Does your library need help planning a project? Marketing a service?
The Syracuse University iSchool is seeking 5-6 projects for the spring semester of IST 613 – Library Planning, Marketing and Assessment. Student teams work with area libraries during the spring semester to develop plans for new library projects, products or services.
What the students do
Students research how other organizations have planned, marketed and assessed projects similar to yours and produce a literature review. They create a project plan for your endeavor, work on a marketing plan and finally an assessment plan. Each document is reviewed by the professor and follows the format outlined in the syllabus.
What students don’t do
Students do not implement the project. They are responsible for developing the plans for the project only. Students may be available to help with the project afterward as part of an internship.
What your library receives
At the end of the semester, you will receive a project plan, marketing plan, assessment plan and literature review for your project. Some libraries have used these plans to obtain funding from their board of directors or other sources.
What is the time commitment
During the first four weeks of the semester (Jan.25-Feb.18), a staff member will need to spend approximately one hour with the three-student team at your facility, discussing the project idea and any parameters that they should be aware of. Students may need to contact you by phone or email during the semester. On Thursday, April 28 (5:00-7:00 p.m.), you will need to attend the student team poster presentations on their projects and receive the plans developed for you. Estimated total time commitment would be 6-8 hours.
Some service plans students developed in the past:
* Human library
* Circulating bake ware collection
* Institutional repository
* Bicycle lending program
* Little Free Libraries
* Summer reading programs
* Gaming programs – for youth or inter-generational groups
* Information commons
* Book clubs for adults, students, and pre-K children
* Outreach & orientations
* Library art programs
* Computer recycling program
* Library fundraising event
* Music events in the library (coffeehouse)
Email the following information to jahurst@syr.edu:
* Name of your library
* Address of your library
* 5-6 sentence description of the project.
* Name, phone number and email address of the staff member able to answer specific questions about the project
The iSchool is looking for projects from public, school, academic and special libraries, as well as library consortia.
