Back in January, I joined the board of the Library Marketing and Communications Group, the team that runs the Library Marketing and Communications Conference. This annual gathering of library folks involved in marketing, communications, public relations, social media, and outreach in academic, public, and special libraries, is my favorite professional event of the year.
The first LMCC was held in 2015 in Dallas, TX, with nearly 200 attendees. I first attended LMCC the following year in 2016. In the decade since, the conference has more than doubled in size; and this year will be my fifth time attending.
I’ve written before about how much I enjoy this conference. What makes it so rewarding is the opportunity to be with folks who understand my day-to-day:
“Regardless of whether we work in academic libraries, public libraries, as librarians or as professional staff, we all speak the same language. We understand that not everything can go on the website. We know that fliers are a net waste of everyone’s time. We know that creating social media content is a specialized skill that few people actually do well. We realize that more promotion does not equal more awareness. We understand the power of storytelling. We value having a consistent brand. And yes, we all spend too much times on our phones, but secretly (or not) we enjoy it.”
If you’re going to LMCC 2024 this week, stop me and say hello! I look forward to seeing you there. Here is what I’m planning to attend:
Tuesday, Nov. 12
- 9:00a: Board Planning Retreat
- 1:00p: Pre-Conference: Maximize Your Library Impact With Strategic Collection Promotion by Angela Hursh and Caleigh Haworth
Wednesday, Nov. 13
- 9:00a: Very Demure, Very Mindful, and Very Asian Futures in Library Marketing by Michelle Li
- 10:00a: Bite-Size Market Research Tools: Micro Surveys and Usability Studies by Mark Aaron Polger
- 11:15a: Marketing Library Services to Transgender Patrons by Zephyr Rankin
- 1:30p: Social Media Strategy Survivor: Outwit, Outplay, Outlast by Tanner Lewey
- 3:00p: Beg, Borrow, Steal: Finding and Implementing Ideas for Library Outreach by Meghan Kowalski
- 4:30p: 10th Anniversary Opening Night Reception
Thursday, Nov. 14
- 9:00a: Been There, Done That, Do It Again – A Conversation with Experienced Library Marketers with Jennifer Burke, Meghan McCorkell, and Nicole Fowles
- 10:00am: IDEA in Action: Your Voices Best Practices – Empowering Students, Building Bridges by Kara Price, Laura Dowell, and Michele Villagran
- 11:15am: Building a Video Powerhouse: Project Management, Quality Standards, and Staff Development for Effective Library Marketing by Rachel Yzaguirre
- Lunch
- 1:30pm: Embracing Short Form Video by Keith Keslerand Krystal Ruiz
- 4:15pm: LMCC Open House