The Roadmap to New Donelson
Nashville Public Library
Innovation Synopsis
On June 24, more than 2,200 people celebrated the opening of the new Donelson branch library, the first new facility NPL had opened in nine years.
That day, the Donelson team did more in door count, circulation, and library card registrations – all in a single day – than they had in an entire month at the old branch.
How did we get there?
With a year-long marketing campaign that put library customers first; connected them emotionally to the new branch long before it opened; established the library as the center of Donelson, which is a fast-growing and diverse area of Nashville; and rooted the branch in the everyday lives of NPL’s customers.
This award application is about a great campaign that achieved great results. It’s also about a lot more.
This is a story about the magic, wonder, and joy that can only be found at the library. It’s an illustration of what happens when a library – with thought, respect, care, and credibility – invests in opening hearts and minds.
This is a story abo
Challenge/Opportunity
The Roadmap to New Donelson campaign turned four challenges into opportunities:
- First, sustain the community’s interest during a significant ramp-up period leading to opening day.
- Second, establish credibility for this investment. This included both tax dollars, as well as funding from private-public partnerships that would support the facility, staffing, collections, and in-reach and outreach programming.
- Third, reflect the diversity and inclusiveness of the community. That included the Donelson area itself, as well as the entire city of Nashville, which NPL serves with a 21-location system.
In other words, we had to inspire people. A lot. And that meant we had to offer something newer, deeper, and more innovative than we had during other facility projects of the past.
Key Elements of Innovation
BRANDING evoked “atomic age” era of original branch. (See branch manager message below).
COLLABORATION with manager as expert on Donelson community = in-touch, relatable campaign.
PARTNERSHIPS to create influencers: elected officials; Library Friends; Donelson Chamber; Metro General Services; Metro Arts.
STORYTELLING: 6 Parts
Construction
Fun, little-known building facts. Time-lapse / GoPro footage of exterior/interior construction.
Journey
Visual “roadmap” of project milestones. Narrative of coming-soon benefits (more materials/programs; mobile kitchen; art lending collection; rooftop solar panels; public artwork).
Human Interest
- Erycka Shorter/daughters would walk to original branch weekly.
- Photo shoot with them at new branch, pre-opening. Erycka spoke at ribbon cutting; daughters held ribbon.
Countdown
“Join The Party” marketing = 1,392 RSVPs
The Party
More than 2,200 people attended. We got Mayor to work service desk!
Afterparty
Feature on how Erycka/daughters enjoying new
Achieved Outcomes
On opening day, Donelson did 2,276 door count, 2,126 checkouts, 62 library cards. That’s 26% of circ, 44% of registration, 36% of door count, in a single day, that former branch did in a month.
Overall Results
- Coverage on News 5, WPLN, WKRN, Mix 92.9, Fox 17, Axios Nashville, Tennessean
- 9,698 web views
SOCIALS Totals
130,871 reach / 8,896 engagement
E-marketing Totals
199,354 reach, 7,039 clicks, 141,203 opens, Average Open Rate Score 8.4 / 10
From Branch Manager:
Marketing team created resources for me to help get my community excited ... They always acted in partnership with me … they crafted a series of images … including a custom logo we continue to use, post-opening. The … brand identity they created has become instantly recognizable.
The new library was astoundingly busy on opening day, and it continues to be the centerpiece of the Donelson community. We are seeing people we haven’t seen in years … they’re back, and we are so glad to see them again in their neighborhood librar
