Fact Sheet 12. Publicising your service and disseminating your information
Publicising your service is essential so that people can find out about, and use, your information resources. Make sure those organisations representing people who experience barriers know about the range of information and formats you offer.
Putting time and resources into publicising your information service will benefit your profile and visibility. It will also help you to reach out to the people and groups who do not currently use your service.
Publicise the information service locally
Local networks and media are often the most important and trusted ways of sharing information. Having a regular slot on local radio can help reach people living in social isolation or in rural areas. Citizens Information Centres have run information programmes and question-and-answer sessions on local radio and have 'Know your Rights' columns in local newspapers.
Provide open days, coffee mornings and informal clinics in partnership with local organisations to publicise your information sources and formats. The service can also be advertised on the websites of representative organisations and include this information in your written information and publicity.
| The Ballyfermot Advocacy Service in co-operation with the Disability Federation of Ireland, Ballyfermot Citizens Information Service and Ballyfermot Partnership organised a Disability Fair in October 2008. The event showcased the information and services available to people with disabilities and their families from local and national statutory, voluntary and private organisations. |
Know your audience and work with your audience
There are many ways to disseminate information but knowing your audience is an important starting point. Think about where your audience meets or socialises - libraries, cinemas, community centres, local health centres or at work - and make your information available in those places.
Publicise your information centre through local networks, local groups and local newspapers. Consider inviting representatives of local groups to visit your information centre so that they can see your building, offices and signage and then tell other people about the facilities you provide.
| North Kildare CIC has set up an advocacy service and appointed an advocate who has been proactive in giving talks on the availability of the service to service users with an intellectual disability in Dara Services and St. John of Gods. The CIC also gives talks and organises information days for local groups. These include a local carers' support group for parents of children with disabilities, a group which helps people to return to work and become more independent, and a local dyslexia group. |
Let people know about the different formats available
Many people access information locally. By working with local organisations representing service users, you will be able to share your information and disseminate it widely.
Make sure that organisations representing service users know about the different formats you offer and give them copies on request and in a timely way. These organisations can give helpful feedback about the numbers of copies that people ask for and the uptake of the different formats. They can also publicise your information on their website, in their newsletters, to their staff and to their service users.
Make your publications and formats available through Citizens Information Centres, local area partnerships, community groups, Family Resource Centres, day and residential centres, women's centres, GP surgeries, health centres and tenants' and residents' groups.
Advertise the different formats available in the original publication. Develop a strategy to disseminate these formats. Knowing your audience will help you in publicising your different formats.
| The Electronic Assistive Technology Library www.try-it.ie, has produced business cards with information in print on one side and Braille on the other. |
Run specific information campaigns
A themed week or day, such as a Disability Information Awareness Week, promotes access to information for people with disabilities. You could also organise information campaigns that target other specific groups such as homeless people, older people, migrant workers or minority ethnic groups.
| Information Age was a Citizens Information Board awareness campaign aimed at helping to meet the information needs of Ireland's older people. The initiative was led by a broad working group of relevant community and voluntary and statutory bodies including the HSE, the Department of Social and Family Affairs and the National Council on Aging and Older People. An Information Age booklet was distributed to the homes of 400,000 people over the age of 65. The convenient pocket size booklet detailed information sources and highlighted areas of special interest to older people such as retirement, health services, income and support and safety and security. A series of factsheets were also produced and Guidelines for providing information to older people were circulated to information providers. A series of specialised training seminars were attended by 400 people around the country and information events aimed at older people were held in a number of venues around the country. |
Further resources
The Information Age seriesincluded an information booklet, a series of factsheets, a wallchart and a checklist all free of charge and available to download on www.citizensinformationboard.ie Copies of the free booklet and checklist were circulated to thousands of older people in February 2007
