Toolkit for planning, promoting
and working with Francophones
and Francophiles in your community
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Project Framework........................................................................................................................................ 2
Project: “Initiatives for Improving French-Language Services in a Municipal Library” .................... 2
Collections, Services and Spaces ................................................................................................................... 6
Library Collections ............................................................................................................................ 6
Services .......................................................................................................................................... 10
Spaces............................................................................................................................................. 15
Quick tips for the collection, services and spaces ............................................................ 18
Outreach and Networking .......................................................................................................................... 19
Using Web 2.0 ................................................................................................................................ 19
Community Outreach ..................................................................................................................... 20
Contacts Directory.......................................................................................................................... 22
Partnerships ................................................................................................................................... 25
Quick tips for outreach ............................................................................................................ 27
Programs and Promotion ............................................................................................................................ 28
Programs ........................................................................................................................................ 28
Program promotion ....................................................................................................................... 29
Quick tips for programming and promotion ....................................................................... 30
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Project Framework
Project: “Initiatives for Improving French-Language Services in a
Municipal Library”
The Ottawa Public Library (OPL) is a large network of 33 branches and 2 bookmobiles serving both urban
and rural Ottawa. In addition to its physical locations, the OPL offers digital, mobile and homebound
services. According to the 2011 census, approximately 15% of Ottawa’s population has French as their
first spoken official language.
As it is always looking for additional funding to improve its library services, OPL staff routinely
researches information about grants and subsidies offered on the local, provincial and federal levels. In
late 2008, the OPL applied for a grant from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport under the
Canada-Ontario Agreement on French-Language Services. The project proposed conducting market
studies with the Francophone community, seeking out courses of action to better serve its needs and
encouraging the community to use the Library’s services. While initially rejected, the application was
reviewed and approved in part a few years later due to the project’s alignment with the priorities of
both levels of government.
The OPL began the project, entitled “Initiatives for Improving French-Language Services in a Municipal
Library” in the fall of 2010, with additional funds provided by the Ministry in 2011 and 2012. By
analyzing the data from early consultations held with the Francophone community as well as soliciting
comments and ideas from organizations and library employees, the OPL was able to determine courses
of action to better serve the needs and interests of this segment of the population.
Needs Assessment
In the first phase of the project, the Ottawa Public Library hired Phoenix SPI to complete a study on the
needs of Ottawa’s Francophone community with respect to French language library services, materials
and resources. The study included a telephone survey of over 400 residents, an online survey with over
400 participants and 10 in-depth telephone interviews. The final report provides the findings of these
surveys and makes recommendations for improving public library services to the Francophone
community. You will also find in the report the questions asked in the telephone survey, a copy of the
online survey, promotional tools and the guide used for conducting in-depth interviews.
Good news: The Francophone community has a high opinion of the OPL! However, there is always room
for improvement, especially regarding French-language services and resources. Here are the main
recommendations resulting from the study:
 Improve French-language materials and electronic resources
 Promote local Francophone authors
 Offer more activities reflecting Francophone interests as well as children’s programming in
French
 Improve the library’s French website content
 Improve promotion of French-language services and materials, and provide information on
cultural activities in French in the region
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Biblio-Forum
In phase two of the project, the Ottawa Public Library retained the services of the Canadian Centre for
Community Renewal to organize its first Biblio-Forum with Francophone, bilingual and Anglophone
organizations serving Ottawa’s Francophone and Francophile communities.
The forum’s goal was to:
 Forge ties with new partners and support them in their respective missions
 Launch a partnership with the Mouvement d'implication francophone d'Orléans (MIFO)
 Promote the Ottawa Public Library and enhance its profile
 Increase customer participation in library activities in French
 Design tools and strategies for better outreach and to engage the region’s Francophones and
Francophiles
Thirty individuals representing fifteen organizations participated in the Biblio-Forum. After the event, an
online survey was sent to all the organizations that had been invited, and suggestions were solicited
from those who had been unable to attend. Nearly ten more organizations responded.
An internal report provides the steps followed for organizing the Biblio-Forum and includes lessons
learned.
An external report contains the presentations and activities held during the forum, as well as the
answers participants provided to the various questions.
Employee Survey
In order to encourage employees to discuss the suggestions made by residents and participants in the
Biblio-Forum, the OPL undertook an idea-generation initiative through its internal blog. The following
email, sent to employees beforehand, was used to encourage participation:
The English version follows below.
La Bibliothèque d’Ottawa (BPO) entreprend un projet pour promouvoir et renforcer la
participation des francophones à la vie communautaire en améliorant les services en français et
l’accès au matériel et aux programmes de langue française de la bibliothèque. En 2011, la BPO a
mené des sondages téléphoniques, en ligne et en profondeur avec des membres de la
communauté francophone d’Ottawa. Lors d’un Biblio-forum tenu récemment, nous avons
rencontré des représentants d’organismes œuvrant auprès de francophones/francophiles, et
nous continuons à récolter des idées provenant d’autres organismes par l’entremise d’un autre
court sondage en ligne.
Nous aimerions vous faire part des commentaires et recommandations des participants aux
divers sondages. Nous profitons aussi de cette occasion pour recueillir vos idées et votre
rétroaction vis-à-vis leurs suggestions.
Au cours du mois d’avril, nous afficherons une question par semaine sur Agora [le blogue
interne de la BPO]. Vous aurez sept jours pour y faire des suggestions et ajouter vos idées aux
commentaires formulés par d’autres employés.
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Merci de votre participation!
The Ottawa Public Library (OPL) is undertaking a project to promote and strengthen
Francophone participation in community life by improving French services and access to French
language library materials and programs. In 2011, the OPL conducted telephone, online, and indepth surveys with members of the Francophone community in Ottawa. Recently we held a
Biblio-Forum to meet with representatives of organizations working with French / Francophile
clients, and we are continuing to collect ideas from organizations through another short online
survey.
We would like to share with you comments and recommendations made by participants. We are
also taking this opportunity to have you share your ideas and feedback on their suggestions.
During the month of April, we will be posting one question per week on Agora [OPL’s internal
blog]. You will have seven (7) days to make suggestions and add your ideas to the comments
made by other employees.
Thank you for your participation!
The following 3 questions were asked, one per week, on the internal employee blog:
Question 1:
Suggestion from the community: The OPL should have a better selection of materials in French,
particularly books written by French Canadians and Franco-Ontarians, more e-books and
databases, and more copies of best-sellers and other popular books.
OPL comments: It would be difficult to purchase more books because the collection
management team already buys all books available in these genres. Frequently, these books are
not on the shelves because they have been borrowed! Availability of ebooks and databases in
French on the market is very limited, which limits the selection in these areas. The number of
copies of books purchased for all OPL branches is calculated based on demand, and is reviewed
and modified every year.
Question for employees: The OPL already makes tremendous effort to improve and maintain its
collection of documents in French. How can we, as employees and an organization, make our
French-language resources better known so that customers discover their range and quality?
Question 2:
Suggestion from the community: More activities focused on community interests and more
children’s programming in French.
OPL comment: The OPL offers a range of programs in French for pre-schoolers in branches in
the east end of the city and in a few branches elsewhere in the network. Programs in French for
school-age children are offered as well throughout the network, especially during March Break
and in the summer. The OPL also offers programs in French for adults, like book groups and
presentations on various topics (gardening, tax preparation for small businesses, etc.). However,
participation varies from one branch to another and depending on the program. The OPL must
occasionally cancel a program due to insufficient enrolments.
Question for employees: How can the OPL better target the programs offered in French to meet
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the special needs of Francophone and Francophile communities?
Question 3:
Suggestion from the community: Make services and other resources better known, as it is
necessary to know that a resource exists in order to use it! Note from participants: Francophone
and Francophile customers are up to date on the availability of ebooks and digital resources in
French and the French version of the website. Promotion must be targeted in such a way as to
inform all members of the community, including non-customers of the library.
OPL comment: The OPL uses various methods to reach members of the community: social
media (blogs, Twitter and Facebook), media relations, posters and brochures, which are often
distributed at schools, community centres, etc. In addition, in order to make the OPL better
known, employee offer presentations in schools, to community groups, etc.
Question for employees: How can the OPL better promote its services and resources to
Francophone and Francophile members of the community?
Although only a small number of employees participated in the survey, they provided excellent
suggestions, which were added to those made by the Biblio-forum participants.
A number of recommendations and possible actions resulting from the needs assessment, the BiblioForum and the Employee Survey have since been tested and many implemented. This toolkit is the final
product. In it you will find the results of some of the actions taken to date, as well as tools and best
practices introduced at the OPL, both as part of the project framework and through other initiatives in
recent years. We hope you find it helpful in your efforts to better meet the needs of your Francophone
and Francophile communities. As information contained in this kit is constantly evolving, we suggest
that you visit the OPL website often for the most updated version.
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Collections, Services and Spaces
Collections are at the core of services offered by public libraries in Ontario. In a library that serves not
only Francophones but also a largely Anglophone population, material and electronic resources in
French can be overlooked among the library’s other collections.
Our study of the responses to the Ottawa Public Library (OPL) survey led us to believe that there were
few materials by French-Canadian authors in our collection, and that the OPL had to make more of an
effort to acquire French-Canadian material. However, an analysis and examination of our collection
revealed that this is not entirely true - French-Canadian authors are well represented in our collection.
What needs to be addressed is how our French-language materials are highlighted and promoted.
The OPL also offers a range of digital resources available in French, such as magazines and online
articles, databases, eBooks and digital audio recordings as well as downloadable music. Most
participants in the various surveys were, however, unaware that these resources existed, or believed
that we had very few and that our collection was in need of improvement. Again we reached the same
conclusion: we need to draw more attention to our French language resources.
The OPL was surprised to learn that a number of the survey participants were not aware of the full range
of services offered in both official languages. While certain positions at the OPL are designated bilingual,
especially in strategically selected areas of the city, staffing branches with bilingual employees is not
possible across the entire library system. It is therefore crucial to equip all staff with the proper tools,
regardless of the language spoken, and to plan its spaces in order to raise the library’s profile in the
Francophone community.
This section suggests some best practices for promoting collections, tools for providing services in
French and advice on providing welcoming spaces for Francophones and Francophiles.
Library Collections
Collection development
Although collection development is a fundamental service for every public library serving a Francophone
population, the purpose of this kit is chiefly to provide suggestions for promoting your collection. That
being said, here are a couple of presentations that will provide you with tools for developing your
French youth and adult collections.
The following presentations were created by librarians responsible for French collection development at
the OPL. You’ll find recent trends in publishing, purchase suggestions amongst new titles, and a list of
selection tools including literary journals, blogs, major best sellers, etc.:

