The University of Richmond library has recently added netLibrary audio e-books to its offerings. They are catching on nicely despite the complaint we have heard more than once, “What do you mean I can’t download this to my iPod?” OCLC/netLibrary sent us publicity materials, including bookmarks.

When netLibrary debuted about eight years ago, it handed out sturdy canvas tote bags at an ALA conference and gave away bookmarks. At the time I asked a netLibrary sales rep how I could stick a paper bookmark in an e-book and how I could carry e-books in the tote bag. I don’t think I received the answer she wished she could have given me.

But it’s not only netLibrary that promotes e-resources with bookmarks. I have seen other bookmarks from other publishers as well as bookmarks libraries have produced to promote their electronic collections and services. The bookmark as library publicity vehicle is certainly durable. But are bookmarks effective? Especially for promoting electronic resources? Does it make sense to use them this way?

One side of the netLibrary bookmark:

Today’s mail brought a handsome book from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. MacArthur Fellows: the First 25 Years, 1981-2005 provides brief biographies of all 700+ extraordinary individuals who have been named MacArthur Fellows. That’s their official name; popularly these are the famous “genius awards.” Indexes list the fellows by class and by field of endeavor. Librarianship doesn’t appear. So I checked the biographies of the 20 fellows listed under “education.” No librarian among them.

Will 2006 be the year that a librarian is named a MacArthur Fellow? If you were on of the nominators, who in our field would you nominate?