own. Good PR helped greatly.'' • "Our PR program has resulted in in- TABLE2 COORDINATED PR PROGRAMS Number of Libraries 5 27 23 18 6 Who Coordinates PR Program? Staff member trained in journalism and/ or public relations Other staff member in the library Campus information office Combination of library staff and information office Other Number of Libraries 36 34 33 28 24 21 21 19 18 18 13 12 11 5 3 1 5 PR: The State of Public Relations 399 TABLE 3 FAVORED CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION IN PR PROGRAMS PR Program Components Displays, exhibits, posters Press releases 34 = campus-wide publications 34 = local newspapers 1 = state and national publications 12 = specialized publications (library journals) Courses in using the library Complaint box or board for library users Other in-house publications (information leaflets, brochures, etc.) Slide/tape or film presentation on the library Receptions honoring faculty or donors Newsletter designed specifically for faculty Speakers from library staff to the community Employee newsletter Speakers from library staff on radio or TV Public service announcements (PSA) for radio or TV Friends of the Library program Regular column in student newspapers Newsletter designed specifically for students Paid advertising Other Monthly lectures by out-of-state quest speakers Informal coffees Memoranda to department chairs News stories in student newspapers Tours, workshops, and speakers in the library TABLE 4 IMPORTANCE OF ACADEMIC LffiRARY PR Points Category 110 Help library users by informing them of services, hours, etc. 100 Generate more use of services and collections 98 Make library faculty and staff more effective by strengthening their image on campus 86 Generate private financial support 82 Generate increased library budget 72 Forestall criticism of the library 62 Attract and recruit first-rate faculty and staff creased budgets, has protected funds during state-wide freezes in spending. It has made possible the purchase of more than 100,000 books in the last 10 years .'' • "Value received for dollars expended is very high. Very difficult to allocate opti- mum amount of financial support for this purpose. Competing demands for dollars prevent realizing full PR poten- tial. II Those who rated their programs as moderately effective (see table 5) agreed that one of the major problems is lack of funds for PR staff: • ''Value of regular program is great, un- 400 College & Research Libraries fortunately it is very hard in the face of budget reductions to manage consis- tency.'' • ''It is of great value in the library . Unfor- tunately, we don't have the personnel and resources to do much.'' • "I believe PR programs are becoming increasingly essential parts of a library's program of activities." • ''We have too small a staff to assign the PR function to a single individual. Therefore, the burden falls on the direc- tor to prepare most of our press re- leases, newsletters, etc." • "I am not aware of any academic library of any size with a coordinated PR pro- gram with a specially assigned staff member to carry out the program." One director cautioned that PR should not promote services beyond the capacity of the library. Another stated that more is being done than in previous years, and still another expressed hope of doing more in the future . CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Three important trends surfaced in this study. · First, of the forty-one respondents, forty said their academic libraries are conduct- ing some form of publicity, but less than half (seventeen) reported planned PR pro- grams assigned to one person. Second, the majority (thirty-three) see their programs as only moderately effec- . tive. Third, the extremely high response rate seems to indicate high interest in PR pro- grams among academic librarians. While academic librarians are becoming more interested in PR programs, they have not adopted them wholeheartedly. From the comments, it seems that the rea- son for this is lack of funds for PR staff and programs, yet one of the most highly rated programs raised $350,000 in one year. The time has arrived for academic librarians to take a leap of faith. If partial PR program- ming is meeting with "moderate" suc- cess, academic librarians, to gain the most from their efforts, ought to seriously con- sider implementing complete, planned September 1985 TABLES EFFECTIVENESS OF PR PROGRAMS Number of Libraries 5 33 2 Effectiveness Highly effective Moderately effective Not generally regarded as worthwhile programs with professionally trained PR staff. A planned program consists of four ba- sic steps: (1) research into the particular communication needs of the library, (2) planning the most effective methods of meeting those needs, (3) communicating se- lected information to targeted audiences, and (4) evaluating each step's success in the PR program. Planned programs insure that PR efforts are not wasted. Specific audiences are tar- geted, messages are sent directly to them, and results are evaluated so adjustments can be made to perfect the programming. Public relations experts recommend em- phasis on direct communications with tar- geted audiences. The personal touch should be used whenever possible for the best results. Whether or not academic li- braries can afford a full-time PR profes- sional, it is recommended that more effort be spent improving methods of communi- · eating. By borrowing the best from the best, academic librarians can adopt PR programs that have been proven effective. Effective academic library PR programs include communicating with employees, faculty, and students. Speakers sent into the classrooms and the community could also appear on radio and TV. Emphasis on Friends programs, receptions, and coffees may have more influence toward getting .targeted audiences involved in academic libraries than any number of displays and news releases, although the latter should not be eliminated. Direct mail campaigns also have proven highly effective. Good evaluation techniques improve the efficiency of PR efforts, insuring that precious time and money are not being wasted on fruitless activities. Evaluation techniques may be as simple as mention- ing a book title in a campus newspaper and tracking the increase in demand. More complex methods compare dona- tions from Friends and other community groups before and after specific cam- paigns. If this survey accurately ~eflects changes over the past four years, then interest and activity in academic library PR have in- creased since Alice Norton discovered PR: The State of Public Relations 401 only three college libraries with a PR staff person. But the greatest benefits are yet to come. With continued administrative support, trained PR professionals, planned pro- grams, thorough evaluations, and more sharing of successful ideas and activities, public relations can help resolve some of the financial dilemmas faced by academic libraries. REFERENCES 1. Steve Sherman, ABC's of Library Promotion, 2d ed. (Metuchen, N.J. : Scarecrow, 1980), p.235. 2. Henry L. Alsmeyer, Jr., "Academic Library-Campus Community Communications," Catholic Library World 50:337 (Mar. 1979). 3. Ibid., p.337. 4. Ibid., p.337. 5. Brickman, Sally, "The Academic Library Needs a Planned Communications Program," Catholic Library World 53:137 (Oct. 1981). 6. Ibid., p.137. 7. Sherman, p.219. 8. Daniel Carroll, "Library Marketing: Old and New Truths," Wilson Library Bulletin, 57:215 (Nov. 1982). 9. Marian S. Edsal, Libr,~ Promotion Handbook (Phoenix, Ariz.: Oryx, 1980), p .1. 10. Virginia Van Wynen eckler, "PR for Pennies: Low-Cost Library Public Relations," Sources 2:7 (1979). 11 . Brickman, p .137. 12. Raju M. Mathew, "Modern Marketing Techniques for the Effective Management of University Libraries," Herald of Library Science 19:198 (July 1980). 13. Raeckler, p.6. 14. Carroll, p.212-13. 15. Sherman, p.218-27. 16. Carroll, p .213. 17. Sister Ann Bernard Goeddecke, "College Library Public Relations," Catholic Library World 46:286 (Feb. 1975). 18. Robert D. Vrecenak, An Evaluation of the Graphic Arts/Public Relations Program of the Capitol Region Library Council (Washington, D .C.: Office of Education, 1977) p.26 . 19. Goeddecke, p.286. 20. Alsmeyer, p .338. 21. Vrecenak, p.48. 22. Frank Wylie, "Evaluating Your Library's PR," "PR in Academic Libraries," and "Poster Ses- sion," presented at American Library Assn. Annual Conference, Dallas, 1983.