UBC Library Communications team behind the 2016 Open Access Awareness campaign. Designer Jasmine Devonshire, Photographer and Videographer Clare Yow, Director Becky Potvin and Strategist Michelle Blackwell.
UBC Library is the first academic library to be selected as the Gold winner for the 2017 CPRS Digital Communications campaign of the year for their Open Access Awareness campaign.
The campus-wide campaign, that launched in the Fall of 2016 aimed to foster awareness and enhance student understanding around the Open Access movement and the open resources available through the Library. The campaign resulted in a significant increase in web traffic to the Library’s Open Access resources, major gains in year-over-year social media engagement and a successful launch event.
“We spent a lot of time understanding our student audience and determining the best ways to connect them with tools they need at a critical point in their academic careers,” said Michelle Blackwell Communications & Marketing strategist. “It is very gratifying to see that we made an impact.”
Celebrated annually, the CPRS Awards showcase Canada’s best public relations and communications projects and campaigns and was hosted in Kelowna, B.C.
“Thanks to CPRS for this recognition,” said Becky Potvin, Director of Communications for UBC Library, “the campaign was executed by a four-person team on a shoestring budget and was created in collaboration with our librarians and colleagues at the Centre for Teaching and Learning. It was successful in helping to raise the library’s profile and connect students with important research tools. We are very proud.”