Laura Edmonston
GLL'S MARKETING MAVEN: WINTER 2023
Deputy Law Librarian
Washington State Law LibrarY
During the pandemic, we all had challenges marketing our services when we were offering limited in-person contact.聽 Thankfully, for most of us, we鈥檙e back in our physical spaces and functioning "normally" again.聽 For the Washington State Law Library, the pandemic closure followed by a second closure for an extensive renovation of Washington State鈥檚 Temple of Justice packed a one-two punch.聽 Our featured marketing maven this quarter is Laura Edmonston, the Deputy Law Librarian for the Washington State Law Library. Laura will discuss the challenges of marketing library services from 聽a long-term temporary location.
1. Laura, give us a sense of who the law library鈥檚 main patrons are, what the most common services you provide, and what your typical pre-pandemic marketing outreach was.
One common misconception about the State Law Library is that we are only open to the legal community or members of the Supreme Court. However, the law library is a public library! We receive the majority of our questions from either self-represented litigants or members of the general public with legal questions, such as how to write a will. We used a variety of ways to market the library before we had to close our doors to walk-in traffic 鈥� all of which we have thankfully been able to continue through the pandemic. The law library publishes a very successful blog, we send out information through a patron listserv, participate in conferences, teach CLE (Continuing Legal Education) courses to court employees and we publish a quarterly piece in the Thurston County Bar Association newsletter. Several years ago, we also started one of my favorite marketing and outreach campaigns 鈥� the Supreme Court READ campaign. We enlisted our Supreme Court Justices to take photos that we then turned into bookmarks and posters to display in the library and to hand out at events. It was a very fun way for us to interact with the Justices and for them to show their unique personalities and support for library services. We hope to be able to create a new round of READ materials in the near future.
2. How did your service model change during the pandemic closure?聽 Were you back to pre-pandemic operations before the second closure for renovations?聽 How did you market your services during the pandemic?聽 Do you have a sense of whether usage dropped off or did it just migrate to online and email services?聽 As the law library for the entire state of Washington you already have a robust email reference service model in place, did the traffic pattern for that change?
Our service model had to undergo some pretty drastic changes during the pandemic closure, however we are proud to say that our services never had to stop during that time, nor did we experience any substantial service delays. To facilitate the Court鈥檚 need to cite to materials in print and to answer phones, we kept one reference staff member on site at all times. All other staff reference staff worked remotely. As the pandemic progressed, however, we found that we needed to find a way to get books and other print materials out to people who needed access to them. We instituted curbside service twice a week and dropped fees to ship books to our attorney patrons. We also increased our services to the incarcerated at this time since many law libraries in correctional facilities were unable to operate. In the time between the ending of the Governor鈥檚 Emergency Order and the move, we were already beginning to pack up the library and the Temple, which would have made in person service very difficult for staff and patrons alike. Thus, we kept our doors closed so that we could answer reference questions and pack up our collection at the same time.
In 2021, we decided to take the plunge and join social media for the first time. We created accounts on Twitter, Linkedin and Facebook. Those mediums have allowed us to spread the word about our services, highlight the blog, promote neighboring library services and to flex our creative muscles. We also produced a video tour of the library to use for online programming, which really helped us to 鈥渂ring people in鈥� during the closure. This past year, we introduced Lexis eBooks into our collection 鈥� another fantastic value-add for library patrons.
Overall, our reference statistics did not greatly decline during the pandemic closure. In fact, there were times when I felt like we were busier than ever with questions and requests. We did have a great deal of patrons who would typically walk in to use the library that transferred their usage over to email and phone and we were very proud that we were able to continue to provide reference assistance. We like to say that while using the library was not as convenient during the pandemic, it was still accessible. And we are still always looking for ways to maintain and expand accessibility.
3. I know that you had to move your collection to a separate facility.聽 Are you able to offer walk-in services to the public in your temporary space?聽 How long do you expect to be there?聽 What sort of outreach are you doing to get the word out about the move and your services from the temporary location?
We actually had to move our collection to THREE separate facilities. The most used items are here with us at our temporary location in Tumwater. Those items are available to check out, for the most part. We moved our most rare and delicate items to the State Archives and then we rented a storage space to hold the remainder of the collection. To fill the gaps, we have been relying on interlibrary loan. We have a small research room in Tumwater that is open for walk-in service from 9:00 鈥� 4:00, Monday through Friday. We have a computer available for research and one for looking up books in the catalog. Unfortunately, our new space does allow for browsing in the stacks. But we can pull books for patrons and even have them waiting if they call ahead. We have also decided to continue our curbside service on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
For marketing our new space, we started with a 鈥渟oft launch鈥� approach so that staff could get used to service changes and to helping patrons face to face again. We also wanted to make sure our tech was running smoothly before we really got the word out. Our opening was officially announced through a court press release and we have been making updates to our website to reflect the changes. We plan a full marketing blitz using all of our media channels sometime in the very near future.
4. When do you expect to move back into the Temple of Justice?聽 Are there any big changes that will impact the amount of space allocated to the law library?聽 How do you plan to get the word out about your homecoming to the renovated Temple of Justice?
We鈥檙e told that renovations to the Temple will take a couple of years to complete. The renovations will predominantly be to the building鈥檚 infrastructure, so the library will look largely the same when we move back in. However, we are expecting upgraded lighting, plumbing and more regulated temperatures in the main reading room. We are still working on decisions about any service changes or furniture changes. I am sure the homecoming announcement will be very grand! We will be thrilled to get moved back in to our home base and will be shouting about it from every platform. Stay tuned鈥�
5. Thanks for taking the time to share your expertise and for providing ideas for marketing our libraries when it may appear that we鈥檝e disappeared.聽 You probably have zero free time right now since you are enrolled in law school while working full time, but if you did have free time how would you spend it?聽 Any books, movies, tv shows, or activities to recommend to us?
Thank you for asking! Since starting law school, my tv has been very neglected. However, when I do have time to watch, I am catching up on Abbott Elementary. It is hilarious and heartwarming 鈥� the perfect combination. As the weather gets warmer, you will find me out in my kayak or hitting the trails during my study breaks.