Programming as Public Relations

Abstract

“… If the circus is coming to town and you paint a sign saying “Circus Coming to the Fairgrounds Saturday” that’s advertising. If you put the sign on the back of an elephant and walk it into town, that’s promotion. If the elephant walks through the Mayor’s flower bed, that’s publicity. And if you can get the mayor to laugh about it, that’s public relations.” -As reported in Reader’s Digest. The statement above shows the many ways of conveying information to the public. Ironically, this example is built on the original event of a circus coming to town and does not define the event itself as a public relations function. For any of the following activities to take place, there must first be a circus to advertise. For libraries, a circus is always coming to town, whether it is the form of an author visit or a basket-making class. Libraries provide endless programming to their communities, yet many struggle through the communication processes to promote these events. They often fail to see that the program itself is the best form of public relations available.