BY: GARNET, ZACH, GRANT, & ALISON MARKETING PLAN FOR CEDAR GLEN LOCAL HISTORY MUSEUM AND LIBRARY

DESCRIPTION OF THE LIBRARY Hours of Operation M-T 9 – 5 F-S 9 – 9 Closed Sunday Non-circulating library, 3 computers (for patron use) Annual budget = $1,000,000 Monthly Board Meetings Four full time librarians Director/Manager Archivist Reference Librarian Genealogy Librarian 2 part-time staff Twenty – thirty hours a week? Who is using the library? (Information gathered from census and staff observation.) Adults (80%) Elderly (15%) Tourists Schools (5%) (Elementary and Secondary)

RESEARCH Cedar Glen, IL (Midwest) Older than Chicago, that’s why people come to us. Founded in 1812, library founded in ,000 residents (U.S Census 2010) Demographics Polish (30%), Italian (30%), Irish (30%), other (10%) large families average family size = 5 people in home large elderly population majority of people are in 30s and 40s raising children Burgeoning youth population. Population is slowly increasing (children) Largely Catholic community

RESEARCH CONT. Occupations (Department of Labor) Tourist income Small business owners – designed to appeal to tourists Doctor’s offices Craft stores Athletic stores Book stores Antiquing City commuters Blue collar Income (US Census 2010) Median $70,000 - $100,000 Education (Talking with schools) Strong public and private schools 70% graduate from high school 60% go to college School Programs (internal) Visit to 4 th grades annually for a historical presentation. High school genealogy report.

RESEARCH CONT. Hobbies (Opinion polls and surveys, 2012) Kids athletics Family sports Soccer Little league Forest preserve Hiking Biking Fishing Parks Families City Government (City Clerk) 70% Democrat 30% Republican Democratic Mayor (1 st term) He is a supporter of our library Wants to expand town

MISSION STATEMENT To preserve the cultural and local history of Cedar Glenn, IL for the posterity, education and access of its citizens.

POSITION STATEMENT We are the repository for Cedar Glen’s history.

VISION STATEMENT We will make history come alive by engaging the community and modernizing our image and services by promoting our materials.

ACTION GOALS Develop a web presence. Increase number of visitors. Develop more collaboration events with schools and local organizations.

IMAGE GOALS To be perceived as the premier source of local history. To be perceived as relevant and modern to our community. To be perceived as an online resource.

SWOT S TRENGTHS  Copious collection of valuable genealogical records, local artifacts, and cultural and historical materials  Recognized within the Cedar Glen community as a reliable source of local and cultural history  Consistent and stable funding through sizeable endowments, generous donations, and occasional grant funds  Cedar Glen’s adult residents respect and value us as an important fixture within the community  Has a large, committed board  Collaboration with local elementary and secondary schools W EAKNESSES  Despite being well respected valued, Cedar Glen residents are hardly aware of our materials and services  Large and aging board makes it difficult for us to enact decisions in a quick, timely manner  Pitiful number of visitors, averaging between 200 – 500 a week (less than 1% of the Cedar Glen’s population)  No website  Little recognition among children and teen Cedar Glen residents  Largely viewed as rundown, outdated, and antiquated

SWOT O PPORTUNITIES  Develop a website and expand into social media to market programs and services to younger generations  Improve image, make it more attractive to younger residents  Explore marketing strategies that will inform current and potential users about our services and programs  Develop new services and programs that will draw in visitors  Increase number of weekly gate count  Identify other collaborative opportunities with Cedar Glen businesses, agencies, etc. that will increase recognition  Recruit younger board members who may help attract Cedar Glen’s younger residents T HREATS  Most residents go to the Cedar Glen Public Library or the Internet for genealogical research  Younger residents, other than the limited programming we provide to them in schools, see us as out-of-touch, outdated, and as “something their grandma might like”  Although residents recognize us as a reliable source of local and cultural history, they see little importance in accessing services and programs and learning about Cedar Glen’s history  If we do not begin marketing and updating our services and programs, we will become obsolete  Board complacency and stubbornness prevent us from enacting change

THE 6 P S Product: Genealogical and other topical workshops and lectures; local history and culture education in schools and collecting and storing of historical materials pertaining to Cedar Glen. Public: Citizens, students, and city visitors. Price: Entrance is free but has a donation box. Place: The Cedar Glen Historical Museum and Library is accessible to all and is centrally located. Production: We need to create a demand for our services. Promotion: We inform our public with school visits and trips, affiliations with the public library and other organizations. We also have certain ethnic holiday festivities.

RECOMMENDATIONS Collaborate with schools and match their curriculum with ours. Virtual museum/library. Create website and start social media communications. Create new programs/services to attract visitors. Board meetings Attract younger interest Create quarterly open board meetings for the public Participate in city council meetings. Create programming outside of the library walls. Extend hours, open on Sunday. Add more computers.

BUDGET FOR RECOMMENDATIONS Staff for extended hours= $30,000 Building, maintenance, utilities = $50,000 Databases, technology = $250,000 Programs = $100,000

EVALUATION By end of the year: Construct a website that averages 100 visits a month. Increase the weekly average gate count to 750 – Increase the number of community collaborations.