Discover More Library Card Sign-Up Campaign
DeKalb County Public Library
Innovation Synopsis
DeKalb County Public Library launched the Discover More campaign at the beginning of Library Card Sign-up Month in September 2023. Over the course of two months, we increased the number of new library cardholders, expanded the number of active borrowers, boosted the number of visits to branches, and improved circulation rates for digital and physical materials. The campaign used billboard and bus shelter advertising, direct community outreach, and involvement from County officials. The campaign welcomed patrons back into branches in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic while reaching out to people who were not current library users. And because consumers were canceling subscriptions to digital services due to inflationary pressures, the campaign emphasized that streaming media, audiobooks and eBooks were available to everyone at no cost with a library card.
Challenge/Opportunity
DCPL was experiencing lower usage rates and visits to its 23 branches in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although many people in DeKalb County knew about DCPL, we believed there was a gap in their perception about the wide range of services and materials the library offered. Second, while circulation of digital materials was seeing a sharp increase, branch traffic had not returned to pre-pandemic numbers. Finally, the number of competitors for the library continued to increase with the growth in streaming and other digital services and brick-and-mortar stores offering new conveniences like buy-online-pick-up-in-store service.
We knew we needed to show consumers how DCPL had also modernized how it serves patrons. In tandem, we wanted to let people know that we had digital services and materials that could replace the ones they were paying for, and they could engage with the library in the way they preferred most, in person, digitally or a mix of both.
Key Elements of Innovation
We implemented a multi-pronged strategy that leveraged community engagement, outdoor and in-app advertising, and working with County officials.
We chose the Discover More theme to convey that people can discover more about themselves and their world with a library card. Messaging emphasized the library’s unrivaled value, how we always have something new for everyone, and how the library brings people together and fosters self-improvement.
We teamed with DeKalb Library Foundation to share funding for an outdoor advertising campaign that used billboard and bus shelter ads sprinkled across the County. In conjunction, we used targeted in-app advertising to reach people who came into proximity of a bus shelter near a branch. We asked each of our branches to take on 10 or more outreach activities, and worked with DeKalb County Commissioners to reach their constituents with graphics to drop into their newsletters and share on social media.
Achieved Outcomes
We exceeded all of the goals we set out to achieve:
Our goal for new cardholders was 7,000 sign ups, and at the close of the campaign, we had attracted 8,594 new patrons. We also increased the number of active borrowers and the rate of card renewals, with 11,068 patrons renewing their cards. Together, new cards and renewals increased our active borrower rate by 10%.
We aimed to increase branch visits by 10% more than the trend we had been seeing in the prior 12 months. We exceeded this goal with an increase of 12%.
Circulation saw the greatest increase. While our goal was a 5% bump, circulation increased by 18%, driven primary by consumption of digital materials.
At the end of the campaign we recognized creative and outstanding direct outreach efforts by staff with a celebration and Superstar Awards for branches.
