BERLIN – Discussions on rebranding the Worcester County Library highlighted last week’s meeting of the board of trustees.
As officials work to design a new branch in Pocomoke and bring a book mobile to its growing list of services, the Worcester County Library Board of Trustees took the next step forward in launching a potential rebranding effort of the library system.
“I think it can definitely coincide with a new library, trying to put out a new logo and having a potential video that highlights each individual library,” said board member Jeff Smith.
In recent months, board members have discussed the possibility of creating a new logo for the library system’s website, library cards and printed materials. There was also discussion of including it onto the library’s new book mobile.
To that end, board members this week discussed plans for developing a subcommittee with the purpose of exploring rebranding efforts and associated costs. Smith said he had also reached out to a Berlin-based graphic designer for help.
“I can tell you his exact words were something to the effect of we have two choices,” he said. “We can either continue to think of ourselves as a library, and brand ourselves simply as a library, or we take a more broad approach and say … a library is about more than just books, so why not brand ourselves as more than just a library.”
Board member Nancy Howard said the rebranding effort could also include a video highlighting the library system’s five branch locations. She added, however, that a new logo should be created before the library moved forward with a design for its new book mobile.
“It seems counterproductive to wrap the bus and then change the logo,” she said.
Smith noted that the rebranding effort would require funding. Jennifer Ranck, the library’s executive director, agreed.
“We’re going to need to think about a marketing budget,” Smith said.
The library board this week also discussed a potential change to library hours, as well as ongoing design work for the Pocomoke library project. Since 2020, county officials have been moving forward with plans for a new library branch.
In an update last week, Ranck noted she was working with architect Jeff Schoellkopf to develop different schemes for the building, which will be constructed at the site of the long-vacant armory building on 2nd Street in Pocomoke.
“Jeff is doing a pretty good job of putting our ideas on paper,” she said. “So we are looking forward to that continuing.”
