A New Kind of Library Magazine, ACCESS Magazine
Richland Library, S.C.
Innovation Synopsis
Richland Library's ACCESS Magazine is a targeted branding project designed to further position the library as an integral player in the community. The magazine's structure and content is built upon stories that reflect and reinforce the library's role in growing our business, education, literary and arts communities.
Challenge/Opportunity
The previous iteration of the library's print publication was viewed more as a program calendar than a magazine. Our research determined that the publication did little to build the library's brand or broaden the perspectives of our community. Research also indicated that the library was losing GenerationX customers (our second largest demographic) at a rate of two to one and, we discovered, those same GenerationX customers represented the largest opportunity for impact through a custom print magazine.
Key Elements of Innovation
The innovations are found in concept, execution and delivery. The concept of the magazine is that the library gives voice to subjects important to the community without overtly advertising itself. We build brand equity and underscore our role by helping others be heard. In execution, we recruit local writers, entrepreneurs, artists and others to provide the bulk of the stories. And ACCESS delivers those stories through video, web, print, retail outlets, sidewalk boxes and more.
Achieved Outcomes
The branding strategy behind ACCESS Magazine is a long-term plan executed to directly connect the library's vision and mission with the needs, interests and passions of our community. Although the appeal of the project is broad, we've set forth specific measurable goals around increasing the public's perceived value of the library's brand and decreasing the number of inactive Generation X cardholders.
