Reflecting on 10 years of the PR Xchange

Abstract

The author reflects on their 10 years serving as co-chair of the PR Xchange Awards Competition, an annual library marketing contest sponsored by Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA) (now Core), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). The article briefly traces the history of the PR Xchange Awards and discusses the changes over the last decade. Additionally, the article describes how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the contest, how libraries pivoted when designing future promotional materials, how judges assess the submissions, and the potential for future growth of the PR Xchange Awards.

Keywords:

• Library marketing
• promotional materials
• swag
• awards competition
• American library association awards

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mark Aaron Polger

Mark Aaron Polger (they/them) is Associate Professor and Coordinator of Library Outreach at the College of Staten Island, City University of New York (CUNY) in New York City. Mark coordinates the library’s marketing and outreach activities through campus and community partnerships and promotes library services, events, exhibits, and the information literacy course taught in the department. Originally from Montreal, Canada, Mark holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Concordia University, a Bachelor of Education degree from Brock University, a Master of Library and Information Science from Western University, a Master of Arts from the University of Waterloo. Currently, Mark is completing their PhD dissertation in Education at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York (SUNY).