The library and The Friends needed to build awareness and participation among library users and supporters. The library seeks to drive use and meet Saint Paul’s learning needs by increasing awareness of the library’s 21st century resources. The Friends, which committed to raising $7.8 million to support 2014 renovations at three neighborhood libraries, seeks to cultivate new donors and higher levels of support for the library. Our challenge is common misperceptions about the library’s role today and a lack of awareness of its relevance, broad array of services, and value to individuals and the community. Less than a quarter of Americans know “all” or “most” of the services their libraries offer. Many nonusers and even library supporters may even believe that libraries don’t directly impact them.

To appeal to both library supporters and users, the campaign focused on the library’s impact rather than just services. Our theme, “Because of the Library,” reflects our impact-driven approach and messaging. This campaign featured several impact ads, with each showcasing a library user and their success story. For example, a young man is pictured next to the headline, “I no longer second guess my second language," with a subhead saying “Choose from 250 free language programs.” We also introduced the hashtag #BecauseOfTheLibrary on social media, which prompted more sharing of impact stories by local and global library users.

The “Because of the Library” campaign achieved 22 million impressions through digital and out-of-home advertising. In-house marketing at libraries and social media activity furthered the campaign reach. This highly visible and powerful campaign boosted new library card registrations by 13%. Event and class attendance increased by 13%. Library Facebook likes increased by 21%. Twitter followers increased by 17%. The hashtag, #BecauseOfTheLibrary, was used extensively. The Friends engaged 451 new donors and made significant progress on their capital campaign. Acknowledging the momentum of the awareness and capital campaigns, a Saint Paul Pioneer Press editorial released on March 29, 2014, described the many ways that “It's a landmark year for an integral entity in Saint Paul: our library system.”