Use this outline as a template for developing your own communications
plan or for revising an existing one.

Mission Statement

Your library may already have a mission statement, language that states the fundamental purpose of an organization and provides a guiding philosophy for its activities. The mission statement should serve as a framework for your public relations planning, with all goals, strategies and objectives flowing from it.

A mission statement can be as short as one sentence. An example is:  “The Public Library Association enhances the development and effectiveness of public library staff and public library services.”  The important point is to capture your library or support group’s reason for existing.

Assumptions for Planning Purposes

What is the context for your PR plan? This section should include financial, political, and other factors which directly affect the future of your organization. You might also include assumptions about currently available financial and volunteer support, needs of your constituencies, and potential growth of your area. If you have research about your library’s constituencies and what they think, cite it here. Your plan might be for multiple years or for one specific project or campaign.

Key Messages

What are the most important things for your audiences to know about your library? You should have two to five key messages that express your mission and what makes you unique in a way that matters to those you serve. 

Key messages should be simple, brief (no more than 10 words), and authentic. The messages should be incorporated consistently into all of the library’s communications activities (e.g., website, news releases, brochures, events). All staff and volunteers should know them.

The following three examples are from the American Library Association’s Campaign for America’s Libraries: 

• Libraries are changing and dynamic places. Librarians are techno-savvy, at the forefront of the information age, and help people of all ages find the information they need, when they need it.
• Libraries are places of opportunity. Libraries are part of the American dream, a place for education, self-help, and lifelong learning.
• Libraries bring you the world. Where else can you have access to nearly everything in print or online and even have the personal assistance of a librarian to help you find what you are looking for?

Audiences

Who does your library need to communicate with? Include both internal and external audiences. Examples include university administration (if you are an academic library), city council (if you are a public library), library patrons, library donors, principals and school boards, library volunteers, and local business and community leaders. Consider those who are most important to your library’s success.

Communications Goals

These are the top two or three major things you want to happen as a result of the plan. Have no more than three of these big-picture communications goals.  For example: “All local residents will be aware of the library and its services.”

Strategies

How will you achieve the goals? Strategies are the broad categories describing the approaches to be used to meet your goals. For example: “Attract positive media coverage of new programs and services.”

Tactics

Tactics are the to-do lists: the specific things that will be done under each strategy. Examples of tactics include creating a database of local media contacts, sending news releases announcing new children’s programs, or pitching the children’s librarian as television morning show guest.  Include the timetable, person responsible for each tactic, and budget information in this section.

Evaluation

How will you measure your results?  Include several success measures in your plan that tie back to your communications goals. For example, how much did usage of the library increase? How much media coverage occurred as a result of your efforts? How many people attended special programs?

---

---