Sautez à pieds joints dans les nouveautés pour les 9-12 ans! (presented to members of the
Southern Ontario Library Service in February 2013)

Noteworthy Trends French Teen Collection
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Highlighting your French-language materials and resources
Having a good collection is, of course, the main goal of any public library; showcasing your material and
resources, however, ensures your customer knows what a good collection you have! “Every book its
reader”, as Ranganathan so aptly put it in his famous five laws of library science. Customers sometimes
need help finding “their” book (or other resource). Don’t hesitate to showcase material, particularly
those that stand out for their quality. Get suggestions from:

Your employees (not just the librarians! Everyone has good materials to suggest);

Your customers;

Your book club members;

Current best seller lists;

Reviews of books, music and movies from various media;

Lists of the nominees and winners of major literary, music and film prizes.
Below you will find a few ways of conveying these suggestions to your customers.
“Coups de coeur” Notes
OPL employees loves to highlight their “Coups de coeur” (Good Reads), both in English and in French.
A very simple way to do this is to insert a “Coups de coeur” note on a book so that it sticks out and
attracts the customer’s attention. Another way to use the “Coups de coeur” note is to attach it directly
to the shelves, next to where the book is normally shelved. As a matter of fact, when this toolkit was
being prepared, seven of the eight “Coups de coeur”
at the OPL North Gloucester branch were on loan!
This is a sure way to highlight our books.
You can ask the pages, circulation desk employees,
technicians and librarians to participate and make
their “Coups de coeur” known. You can also invite
your customers to fill out “Coups de coeur” forms.
To avoid posting mistakes, you can make corrections
by transcribing the forms in electronic format. Here
is the template to OPL’s “Coups de Coeur”.
It’s good practice to share your “Coups de coeur”
notes with colleagues across your library system.
Here is a post from our internal blog encouraging
employees, especially those who are not
comfortable with French, to promote the books on
their shelves using the “Coups de coeur” notes:
A 'Good Reads' note on the shelves
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We have put this list of Coups de cœur (OPL Good Reads) in the French fiction section at the North Gloucester
branch. Almost all of those books are checked out! If you have these titles at your branch, feel free to
produce the shelf talkers below. Templates and other examples of photos can be found on the shared drive.
L’escapade sans retour de Sophie Parent / Mylène Gilbert-Dumas
Une femme décide de plaquer mari et enfants et file vers le Sud. Beaucoup de rebondissements.
L’Olympe des infortunes / Yasmina Khadra
On plonge dans un monde d’infortunés habitant un terrain vague. Malgré tout, l’amitié peut être possible
entre ces moins nantis.
L’amour humain / Andreï Makine
Une incursion en Angola et dans la vie révolutionnaire. Une histoire de guerre et d’amour.
Un coin de paradis / Caroline Héroux
Une jeune femme se retrouve soudainement mère adoptive et doit renoncer à ses études prometteuses. Une
lecture pleine d’espoir.
Détour par First Avenue / Myrtelle Devilmé
Roman qui se déroule entre Haïti et New York sur fond de scandale politique. Plein de rebondissements!
Suggestions brochure
This is a very simple tool for recommending great reads to your customers. Create a list of titles having a
common link (topic, author nationality, literary prize, etc.), and turn it into a small brochure. Your
customers will be able to use it to choose their next book, be it in print, audio or electronic, either
during a visit to the library or by requesting the titles from home.
Here is an example of a brochure that we created using the books read by the members of a book club
at one of our branches.
Bookmarks
Bookmarks are another way to highlight your French collection and provide your customers with
recommendations. Write a few reading suggestions on each bookmark and make them available around
your branch. You can leave some right near your catalogue terminals where people can immediately
check the availability of the suggested materials. These recommendations can also be posted on your
website, as we have done here. This content can even be tweeted, posted in a Facebook message or in a
blog (see section “Web 2.0” in the chapter entitled “Promotion”).
Here is an example of an OPL bookmark and template you may find useful for creating your own.
Thematic Roadmap
If you’re looking for an even more sophisticated way to make reading suggestions, you can enrich them
with related websites, anecdotes, links to databases, relevant community resources, etc. as we have
done with this “Balade littéraire” to highlight the Jour des Franco-Ontariens et Franco-Ontariennes.
Weekly bestsellers list
Every week, we post bestseller lists on the Library’s bulletin board to inspire customers in their reading.
If the materials are not yet available at the library, take this opportunity to show your customers how to
request a title. A number of websites post bestseller lists (e.g.: the BTLF’s Gaspard site, Rue des libraires,
Archambault, Renaud-Bray). Independent bookstores in your community may be happy to provide you
with their lists (this may even stimulate their sales in the event that the customer cannot wait for a copy
to be available at the library).
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Thematic displays
Using thematic displays not only enables us to highlight our resources, which are often forgotten or
hidden on the shelves, but also gives us the opportunity to draw attention to an important event in the
community, a festival, special day, or an upcoming event at the library, etc. This makes it possible to
celebrate culture by making the connection between the library collection and community life.
“Prêt à lire” backpacks
The “Prêt à lire” (Ready to Read) backpacks have been a tremendous success at the OPL! These are filled
with books for pre-school age children and can be borrowed for a three-week period. These backpacks
enable parents and caregivers to provide quality reading material to children to strengthen their reading
readiness skills.
The backpacks are refilled each time they’re returned to the
library and so the contents are always a surprise to the
parent/caregiver and the child. The works chosen are “mustreads”, staff favourites, classic picture books and easy-to-read
non-fiction from our general collection.
Some branches choose to provide the backpacks already filled
- a service that is greatly appreciated by busy parents because
all they have to do is pick up a backpack to get a good selection
of books for their little ones. Other branches prefer to leave it
up to the parents to make up the backpacks themselves,
keeping empty backpacks near a designated display case with
recommended books.
Digital resources
eBooks
Not only are there fewer books published in French, but public
Backpacks for filling with recommended
books
libraries are now facing the challenges posed by eReaders and
publisher-controlled access to eBooks. Libraries are starting to rally and a number of changes are in
sight. A presentation given at the OLA 2013 Super Conference addresses the eBook situation in libraries
and the specific challenges of providing Ontario’s French speaking population with improved access to
eBooks. Please note: This issue is constantly evolving!
Databases and other online resources
A great many online resources offer content in more than one language, French included. In order to
ensure that customers are not overlooking French content in our databases, all OPL databases are listed
