Why This Small Library Hired an Artist instead of a Librarian

With shrinking budgets and expanding roles, librarians everywhere have to continue to wear
many hats. Or maybe just one big hat with “Other Duties As Assigned” embroidered on it.
With that reality, most librarians must do EVERYTHING, including their own marketing their
own programs. In comparison, larger metropolitan libraries with multiple branches have whole
teams dedicated to just that task. But Mukwonago Community Library, a smaller library in Mukwonago, Wisconsin with only 25 employees total, found a way to strike a balance between the two extremes.

After a more traditional marketing manager fell through, MCL pivoted to someone with no marketing
experience but also no library experience. Essentially hiring an artist-in-residence. With her background in freelance art, Emma Plitzner fits a role that a library of her size rarely has, but her results arguably catapult her small library to a completely different weigh class.

“Prior to Mukwonago Community Library I was a normal library user! I previously worked in an Administrative Assistant role in addition to my background doing freelance art. Pursuing your Bachelors in Fine Art does not give you a lot of free time, it does give you a lot of listening time. A few librarians introduced me to the wonders of Libby before I could spend too much money on digital audiobooks.”

“Emma’s talent allows us to get much more creative about marketing,” says Library Director Abby Armour. “Instead of just thinking about Canva graphics or a fun social media post, we can develop entire campaigns. For example, when we needed to develop an eye-catching but functional design to wrap our smart lockers, all I gave Emma was a vague picture in my head of tumbling books. She took that scrap of an idea and turned it into multiple polished concepts that captured exactly who we are.”

The wrap on their smart lockers featuring Emma’s design, which went up in 2024, would later be used again one year later as the header for their new website, creating a more unified theme throughout all aspects of the library and one coherent message. “Her true artistic ability is allowing us to craft our image and our brand that would normally require an outside agency, “ Abby said. “We not only have someone that is talented in house, but understands the need of the library. Because she’s embedded in our staff, she’s talking with the librarians and out at our events. It’s not just it needs to be a pretty picture. Emma has the rare ability to use the artistry to deliver the message.”

That ability to combine both form and function was on full display when Emma was tasked with designing window coverings. The director’s office, which is right behind the circulation desk, has several large windows that can see right into the office, removing any kind of privacy. “With the three window panels, I was able to connect the libraries vision statement of: Inspire Creativity, Embrace Community, and Cultivate Connections.”

“A new library user would not know about the library’s vision statement, which is something we wanted to change, while also covering the windows. We opted to use the cute raccoons to channel some playful energy into showing users how they can use their card or library spaces. The raccoons themselves are a call back to my original interview marketing proposal to potentially use a character in promoting the process of getting your card and everything it unlocks.”

So instead of asking librarians to be marketers and artists, perhaps it’s just easier to ask artists to be librarians. Their fresh perspective catches what years of familiarity from traditional staff may overlook, while their creativity is able to then translate those concepts into creations, as is evident in this last example. “In redesigning our Library of Things [The Thingery], key accessibility points in the tag designs stood out to me more than the librarians. The placement of small white text on a bright blue background used on the item tags made them hard to read and did not align with the growth and maturing of the libraries branding. Instead I designed color-blind-friendly tags with QR codes to our website, to not only push traffic there, but create a less overwhelming experience for the customers and the catalogers.”

But for those that still have to wear all those hats, Emma’s advice is keep it simple. “Accessibility and design consistency have been the most important thing I think about. Leave the fun graphics and fonts for those memorable event posters.”

(All images courtesy of Emma Plitzner)

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Today’s guest contributor is Peter Blenski. Peter has been a children’s librarian in the Milwaukee and Waukesha area for over a decade.  He runs the popular library blog, Lego Librarian, where he talks about library programming and marketing.  In 2021, he served on the 100th Newbery Award Selection Committee, which gave the award to “The Last Cuentista” by Donna Barba Higuera.  He recently served on the 2026 Geisel Award Selection Committee, which gave the award to “Stop That Mop!” by Jonathan Fenske. 

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Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.

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