Prince William Public Libraries (PWPL) has enhanced its services in the past five years to meet the demands of the growing population, better reflect its increasing diversity, and embrace the industry transition from libraries as quiet depositories of books to bustling community destinations.

None of these achievements would benefit the community if people weren’t aware of them. PWPL recognizes that library marketing is essential to helping everyone access information and resources. PWPL innovates to develop new channels of connecting with the community, including marketing tools rarely implemented by a public library. In November 2023, it launched a distinctive project – a podcast.

About half of Americans listened to a podcast last year (Pew Research, April 2023). People turn to podcasts for entertainment, education, and diversion, which presents an excellent opportunity for public libraries. PWPL seized this opportunity and now tells its story through this popular marketing channel.

The “Important Library Stuff” podcast offers an inside scoop on everything happening at PWPL.

PWPL releases a new episode hosted by its media specialist every month. Guest co-hosts join the host to discuss PWPL’s vast collection of books and digital resources, programs, and special services. The first episode highlighted makerspaces, while the most recent episode featured back-to-school resources. Some episodes have special guests from outside the library, such as authors and programming partners.

PWPL’s Office of Communications and Marketing (OCM) developed the podcast, including the concept, goals, and themes. OCM’s media specialist selects the topics and guests, records and edits the episodes, and shares them with the public through various channels.

Despite their marketing potential, podcasts are still relatively rare in public libraries. Moreover, PWPL was the first Prince William County government agency to launch a podcast. PWPL took the lead, hoping to inspire others.

Podcasts are gaining credibility as a source of information and are an excellent marketing tool for public libraries to communicate the impact of their services.

PWPL’s creative team strives to find new ways of connecting library resources with more community members. Every new library patron represents an achievement in PWPL’s vision of being the hub connecting people to the transforming power of information.

The “Important Library Stuff” podcast immediately found its audience and connected people to library resources they may not have known before. Since its launch in November 2023, the podcast has had 16 episodes and more than 1,000 listeners on its host site. The digital promotion of the podcast has reached 17,523 people on social media and yielded 33,581 impressions. Moreover, people tuned in from four continents.

PWPL has already received marketing awards recognizing the podcast’s contribution in reaching listeners, including the Gold AVA Award and the Platinum Hermes Award.