on the French interface of our website, even if a database at first glance appears only to contain English
content. If the resource does not offer content in French, it is described in English and the following
message is added to the description: “Interface en anglais seulement”. Refer to the list of OPL databases
on our French Web page for an example.
Online resources can be expensive and unfortunately, are often underutilized as the public is unaware
that they exist, or doesn’t know what they contain or how to use them. This is why it’s important to
make an effort to promote them.
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Here is an example of the impact that promotion can have on our database use: in January 2012, the
OPL gave its customers access to the complete version of the Eureka database, and promoted it on its
homepage in the form of a featured notice. A few months later, the featured notice was removed to
make room for other resources and events. The utilization statistics for Eureka were directly affected:
Promotion of Eureka and number of visits to Eureka in 2012
Promotion
No. of visits
Jan-Mar
Apr-Jun
Jul-Sept
Oct-Dec
Feature
notice on
website
411
None
None
None
238
177
296
Total
1122
As we can observe from these utilization statistics, promoting these highly important resources of your
French-language collection must not be forgotten.
Services
Supporting staff in offering services to Francophone customers
How can service be provided in both official languages to all customers, regardless of branch visited?
How do we provide service in French when an employee does not speak French? Although a number of
positions at the OPL are designated bilingual in strategic areas of the city, providing services in French
across the system is a challenge.
Among other things, survey participants proposed using bilingual identifiers for all employees and
posting more information in French, such as display headings, collection signs, etc at all branches across
the system.
Bilingual lexicon
Needless to say, standardized use of certain library terms helps the customer in his or her discovery and
exploration of the resources offered not only on-site but also online. Choosing between the term “item”
or “document” or providing the accepted term for the collection of storybooks for children is even more
important in a bilingual environment in which employees must often prepare posters and program titles
in English and French. With the development of the bilingual library lexicon, the employee can search an
English term and easily find the French equivalent.
Here is the bilingual lexicon (insert B-12) that was developed by the OPL. It is constantly evolving, with
terms being added as necessary by library employees.
In addition, here are a few English/French lexicons available online which you may find very useful:
 TERMIUM Plus®, the Government of Canada’s terminology and linguistic database
 Le grand dictionnaire terminologique, a bank of terminology records prepared by the Office
québécois de la langue française or its partners.
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Bilingual identifiers for employees (Hello/Bonjour)
Since 2012, all OPL employees wear bilingual identifiers regardless of their language of communication.
OPL bilingual identifier
To assist employees who are less comfortable in French, a document entitled Delivering Service to
French Speaking Customers has been prepared and is available on the OPL intranet site. This document
provides key phrases and a set of options for providing service in French, regardless of the branch or the
language used by the employee.
Online learning modules
Thanks to a grant from the Department of Canadian Heritage, the City of Ottawa’s French Language
Services Branch has developed a set of four interactive modules on the active offer of services in French.
The Ottawa Public Library participated in the evaluation of the proposed modules and the final revision.
The online learning modules are presented in the form of short, humorous videos, activities and
interactive exercises. Although based on Ottawa’s population and services, these modules could be used
as a tool for developing your own modules. Some sections could also be used as they are with your own
staff.
Please contact the French Language Services Branch of the City of Ottawa for more information.
Training in How to Use Public Library Services
How do you introduce the library to a first-time customer or to someone who’s returning after a long
absence? How do you help newcomers or adult learners feel comfortable and able to use the library
without the help of staff? To answer these questions, the OPL has developed a manual entitled
Apprendre à connaitre la Bibliothèque which contains activities to familiarize customers with the public
library. Geared towards adult learners, the OPL has developed both a Student and Trainer version of the
manual. These are due to be updated later in 2013.
Readers’ Advisory
Because assistance to readers in French is an important library service, employees must be well
acquainted with their collections and resources in order to be able to make recommendations. The
presentation entitled L’aide au lecteur en bibliothèque publique, prepared by two OPL librarians, was
created to help employees develop their skills and expand their knowledge. The guide addresses the
concept of reader’s advisory, and the ability to depict the essence of a recommended book to a reader,
as well as tips for conducting reader’s advisory interviews, knowledge of the collection, ways to develop
staff skills, reader development, and tools and resources to support staff in making suggestions to
customers.
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Also keep in mind colleagues who may not have the tools or level of French necessary to promote your
French-language collections. Don’t hesitate to share your knowledge with them. They will appreciate
having a few titles to suggest the next time they’re asked for a reading suggestion in French. Here is an
example of a post by an employee on the OPL internal blog:
Great New French Graphic Novels
Posted in Collection Management
A few excellent French Graphic Novels to suggest to patrons.
Quitter Paris / Mademoiselle Caroline
Superb GN where a Parisian couple moves to the country. They have to reevaluate their
perspective on life : dealing with snow, no more restaurant delivery at home and loneliness. Funny story with drawings
that will appeal to girls.
Thoreau : la vie sublime / Maximilien Le Roy
Beautiful historical GN that traces the history of the great philosopher : Henry Thoreau, during
his adult life. Pacifist poet , anti-slavery, withdrew from society to live in harmony with
nature. This GN gives us a quick portrait of this American whose ideas are still reflected to our
society. Informative and a quick read.
Juarez / Nathalie Sergeef
Women are murdered and left in the desert near Juarez, Mexico. A man arrives in the village in
search of his missing sister. A thriller that keeps us in suspense, which is based on true facts.
Very touching.
L’attentat / Loïc Dauvillier
A Palestinian doctor learns that his wife was the instigator of a terrible bombing. Sadness and
amazement pushes him to investigate the shameful past of his wife. Very current and based on
Yasmina Khadra’s novel.
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Assisting the reader whose mother tongue is not French
It can be so difficult to find a first “real” book to read in a language that is not our own. Your Francophile
customers may not know where to start and it can be difficult, when under the gun, to remember
accessible titles to recommend to them. Why not prepare a list of suggestions in advance? This could
take any of the forms mentioned above in the “Highlighting your French language materials and
resources” section (bookmark, brochure, etc.). By way of example, please refer to the OPL lists posted
on its website:

