Publication analysis
About the publication
Title: The Santa Barbara Independent or Santa Barbara Indepedent
ISSN: N/A
Website: http://independent.com
Purpose, objective, or mission: A weekly newspaper and “the leading source for news, arts & entertainment, and lifestyle coverage in the greater Santa Barbara area.”1
Target audience: “Our coverage and distribution extends from the heart of Santa Barbara northwest through Goleta and the Santa Ynez Valley, and then southeast through Montecito and Carpinteria, with presence in both Ojai and Ventura as well.”2
Publisher: Santa Barbara Independent, Inc.3
Peer reviewed? No.4
Type: Civilian newspaper.5
Medium: Print and online.6
Content: Local and national news, community events.7
Frequency of publication: Weekly.8
About the publication’s submission guidelines
Location of submission guidelines: https://www.independent.com/contact-us/
Types of contributions accepted: Letters to the editor, longer and more thought out opinion pieces regarding an issue of critical importance to the Santa Barbara community (called a “Voice”), and “In Memoriams”, which are “eulogies for members of the Santa Barbara Community.”9
Submission and review process: Proposals and submissions should be sent via the contact form on the Contact Us page. Choose the appropriate box based on your submission (“Submit Letter or Voice,” or “Submit In Memoriam”). The word count is 50-250 words for Letters, 600-850 for Voices, and 500-800 words for In Memoriams. Include your name, address, and telephone number in the submission.10
Editorial tone: Informative.
Style guide used: None mentioned.
Conclusion: Evaluation of publication’s potential for LIS authors
The Santa Barabara Independent provides an opportunity for authors to reach their local community with information about their library or library issues.
Audience analysis
About the publication’s readers
Publication circulation: Print circulation of 40,500 and 492,000 webpage visits per month.11
Audience location and language or cultural considerations: Santa Barbara County residents and visitors. The publication is written in the English language. Culturally, Santa Barbara is a tourist location and has a changing, diverse population.
Reader characteristics: According to their media kit, 62% of all residents in Southern Santa Barbara County read The Independent, with 100,000 people indicating that they read The Independent each week.12 29% of the readers are male while 62% are female. More than 75% of the readers have a college or post-graduate degree. The average household income of readers is $75,000 or higher, and the majority of readers (32%) are between the ages of 50-64.13
The Santa Barbara Independent is actively involved in community affairs and “supports civic engagement by hosting political forums; fosters recognition of arts and culture with annual awards for theater, dance, and culinary achievements; sponsors numerous community events; and raises money each fall for numerous nonprofits . . . ,”14 The reach of the Santa Barabara Independent spans outside of their dedicated readers and into the community it serves.
Knowledge of LIS subject matter: Given that most readers are college-educated, many are probably familiar with libraries to some degree; however, library jargon should be avoided.
Conclusion: Analysis of reader characteristics and their potential impact on authors
Santa Barbara is a well-rounded community that appreciates its cultural diversity. Many educators reside in Santa Barbara and would appreciate knowing about services that are available to students of all ages. Potential authors have the benefit of reaching a cultured and educated community who will likely see writing about libraries as interesting and intriguing.
Last updated: September 26, 2020
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