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Julie Zeller

LIS 770.99

Professor Christopher Stewart

Final Assignment/Developing a Marketing Plan

12/09/2014

Storytelling Seniors

The Village of Forest Park, Illinois is the second suburb west of Chicago, with a population of

14,167 residents. (2010 census) 11.5 percent of the population is age sixty five or above. The

village is home to one public library. The Forest Park Public Library was founded in 1856, and

incorporated in 1907. The current library opened in 1949 and has been through a number of

renovations and facelifts. The mission statement of the FPPL reads “The Forest Park Public

Library will maintain and share a collection that meets the need of our diverse community, and

will provide programs that educate, empower, and entertain our public.” (Mission Statement,

2014) The Village of Forest Park also runs the Howard Mohr Community Center, which is

housed in a large building that is kitty-corner from the library. There are various activities for

seniors at the center, including day trips, a senior driver’s review class, bingo, and exercise

classes. One senior book discussion group meets monthly, is facilitated by the library, but meets

at the Mohr center.

The library is interested in developing more programming aimed at seniors. In assessing the

public library’s value in the community, a Harris Poll created for the American Library

Association in 2011 states that “senior citizens (38 percent) are significantly more likely than

other older adults to rank the benefits of the public library at the top of the tax-supported

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services.” (2011 Harris Poll) 83% of adults want the public library to be a source of cultural

programs and activities. In a 2012 report from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, half

of the senior citizens surveyed reported that they visited the library at least once a week. These

statistics show that the Forest Park Public Library can (and should) commit to more

programming aimed at senior citizens. In the five year strategic plan for the library, step four is

to “encourage creativity and community.” (FPPL Strategic Plan, 2011) Although the Mohr

center offers various events and programs, there is an opportunity for the library to introduce

literary programming that will enrich the lives of the senior members of the community. With a

deeper involvement in both the library and the community as a whole, seniors can benefit by

feeling connected to the village and to other residents. Studies show that the telling of stories can

be used as a therapeutic tool for older adults. “Storytelling sparks memories, encourages

verbalization and promotes self-esteem among those with dementia. Inevitably, storytelling is

about memories, but it opens the rules to include imagination and to create something new that

accepts where they are in the moment.” (Alzheimer’s Foundation, 2014) Feeling good about the

programming at the library will lead patrons to support the library through greater use and

participation, and monetarily through taxes and donations.

The SWOT Analysis for this project is as follows:

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Strengths

This type of programming has not been done in the area

Link to sound medical practices with dementia/Alzheimer’s patients

Ability to showcase seniors and the important things they have done in their lives

Opportunities

Raise public awareness of the importance of seniors and their stories

Raise public awareness of the library Opportunity to work with outside

groups, such as Forest Park Historical Society

Opportunity to work with a group such as Story Corps to be able to archive the stories told

Weaknesses

Age group may be too limited

May require additional funds

Threats

May not get enough ongoing interest May cause rift with Mohr senior center-

as they may wish to have all senior programming

In order to market any new service, a target market needs to be established. The market for

“Storytelling Seniors” is not only seniors who are already library patrons, but other seniors in the

village as well. There are approximately 1,575 seniors in Forest Park. Even if one third of these

residents are not able to participate due to advanced age or illness, that still leaves 1,000 possible

group members. Through using a number of media channels, a high percentage of these seniors

can be reached. Press releases will be sent to the Forest Park Review, Pioneer Press, and to the

Chicago Trib Local. Posters and accompanying brochures will be sent to local churches, the

Howard Mohr Community Center, the Altenheim Retirement Home, and local businesses and

restaurants. A Storytelling Seniors Facebook page has been created that will be initially attached

to the FPPL Facebook page. Posters and brochures will be available at the FPPL. Bookmarks

will also be available at the library, and will be placed in appropriate memoir/storytelling books

that will be on display.

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To begin planning for “Storytelling Seniors”, a staff member will need to be selected to run

the group. At least two assistants need to be involved to help with marketing and in facilitating

the story time sessions. With a focus on short stories and memoirs, some key reading material

should be made available to group members to highlight what can be done in telling a story. This

will also need to be chosen in advance. Communication with “Story Corps” would be a great

idea; viewing videos and audio of stories people have recorded will help group members see

what is possible. If senior stories are to be recorded, it is important to reach out to a retailer in

the community to see if audio tapes and dvds can be supplied for this purpose. It would be

appropriate to contact the Forest Park Historical Society to see is they would be interested in

helping to video tape and record the performing of the stories created. These stories can possibly

be archived with the Historical Society, so it would be a natural fit to have them help with the

program. The timeline for planning should be at least three months prior to the first group

meeting, leaving a full month before the first meeting to distribute marketing materials.

At the first few group meetings, examples of what kinds of storytelling can be done should be

shown- either on DVD or by personal example by library staff or a professional storyteller.

Books can be suggested and checked out that have examples of short stories/memoirs. Small

groups can then be formed to start working on individual stories. Ultimately, the stories should

be “perfected” until the participant feels comfortable recording them. Finally, a final wrap up

party could include viewing/listening of the stories that have been written and then performed.

Inviting groups of seniors to a performance will hopefully garner enough interest to repeat the

process over and over again.