For French Language Learners: Novels (Intermediate Level)

For French Language Learners: Non-fiction

For French Language Learners: Graphic Novels

For French Language Learners: Movies with subtitles in French
“Book talks”: Presentations for children and youth
The youth librarians at the OPL love giving “book talks” to children and teens. These are class
presentations (at school or at the library) which aim to promote a love of reading and the discovery of
‘Good Reads’. For ideas and strategies to make your presentation to young people a success, we
recommend that you refer to the document Plaisir de lire : un univers à partager, presented at the OLA
2013 Super Conference by two OPL youth librarians.
Book clubs
Book clubs allow participants to discover – and share! – a whole range of new titles. This is the perfect
opportunity to highlight your collection of books in French. Leading a book club, however, demands a
great deal of preparation and, of course, requires devoting time meeting with participants. These
requirements unfortunately pose a challenge for public libraries, whose resources are already limited.
“Turn Key” Book Clubs
If the idea of hosting book clubs for Francophones at your library is appealing but you don’t have the
time to devote to preparation, “turnkey” clubs could be the solution. This involves putting together kits
with everything you need for a book club. Some kits may contain, for example, books by literary genre,
while others may target a particular topic. The entire kit can then be borrowed by book club members.
What’s in the kits?



10-12 copies of each book
Material on best practices for a successful book club
Information on the library’s resources that can be helpful to the club’s members (e.g.: how to
use the online catalogue, what reader’s advisory databases are available, etc.)
This type of kit will soon be ready for OPL customers. We will provide examples of these kits when
they’re available.
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Book Clubs for Youth
While you can put together a book club for children yourself, there are French-language reading
programs that have been developed by organizations that feature books in French and which can help
you in selecting books and leading your club.
Livromagie et Livromanie: Communication-Jeunesse clubs
Communication-Jeunesse is a non-profit cultural organization that encourages youth to read FrenchCanadian and Quebecois children’s literature. Since 1987, Communication-Jeunesse has been creating
book clubs (Livromagie et Livromanie) that can be run by various educational stakeholders.
Enrolment in Livromagie et Livromanie (available on an annual basis through payment of some fees)
includes a leader’s kit for getting the book club started, with activities and tools for selecting books,
organizing games and contests, etc. Posters and thematic leader workbooks are also included to help
you celebrate events such as Children’s Book Week, World Book and Copyright Day, etc. Moreover,
customers can take part in the Palmarès Communication-Jeunesse: youth choose their favourite books
from those they’ve read during the year.
Since the lists of suggested books are long, the individual in charge of the club must devote a great deal
of time to pre-selection and leading the meetings. A first attempt at establishing a Livromanie club in
2010 at the OPL St. Laurent branch was not as successful as had been hoped. Due to staff limitations,
the employee in charge of the club was unable to devote the time required to visit schools and work
with classes. She nonetheless completed the reading program with a few home-schooled children.
In fall 2012, funds were allocated to a second attempt. The employee responsible for the club was
provided with additional time, which enabled her to read and select the books, prepare the activities
and lead the visits. The club was a success! By January 2013, one hundred and sixty-one (161) children
had participated with a total of 447 books read - and the reading program was not yet over!
Number of readers:
7 classes, including 4 French immersion classes
7 enthusiastic teachers
3 families in homeschooling
Number of children participating: 161
Number of books read in individual reading:
24 cartoons
143 novels
72 non-fiction
150 story books
Number of books read in group reading:
58, mostly story books, but also non-fiction and poetry
Number of books read: 447
Providing your employees with the necessary time (in the example above, nearly 25 hours, but this
depends on the choice of books made by the employee - some will also do some reading at home!) to
properly prepare and host book club meetings will enable them to promote your French language
collection more effectively, resulting in increased usage.
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Forest of Reading: Ontario Library Association reading program
(Online information available in English only. The pamphlets Programme de la Forêt de la lecture and
Pourquoi s’inscrire will provide you with the necessary details in French).
The Ontario Library Association’s Tamarac and Tamarac Express prizes (part of the Forest of Reading)
are programs that enable young Ontarians to vote for their favourite books (fiction and non-fiction)
from a selection of the best Canadian books published in French. The Prix Peuplier invites youth to vote
for their favourite Canadian book in French that was read aloud to them.
Short lists of books (10 per program), pre-selected by a committee of librarians, technicians and other
library workers in Ontario, make it possible for the individuals in charge to prepare themselves quickly
and to run focused meetings with youth. Once the participants are enrolled, they have access to the
group leadership activities for each book. The Forest of Reading offers easy-to-manage reading
programs for libraries with few resources.
TD Summer Reading Club
Le club de lecture d’été TD is a joint initiative of the TD Bank Group, the Toronto Public Library (TPL) and
Library and Archives Canada. This fun program strives to engage children in reading during the summer
and helps them to retain their reading skills.
Every year, a catchy theme is chosen from suggestions made across the country. Development teams
work hard to create the program material. They create book lists geared towards specific age groups
which are then presented by category. A staff manual brimming with program ideas, activities, crafts
and promotional material is made available to the staff of member libraries. The promotional material
(posters, invitations) is distributed to member libraries before the end of the school year to encourage
youth to learn about the Club before they disperse for the summer.
Each child who joins the Club receives a free reading kit. They are also invited to participate in the
various activities organized by their library and to share their passion for reading with other young
people all over the country through the Club’s website.
This club is accessible free of charge to all Canadian libraries thanks to the generous financial support of
the TD Bank Group.
Hackmatack Book Award
The Hackmatack Book Award is a reading program for children ages 9 to 12 in Atlantic Canada. Every
year, children choose from a selection of the best Canadian and regional books and vote for their
favourite fiction and non-fiction books. Find inspiration from these lists to showcase your books in
French or to create your own reading club.
Spaces
Having a French-language collection and services in French are the cornerstone of what you offer your
Francophone customers. Providing a space (physical AND virtual) where the Francophone presence is
highly visible is another step toward making these customers feel welcome in the library.
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Your physical spaces
Meeting rooms
Take full advantage of your meeting and/or programming spaces to attract your Francophone
customers. These spaces could become important meeting places in your community if you promote
them properly with your partners, customers and all your other contacts.
Visibility of the Francophone presence in the library
You can try to include these fairly simple elements in your facilities to give greater visibility to the
Francophone presence:

Bilingual signage or even signage that is French-only in certain areas

Inclusion of French material in your displays or even a display that is permanently devoted to
French-language works

