LJ’s Marketer of the Year award has celebrated a wide range of work bringing attention to great library offerings, from innovative guest series to patron re-engagement to imaginative outreach. But library marketing is about explanation as well as promotion, sensitivity as well as show, and sometimes the clear exchange of information in a crisis calls for as much creativity as any publicity campaign.

In October 2024, Calgary Public Library (CPL) in Alberta, Canada, was hit with an attempted cyberattack. Library leadership acted immediately, shutting down library services and all 22 locations. The entire system closed for four days—a drastic measure, but necessary to block the attempted attack and safeguard data. As the library conducted its investigation, it reopened in a largely analog environment with limited technology.

The decisive action was successful; no personal or business data was compromised, and CPL never lost control of its systems. But as the library began carefully rebuilding online systems—a process that would take 10 weeks—it needed to let staff and patrons know what had happened, what was available, and what to expect during that time, in a way that was clear and credible at every step. CPL’s Marketing and Communications team hit the ground running, and with the help of Brookline PR to support its messaging, kept staff and patrons informed, telling the library’s recovery story as the stages of its comeback unfolded.

“As we brought back more services, the community celebrated with us,” says CPL Executive Director of Communications and Engagement Mary Kapusta.

That well-crafted narrative, which provided transparent, engaging messages both internally and to the public, has earned the library’s Communications and Engagement Department—which oversees all CPL’s marketing, communications, and production—LJ’s 2025 Marketer of the Year award, sponsored by Library Ideas, LLC.

PAUSED BUT STILL VIBRANT Left: “Education Is the New Buffalo,” a metal sculpture by Lionel Peyachew, sits in the center of Calgary’s Central Library; top l.: Members of the Marketing Team pack delivery boxes with printed signage, FAQs, and other physical materials to support locations during the cyber recovery; top r.: Printer out of service at Crowfoot Library after all technology was turned off to protect library infrastructure; bottom r.: Return chutes temporarily closed during recovery efforts; bottom l.: Locations were closed for three business days before reopening with manual checkouts and a limit to how many materials each cardholder could check out at once.

UNDER ATTACK

When CPL’s monitoring systems flagged an attempted cybersecurity breach on October 11—the Friday of the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday long weekend—the library was relatively well-prepared for just such an event. Calgary had reinforced its third-party monitoring in recent years and had increased internal training for a possible cybersecurity incident. Several months before, leadership had conducted a series of tabletop exercises to envision how CPL would react through both IT and communications lenses.

“We had been watching other libraries experience cybersecurity attacks, so it was very much for us a case of not if, but when,” says CEO Sarah Meilleur. “There had been a lot of pre-work that had been done that resulted in this great story of being able to prevent the attack.”

Because of the holiday, much of the staff was on vacation or traveling. Kapusta and Paul Lane, Executive Director of Strategy and Planning, immediately set up a war room in the CPL Operations Center boardroom with a few senior IT leaders. “We were watching this all happen,” Kapusta recalls. “And then there was this moment of saying, ‘You know what—based on protocol, we should pull the plug.’” Meilleur joined the call and made the decision to shut the entire library system down, “and we had about three hours to roll out full system closure and prep all the holdings,” says Kapusta. That operational response emergency procedure kicked off the crisis communication protocol, which meant working with partners, talking to the city, and letting CPL’s 840 staff members know what had happened—all without library Wi-Fi.

The external staff emergency website was activated to communicate with employees. The library’s IT department worked through the long weekend and library locations reopened, in analog mode, the following Wednesday. The website and social media channels never went down.

As she began to envision how she wanted the library to tell this story, Kapusta kept coming back to the idea of being knocked down and getting back in the ring. “I didn’t want it quiet or tentative—I wanted us to be really proud of what we did,” she says. The Comeback Campaign theme was adopted right away, and the team got to work, producing the story’s structure and a graphic mockup within two business days.

“It was a very quick turnaround in terms of taking the initial concept and then building it out,” says Communications Lead Melanie Nicholson. “While we had a pathway to recovery from an operational perspective, we then aligned the marketing with the phases as well.” Working with the library’s tech team, Marketing and Communications created a narrative that would enable everyone to follow along with the rebuilding process.

ANALOG…FOR NOW

“I mapped out a communications framework of flow very early,” says Nicholson: “If we do staff updates on Tuesdays and Thursdays, that means on that [the previous] Monday we’re having a meeting confirming the information that will go

via email first to managers, all staff next, and then if there was a necessary public update, it would follow.”

As a result of discussion with other systems that had gone through similar situations, Kapusta had advocated for marketing to have a dedicated printer, which she was able to get online that Monday to access design files and begin printing information to deliver to library locations: “Old-school signage, printing, messaging, and briefs, and that created the structure and a cadence that would carry through for the first five weeks,” she says. “But for the whole 10 weeks, we had a lot of printed materials. We set up delivery times—Tuesdays and Thursdays were always briefings, and then that preceded delivery of printed materials.”

What was paramount, Kapusta says, was to let the community know that despite the service disruption, the library had done everything correctly to safeguard its systems and their data. Much of the campaign’s success, she notes—particularly in the first few weeks, when the investigation was still active—lay in striking a balance between celebrating shared success and being completely honest.

