The Digital Transformation
Vaughan Public Libraries
Innovation Synopsis
In March 2020, Vaughan Public Libraries closed its doors due to the pandemic, and it wasn’t until September 2021 that all branches reopened fully. The mission to engage our community has never been more important and we executed a digital pivot and introduced new formats to achieve these goals and keep the library at the heart of the city.
Challenge/Opportunity
In-branch promotion is a key driver of customer engagement. Our library uses a ‘what’s on’ at every branch to highlight items of interest, supplemented by bookmarks for key initiatives and a quarterly magazine with a 10,000 print run. The closure of branch doors in March 2020 robbed us of one of the most valuable assets in our toolbox and forced a rethink of how we needed to communicate the great resources, virtual programs and initiatives we had available to keep people engaged and connected.
Key Elements of Innovation
VPL shifted to digital publications, with a new bi-monthly RA magazine showcasing the digital collection, while the What’s On program guide was reformatted and moved to a monthly basis. Both were hyperlinked to content or programming to ensure a seamless transition for borrowing or registering. Launched interactive Annual Report and released customer updates on pandemic response every 100 days. VPL also launched a TikTok account and revamped LinkedIn to engage with different audiences.
Achieved Outcomes
- Newly created virtual library hub — VPL at Home — attracted 41,362 visitors in 10 months, with the average customer spending three and a half minutes viewing content.
- Digital publications and promotions led to monthly attendance of 5,000 customers at virtual events and encouraged 338,000 digital borrows in a year.
- Online promotion of curbside pickup helped lead to 640,000 items borrowed over 12 months.
- VPL grew social media audience to 15,000 and enews recipients to 16,500.
