Spend a Day with a Library Worker!
Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library
Innovation Synopsis
In 2021, CHPL’s Marketing and Human Resources teams collaborated on video content that inspires new audiences to consider careers at the library. Through meaningful storytelling, CHPL has increased awareness of the diverse jobs and CHPL’s creative, inclusive environment. CHPL has featured “Spend a Day with a Library Worker” posts online since 2019.
Challenge/Opportunity
During the challenging hiring period of 2020-2021, CHPL had a record 525 open jobs to fill, many in positions that don't require a library degree, such as library customer advisor and shelver. CHPL was challenged with creating a new way to attract candidates who didn’t initially consider CHPL as an employment option. After debuting a new, human-focused brand during the pandemic, we expanded our recruitment efforts through storytelling that reinforces our mission of encouraging individuals to pave their own paths.
Key Elements of Innovation
CHPL Marketing staff refocused our "Spend a Day with a Library Worker" public blog posts to highlight positions at all levels of our organization. For example, a profile of one of our delivery drivers underscored their role in CHPL's public health efforts, transporting COVID-19 tests to CHPL locations for distribution. Building on this idea, we posted 12 "Working at the Library" staff profiles on YouTube, our website and LinkedIn to help potential hires better understand the organization’s culture and our community impact.
Achieved Outcomes
"Spend a Day with a Library Worker" blog posts and "Working at the Library" videos will aid in developing a broader, more diverse pool of job applicants and help humanize our staff to the community. From January 1, 2021 through October 29, 2021, "Spend a Day with a Library Worker" blog posts have received more than 2,200 pageviews while the "Working at the Library" playlist received 489 views and generated 7.7 hours of watch time since launching in late September 2021.
