1. Relating to the Public

2. Introduction
A well-crafted and executed public relations program supports the library’s strategic and marketing plan – but never replaces it.

3. Overview Board responsibilities Tools of the trade
Bad things can happen
Crisis management

4. Lesson Objective By the end of this lesson you will be able to:
Define what is “public relations”
Describe steps in crisis management

5. What is Public Relations?
Activities that support public recognition and respect
Describes the relationship between organization and public
Tool to influence public opinion favorably
Protects image in a moment of crisis
Integral part of advocacy
IMPORTANT – PAUSE HERE AND EMPHASIZE

6. The Role of Trustees Be well-informed about library services
Listen to what residents know/not know
Make presentations to community groups
Convey information about important issues
IMPORTANT – PAUSE HERE AND EMPHASIZE

7. The Role of Trustees Dialogue with community leaders
Identify and address “information gaps”
Identify themselves as library trustees
Be vocal and visible library advocates

8. Responsibilities of Trustees
Help develop proactive PR plan
Fund the PR plan
Participate in the the PR plan
Evaluate the impact of PR
IMPORTANT – PAUSE HERE AND EMPHASIZE

9. PR Tools of the Trade Press kit Feature stories Special events
Press releases
Public relations calendar
Media training

10. PR Tools of the Trade Interviews Presentations Government relations
Media relations/contacts and lists
Publicity
Letters to the editor

11. Negative situations center on:
Business practices and ethics
Financial problems
False advertising
Disasters
Safety, health and environmental problems
IMPORTANT – PAUSE HERE AND EMPHASIZE

12. Negative situations center on:
Product and service failures
Worker misconduct
Legal issues
Sex, pornography
IMPORTANT – PAUSE HERE AND EMPHASIZE

13. Why Libraries? Highly visible public institutions
Public has sense of ownership
Lack resource to cultivate press
Challenging to serve diverse constituencies

14. Avoid the Crisis Written policies that meet legal standards
Training for staff and trustees
Information about issues causing problems
Pro-active rather than reactive strategies
IMPORTANT – PAUSE HERE AND EMPHASIZE

15. Avoid the Crisis Crisis management plan Designated spokesperson
Positive relationships with media

16. Crisis Management Plan
Team authorized to make decisions
Guidelines for making problem a priority
Protocols for contacting key individuals
Training for front line staff
Designated spokesperson
IMPORTANT – PAUSE HERE AND EMPHASIZE

17. Crisis Management Plan
Procedures for disseminating information
Communication with internal and external audiences
Checklist of questions that media will ask
Up-to-date policies

18. Crisis Management Plan
Written policies regarding roles
Procedures for monitoring public response
Post crisis analysis and report
Sample scenarios for trial runs

19. Designated Spokesperson
Avoids sending mixed messages
Prevents giving conflicting information
Trained to manage difficult situations
Staff knows who he/she is
All information requests referred to him/her
Director or board president or PR director
IMPORTANT – PAUSE HERE AND EMPHASIZE

20. Role of Spokesperson Understands crisis management
Well-versed on the problem
Fills in information gaps
Educates and translates library jargon
Understands how the media works
Knows how to handle tough questions

21. Role of Spokesperson Is credible/quotable
Disseminates only appropriate information
Assures consistency
Assures conformance with policies, procedures
Provides for prompt follow-up with press
Informs internal stakeholders at crisis points

22. Crisis Management 101 Never cover up a problem
Do nothing that makes it worse
Be open and honest
Admit mistake, explain how will be fixed
Demonstrate concern
Be responsive/avoid delays
Crises sometimes present opportunities
IMPORTANT – PAUSE HERE AND EMPHASIZE

23. Trustees Need to Ask What happened? What information do we have?
What information do we need?
Who has that information?

24. Trustees Need to Ask Who needs to know?
What are the short-term consequences?
What are the long-term implications?

25. Group Exercise
CRISIS CASE STUDY – WHOLE GROUP PARTICIPATES

26. Resources
A list of books is available at the end of this section in your toolkit.

27. REVIEW PR is a communications tool
Trustees are involved in public relations
Libraries need PR plans and tools
In a crisis, a designated spokesperson is essential