How libraries are using email to keep their patrons informed
Successes and challenges libraries are experiencing
Marketing emails, especially newsletters, help libraries strengthen patron engagement and extend their service beyond the physical building. By sharing relevant updates—like upcoming events, new resources, or personalized recommendations—libraries can proactively connect with patrons instead of waiting for them to reach out. These emails build relationships, highlight the library’s value, and create a consistent, responsive experience that keeps patrons informed, engaged, and connected to their community library.
How often libraries send emails
Here’s how often libraries are sending emails. While some libraries are on either ends of the spectrum, most libraries send libraries on a regular basis. MessageBee’s Deliverability Guide has the details on how often your library should be sending emails, plus much more.
Not all email systems are connected to the ILS
Most libraries’ system is connected to their ILS, but not all of them. For 43%, their email system and ILS are not connected, so email lists have to be exported manually, making it difficult to maintain up-to-date records.
Another thing that non-synched email platforms create is additional staff work. The email lists are only as current as your staff can manage to update them, so it’s a constant game of catch-up to keep lists current.
What emails libraries are sending
While the majority of libraries are sending newsletters to their patrons, it is not universal. Even fewer libraries are sending emails to new patrons, event participants, and updates on branch closures. Engaging patrons based on different factors and criteria is a valuable way to keep them engaged and informed, and it gives your library a chance to send more specific information to those who need it.
MessageBee’s dynamic lists can create lists of patrons based on home library, last circulation date, zip code, and more! Read more about how dynamic lists can benefit your library. The image below shows some of the different criteria from MessageBee that your dynamic list can include.
MessageBee Deliverability Guide
Our deliverability guide helps libraries design, schedule, send, and improve the deliverability of libraries.
Download this guide to help you design the best emails for your patrons.
Who libraries want to reach and their challenges
Libraries are always trying to engage patrons, from new cardholders to young adults. Most libraries want to reach the general community, and over a third want to target new cardholders as well as event attendees.
It can be hard to reach patrons, but targeting specific communication can be a good start. By specifying the group that you want to engage, you can create messaging and content that is more relevant to them. Here is how one library doubled their click rate with MessageBee.
Libraries face staffing constraints, and that is a recurring problem in every part of the library. From cut budgets to expanded roles, library staff have a lot to juggle, and that challenge extends to designing emails for patrons, which can take time if not set up properly.
With MessageBee, staff can create templates and content blocks that can be saved and reused in future communications. For MessageBee users, this support page helps explain all aspects of creating, sending, and reporting messages.
Opportunities for libraries
Public libraries have lots of opportunities to contact their patrons. A few groups and uses that we have seen succeed for different MessageBee users.
1. Welcome email campaign
A series of automated messages that welcome new library users to the community is a great way to get new library users started off on the right foot. Let them know about the benefits, the people, the resources, collections, and events going on in and around your library. Once you build a communication, it’s simple to automate the new user campaign!
2. Save time with templates and savable blocks
A majority of libraries reported struggling with staff time. By creating templates in MessageBee for things like events, branch closures, and newsletters, your library can reuse messages while updating details, saving time whenever you have to create a message. MessageBee also makes it easy to create and save blocks, so if you have a specific header or footer you like to use, you can save that as well!
3. Re-engage lapsed users via email
Lapsed users can be hard to engage, but by creating specific messaging and targeting users who are recently lapsed, email communication can still be effective. MessageBee dynamic lists can automatically create groups of patrons that were last active within a set period of time, making it easy to get in touch with lapsed patrons.