Promotion of cultural events in French on your bulletin boards

Franco-Ontarian flag

Welcome sign in French at the entrance.
To help your staff choose the right terminology on posters, refer to our bilingual lexicon or other online
lexicons, as suggested in the section “Bilingual Lexicon”.
Reorganization of collections
It is important to place your collections of French-language materials so that they’ll catch your
customers’ attention as soon as they come into the library. Not only is it a great promotional tool, but
may also attract customers unaware that you had these collections at all!
In August 2012, the St. Laurent branch of the OPL reorganized its collection of storybooks so that it
surrounded the furniture used by young children.
The storybooks in French corner at the St-Laurent
branch
What a success! Loans from this collection rose 20% over the statistics from the previous year (2011:
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9,458 loans/2012: 10,302 loans).
Loan statistics at St. Laurent (by no. of items) –
Children’s storybooks in French
2012
2011
+ /-
% change
June
540
621
-81
-13.0 %
July
577
634
-57
-9.0 %
August
619
663
-44
-6.6 %
September
712
641
71
11.1 %
October
803
811
-8
-1.0 %
November
864
680
184
27.1 %
December
503
419
84
20.0 %
Children love to leaf through storybooks, regardless of language, because the illustrations are so
attractive. This is a sure way to attract attention to your French-language collections.
Your virtual spaces
You can highlight the Francophone presence on your website and in your catalogue:
 Make your website available in both languages using the mirror site method.
 If you make links to external content in English on your site, try to find an equivalent site in
French.
 Regularly blog and make other contributions in French
 Make sure you use the correct terminology when you write for the web. Refer to the section
“Bilingual Lexicon”.
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Quick tips for the collection, services and spaces
 Highlight your best French language materials and resources with:
o “Coups de coeur” notes
o Brochures of suggested reading
o Bookmarks
o Thematic roadmaps
o Weekly bestseller lists
o Thematic displays
o “Prêt à lire” backpacks
o Featured notices on the website
 Equip all your employees so they’ll be comfortable providing services in French
 Offer dynamic readers’ advisory services such as:
o Book clubs
o “Book talk” presentations
o Lists of suggested titles for Francophiles who are less comfortable with difficult texts
 Make sure that the Francophone presence is visible in your library and on your website
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Outreach and Networking
The public library is often a very important, if not crucial, community link in a given city or region. This is
especially true in the case of a minority group, such as Ontario’s Francophone community. When the
Ottawa Public Library (OPL) surveyed the Francophone population, respondents declared that they had
little knowledge of the library and the services that it could offer them, that the library did not have a
big enough presence in the community. We decided to become more proactive, strategic and better
organized with our networking in an attempt to increase OPL’s visibility in the Francophone community.
The following contains helpful tips about outreach and effective networking for a public library.
Using Web 2.0
New technologies have been part of our everyday life for a number of years now. If not already using
them, it’s never too late to learn so you can reach out to an audience that is larger and more diversified
than ever.
Blogs
An interesting blog is a wonderful tool for publicizing your library; it helps increase your collections’
visibility as well as promote your programs and other cultural activities of importance to the community.
Get many employees involved, if possible, in order to present a variety of interests and voices. Also
consider creating a schedule for your bloggers, since you must post blogs regularly to encourage your
readers to return to them often. Check out the diversity of the OPL's blogs to get you started.
The OPL has also prepared a guide for bloggers in French that you might find useful, especially if your
employees are not yet comfortable with new technologies.
Facebook, Twitter
Social media now play a huge role in your library’s outreach. They provide an effective and
instantaneous means to convey your message and interact with your customers and potential
customers. The OPL uses Twitter most frequently but is on Facebook and Flickr, too. We also monitor
the OPL’s Wikipedia page and update it as needed.
Why Twitter?
Twitter is the fastest way of getting your message out. It is also the perfect place to answer questions
from your customers or interact with them promptly. For these reasons, it’s important to select a few
employees, especially those interested in doing so, to tweet. Follow people strategically, and not
because they follow you. Engage in conversation when you see an opportunity.
Example of Twitter tweets in French:
1. OttPubLib/BibPubOtt @opl_bpo : Visitez le jardin de la lecture avec vos petits!
http://is.gd/3Pz2A2
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2. OttPubLib/BibPubOtt þ@opl_bpo : On parle du livre Artémisia d'Alexandra Lapierre à Alta Vista
le 19 février. Venez, partagez! http://is.gd/QnMjLo
3. OttPubLib/BibPubOtt @opl_bpo Venez découvrir des contes franco-ontariens. Une occasion à
ne pas manquer! Le 23 février à Gloucester Nord http://bit.ly/XUamg3
Why Facebook?
Because Twitter is a microblog that only allows 140 characters per message. Facebook is a good place
for adding a little more. You can even link Twitter to Facebook in your tweets. Make sure that you create
a “page” for your organization that is open to everyone, as opposed to a “group” that one must ask to
join.
Why Flickr?
The OPL uses Flickr to upload photo albums of important Library events. For example, we included
photos of the Human Library so people can tweet the album link and include it on Facebook.
Don’t forget: you can promote the library in-branch, on the website, on social media, especially Twitter
and Facebook, in promotional material and through community outreach.
Community Outreach
It is important to move beyond the library walls to raise awareness of the library in the community, to
promote its services and programs, and to meet new customers or potential partners. Despite the fact
that we are often invited (by schools, daycares, seniors’ centres, etc.) to visit groups and participate in
events, a great many organizations do not think to include the public library in their meetings and
activities. These are, however, places the Library could take advantage of for raising its profile! Here are
a few best practices to help you reach out to the community.
Calendar of important community events, festivals, etc.
Prioritizing: What a challenge! Public libraries, whose resources are always so limited, nevertheless have
no choice. Creating a calendar of community events, festivals and special days makes it possible to
decide in advance on places where the library’s presence could pay off, either by improving its visibility
in the community or by raising the profile of the event. This calendar can also be used to plan library
programs and displays within the library to highlight community events.
The Centre franco-ontarien de ressources pédagogiques (CFORP) offers a theme calendar that highlights
important events for the Francophonie, in addition to other special days. This is an excellent place to
start for preparing your own calendar. The OPL has also used the events calendar produced by the City
of Ottawa , the official site of Ottawa Tourism and other local resources.
As an example, consult the OPL’s events calendar for 2013.
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What to pack?
To maximize the impact of each outing, consider your goal. Determine the interests of those you will
meet and take only the material most likely to attract them. You can also target a service or program
and make it stand out as the theme of your outreach activity. For an example of targeted promotion,
take a look at what OPL did to promote our Awesome Authors contest in 2013.
Do you have a Facebook page? A Twitter account? Invite everyone you meet to follow you on social
networks.
Below is a list of items that you might find useful when on the road so that people will remember your
visit.
Registration kits
The OPL’s registration kit contains:

A message to parents, translated into several languages, briefly explaining the kit’s contents

An information sheet entitled Library Cards and You explaining the advantages and
responsibilities of having a card

A registration form

An envelope
This kit is a great tool for encouraging people with little knowledge of the library, and who may never
have been in a library, to become members. It is also useful for teachers wishing to obtain cards for
students who need parental permission.
A laptop or tablet computer
If a Wi-Fi connection is available where you are doing outreach, take a computer or a tablet with you to
demonstrate how to navigate your website, show off your databases, explain how to register for your
programs or request materials… your website says a lot about you, so show it off proudly!
If technology allows, use the computer to register new members and issue library cards on the spot.
Posters and flyers about your programs and contests
Distribute them, put them up or leave them for others to put up on their bulletin board.
Your business cards
Give them to everyone you meet. They could become your partners, even if they “don’t have time”;
they might remember you one day, and your card will be very useful to them then.
A kit of identifiers with your logo
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If you go to an event where you are given a table (e.g.: Salon du livre), take various identifiers with your
logo. Here are some examples:
Tablecloth with logo
Retractable banner
Giant OPL card
Contacts Directory
A good list of contacts, regularly updated, may become your best work tool for raising your profile in the
Francophone community. Francophone and Francophile members of groups and organizations are most
often spread throughout the wider community and are interested in activities in French, regardless of
where they take place. In addition, being better acquainted with your contacts in the community makes
it possible to simultaneously promote services and programs to more people likely to be interested in
them, as well as to prepare more personalized messages.
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You can draw on existing contacts instead of starting from scratch to start building your directory. Ask
your staff to help compile a list of their contacts and then ask them to survey their community to make
sure no one has been forgotten. A number of other sources can help you recruit new contacts, such as
your municipal website, community guides, neighbourhood association newsletters, etc.
Microsoft Excel is perfectly suitable for creating and managing your contact database. We recommend
putting someone in charge of updating the list in order to keep it accurate and useful, and to protect it
so that data is not lost.
Here is a sampling of a directory that can be used to search for a target clientele, subjects of interest, or
sector of the city.
Type of groups for communication/partnering
Explore the idea of a partnership with the following groups in your community, or at least make sure
they know you! They can help you by sending information to their members, inviting you to do
outreach, suggesting ideas for programming or other services, etc. Who knows where these contacts
might lead?























