Bridges' library billboards to make big statement in February

Posted: Wednesday, December 20, 2017 1:38 pm

WAUKESHA — Drivers traveling on key routes through Waukesha and Jefferson counties this February will encounter billboards that are a bit ... different.

“You don’t usually see public libraries using billboards,” admits Jill Fuller, marketing and communications coordinator for the Bridges Library System, based in Waukesha. “But we want to make a large statement about how necessary libraries are to their communities and you can’t get much larger than a billboard.”

Two billboards will be on Interstate 94, one will be located on State Highway 26 south of Watertown, and the fourth will be on Interstate 43, east of Mukwonago. Each billboard will display a sentence that challenges people to rethink their perception of libraries, such as “Because books are just the beginning.”

The billboards are part of a month-long public awareness campaign hosted by all 24 public libraries in Waukesha and Jefferson counties. Called “Libraries Transform,” the campaign brings attention to how libraries change lives and transform communities.

“Our libraries hear so many stories from patrons of how the library has directly impacted their lives,” Fuller said. “Taking a computer class gives a person confidence in the workplace. Having access to the Internet allows someone to apply for jobs online. An opportunity to learn robotics or coding can change the way a child performs in school. Libraries fill gaps and offer opportunities that can greatly affect someone’s life, and our goal is to highlight that.”

The billboards are only a small part of what the libraries will be doing in February. Each library in Waukesha and Jefferson counties is hosting an innovative and unique program to showcase the ideas and opportunities that libraries offer. Local officials, businesses, and organizations across the two counties will show their library support by starring in READ posters that will be on display in the libraries, while library visitors can enter to win a prize for attending multiple library programs.

The libraries also will be spreading the “Libraries Transform” message on their social media pages and newsletters. Residents can join the conversation about how libraries have changed their lives by commenting on their library’s social media pages or submitting a story at www.tinyurl.com/my-library-story.

For more information regarding the “Libraries Transform” campaign, stop into the local library for a brochure or visit https://bridgeslibrarysystem.org/libraries-transform.

The Bridges Library System provides individual member libraries, as well as residents of Waukesha and Jefferson counties, benefits in the form of greater fiscal security, increased access to information and services, and progressive, collaborative relationships.