Cambridge Libraries And Galleries Launch Their New Brand 'IDEAS UNLIMITED'

By The Community For The Community

Familiar Faces... And A Brand New LOOK at our Libraries

Help Celebrate the launch of a new style of Library.

Cambridge, ON – On March 16th, 2011 at 11am, The Cambridge Libraries and Galleries will launch their new image designed for the Community.

WHEN: Wednesday, March 16, 2011 11:00am – 11:30am
WHERE: Cambridge Library, Queen’s Square, 1 North Square, Cambridge, On
WHY: To launch the Cambridge Library and Gallery new image
WHAT: Entertainment will begin at Queen’s Square at 11am.

The event will be kicked off by Cambridge Cheer Sport Sharks followed by an original dance performance by So You Think You Can Dance Canada star Everett Smith, the launch of the Library Ad Campaign, food & beverages and an interactive photo booth.

The launch will herald exciting changes at the Cambridge Libraries and Galleries. A new user-friendly and interactive website, social media fan page, heightened customer service by way of name tags and clothing to make staff more visible and accessible to the public, a locally based ad campaign, library cards for babies without fines, new children’s and teen’s programming and relaxed rules around drinking and eating at the library are just some of the new ways the Cambridge Libraries and Galleries are reaching out to and meeting the needs of Cambridge residents.

Below Right: Enter for a chance to WIN A Blackberry Playbook on Cambridge Libraries Website

Cambridge Library and Gallery staff wearing their new “look”: straight cut woven ties with IDEAS UNLIMITED down the front and name tags make staff more visible to the public.

“I love that people now know my name and can find me more easily,” says Karen Murray-Hopf, children’s services assistant, Cambridge Library.

At the root of this transformation is the new library and gallery brand: IDEAS|UNLIMITED but the new a logo is only a small part of a much bigger organizational shift to encourage the people of Cambridge to make use of their local library. The new brand, website and advertising campaign will focus on the library as a community leader, a place where the
thirst for free knowledge is nurtured and fueled; a space where everyone is welcome and ideas are unlimited.

“We believe the new branding – communicated across all our media platforms – better reflects who we are as a forward thinking public organization. From our free programs to the new materials we have on our shelves, libraries and galleries are part what Cambridge is as a community - and if we inspire you along the way, then we’re accomplishing our goal,” says Greg Hayton, CEO of the Cambridge Libraries and Galleries.

As of mid March 2011, in an effort to appeal to a wider demographic, the Cambridge Library will be welcoming patrons in with their lattes and muffins for the first time ever.

“We need to reach out to our community in new ways. Part of that means being a welcoming space where you can bring in a snack for your kids after a free children’s program or drink a cup of tea, relax and use our free WiFi to work in peace. We’re all about ideas, not restrictions,” says Leona El-Hage Publicity and Promotions Specialist.

Connecting the community through the use of technology is also a large part of the library rebranding. Television screens on the library walls have been introduced and a Cambridge social media site will be live this spring as modern methods to inform the community about what is happening in their town. The new library website will also help to engage the community by incorporating interactive capabilities for sharing and receiving information in an entirely new way.

"We developed the new website with extensive input from our patrons and community," says Betty Wilson, Planning Librarian. “The result is a new image for our website that evokes the face of the modern library, where people can trade ideas or look up useful information in an instant. From French cooking to car repair databases – our website is a
storehouse of free information not available in this community anywhere except at the library,” says Mrs. Wilson.

For more information or to explore the many new features of the Cambridge Library website, please visit www.cambridgelibraries.ca

Library Advertising Campaign by the community, for the community…

In the fall, the Cambridge Library placed a casting call in the local media to reach out to local library lovers interested in participating in an ad campaign to promote the new customer service approach, brand and website. The response was overwhelming. More than 100 people responded to a single ad placed in The Cambridge Times, a sponsor of the campaign. Out of the respondents seven participants were selected to take part in the library ad campaign. The “faces of the library” range from 5 to 85 years of age and tell a visual story based on the actual lives of the people depicted. Ken “Spuds” Spurgeon (below) is a vintage bike fanatic and has used the library on a daily basis for more than a decade.
 

“Library ad campaigns tend to be tame and made up of smiling faces from stock photos. We at the Cambridge Libraries and Galleries wanted to contribute something authentic that told a story about the people we serve,” says Mr. Hayton. “After all, we’re a place full of stories – full of ideas – hence the new brand: IDEAS UNLIMITED and this very community centric ad campaign gets that message out in a humorous and edgy way.”

The campaign will appear in the local newspapers, CambridgeNow.ca, on the new library website: www.cambridgelibraries.ca and on the sides of the Cambridge Library buildings as large billboards mid March 2011.
 
 Lori - Cambridge Library user for 10 years.

 

Felix and Amelia Cambridge Library users for 1 year



Gabriel - Cambridge Library user for 5 years



Joanna - Cambridge library user for 20 years



Joyce - Cambridge Library user for 80 years



Hannah - Cambridge Library user for 10 years



Photo Credits: Tom Vogel