How to Launch a Successful Library Newspaper Column
Thu, Nov 11, 2021 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EST

For most of the communities in the United States, there are very few ways to advertise library services and value. The local newspaper is one of them. Join former longtime public library director Jamie LaRue as he discusses his experience writing weekly library newspaper columns for more than 25 years. Jamie will demonstrate why this is one of the easiest and cheapest ways for a public library to both educate the community on the breadth of available services, and to highlight the significance and enduring value of the library as a social asset.

This webinar will focus on how to approach newspapers to see if they would be interested in a regular library column, and how to craft a column that people will actually read with the intent of moving patrons first to awareness, then to support.

Attendees of this webinar will learn:
o    The structure of a satisfying column
o    A few simple rules (what to include, what to avoid)
o    Some popular topics and approaches to earn reader engagement
o    Some tips for writing the column, and who should be writing it

Presenter: Jamie LaRue is the CEO of LaRue and Associates. Author of “The New Inquisition: Understanding and Managing Intellectual Freedom Challenges,” LaRue was a Public Library Director for many years, as well as a weekly newspaper columnist and cable TV host. From January 2016 to November 2018, he was director of ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom, and the Freedom to Read Foundation. He has written, spoken and consulted extensively on intellectual freedom issues, leadership and organizational development, community engagement and the future of libraries.