Food banks
Tutoring centres (for example: Frontier College)
School boards
Parent councils
Community centres/associations
Neighbourhood associations
Recreation clubs
Theatres
Repertory cinemas
Authors’ associations
Your municipal councillors
Business groups
Retirement homes and seniors’ centres
Churches, mosques and other religious institutions
Cultural centres or associations of various ethnic communities
Embassies
Online community calendars, even those in English, and other sites dealing with community or
cultural life in your city or neighbourhood (e.g. Ottawa Start and MIFO)
Associations for homeschooling parents
Literacy organizations
Municipal services (Public Health, Recreation and Culture, etc.)
Museums and art galleries
Colleges, universities and postsecondary education institutions
Other organizations
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How to start the first conversation
When it comes to networking, establishing contact in person, or even over the phone, can go a long way
in making a good impression in today’s ultra high-tech world. If you cannot establish personal contact,
here is an example of a message to send by e-mail to possible partners:
Example of a message in French to send to establish a contact:
Bonjour M. ________,
Je tenais à prendre contact avec vous, en tant que responsable des services en
français de votre organisme, car nous cherchons à améliorer notre offre de service
aux francophones du secteur ouest de la ville. Je puis vous assurer que la
Bibliothèque publique d’Ottawa aimerait beaucoup collaborer avec vous.
Alors amorçons la conversation sans plus tarder. Comment la bibliothèque peut-elle
vous aider à atteindre vos objectifs?
Take advantage of these initial contacts to promote your meeting rooms, since organizations are often
looking for places where their members can meet or where they can offer their programs. This could
very well lead to excellent partner-programs, such as those described in the section “Partner-programs”
in the “Programs and Promotion” chapter (insert link to Partner-programs section in ‘Programmes et
promotion section’).
Survey to determine contact interests
In order to create good ties and useful partnerships, you must know your contacts’ interests and
clientele. This will enable you to focus the information you send them.
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Example of a survey in French for your contacts:
1. Décrivez vos membres.










Bébés (et leurs parents)
Enfants d’âge préscolaire (et leurs parents)
Enfants du primaire (et leurs parents)
Adolescents (et leurs parents)
Jeunes adultes
Adultes
Nouveaux arrivants
Personnes handicapées
Adultes de 55 ans et plus
Autre : ____________________________
2. Quels sujets sont susceptibles d’intéresser vos membres?
 Adultes 50 ans+
 Finances personnelles
 Ordinateurs et
technologies
 Auteurs et écriture
 Généalogie et histoire
 Arts et culture
 Films et documentaires
 Voyages
 Maison et jardin
 Santé
 Emploi et carrière
 Loisirs et bricolage
 Affaires
 Livres et lecture
 Autre : _______________
3. Dans quel(s) secteur(s) de la ville œuvrez-vous?
___________________________________________________________________________
Partnerships
Community organizations may become your best ambassadors, especially if you establish a partnership
with them. Not only could these partnerships lead to an opportunity to provide additional services and
programs (that may be impossible to offer otherwise), but the Library’s visibility to residents increases
with each partnership. It’s a winning formula!
It’s important to establish clearly defined roles from the outset so that each party can fully benefit from
the partnership. We suggest that a written agreement be drawn up, even if it is only a few lines. Here is
an example of an agreement that you can use.
Here are a few examples of partnerships developed with Francophone organizations thanks to contacts
established during the project phase.
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États généraux sur la francophonie d’Ottawa: “cafés-citoyens”
In 2012, the City of Ottawa launched its États généraux sur la francophonie d’Ottawa by organizing a
series of “café-citoyens” at various organizations and focusing on certain segments of the population
such as parents, teens and people over 50. The OPL engaged in this process by offering two “cafécitoyens” intended for the general population, one in an east end branch and one in the west end. The
final report on all café-citoyens in the city can be consulted online.
Mouvement d’implication francophone d’Orléans (MIFO): Bibli au spectacle
Bibli au spectacle, a joint initiative of the Mouvement d'implication francophone d'Orléans (MIFO) and
the OPL, is a concrete example of an innovative partnership. Inspired by events presented by the MIFO
and the Shenkman Arts Centre, the OPL offers its customers scripts of plays, CDs by artists and reading
suggestions prepared by OPL employees. The OPL receives free tickets to shows, which are offered to its
customers through Twitter. Shows organized by the MIFO and lists of resources are promoted through
Twitter and Facebook, as well as in the MIFO’s monthly newsletter. The OPL is also involved in the family
celebration of the Journée des Franco-Ontariens organized by the MIFO, which showcases resources on
the history of Ontario's Francophonie and, of course, contributes to the vitality of the Francophone
community!!
Grandir ensemble children’s services: column for their magazine L’Envol
The magazine L’Envol is published four times a year by Grandir ensemble, a non-profit organization
promoting the well-being of Francophone children in Ottawa. The OPL contributes a column about
reading in each issue of the magazine with reading suggestions provided by one of our youth collection
librarians. Read our first column “Un, deux, trois, on lit!” on pages 22-23 of L'Envol's 2013 winter issue.
Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est: Webcasts
The Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est (CECCE) relaunched its website in the winter of 2013
and wished to produce a few short “webcasts” on subjects of interest to parents of students in
elementary and secondary schools. The OPL was called upon to produce a webcast promoting its
services for children (homework club, databases – and of course, our collection). Visit us again soon to
see our first webcast, currently in production.
Vanier Community Service Centre: Employment workshops
The Vanier Community Service Centre's employment services, in partnership with Employment Ontario,
was looking for ways to increase their job search assistance in order to reach as many residents in the
community as possible. In collaboration with OPL’s Job and Career Services librarian, the Centre’s
resource persons offered two workshops, Techniques de recherche d'emploi and Introduction au c.v., at
one of the OPL branches in their neighbourhood. Thanks to the partnership with the Centre, the OPL’s
repertoire of French-language programs has grown.
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Quick tips for outreach
 Use new technologies, including social media
 Determine the community events at which you want to be
seen
 Take with you all the necessary tools when you go out into
the community. Prioritize what you want to promote.
 Create and maintain a directory of your contacts. Be sure
to know their clientele and what their interests are.
 Focus on groups with which you would like to maintain
contact and/or become partners.
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Programs and Promotion
By analyzing the surveys conducted with members of the Francophone community, the Ottawa Public
Library (OPL) realized that most participants were unaware of its range of programs in French for
children, teens, adults, newcomers and adults 55+. We acknowledge that, in part due to lack of time,
resources and/or imagination, we too often limit the promotion of our programs to only creating
posters for use within the library.
This section offers you a number of ideas to increase both your programming and its participation rates,
both by targeting the interests of participants and improving program promotion.
Programs
All public libraries face the same challenge: To offer programming that meets the needs and requests of
customers while respecting the organization’s strategic priorities and fiscal constraints.
The OPL, like most public libraries, already offers a wide range of programs for children, and services for
teens are rapidly developing. Programs for adults, especially programs in French, are often neglected
through a lack of resources - whether time, staff or budget. However, survey respondents have
indicated interest in adult programs, particularly on the topics of arts and culture, computers, and
finance.
Cafés-franco
“Cafés-franco” are easy programs to organize: you need only supply the space and the coffee (you can
ask businesses in the region to provide refreshments) and promote the event. Invite your municipal
councillor, a community police officer, or any other member of the community with whom residents
would like to chat. We suggest that an employee also join the group, at least for a few minutes, to sound
out the interests of participants and create a more personal relationship. Doing so could encourage
them to come back to visit you often.
Guide to computer training for adults 50+
Are you bombarded with questions about computers and new technologies, but do not have the time to
answer? You aren’t the only ones. Most of the information questions asked in libraries today deal with
computers and new technologies. Unfortunately, our staff does not always have the time or knowledge
required to answer properly.
To address this situation and meet these growing demands, the OPL is preparing a training guide for
employees and individuals working with older people to enable library employees and community
workers outside the library to offer computer training to seniors. Training covers the basics: introduction
to using the mouse and keyboard, introduction to the Windows operating system, organizing files, using
and researching with the Internet, use of web-based e-mail accounts, and, lastly, navigating the Ottawa
Public Library site. This guide will be available in the fall of 2013, so come back to visit us.
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Programs with partners
Thanks to contacts established during the Biblio-Forum and new partnerships with community
organizations that have been forged since, the OPL has been able to improve its offering of French
programs. Instead of assigning staff to develop and offer programs for adults, members of partner
organizations have been responsible for workshops and performances at the library. Library employees
serve as facilitators, looking after program logistics and promotion.
Here is a copy of a form that we have developed for people or organizations wishing to present
programs in the library. It should be noted that for some offers, it may be useful to establish the roles
and responsibilities of each party in writing, thus clarifying the partnership. We also encourage you to
ask your partners if they intend to promote their program themselves and if so, to whom or which
organizations.
Examples of programs with partners:

