Spartanburg County Library Uses Data to Obtain Grant Funding to Help Target a Key Demographic of Library Cardholders
Challenge
The Spartanburg County Library knew concentrated populations of Russian and Spanish speakers existed near their libraries. However, they needed help to verify those populations still existed when they applied for a $1,000 grant to buy Russian and Spanish books. The library used Patronlink’s data to provide evidence of neighborhood demographics for the grant and launch marketing campaigns.
Solution
The library used Patronlink’s demographics search to identify two of their branch locations that had large populations of Russian and Spanish speaking communities. This allowed them to provide concrete data on their grant application that their patrons would benefit from purchasing books in Russian and Spanish. While the library knew large populations of Spanish and Russian speakers existed in their area, Patronlink helped provide concrete evidence for their grant application. The tool allowed them to verify the larger populations surrounding them still existed. To target them, the library sent 700 postcards in Spanish and Russian as part of a direct mail campaign using a mailing list.
The Result
The library was awarded a $1,000 national grant, which helped them purchase the books. A year later, a continued presence of Russian- and Spanish-speakers justified the library’s decision in maintaining those collections. They have continued using Patronlink’s demographics selections to identify the best audiences for other library programs.
About the Spartanburg County Library
In 1885, the city of Spartanburg, South Carolina, opened the doors to the Kennedy Library with a total 900 books. The library sustained itself on monthly fees because taxes were not allocated toward library services at the time. Then in 1905, the Kennedy Free Library opened. Their modern headquarters opened in 1997. By 2002, the library had opened several other branches in the area.
