PPRG annual conference – Library marketing and PR: critical to success 2016

1. Palace Green Library - Culture Durham, Durham University
@PalaceGreenLib
www.dur.ac.uk/palace.green

6. Changing priorities
Research
‘Impact’?
Attracting
Audiences?
Showcasing
our
Collections?

7. Key messages
Embed in programme
and communications
activity
Embed in
interpretation
Object selection
Key
message

9. “The great cornerstone in England’s
temple of liberty.”
Jerome K Jerome

12. Magna Carta is part of a continuing narrative
of resistance to authority
This struggle is a contested story of who is,
and what it means to be, a citizen

13. Is a good citizen always an obedient citizen?
For which of your rights as a citizen would you
protest?

16. Data capture
• Visitor survey (postcards, leaflet questionnaires,
face-to-face iPad)
• Visitor book
• Interactive exhibits
• Social media interaction and digital engagement
• Ticket sales (visitor numbers and demographics)
• Debrief process
• Media coverage
• Independent assessment (VAQAS report)
• Final evaluation report

18. Of the 1058 comments left in the visitor book, there were a number that directly
engaged with the themes of citizenship, rights, and rebellion, and that touched on the
pertinence and relevance of these as explored and interpreted in an historical context to
politics and society today. These included:
• This has fundamentally changed how I think about citizenship and protest
• Made us think about the responsibility of citizenship
• Never has the history of our rights in society been so relevant, excellent
• Brilliantly made modern and relevant and incredibly important with regards to current
affairs. Well done
There were also a number of comments that demonstrated how the Durham exhibition
contributed to the overall commemoration of the anniversary of Magna Carta and
compared with other exhibitions:
• An excellent exhibition that was humbling and informative and well laid out. I like the
Magna Carta going first leading to the ‘right to vote’ game!
• Best organised and most interesting MC exhibition we have seen. Out of four.
• An interesting historical exhibition which well complements the one at the British
Library, London
• Durham exhibition knocks the socks off the British Library exhibition—brilliant, so glad I
made the journey
• A wonderful, informative exhibition with just the right amount of information and
artefacts, much better than British Library!

21. Voting activity:
17,498 votes cast = 70% of visitors
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For which of your rights as a citizen would you protest?

22. Sticky note wall:
3,920 comments posted
Original comment: How is a democracy filled with liars more legitimate than an honest monarch?
Response: Is anyone truly honest? Surely each individual lies on a spectrum of honesty. Of course, the
ideal would be to have a truly ‘honest’ monarch – but how can we ensure that when the right
to monarchy is by birth right? The Magna Carta tries to limit the damage in case a monarch of
unfavourable character does arise. Honesty in itself is a social construct, therefore perhaps in
order to ensure one’s honesty we need to make him/her accountable to society and the
masses?
Original comment: Riot if needs be.
Response: No harm to others. Protesting completes the vicious cycle.
Response 2: No need for violent protest. Use social media instead.
Response 3: Only the voices of many protestors will reach the ears of government.

23. Original Comment: IF YOU ARE A HUMAN YOU GET HUMAN RIGHTS. SIMPLE.
Response: Hear hear!
Response 2: The Human Rights Act is everything that is wrong with this country! Only law abiding citizens
should have rights.
Response 3: EVERYONE deserves to have their human rights protected.
Response 4: NOT everyone deserves to have their human rights protected. Murderers should not. Terrorists
should not.
Original comment: Citizens not subjects!
Response: Subjects not citizens! Monarchy rules ok!
Response 2: Abolition of monarchy! Citizen not subject!
Response 3: Keep the monarchy!
Response 4: I have a monarchy therefore I am a subject not a citizen!

24. Digital engagement:
1495 tweets / 357 ‘[Visitor] says…’

25. Evaluation headlines
Economic aim: to deliver economic impact through special
exhibition projects
• £2.4 million in economic impact estimated
• 92% of visitors want to visit Palace Green Library again
• 67% of visitors came to Durham mainly to visit the exhibition
• 97% of visitors said that it was important that the exhibition
was in Durham

26. Evaluation headlines
Engagement aim: to benefit audiences through participation in and
engagement with special exhibition projects
• 25,409 visitors
• 96% rating the exhibition as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’
• ‘interesting’ and ‘informative’ the most common descriptors in
the comments book
• 13% of visitors in the “missing audience” 17-25 years age range;
higher than the regional average
• 17,498 votes for which right as a citizen visitors would protest
• 3,920 sticky notes posted
• 1,495 tweets

27. Thank you
emma.hamlett@durham.ac.uk
@emmahamlett