Knowing the community was eager to begin using full library services following an extended facilities closure, SAPL staff put into effect a phased-reopening plan. In order to effectively communicate the phased reopening, SAPL Marketing executed a comprehensive, multimedia public information campaign to guide library users seamlessly back into eventual full service. Almost all branches now offer seven-day service and thanks to the careful planning from our marketing staff, users returned to their libraries.

Our marketing staff was keenly aware of digital and virtual burnout from the community following months of Zoom meetings, online gatherings and social media fatigue. To account for this, much of the burden of public messaging was focused on cross promotion through community partners and a concerted effort on media relations to spread the word about SAPL’s reopening. The media coverage alone resulted in information that reached the audiences for every major broadcast, print and online news source in San Antonio.

The greatest impact of the messaging campaign for SAPL was the immediate reengagement with patrons at library branches. The month following the return to in-person browsing at library branches, more than 115,000 patrons visited a library. By the end of the fiscal year (September 30, 2021) SAPL registered nearly 1.8 million library visits. SAPL continued messaging to users about in-person and virtual programming, preserving a large online following with a goal of converting those audiences to in-person library users.