When the library staff has determined what the program will include, the segment of senior

citizens needs to be “marketed to.” In Marketing and Promoting Electronic Resources, Dubicki

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states that “target marketing allows you to focus efforts on a group that is likely to be receptive

to your message. It also makes it easier to communicate with the target group via channels they

are familiar with.” (p.10, 2007) Therefore, in marketing strategies for seniors, chances are good

that we would not reach a majority of the population through twitter or social media.

Understanding our market segment is most important, and for this age group, a mixture of very

basic marketing approaches would be appropriate. This mix would include informational posters,

brochures, bookmarks, press releases for local newspapers (Appendices 1-5) library displays, and

word of mouth. Having all library staff informed and able to speak about the program to

potential group members may be the most effective (and cheapest) tool. The goal of the

marketing plan is to reach as many prospective group members as possible, sparking interest in

the group, and ultimately having members join the group. Another goal would be to showcase

the idea to the community, showing community members what is available at the library.

The expenses for this project would be minimal. Marketing costs would involve more

manpower hours than actual dollars. The designs for printed material can be done in house at the

library, as could the printing for posters, brochures, and bookmarks. Newspaper press releases

and inclusion in the local calendar of events are free. Assuming that the library already owns a

video camera and equipment, the taping of the finished stories would also be free. If the library

does not own these items, they could be borrowed from the Forest Park School District. A small

cost may be involved in buying blank dvds onto which the finished product will be transferred.

This would be an expense that could be covered by a donation from a local business. At some of

the initial “Storytelling Seniors” meetings, it would be useful to hire a professional storyteller, to

give members an idea of what they will be working toward. This expense can be estimated at

approximately $200, although chances are good that these services could be donated.

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Refreshments for the wrap-up party would be a small expense; and again, best practice would be

in looking to local businesses for donations.

Based on the number of seniors interested in the initial program, the “Storytelling Seniors”

group would be cyclical. Meeting for two hours a month, the first group would last

approximately three months from start to final presentations. If successful, the cycle would then

begin again with new interested seniors, hopefully retaining a few of the original seniors to act as

mentors. The evaluation of the success of the program can be measured in number of seniors

involved in the project, and in the number of audience members present at the final presentation.

Ultimately, at least three cycles of the group should be offered to give time for the program to be

able to prove successful. If there are only four seniors involved in the first session, hopefully by

the next session word of mouth will spread, and there will be twelve or more new seniors in the

following session.

When finished, recorded storytelling sessions can be attached to the library website for further

marketing. If all goes well, seniors may be asked to tell their stories elsewhere; perhaps at a

meeting of the Forest Park Historical Society, a presentation at the Altenheim home, or possibly

at church functions. There are many possibilities for outreach with this project.

Based on the senior population of Forest Park, the active Forest Park Historical Society, and

the senior population already active at the Howard Mohr Community Center, “Storytelling

Seniors” is a natural fit for this community. The Forest Park Public Library should be offering

more groups aimed at senior citizens, and this group will be a good way to start.

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Works Cited

Forest Park, Illinois census (2010) Retrieved November 29, 2014, from

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/17/1726935.html

Forest Park Public Library, Mission Statement (2014) Retrieved December 1, 2014,

from http://www.fppl.org/about/our-mission

2011 State of America's Libraries. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2014, from

http://www.ala.org/news/mediapresscenter/americaslibraries/publiclibraries

Storytelling for Alzheimer's Patients. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2014, from

//www.alzfdn.org/EducationandCare/storytelling.html

Dubicki, Eleonora. (2007) Basic Marketing and Promotion Concepts. The Serial Librarian.

53(3) p. 5-15

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Appendix One

Press Release

For immediate release:

Contact Bonita Green, Forest Park Public Library 708-366-7171 bgreen@fppl.org

Announcing a new group at the Forest Park Public Library: Storytelling Seniors

Senior citizens, do you have a story to share? Did you have a favorite pet you would like to tell

us about? Maybe you took an extraordinary trip that we would like to hear about. Did you serve

during the war and have stories to share? Did you immigrate from another country? How

difficult was it to assimilate to a new culture? Create a story based on your life experiences.

Librarians will be available to help you write a short story, or create a story to share aloud.

Record your story to share with family and friends. “Storytelling Seniors” will meet the first and

third Monday of the month from 2:00-3:00 pm in the Ferrara Meeting Room. The first meeting

will be Monday, December 15. Any questions can be answered by Bonita Green at the library,

708-366-7171 or bgreen@fppl.org We look forward to seeing you and hearing your stories!

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Appendix Two

Promotional Bookmark

Front Back

JOIN US FOR STORYTELLING

SENIORS!

A NEW GROUP MEETING THE FIRST AND THIRD MONDAY OF EACH MONTH

2-3pm

Begins DEC 15

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Appendix Three - Poster

ATTENTION STORYTELLERS!

Join us at the FOREST PARK PUBLIC LIBRARY for our

new group called “STORYTELLING SENIORS.” Have

fun creating stories based on moments in your

lives. Record your stories to share with family and

friends. “STORYTELLING SENIORS” meets the first

and third Monday of the month from 2-3pm,

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beginning Monday, December 15. Contact Benita

Green at the library with questions.

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Appendix Four – Brochure

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Appendix Five – Library Newsletter

(708) 366-7171

Youth Services Teens and Tweens

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