Articulating Worth: Communicating the Library’s Value Proposition

Libraries invest significant resources in collecting data and reflecting on the tremendous value they bring to their communities. Unfortunately, the message sometimes fails to have a significant impact beyond the safe confines of the assessment committee room. This paper focuses, from a practical perspective, on strategies for communicating the value message to internal and external audiences (including senior library managers and staff, donors, campus administrators, etc). Some basic concepts, such as simplicity and conciseness, apply to all audiences while other factors must be tailored to the group being targeted. For example, senior leaders will be more persuaded by clear linkages to the strategic plan while campus administrators may be more compelled by rankings and reputation. The author suggests that, to be truly effective, the library value conversation must be carefully planned in a systematic, creative and highly customized way. Libraries must identify the key stakeholders for a particular message, then map out the specific content to be shared and the specific approach or medium to be used for conveying that content to that audience.