Since the fall of 2012 MASC (Multicultural Arts for Schools and Communities), an organization
offering arts and cultural programs in Eastern Ontario, has been offering French-language
workshops and performances at the OPL to provide cultural experiences for seniors. When
promoted effectively in the community, these programs have had high participation rates (10-25
participants!).

In the fall of 2012, OPL offered a number of genealogy workshops through a partnership with a
library customer, who is an avid genealogist. Working in partnership with our genealogy
librarian, he offered to run workshops on the genealogy of French-Canadian families. The
workshops were extremely well-received (the participants raved in the evaluations!). Promotion
efforts for the workshops are described later in this chapter.

In Spring 2013: Job search workshops offered by the Vanier Community Service Centre. We’ll
see if the targeted promotion efforts pay off – visit us again!
Grants for author visits
If your library has limited funds to invite authors to meet your customers, the following sources of
funding may interest you:
The Canada Council for the Arts offers the Literary Readings and Author Residencies Program to provide
financial support for readings by visiting authors.
The Association des auteurs et auteurs de l’Ontario français also offers financial assistance for literary
events with its members through its Programme d’appui aux rencontres littéraires.
Program promotion
The most popular programs are those that are strongly promoted in-branch and in the community. You
must seek out every means for reaching your target audience.
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For example, an OPL program promoted only with in-branch posters had no registration a week before
the program. An employee ventured into the community to put up posters and promote the program to
various groups – he even allowed himself 15 minutes to have a coffee in a retirement home ‘bar’, and
invited the residents to the program. It worked! A week later, 25 people came to the performance, a
number of whom had been in the “bar” during the employee’s visit. You will also find two other
examples of promotional impact later in this chapter.
On the other hand, some programs do not attract enough participants to make them successful,
regardless of the promotion efforts made. Researching the interests of the population and taking the
right type of promotion into account are both important factors for determining the viability of future
programs.
Communication plan
It goes without saying that creating a promotion plan for programs is crucial, not only to guide your
efforts but also to help you evaluate your programming strategy. As a guide, here is the communication
plan template used by the OPL when promoting program series, system-wide activities and major
celebrations.
Promoting through the collection


When you set up a program on a particular subject, make sure that you relate it to items in your
collection. Create a display of these materials to promote the program and make them available
so they can be borrowed by participants.
You can also create booklists that pertain to your programs and print them on a bookmark that
announces the program date, or post them on your website. For example, see this list created in
connection with a genealogy workshop.
Promoting with the intercom


Announce the program in the library before it begins. A customer may be prepared to wait 30
minutes or come back if the topic interests him or her.
Announce the program a few days in advance, especially if the library is busy or the presence of
a target audience has been detected.
Promoting programming during programs



