| dc.description.abstract | Our partner organization is a Medium Sized Private University (MSPU) located in the Southern United States. Founded in the early 20th century, the university offers a full range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs. The MSPU’s office of Development and Advancement Affairs (DAA) faces challenges in marketing to and engaging new library donors versus other campus areas but has not allocated resources to examine this issue in depth. The purpose of this dissertation in practice is to partner with MSPU’s DAA to understand the existing library fundraising landscape, learn from other institutions’ experiences, and apply brand marketing findings and strategies from the content and fan industries to create new models that could change the internal and external perception of the library and increase donor interest and investment. Quantitative and qualitative research, conceptually framed by both Social Identity Theory (SIT) and Consumer Based-Brand Equity (CBBE), revealed that MSPU is not unique in its fundraising limitations versus other institutions, libraries are perceptually undervalued by internal and external communities, and leadership and innovation inside an organization can significantly improve perception and engagement with targeted audiences. Actionable recommendations that emerged from the synthesis of the research and findings include: (1) Develop a “Library+” strategy for MSPU that reimagines the library as a start-up organization with a product; (2) Professionally rebrand the library using MSPU’s own professional school infrastructure and resources; and (3) Expand the collaboration with, and training of, library development leaders to present the library’s value differently to targeted communities. | |
