As Easy as Pie: Library Card Sign Up Challenge
St. Charles City-County Library
Innovation Synopsis
During National Library Card Month 2025, St. Charles City-County Library challenged its staff to connect 1,000 community members with new Library cards in an effort to help people discover - or rediscover - their Library. Should they reach the goal, Library CEO John Greifzu agreed to let a staff member smash a pie in his face. Through a series of social media posts that included a music video with one of its municipalities, a viral influencer collaboration, and Reels highlighting Library resources with staff, word quickly spread to new Library card members. Staff not only reached the 1,000-card goal but surpassed it, reaching 1,547 cards.
Challenge/Opportunity
We wanted to reach new users who recently moved to the area or had not visited in the last 5 years. Marketing efforts inside branches or our website would only reach current users, while social media could reach beyond. Through Instagram and Facebook posts, the Library created opportunities to revive the community's excitement for and support of the Library.
Each new user was also sent a 6-email welcoming campaign over several weeks to introduce them to the Library and keep their engagement top of mind. With legislation on upcoming ballots and a goal to increase attendance at programs and events, this campaign provided an opportunity to reach beyond the Library's existing audience to strengthen awareness of the Library's value.
The program’s real power was not just in connecting our community with new library cards and educating them about the value of the Library in their neighborhood, but also in uniting staff members from across branches and Library leadership toward a common goal.
Key Elements of Innovation
This project involved a series of social media posts, including:
-1 Music video with the city’s official page; further strengthening our relationship with community partners.
-2 influencer videos featuring reciprocal borrowing and our Library of Things, which received 21,000 likes, putting our work in front of new audiences.
-A “Which Library Card Team Are You” post
-A customer testimonial video.
-A “How Much $ Does Your Library Card Save You” video
-6 videos answering “Why Get a Library Card?”
This project also featured the use of oversized library cards as photo props to celebrate new library card holders. Any staff member who took a photo of a new user holding up the giant card would be entered into a drawing for the honor of smashing the pie at our CEO. Marketing received 51 photos and now use those photographs year-round.
The final video of our staff member, Erin, smashing a pie in our CEO’s face wrapped up the campaign.
Achieved Outcomes
Not only did staff reach the goal of 1,000 new card sign-ups, but they exceeded it at 1,547 cards.
We also tracked data for social media metrics we are happy to share in a spreadsheet.
Three new partnerships were established with a nearby municipality (the City of Wentzville) and two influencers (kindredrosebooks and you_in_the_lou).
