Illinois Library Association Announces 2023 Award Winners
The Champaign Public Library Promotions Team—Evelyn Shapiro, Promotions Manager (above, left), and Gloria Roubal, Promotions Associate (right)—were honored recently with the Illinois Library Association’s 2023 Deborah Dowley Preiser Marketing Award, which recognizes library employees who have performed excellent work in public relations and programming over several years.
Shapiro has worked at Champaign Public Library for more than 16 years. She is a member of many state and national organizations and a sought-after speaker on social media and marketing topics. Her design and marketing background includes expertise in engaging museum and publishing audiences. Roubal has worked at Champaign Public Library for eight years. In addition to being an accomplished marketer, she draws on her experience in illustration and lettering to create custom graphics for library promotions.
The two-branch system hosts 120 programs each month, with more than 4,300 program attendees. The library welcomes an average of 2,000 visitors daily. Shapiro and Roubal design and deliver all the marketing components for programs, events, services, and resources for the library. They work closely with the library programming staff to design, promote, and sometimes execute library programs for children, teens, and adults.
They have developed and maintained inclusive and visually engaging design, consistent branding, and effective communication for the Library. Font choices for visual marketing and promotion are consistently utilized to reflect the audience they are reaching with each unique voice which sets the foundation for a successful program.
Each initiative includes programs, workshops, online tools and resources, the content available on YouTube, and the Book-a-Librarian service for a one-to-one consultation. One webinar offered during the pandemic went viral: The History of Witchcraft aired on October 29, 2020, presented in partnership with the University of Illinois Rare Book and Manuscript Library. An initial audience size of 30–50 people was expected, but the event reached 2.4 million people worldwide, with 3,000 tuning in live during the broadcast. Shapiro and Roubal have achieved consistent success and sustained recognition for marketing strategies, especially for adult programming.
The Deborah Dowley Preiser Marketing Award was presented at the Illinois Library Association Annual Conference on October 24, 2023, in Springfield, Illinois. The award is sponsored by the Oak Park Public Library.
About the Illinois Library Association awards: The Illinois Library Association recognizes excellence in librarianship and library service in Illinois as a way to increase awareness of the unique contributions librarians are making statewide in our communities.
About the Champaign Public Library: Serving as a vital community center welcoming every member of our community, the Champaign Public Library ranks in the top 3.5% of public libraries nationwide, and earns a three-star rating from Library Journal.
The Champaign Public Library offers books, movies, reading contests, live music, and so much more—all to spark a joy of reading, especially in children. The Library inspires, informs, and connects our community. Learn more at champaign.org.
Posted 10/26/2023