The purpose of your newsletter is to interest people in your library and motivate them to take advantage of your services. It's also the perfect opportunity to promote the array of resources and services your library offers. Here are some ideas for making your newsletter content more engaging.

• Interview patrons and share their stories. Have patrons talk about how they've used and benefited from your services. In sharing their stories, be sure to give their business or organization some positive publicity.
  
• Bump up the fun factor. Consider adding trivia, funny quotes, jokes, Sudoku, crossword puzzles, cartoons, word games, contests and more. One idea is to post a question or promote a contest and then encourage readers to visit your library's webpage for the answer or to enter the contest. Consider giving small prizes for these activities.
  
• Feature a different product or service in each issue. You might talk about how patrons are getting their health questions answered through the health database, your library's wireless access and how patrons are taking advantage of it, your new Saturday hours, or some other topic of interest. [See example]
  
• Incorporate some question-and-answer interviews with specialists in different areas and tie this into your library's resources. For example, around Valentine's Day you might have a local therapist share information about the building loving families and then mention books related to this topic and your library's upcoming family game night.
  
• Integrate useful, life enhancing tips in each edition.
  
• Include some photos of things happening at the library.

Have more ideas? Please share them with us!

A number of these ideas were taken from Entrepreneur Magazine's Ultimate Small Business Marketing Guide: 1500 Great Marketing Tricks That Will Drive Your Business Through the Roof by James Stephenson.