How to Use Movie Programming to Attract Patrons
We spoke with librarians from across the country at PLA 2020 in Nashville earlier this year. Hear how each of them uses movie programming in their libraries, and what they have to say about their Swank public performance site license.
Swank’s public performance site license provides libraries with unlimited opportunities for movie programming. But unlimited can sometimes be overwhelming. To provide some idea as to how top libraries from across the country use their license to entertain and engage patrons, we headed to Nashville in February for PLA 2020.
Kimberly Powers, the children and teen services librarian for the Englewood Public Library, said her library shows movies to children every Monday throughout summer. “For 11 weeks, we show three or four movies for teens and another three or four for tweens,” Kimberly shared. With a wide selection of films to choose from, it’s easy to cater to every interest and age group. “Our Swank licensing has allowed us to have a much bigger variety of movies, which has been great!”
Robin Newell, director of Emporia Public Library, says her branch uses movie programming to better meet the needs of their community. “At our library, we really try to be customer-centric and respond to the community,” Robin shared. “Swank helps us do that by providing extra programming and movies for the entire community at no cost to those that come.” The community is even front-of-mind for Emporia when they select the films they show. “Community health is big in our area, so we show health-related movies. But we’ve also done “Star Wars” films and anything else that resonates with the community that we think we could get good connection from.”
“I think anyone that’s looking to add movie programming to their schedule should look at Swank. They have a large selection, the price is right, and they have great customer service.” Robin Newell, Emporia Public Library
Korin Rosenkrans, branch manager at Parsippany Library System, says one of the most popular ways her library uses their movie license is for after-school showings. And they always make sure to have a movie event whenever the public schools are doing half days. “It’s great,” Jennifer said. “The kids have a couple hours to chill out and watch a movie, and if they get a little restless they can use the library services.”
Jennifer Fruk, the youth services supervisor at Charlotte Community Library, switches up their movie programming in order to compete with nearby branches. “Most libraries in our area do their movie programming in the afternoon,” Jennifer shared. “So we do ours in the evening about once a month, just about every month of the year.”
And even though these librarians have consistent movie programming, they still look for new ways to freshen up their schedules – whether through the titles they pick or the extra add-ons they include. “We go on the Swank website when we’re looking for ideas,” Kimberly shared. “And also to double check that the movies we’re considering are included with our license.”
Michael White, the audiovisual librarian at Glenview Public Library, uses film selection to attract more attendees. “We’re interested in growing our audience, so we take risks sometimes and show things we think might challenge our audience.”
If you’re looking to do the same, Michael advises: “take a look at the Swank website and see what kinds of films are out there. You’d be surprised what kind of films you can show in your library. It’s a great value for your programming budget, and you can get a lot of patrons in your doors for the relatively low cost of the licensing.”
Interested in telling us about your library’s movie program? Click here to reach out.