Customer Appreciation Days
Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library
Innovation Synopsis
Customer Appreciation Days is a systemwide engagement initiative that turns gratitude into advocacy. Across all 41 Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library locations, each branch hosts a unique community celebration to thank customers and highlight the services, resources, and spaces available through the public library. By meeting people where they are and celebrating the ways they use and support their Library, the initiative creates meaningful connections between customers and staff, increases awareness of Library offerings, and reinforces the Library's value as a trusted community resource. Customer Appreciation Days transform a simple thank-you into an opportunity to deepen relationships, strengthen community pride, and build lasting support for public libraries.
Challenge/Opportunity
Primary Issues Addressed
Many community members use only a small portion of the Library's services and are unaware of the full range of resources, technology, spaces, and programs available to them.
Public libraries must continually demonstrate their value and relevance to maintain strong community support and advocacy. Customer appreciation provided an opportunity to reinforce the Library's impact through positive, personal experiences.
Traditional marketing often focuses on promoting individual services rather than building lasting relationships with customers. The Library sought a way to deepen connections between customers and staff while increasing awareness of Library offerings.
With 41 Library locations serving diverse communities, there was a need for a unified systemwide initiative that could celebrate customers while allowing each branch to engage its community in ways that reflected local interests and needs.
Key Elements of Innovation
Goal: Increase awareness of Library services, resources, spaces, and staff while strengthening community support for the Library.
Structure: A coordinated, systemwide initiative implemented across all 41 Library locations, with consistent branding, shared planning resources, and local flexibility for branches to tailor events to their communities.
Key partners: Branch staff, regional leadership, Service staff, and Brand & Communications staff who coordinated planning, promotion, customer outreach, and event support.
Activities: Open houses, customer celebrations, Library card sign-up, voter registration, customer feedback opportunities, family activities, and giveaways that showcase Library services in a welcoming environment.
Innovation: Customer Appreciation Days reframes advocacy as an act of gratitude. Rather than asking community members to support the Library, the Library first thanks customers for their support.
Achieved Outcomes
Implemented successfully across all 41 Library locations, creating a shared, systemwide customer engagement experience while allowing branches to tailor events to local interests.
The period following Customer Appreciation Days saw higher visitation than the same period in the previous year.
Staff feedback highlighted the value of having a flexible framework that allowed branches to celebrate their unique communities while participating in a larger Library-wide initiative.
Customer feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with patrons expressing appreciation for being recognized and celebrated by their Library and for opportunities to connect with staff, discover services, and participate in community-focused activities.
Supporting Materials:
- YouTube Short: Paula's Minute - Customer Appreciation Days
