Programming on a Shoe String Budget

A wiki created as a resource for the SJRLC workshop presented on December 18, 2008 by:

• Janie Hermann, Princeton Public Library.  jhermann[at]princetonlibrary.org
• Presentation on Slideshare
• PPL Connections Newsletter
• Carol Nersinger, East Brunswick Public Library. cnersinger[at]EBPL.org.
• Link to presentation
• Joan Serpico, Mount Laurel Library. jserpico[at]mtlaurel.lib.nj.us
• Link to presentation

We hope you find this wiki a useful resource.  Please add your program ideas, tips and tricks below.  If you have information on specific programs/presenters that you have had success with, please add them to the Progams Archive.   To edit the wiki, just create your own FREE PBWiki account.   If you have any feedback or suggestions please contact Peter Bromberg at bromberg[at]sjrlc.org.

PROGRAM IDEAS (General)   (To view or add specific program information see the Progams Archive)

• Ballroom Dancing at Mount Laurel Library has been very popular.
• Editorial cartoonist (philly inquirer)
• Women in finance
• Clutter control (Ellen Faye)
• Travel Seminar
• De-stressing your life
• Databases
• Database vendors will come to library to do this.
• De-cluttering
• Master Gardener (most communities have Master Gardner programs.  Also check with Coop extensions)
• Romance Writers
• Healthy Halloween (EBPL)
• Library Birthday party week (EBPL)
• Ice Cream Social (EBPL)
• Spring Health Fair (EBPL)
• India Week (EBPL)
• Cake/Cookie Decorating
• One-on-one computer training, by appointment
• "Coffee Date" (2nd monday of the month)   Library provides cookie/coffee and people come in to talk to each other and to library staff.  Grown from 3 to 30 attendees.
• Health (a wide variety of topics)
• Genealogy
• Resume writing
• Interviewing
• Small business admin (lots of people in your local business community will present for free.)
• Computers
• Concerts
• Home stuff (Lowes does for free)
• Tech tips (Radio Shack)
• Art exhibits and exhibitions:  Find local artist, hang their art.  Have a reception with cookies.  Everyone loves it!
• Crafts (painting, clay, quilting)
• Wellness: tai chi, yoga, mediation
• Health Screenings
• Extreme makeovers
• Student Art month
• Tax Help
• "Ask a lawyer" (find local lawyers to give 20-60 minutes of pro bono)
• Job Seeking
• Film festival
• Guitar series (Princeton PL)
• Scrapbooking
• Weird ideas that worked (Princeton PL)
• Election night at the library
• World Cup Soccer
• Rubik's cube competition (organized by a teen!)
• Synchronized screening of Wizard of Oz and Dark Side of the Moon
• High Tech/low cost  suggestions (Janie Hermann, Princeton PL)
• Interactive blogs/wikis
• Podcasting (host on Internet Archive for free)
• Poetry Podcast for Nat. Poetry Month (Princeton Public Library).  Hosted at Internet Archive and archived on a poetry blog that is still getting big traffic.  See Janie's Slideshare presentation.
• Tech talks (PPL's Tuesday Tech Talks)
• Video contest (host on youtube)
• Photo contents (host on flickr). 
• Gaming nights
• Student film festival
• Customized Social Network
• YouTube contest (King County Library) 
• Specialized Ticketed events (EBPL)
• Storytelling Festival
• Puppetry Festival

PROGRAMMING RESOURCES

• NJCouncil for the Humanities Speakers Bureau: http://www.njch.org/
• Rutgers-Camden Speakers Bureau: http://speakers.camden.rutgers.edu for a plethora of scholars willing to discuss a range of subjects including the social sciences, global issues, health, law, physical sciences, public policy, technology, and more.  To request a speaker, or for more information, contact Cathy Donovan at the Rutgers-Camden Communications Office at catkarm[at]camden.rutgers.edu or (856) 225-6627.

   

• Partnerships
• Museums
• Historical Associations
• NJ Writers Society  (NJWS)
• Holocaust Center
• Universities speaker bureaus (Rowan)
• Pinelands Preservation Alliance
• Red Cross blood drive
• SJ Ghost Researchers (entertaining, professional)

PROGRAMMING TIPS/TRICKS

• Solicit ideas from library staff and volunteers.  Let them know that staff can be involved and their ideas are welcome.  It makes it fun and exciting for everyone in the library.  (Janie Hermann, Princeton Public Library)
• Turn a room reserve/rental into a program.  If a group wants to do a program, offer to sponsor it, and make it a library program!
• Look for partnerships in your community (they have their own PR mailing lists and this will expand your reach)
• local theater
• local museum
• local arts council
• community college
• SCORE
• Clubs and community organizations 
• Have Programs (i.e. dancing) on the same day every month 
• Use teen volunteers to help with programs
• Have categories of programs: (i.e. Learning, Life, Leisure - Mount Laurel Library)
• Find people in the yellow pages that offer services (i.e. tai chi, yoga, bellydancing) and pay them to offer a series of workshops.  It helps them build business.
• Contact local business (banks, grocery stores) and national chains (Target, Verizon) regarding $$ support for programs.  New businesses that want to get their name out are good targets.  Target has an online application.  TDNorth Bank empowers the bank branch managers with a budget to spend.
• Princeton: Pays for everything out of Friends money and separately raised funds.  Not operating expense.
• Author programs are hard to get turnout.  Start with music, and other fun programs.  (Janie Hermann, PPL)
• Ask techies to do programs.  They love to share what they know.
• Ask merchants to donate prizes for contests or raffles.
• Don't put out too many seats, or make the room too big--it will look poorly attended.  You can always pull more seats or (if you room is dividable) increase the room size.
• Do Program Evaluations
• How did you hear about this program?
• What other programs would you like to see?

PR/Maximizing Attendance

• Word of Mouth.  Tell staff.
• Announce at other programs
• Do programs on Friday and Saturday night.  This is when people have free time.  East Brunswick Public Library has had great success with this.
• Local Press
• Develop an email group of press contacts
• Call if your events aren't going in.
• Give them enough notice.
• Keep sending press releases even if they aren't printing the press releases.  Call them to make sure their getting them.
• Get Newsletter to people who don't come into the building.   Either through mail or through email list (get emails of everyone who attends a program)
• Website: homepage and events calendar
• Flyers: In library and distributed outside the library
• Inexpensive PR: Calendar of events on Postcards (1000@$150, business cards.)
• Get "built in crowds".  For example, for a grand opening, ask the HS band to play; you get all the parents.   "India Week" also brought a built in crowd.