“I think that transparent approach to ‘the library’s closed, this is what has happened,’ was really important—also the credibility and the clarity with which we responded,” says Meilleur. “We only shared what we knew, we did not speculate, we did not say, ‘we assume.’ We were just very clear about providing the information we could when we knew it was factual.”

The team rolled out its comeback story in three stages as CPL brought back services: “The Library Goes Analog…for Now,” “Making It Work,” and “We Are Connected!” Each stage focused on communicating available services, rather than what was still unavailable, striking a balance between positivity and acknowledging the impact of service disruptions. “We knew we were safe, but it would be a while to reintroduce all the services,” says Kapusta. “The comms need was: How do you demonstrate momentum? How do you protect the brand? How do you show that kind of confidence, but also nurture patience and public support?”

In the earliest stages of reopening, even without popular services such as Wi-Fi and printing, the library’s locations remained busy and vibrant. The team was on hand to capture the activity, sharing photos and videos of creative workarounds on the part of staff, readers browsing the shelves, and bustling Early Learning Centres.

“We were dealing with some anxiety from patrons,” recalls Mat Chibry, then a supervisor at the Crowfoot Library, one of CPL’s busiest locations. “But the messaging was clear from the start: This is going to take time, but we’re more than just Wi-Fi and computers and printing. We’re a community space.”

While the original message was that branches would be quieter and potentially better for studying, says Kapusta, “Very quickly we were hearing from locations, ‘We’re swamped! There’s tons of people playing board games, reading, studying. There are kids here.’”

Days before the attack, CPL had opened a new digital-only location, with no physical books—and it was busy as well. People came in to use the meeting rooms and solo pods, “which speaks to the value of the library in an analog way as well,” says Meilleur. “Technology matters, but it’s not just technology that we offer.”

THE STORY UNFOLDS

The campaign was conducted through staff communications, in-location promotion across all branches, social media, e-marketing, and a dedicated webpage. Information was always available on the CPL homepage, including the results of the cybersecurity investigation and what programs and services were available at any given time. Media outlets were able to access clear messaging through news releases and the CPL website. Some 360 stories on the incident aired in October and November 2024. After the first days of speculation, coverage was positive and fact-based, says Kapusta.

Marketing, IT, managers, and staff worked together to shape the flow of the narrative, deciding which aspects warranted announcing a new stage. As recovery progressed, systems became operational, and the investigation concluded—“once we knew we had done everything right,” says Kapusta—the tone of the messaging lightened, walking the line between being serious and warm, but never flippant. “For some people, those without digital equity, this isn’t an annoying thing—this was a serious consideration,” she notes. Even when recovery was moving well and it was tempting to hit celebratory notes, “We couldn’t be too cute. It’s not cute. There’s still a real-world impact. And I think the team was very responsive to that.”

The visuals changed, too, to mark new milestones and give a sense of forward motion. Stage One graphics had black-and-white backgrounds, Stage Two included pops of green to signify growth and movement, and Stage Three visuals used full color.

The public “knew they could trust us, and we would tell them what was happening, and we would tell them the results—and focus, from a marketing perspective, on what we CAN do, what we CAN provide, what’s available,” says Meilleur.

STAFF SUPPORT

The service shutdown was deeply challenging for employees as well as patrons, and the library’s recovery depended on staff response as much as the tech department’s work. The marketing team’s messaging, therefore, needed to be as successful internally as it was out in the community.

For staff, at first, “the biggest challenge was operating without our usual tools and systems,” says Chibry. “There was also emotional stress. We were simultaneously navigating our own uncertainties and helping to reassure patrons.”

The regular cadence of staff briefings, followed by the distribution of printed information—thanks to drivers who would ordinarily be delivering materials to CPL branches—was grounding. Staff needed to feel the same level of trust and transparency that CPL was providing its public.

That consistent rhythm of updates helped supervisors and managers prepare their teams more efficiently. “That was hugely helpful during a time where everything was changing so quickly,” says Chibry.

“I’m very proud that the public thought we handled things really well, and we got lots of accolades,” says Kapusta, but “the most important thing was hearing from our staff that they really liked how we handled it.”

And that help went both ways, she adds. “I felt like our staff had our back as much as we had theirs.”

“The narrative was more than just general messaging,” says Chibry. “It was something we could all really feel connected to. It made the recovery process feel human and hopeful.”

LESSONS LEARNED

In addition to having accurately gauged the need to be well-prepared for an incident like this, CPL took lessons from past crises, including a devastating flood in 2013 and the COVID shutdown. For the marketing team, a major requirement since 2020 is to always have a communications person present during news briefings. “We used to lose a lot of time waiting for updates,” says Kapusta. “Sometimes staff would know stuff and we would still be catching up, or we would share something to the public and staff wouldn’t know.”

Employees were vocal about needing to be kept in the loop as well, says Chibry. “One of our biggest takeaways was the need for clear, regular communication.” This time, “it really felt like we were listened to.”

