How Dynamic Lists Can Help Your Library

Every library wants patrons to engage with its emails. The challenge is that not every message is relevant to every patron.

A frequent reader of mystery novels probably doesn’t care about your upcoming technology workshop. A parent looking for children’s programming may not need updates about adult book clubs. When patrons receive too many messages that don’t apply to them, they start tuning out altogether.

The result? Lower open rates, lower engagement, and missed opportunities to connect patrons with the resources and services they’ll actually use.

That’s why MessageBee gives libraries two ways to communicate: static lists and dynamic lists.

Static Lists: Great for Library-Wide Communication

Static lists are the traditional approach to email marketing. They consist of patron information that has been uploaded or entered into MessageBee and saved for future use.

When you have information that affects everyone, static lists are a simple and effective solution.

Use static lists for:

• Holiday hours and closures
• Policy changes
• System-wide announcements
• General newsletters
• Major library updates

For broad communication, static lists make sure everyone receives the same important information.

Dynamic Lists: Deliver More Relevant Messages

Not every communication should go to every patron.

Dynamic lists allow libraries to segment audiences based on the rich patron data already available in their ILS. Thanks to Unique’s integration expertise, MessageBee can access the fields and attributes in your patron database, making highly targeted outreach possible.

Want to send a message to patrons who:

• Just registered for a new card?
• Checked out materials within the last 14 days?
• Primarily use a particular branch?
• Match other criteria stored in your ILS?

Dynamic lists make it possible.

Instead of broadcasting every message to everyone, you can connect the right patrons with the information most relevant to them.

Dynamic lists are ideal for:

• Program and event promotion
• New release announcements
• Technology and digital literacy classes
• Branch-specific updates
• Reader advisory campaigns
• Service recommendations

Better Targeting Creates Better Engagement

Today’s patrons expect personalized communication. When messages are relevant, they’re more likely to be opened, read, and acted upon.

By aligning MessageBee’s dynamic list fields with your ILS data, your library can create highly targeted audiences that receive content tailored to their interests and behaviors. The result is less inbox fatigue, stronger engagement, and more successful outreach campaigns.

Put simply: the more relevant your message is, the more likely your patrons are to respond.

Want to see what else MessageBee can do? Explore our article on Top MessageBee Features.

Watch How to Build a Dynamic List