Library Branding 101: Thinking Beyond Logos and Trademarks

When we think of branding, we often think of the visual elements of a particular product, company, service, or organization. A brand is often associated with a company logo, trademark, symbols, and a specific set of colors that are associated with that company or organization. In this 90 minute webinar, the presenter will provide a more holistic definition of branding that extends beyond the visuals. The presentation will focus on library branding and the presenter will describe how branding is related to the “essence” or “spirit” of the organization. The library’s “brand” represents the feelings and experiences associated using all the different touch-points of the library. Lastly, the presenter will touch upon the concept of personal branding, as it applies to library workers.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this 90 minute webinar presentation, the learner will be able to:

1. Define brand and branding, as they relate to libraries and other non-profit organisation.
2. Explain the concepts of brand loyalty, brand strength, and co-branding
3. Identify the key elements of a library brand 
4. Conduct an internal and external brand audit
5. Develop branding elements to libraries and librarians (ie. personal branding)

Presenter: Mark Aaron Polger (they/them)

Mark Aaron Polger is an academic librarian and information literacy instructor who has been working in libraries since 1992. They received their MLIS degree in 2000 from the University of Western Ontario (London, Ontario, Canada) and has worked as a librarian in public, hospital, and academic libraries. Currently, Mark is the Coordinator of Library Outreach at the College of Staten Island, City University of New York (CUNY). They have written about library marketing in journals and other publications and has presented nationally at library conferences.

Mark is the author of 3 books; Engaging Diverse Learners: Teaching Strategies for Academic Librarians, co-authored with Scott Sheidlower (2017, Libraries Unlimited), Library Marketing Basics (2019, Rowman and Littlefield), and Library Signage and Wayfinding Design: Communicating Effectively with Your Users (2021, ALA Editions)

Their research interests include library marketing, outreach, and UX (user experience) design. Currently, Mark is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the open-access, peer reviewed journal Marketing Libraries Journal, which was launched in Fall 2017. Their next book project will be on Library Marketing Post-COVID.

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Code of Conduct

For questions, please email Eliscia Cirrone, ecirrone@lilrc.org.

Professional Development Hours: 1.5 (.15 CEUs)

Program Recording: Yes

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