“Billy Bones” Campaign Is Honored by CLA

            The Stratford Library won top honors recently in the 2024 Connecticut Library Association Publication Awards.  The Library won the Designer’s Choice Publicity Award for its “Billy Bones” campaign which utilized a 12-foot skeleton at the Library entrance last fall to promote the agency and its many services.

What began as a fanciful idea from Assistant Director Geri Diorio, “Billy Bones” became a full-fledged tour de force on social media for the Stratford Library in October 2023. While libraries always provide vital services, “Billy Bones” was a delightful reminder to the community that they could have fun with their library. Once Billy (named for Shakespeare, a nod to Stratford’s English namesake) was assembled, his tag line was born: “It’s Never Too Late To Get Your Library Card”.  The Library invited people to take a “skelfie” with Billy and share what they were reading on social media platforms. Classes visiting the library, Girl Scout Troops and the Library’s own teen volunteers often gathered in front of Billy for group photos.

Patrons responded by posting about Billy, bragging to their friends about their “cool library”, and sharing their own skelfies. As a result, the “Billy Bones” campaign on Facebook garnered a total of 430 likes, resulted in 84 shares, and reached a total of 18,850 Facebook users. Instagram views were 2309 and patrons shared on X as well.  “Billy Bones” was recently a popular addition to the silent auction at the Library’s annual gala and has now found a good home in Stratford.