Does anyone know of any evidence that banner ads are effective? Personally,
I always ignore them. Can effectiveness really be the only criterion in
deciding whether a form of advertising is appropriate? This would seem to
permit the use of such techniques as fraud, blackmail and kidnapping. New
opportunities for management consultants...
A. Lewis.
-----Original Message-----
From: Gerry Mckiernan <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 07 August 2000 19:51
Subject: The "Commericialized" Library
> _The "Commercialized" Library_
>
> Over the past several days, there have been a few interesting comments
regarding the 'appropriateness' of the user of library banner 'ads' to
promote library resources, collections, and services. These have been made
in response to the announcement of a new registry that I have established
called BANaRAMa(sm)
>[ http://www.public.iastate.edu/~CYBERSTACKS/Banarama.htm ] which seeks to
lists library Web site that use 'promotional banner pages / banner 'ads' .
>
> These comments raises a more general issue of what some may see as the
emergence of "The Commercialized Library" . By 'Commercialized Library' I
mean the adoption by libraries of techniques used in the commercial sector
for marketing products and services to 'market' library 'products' and
'services'.
>
> It is my professional belief that libraries and librarians have a
professional responsibility to promote their collections, services and
resources using any and all *effective* techniques. If banner ads' are
effective, then they should be considered appropriate. [Here I am *not*
addressing the issue of use of the banner 'ads' for unaffiliated corporate
interests, although it has become quite common for corporate interests to
display their 'banners ads' in variety of university venues, e.g. football
stadia]]
>
> BTW: It is very important to note that the library banner 'ad' be *not*
garish. I invite MyWebColleagues to (re) visit BANaRAMa(sm). This weekend I
added several new sites, notably those of The New York Public Library and
the Chicago Public Library. I believe that these sites (as well as all the
sites identified and listed to date) are not garish and that most visitors
will find them effective [and therefore appropriate]
>
> I am also interested in expanding the discussion on the use of links
from library resource guides to commercial sites. I am in the process of
preparing a resource guide to support an upper course and am experimenting
with linking the citation in my Web guide to the Amazon.com /
barnesandnoble.com record to provide the user with additional information
about the listed title.
>
> I consider this a selection decision and one that enhances the user's
knowledge about the content of the book [Here I am not endorsing that the
individual purchase the book, but am providing additional descriptive and
evaluative information through the service][If the individual decides that
the book is worth buying so much the better for him/her - the library has
facilitated the use of the literature in an appropriate manner] - Every
reader his book / Every book its reader / S.R. Ranganathan (1931) [:-)]
>
> As Always, Any and All reactions, critiques, criticisms, cosmic
insights, etc. to these issues are Most Welcome
>
>/Gerry McKiernan
>Commercialized Librarian
>Iowa State University
>Ames IA 50011
>
>[log in to unmask]
>
> "The Best Way to Predict the Future is to Sell It!"
> With Apologies to Alan Kay
>
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