Library marketing often focuses on promoting materials and events, and may neglect to celebrate successes and communicate impact. It is also challenging to make time for busy staff to share these stories with the marketing team. Impact Stories were conceived by three staff members who wanted to encourage staff to share their “success stories” and share the results of longer-term impacts of library initiatives and partnerships.

Impact Stories live on our website and are integrated into email newsletters, social media and reformatted as print summaries for offline sharing. We’ve included them in reports to our new mayor and her team, city council members, the library board and our foundation. Stories are submitted by staff then edited by the marketing team. The effort launched with our Bubbler and Youth Services departments, where much of the work done in schools and in the justice system was out of the public eye, and has since expanded.

Tied to the library’s strategic lens, the stories expand awareness of our library’s commitment to literacy, equity, community engagement and accountability. Stories are also mapped to the elements of our city’s comprehensive plan, showcasing the library’s role in the civic fabric of our city. With 3,100 combined views in the first six months, our 30 (and growing) stories are highlighting partnerships and celebrating community successes.