Capitalize on natural curiosity to attract new participants by presenting the program in an open
area of the library, as opposed to tucked away in a programming room.
At the start and/or end of the program, take advantage of your audience’s attention to
announce your other upcoming programs.
Survey your program’s participants to find out what they liked, what future programs they
would like to attend, the best times to schedule programs, etc. Here is an example of an
evaluation form.
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Promoting through people and organizations
One best practice is to create targeted distribution lists in order to communicate regularly with various
members of your community, and with contacts elsewhere in the municipality. As survey respondents
have indicated, many residents want to know what happens elsewhere in the city, especially with regard
to activities offered in French.
The first step is to create a list of contacts by surveying the community and drawing on your employees’
existing contacts. Include not only contact information but also their interests, their target clientele, etc.
Consult the “Outreach” section of this kit for advice and a sampling from a contact directory that could
be used to promote your programs.
Who are the targets for our promotions?
Due to privacy concerns, make sure you first ask individuals for permission to contact them. Here are
examples of sources that you can use when developing your contact list:
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Regular library customers
Program participants
People met in the community, e.g. during outreach visits
Website users
Which organizations should be targeted for our promotions?
Here are some suggestions of organizations, community groups, etc., which could help you promote
your activities:
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Your region’s ACFO (Association Canadienne-Française de l'Ontario)
Food banks
School boards, schools
Parent councils
Community centres or associations
Municipal councillors
Neighbourhood associations
Recreation clubs
Private businesses (travel agencies, the corner café, retailers of tablet computers, etc.)
Business groups
Retirement homes and seniors’ centres
Churches, mosques and other religious institutions
Cultural centres or associations of various ethnic communities
Newcomers groups or the associations serving them
Online community calendars and other sites reporting on the community and cultural life in
your city or neighbourhood (examples for Ottawa: Ottawa Smart, Apt 613)
Associations of homeschooling parents
Literacy organizations
Municipal services (Public Health, Recreation and Culture, etc.)
Museums and art galleries
Colleges, universities and other postsecondary education institutions
Vocational or special interest groups (genealogy and history societies, etc.)
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Do not hesitate to promote to them, even if they communicate mainly in English, since they may have
customers interested in your French-language programming.
What can you send them?
To prevent your message from getting lost in all the information that a person receives every day, it is
important to target the promotion of events according to the interests of the recipients. Here are the
types of communications that could be sent:
 A personalized message with the contact’s name, relating the subject of the event to the
recipient’s interests
 A poster and/or the details of the event
 An invitation to join you or to bring a group (aimed at seniors’ centres, retirement homes,
daycares, etc.)
 A request that that they forward the message/poster to their members or that they print the
poster and put it up in their premises
 A request to tweet about your activities, to add you to their Facebook page, etc.
Promoting through the media
Which media?
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General circulation and local newspapers (Le Droit, Express, etc.)
Popular local, university and college radio (Radio-Canada, CJFO, etc.)
Television (Rogers, etc.)
Online community calendars (e.g. MIFO, City of Ottawa)
Municipal employee newsletters (if yours is a municipal library)
Early childhood centre newsletters (e.g. Envol)
School newsletters for parents
What can you ask them to do?
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Write articles about your events
Publish your advertisements
Add your programs to their events calendar
Tweet about your activities; add them to their Facebook page, etc.
Come to your events
What can you offer them?
 Articles already prepared by your staff
 Your staff for interviews
 Event photos taken by your staff
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Examples of promotional tools
We’ve provided, in no particular order, various examples of promotional tools developed and used by
the OPL. Some are traditional (such as media releases), but new tools have enabled us to diversify our
promotion strategies in recent years, and thus reach more and more people.
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Program announcements made to the media. See our website’s Media Room.
Magazines, flyers or electronic newsletters announcing programs. These could include all your
programming, or each theme could have its own publication. Here is an electronic newsletter
promoting OPL business programs.
Message (e-mail) to promote a program:
Bonjour à tous,
Saviez-vous que la généalogie est le passe-temps préféré de milliers de Canadiens?
La Bibliothèque publique d’Ottawa offrira bientôt -- en français et gratuitement! -- un cours d’initiation à
la généalogie. Vous trouverez ci-dessous la description du cours et, en pièce jointe, une affiche que vous
pouvez utiliser pour promouvoir l’événement.
Faites vite pour passer le mot! La première séance aura lieu la semaine prochaine, le mardi 27 novembre.
Initiation à la généalogie
Ce cours gratuit sera présenté en deux volets. L'emphase sera mise sur les recherches d'ancêtres au
Québec, sans exclure les particularités des recherches en Ontario, en Acadie et aux États-Unis. L'objectif
des deux sessions sera d'initier le débutant à tous les aspects de la généalogie pour qu'il puisse identifier
tous ses ancêtres canadiens.
Le mardi 27 novembre, de 18 h 30 à 20 h, à la succursale St-Laurent
Cette première séance présentera tout d’abord les concepts d'une recherche des ancêtres, ainsi que
l'élaboration de l'arbre généalogique. Suivra l'utilisation des sources imprimées dans la démarche pour
repérer les couples.
Le mardi 4 décembre, de 18 h 30 à 20 h, à la succursale St-Laurent
La deuxième séance reprendra la même approche, mais cette fois en utilisant les sources de
renseignements disponibles sur Internet. L'utilisation des logiciels de généalogie, le repérage des
difficultés et la façon de les contourner compléteront cette deuxième séance.
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Message (e-mail) sent to a municipal councillor, asking him/her to tweet about a program
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Bonjour Madame [l’assistante du conseiller municipal],
La succursale Gloucester-Nord de la Bibliothèque publique d’Ottawa va présenter plusieurs
programmes au mois de février afin de célébrer le mois du patrimoine français. Serait-ce possible
pour [nom du conseiller municipal] de gazouiller sur les programmes qui auront lieu à la
bibliothèque Gloucester-Nord? Voici deux gazouillis dont vous pourriez vous servir :
La succursale Gloucester Nord présente un spectacle de musique latino-américaine le 16 février
http://bit.ly/14B5RNq. Inscrivez-vous! http://bit.ly/WLkwmV
Venez découvrir des contes franco-ontariens. Une occasion à ne pas manquer!
http://bit.ly/Z35BUn
Merci d’avance!
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Posters to promote a program:
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Social media: see our tweets on our Twitter page, our Facebook page, and our blogs, written by
our employees. Make frequent contributions to keep and develop the interest of your followers.
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Feature box with scrolling announcements on our website’s homepage: see the feature box on
the OPL's homepage.
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Digital slides: compose a PowerPoint presentation with digital slides containing information on
your opening hours, programs and services. The presentation can be displayed on a television in
your library, or sent to your partners who have this type of display. Here is an example of a
digital slide and a template you can use.
Digital sign outside a library
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Some examples of promotion impact
When you decide to go forward and promote your programs, use various promotional strategies. They
can be very simple, or in certain cases require a little more time and effort on your part. Try different
things to see what promotion plan generates the highest participation rates in your activities.
Here are a few examples of successful promotion by the Ottawa Public Library.
Example no. 1: E-mail promotion of genealogy workshops
In September 2012, we added two free genealogy workshops, offered in late November/early
December, to our list of upcoming programs on our website. Unfortunately, one week before the first
program we still had no participants registered.
Although we only had a few days before making a decision about cancelling the event, we decided to
send an e-mail message to a newly developed list of contacts who had expressed an interest in history
and genealogy programs. We attached a poster that could be put up on their bulletin boards to
advertise the program to their members.
The next day, the list of registrations started to fill, and ultimately, on the day of the event, the list was
nearly full. In this case, a single promotion effort made all the difference!
Timeline
Date
Measure used
Number of
registrations
Sept 14, 2012
The workshop dates were posted on the
library’s website
0 registrations
Nov 20, 2012
E-mail promoting workshops was sent to
targeted contacts
0 registrations
Nov 22, 2012
Day after the promotional e-mail
5 registrations
November 27
First workshop of the series
17 registrations
December 4
Second workshop of the series
22 registrations
Example no. 2: Promotion of a children’s literary contest through school visits, advertising in the
student newspaper, and the youth book fair
For some years, the Ottawa Public Library has held Awesome Authors, a literary contest for youth.
Entries must be written by youth between the ages of 9 and 17, in English or in French. In 2012, due to a
shortened promotional period, we received few French submissions. In 2013, thanks to targeted and
active promotion, we were able to triple the number of entries. Compare:
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Year of contest
Number of submittals
in French
Promotion plan
2012
34
2013
99
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Posters in library branches
Contest posted on our website
homepage
Bookmarks for distribution inbranch
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Posters in library branches
Contest posted on our website
homepage
Bookmarks for distribution inbranch, in schools and during
outreach events
Visit to six French-language
schools and promotion of the
contest in person to 40 classes
Advertising in the local
newspaper, L’Express
Targeted promotion of the
contest at our booth during the
Salon du livre jeunesse
d’Orléans. Instead of trying to
promote all of OPL’s services,
employees specifically promoted
the contest and distributed
promotional material for this
event.
Surveys
Surveying people in your community can provide information that will enable you to improve your
future programs and services, and better target your promotion.
It is easy enough to have program participants fill in a survey, since they are a “captive audience,” but
you no doubt want to know the opinion of other members of the community, people who do not
regularly attend programs or who are not library customers.
In your survey, ask questions to determine which subjects interest your audience, and the best time to
offer programs (time of the day or week that are most suitable for them).
Here is an example of a survey conducted with adults 55 and over.
Lastly, you can try to survey people in your community who are not library customers. Their opinion is
more difficult to obtain but will be all the more useful: their answers to the survey could give you tips on
what could persuade them to become customers. Here are a few ways of surveying them:
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Short survey sent to the organizations on your contact list to identify program topics of interest
to their members. See the “Survey” section of our chapter on outreach.
Community consultation: Organize a community consultation in the form of a “café-citoyen” or
focus group, as we did with the Biblio-Forum, and invite all your contacts. See the “BiblioForum ” section of our chapter “Project Framework”.
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Telephone survey: If resources permit, opt for a telephone survey that will enable you to obtain
the opinions of a diverse set of people.
“Question du jour” through Twitter, Facebook, or on your library’s website.
Online survey (e.g. Survey Monkey)
Quick tips for programming and promotion
 Offer balanced programming that meets both the needs
and the demands of your Francophone community
 Find partners who are interested in offering programs at
your library
 Develop a targeted communication plan for each program;
avoid trying to promote everything to everyone.
 Promote activities inside as well as outside the library
 Survey your customers and/or your members of the
community to find out what their interests are
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