The Library Is A Cool Place To Be — Really

The Edmonton Public Library wants you to know they’re more than just books
May 13, 2010 by Jessica Brisson

The EPLs new multi-coloured logo is depicted on this billboard, part of the library’s rebranding efforts.

The Edmonton Public library has a goal — to eliminate the old stereotype that libraries are only about books.
And they plan to achieve that goal one colour at a time.

Last month, the EPL launched its rebranding campaign by introducing a brand new logo and amusing slogans, that are seen everywhere from posters to membership cards.

Tina Thomas, director of marketing, communications and fund development for EPL, says this change is long overdue.

“We found that people didn’t really understand what was offered to them at the library and we wanted to change that,” Thomas says.

Thirty years have passed since the old library logo was created — the three stacked books in the shape of an ‘e’ — and now libraries are a lot different.

Books remain the staple of the EPL, but now you can borrow newly-released movies, CDs, and even video games. Free, wireless Internet is available to members, and anyone can attend the 2,200 free programs that are provided each year.

Design firm Donovan Creative was hired to collaborate with the library’s marketing staff to renew the library’s “stodgy” persona, says Michael Donovan, the firm’s president and chief creative officer.

“[The goal is] not just about making the library fun and fresh, but it is also about diversity and how it can add a lot of value to peoples’ lives and to the community,” Donovan says.

The new logo consists of five multi-coloured bars, stacked vertically. Bright colours are used to represent the diversity in the library. The bars were used to mimic the image of a bar code, instilling the idea that the library is now apart of a modern community.

Fun promotional slogans — such as “We make geek chic,” “I’m an information ninja,” “Our staff is 100 per cent robot free,” “Save a zillion dollars” — were introduced so the public could relate more to the institution.

“We tried to play on ideas of empowerment, so it can be cool to be a quote-un-quote geek,” Donovan says.

These changes affect all aspects of the library. Everyone from the staff — who are now adorned with funny sayings inscribed on their colourful new T-shirts — to its members, who can apply for brand new membership cards that can display the quirky quote of their choice. 

Thomas is “extremely happy” with the way that this re-branding project has gone, because the whole plan was not to add to what was already in place but to make Edmontonians realize what was already there.

Thomas says expect more changes to come.

“We are only limited by the intelligence, creativity, and innovation of our staff, and that is what the library has in spades,” Thomas says.

http://www.seemagazine.com/article/news/news-main/library-0513/