Vale of Glamorgan libraries launch promotion to attract new
members
Some 79,000 library members across the Vale of Glamorgan
Council area are being given an extra incentive to spread the word
to their friends and family in an innovative promotion to be
launched in January.
Although library membership in Wales is the highest in the UK,
only a quarter of the population are currently members so Welsh
library chiefs are keen to increase their customer base. According
to research undertaken by Welsh libraries, around 70 per cent of
library users go to the library once a week or more so there will
be plenty of opportunities for people to recommend a friend during
the month.
Plans for the
promotion, which has been designed to drive up library membership
and footfall, were announced by the Welsh Assembly Government
Minister for Heritage, Rhodri Glyn Thomas (left).
With exclusive prizes, including TV chef Dudley Newbery cooking
at your home, and the chance to meet BBC Wales personality Iolo
Williams or to win a romantic weekend in a teepee in the Welsh
mountains, the promotion aims to convince existing members to
recommend joining their local library to their friends. There is
plenty on offer for children, too, as, among the nine prizes up for
grabs are the chance to have Techniquest visit your school, a day
learning to be a children’s animator and a family pass to the
children’s programme of events at next year’s Hay Festival.
Each of Wales’ 323 public libraries will be running the
promotion from 7 January to 1 February. People who are already
members of the library will have to fill in an entry form and then
recommend a friend to join their local library in order for both to
be entered into the prize draw.
Vale chief librarian Sian Jones said she was confident the
promotion would raise awareness of library services and encourage
more people to visit and use their local library:
“This will be the first time that a promotion of this kind has
been run across all libraries in Wales so we are very excited about
launching it in the New Year," she said. "We have secured a wide
range of exclusive prizes that we hope will appeal to everyone -
existing and potential members, male and female, young and old.
“Although people who are already members of their local library
know about the fantastic services and facilities we have on offer,
all too often they keep it to themselves so many people still think
that libraries are just about borrowing books. Library users across
Wales make 14.5 million visits to the library each year and we hope
this promotion will give them the incentive they need to spread the
word to friends and family, and, as a result, increase library
membership.”
Rhodri Glyn Thomas added: “As part of our commitment to making
our library network fit for the 21st Century, an extensive
refurbishment programme has been underway over the last year and a
marketing campaign has been running across Wales to attract new
members.
“As well as playing a vital role in many Welsh communities, the
local library provides a whole host of services from free use of
the internet and loaning CDs and DVDs to tracing your family
ancestry. And, although people in Wales value their libraries more
than in any other part of the UK, not everyone knows about this
excellent range of services. This promotion is sure to help spread
the word and encourage even more people through the library
doors.”
Caption: Welsh Assembly Minister Rhodri Glyn
Thomas tries out one of the 'Recommend a Friend' prizes at
Techniquest in Cardiff.
20/12/2007