Becoming Anythink: Creating a Library Brand that People Love

Abstract

According to the Denver Post, the public libraries in Adams County were the worst libraries in Colorado in 2004. After a series of events including becoming a special taxing district, a successful ballot initiative that increased library funding and a start-up style reinvention of the library system, almost overnight, the library was a huge success. To communicate this new direction, the district clearly needed a new brand. The Anythink story is about a cohesive, structural reorganization that delivers sustainable, creative library services to a growing community. By focusing on the elimination of barriers, hospitality and informal learning, this library created the experience model. And that experience led to a brand that the community loves, a library that people can’t live without. Welcome to Anythink, where everyone feels at home: part corner store, part community living room, cultural hub, book and media center and creative learning space. Reinventing the library shifted the staff and community perception of a 21st century library.