Aside from making sure that general preparedness measures are in place, and that roles are agreed on before an emergency, the team’s advice for other libraries is to have cross-departmental conversations ahead of time to discuss the potential flow of information and who is responsible for what. Plan for the most drastic scenario, suggests Nicholson, such as having no internet access at all—it could happen.

Also, they note, make sure all design files can be accessed through cloud-based storage, so that emergency closure signs or message templates can be used right away. And have a dedicated, secure printer that will be a number one priority for restoration if systems go down.

10 WEEKS LATER

On October 29, the library hosted a large media event with Meilleur to announce that no employee or patron data had been compromised. “Our protocol and the decision to unplug basically saved our system,” says Kapusta. “With that said, we still had to go through hundreds of servers. Every piece of technology had to be cleaned. Everything had to be restored, reimaged. And that was a significant service disruption to the 20,000 people that visit our locations every day.”

In just 10 weeks, the Technology Team restored more than 2,000 systems. The Comeback Story campaign gave the library the space and opportunity to navigate through a crisis response with a positive, engaging narrative.

“I would say that we are in a much stronger place than we were before because of the rebuilding,” says Meilleur. “That staged approach that we identified and shared with the community is also a great best practice, bringing people along so they felt a part of the journey and very clearly understood what they could access at the library every step of the way.”

Perhaps most of all, the comeback story—and how the library told it—“created a sense of pride,” says Chibry. “We weren’t just recovering from a crisis. We were showing our resilience together.” He adds, “I’m really proud of how we came through it all.”

SANTA FE SPRINGS CITY LIBRARY, CA

Herendira Magana-Santoyo | Program Coordinator

In 2023, Santa Fe Springs City Library (SFSCL) Program Coordinator Herendira Magana-Santoyo launched Jóvenes Creadores, a program for local teen artists, successfully engaging a demographic that had been challenging for the library to reach in the past. Designing posts and marketing videos for city and library social media accounts, as well as flyers and brochures distributed throughout the city—including community centers and school offices—the outreach effort attracted 13 regular participants, making it the largest teen program SFSCL had hosted in years.

In a letter of support for Magana-Santoyo’s nomination, two parents wrote of their daughter that “it was truly

heartwarming to see that she had found not only a space to develop her creativity, but also a group of kind, respectful young people who share her passion for art, painting, and bringing their ideas to life.”

The four-month program featured weekly classes on the fundamentals of sculpture and its history, with each month focusing on a specific course including “Creating Armatures,” “Geometric Sculpture,” “Faces of Sculpture,” and “Junk Art Sculptures.” After the program concluded, Magana-Santoyo helped submit the teens’ artwork to Santa Fe Springs’ annual ArtFest and promote them with professionally produced flyers featuring photos of the artists and their works.

Three of the artists’ final projects were awarded first, second, and honorable mention prizes in the event’s competition. The ArtFest also enabled Magana-Santoyo to increase awareness of the library’s Jóvenes Creadores program, which has helped build attendance in 2024 and 2025. The program—along with Magana-Santoyo’s marketing and PR campaign that launched it—won her the California Library Association’s Public Relations Excellence Award last year, recognizing how her successful outreach has helped increase SFSCL’s presence in the local teen community and encouraged artistic work by local youth. —Matt Enis

SARASOTA COUNTY LIBRARIES AND HISTORICAL RESOURCES, FL

Renée Di Pilato | Director

Last year, Sarasota County Libraries and Historical Resources, FL (SCLHR) hosted Off the Page, an annual multi-branch literary festival, while contending with the devastating impacts on their coastal community of Tropical Storm Debby, Hurricane Helene, and Hurricane Milton. While dealing with the aftermath of successive storms, the library managed to host a series of 29 events across 10 branches, with 21 acclaimed writers, including bestselling authors Amor Towles, Soman Chainani, Edward Lee, Lisa Unger, and social media influencer Oliver James.

“The festival gave the entire community a reason to celebrate in the midst of a challenging time, truly demonstrating the power of libraries to unite and inspire,” said Dr. Renée Di Pilato, director of SCLHR.

Despite Hurricane Milton severely damaging the library system’s administrative building, collapsing its roof, destroying promotional materials, and displacing the Off the Page marketing committee—which continued operations from underutilized corners of SCLHR’s branches—the campaign was a success.

A full-length promotional video, six 30-second author reels, flyers, program booklets, merchandising displays, sidewalk tattoos, postcard slat-wall displays, exterior banners, standup quick screens, digital signage across all Sarasota County government buildings, custom reading list bookmarks, and more helped attract more than 2,225 attendees to the events—a 23 percent increase from 2023—including a standing-room-only crowd for Towles. Marketing materials were anchored by a custom illustration by a local Ringling College of Art and Design illustrator, which set “the tone and visual identity for the entire campaign, from flyers to banners, resulting in a polished, gallery-like aesthetic across platforms.”

“The library’s marketing team has delivered year after year with professionalism, innovation, and heart,” wrote Karen Murphy of the Friends of the Venice Library Board of Directors in support of SCLHR’s nomination. “They have built a brand and an experience that our community treasures, and we are proud to stand beside them in making it happen.” —Matt Enis