The E&J Library
A free public library of out-of-home advertising, infrastructure and public communication. Classified, cited and edited.
The E&J Library is a free, public reference library from E&J Billboards. It is organized with its own numbered system, the E&J Library Classification, and is edited by Jasmine Billions. Everything is free to read. Nothing is behind a paywall.
Open the Main Catalog to browse all ten classes, the thirty industries and how every item is numbered. Item numbers look like E&J 641.2-V: class and shelf, then a format letter.
The reading rooms
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How the library is built
- Infrastructure first. Every item says where it came from and traces its history to today.
- Credit always. Outside work is cited with author, publisher, date and link.
- Edited. The Editor reviews every item before it is published.
- Open to all for now. Student and professional sign-ins may be added later.
Education Wing
The Education Wing is for students and teachers from elementary school through graduate study. Each course will have a syllabus, readings, discussion questions, assignments and assessments. Courses are free. This wing is opening after the Business Wing, so most shelves are placeholders for now.
Levels
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What every course includes
- Weekly schedule and learning goals
- Readings with credited sources (APA)
- Discussion questions and assignments
- Assessments and instructor notes
- Related videos, audio, games and artifacts, filed by E&J number
For teachers
Free curriculum, guest lecture requests and classroom use are planned. Google Classroom support is planned for later. Write to info@eandjbillboards.com.
Children's pages will not collect personal information, use sign-ins or track visitors.
Shared rooms
Business and Professional Wing
The Business and Professional Wing has two halls. The Small Business Hall teaches owners how to plan, buy and measure billboard advertising in plain English. The Professional Hall is for marketing and advertising professionals and covers buying, measurement and agency practice.
Small Business Hall
Open: draft courseStart here if you are planning your first campaign.
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Professional Hall
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Follow E&J on LinkedIn for professional updates. Professional posts will be filed here as they are published.
Start with these guides
Main Catalog
The E&J Library Classification sorts every item into ten classes numbered 000 to 900. An item number has three parts: the class and shelf, a decimal for detail, and a format letter, for example E&J 641.2-V (Retail and Restaurants, shelf 2, video).
How an item is numbered
| Part | Meaning |
|---|---|
| E&J 641 | Class and shelf (here, 641 Retail, Restaurants & Hospitality) |
| .2 | Detail within the shelf (here, .2 Who advertises and why) |
| -V | Format: B book, W white paper, V video, D dataset, C case study, S syllabus, P primary source, M map, I image, A audio, G guide, R reference, X artifact, Y game |
Audience tags: ES, MS, HS, UG, GR for education; SB for small business; PR for professional. Levels: 101 introductory, 201 intermediate, 301 advanced, 401 research. Status: placeholder, draft, reviewed or published.
The ten classes
000Foundations and reference
- 010 Glossary
- 020 How to use the library and cite it
- 030 Source evaluation and fact-checking
- 040 Directories and organizations
- 050 Periodicals (E&J OOH News)
- 060 Bibliographies and reading lists
- 070 Editorial standards, style guide and corrections log
- 080 Quotations and primary-source index
- 090 Library news and changelog
100History and infrastructure of information
- 110 Ancient world: oral tradition, town criers, clay tablets, papyrus, public notices
- 120 Classical to medieval: scribes, manuscripts, heraldry, signs
- 130 The printing era
- 140 The industrial era: lithography, posters, early outdoor advertising
- 150 The broadcast era
- 160 The digital era
- 170 Then and now: how information moved (speed, reach, trust, cost, gatekeepers)
- 180 History of outdoor advertising in the U.S.
- 190 Infrastructure history: roads, rail, postal systems, telegraph, electricity and networks, and how they shaped advertising
Placeholder: entries are being researched. Each will state its origin, who made it, how it spread and its path to today, with every claim cited before publication.
200Cultures, societies, religion, social cues and geography
- 210 How cultures move information
- 220 Religion and public communication (cited from each tradition’s own scholarship)
- 230 Social cues, norms, symbols, color and language
- 240 Cultural differences in persuasion and trust
- 250 United States regions: Atlantic, Southern, Central and WestPac
- 260 U.S. states
- 270 Cities, metros and ZIP-level guides
- 280 The Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific (local sources, credited)
- 290 Global out-of-home news and comparisons
Placeholder: entries will cite scholarship from within each culture and country, in the original language where possible, with translation notes.
300Media formats and channels
- 310 Billboards: static, digital and spectacular
- 320 Digital out-of-home
- 330 Transit and street furniture
- 340 Airport, venue and stadium media
- 350 Streaming TV
- 360 Press, PR and earned media
- 370 Social, search and digital
- 380 Experiential
- 390 Integrated, cross-channel campaigns
400Strategy, planning, buying, pricing and careers
- 410 Strategy and objectives
- 420 Budgeting and pricing
- 430 The buying process
- 440 Audience, targeting and location
- 450 Scheduling, flighting and frequency
- 460 Procurement and inventory
- 470 Campaign operations: artwork approval and proof of performance
- 480 Small-business and agency playbooks
- 490 Professional practice, careers and certifications
500Creative, design and messaging
- 510 Principles of outdoor creative
- 520 Layout, typography and color
- 530 Copywriting and calls to action
- 540 Digital and motion creative
- 550 File specs and production
- 560 Templates and mockups
- 570 Brand identity
- 580 Critiques and before-and-after
- 590 History of design and notable campaigns
600Industries
- 610-693 Thirty industries in nine sectors, each with the same nine shelves (see the industry index below)
A to Z industry index
Author & Publishing · Automotive & Transportation · Bars, Breweries & Nightlife · Beauty, Salons & Barbers · Child Care & Preschools · Dentists & Specialty Practices · Education & Training Institutions · Entertainment, Music & Media · Events, Conferences & Experiences · Faith Base · Financial Services & Insurance · Fitness & Gyms · Healthcare & Medical Practices · HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical · Insurance & Mortgage Agents · Landscaping & Lawn Care · Law Firms & Attorneys · Nonprofits & Community Organizations · Pest Control · Pet Services · Political, Government & Public Awareness Campaigns · Real Estate & Property Development · Retail, Restaurants & Hospitality · Roofing Contractors · Senior Living & Home Care · Small Businesses & Local Services · Solar & Energy · Staffing & Talent Brokers · Tech & Startups · Wedding / Engagement
Every industry uses the same nine shelves: .1 Origin and history of advertising in the industry, .2 Who advertises and why, .3 Goals and best formats, .4 Budgets and pricing, .5 Creative do’s and don’ts, .6 Regulations and ethics, .7 Case studies, .8 Local and global notes, .9 Sources.
700Data, measurement and research
- 710 Metrics: impressions, reach, frequency, plays
- 720 Measurement methods and third-party sources
- 730 Attribution and return on investment
- 740 Market data and trends
- 750 Datasets (cited, with license)
- 760 Third-party research (always credited)
- 770 Methodology and limitations
- 780 Research ethics and privacy
- 790 Tools
800E&J research and methods
- Original E&J research, white papers, case studies, datasets and maps. This shelf is being prepared and will open when the Editor approves it.
900Ethics, law, policy and standards
- 910 Ethics of persuasion and selling
- 911 Children and vulnerable audiences
- 912 Health, financial and legal claims
- 913 Restricted categories
- 914 Community impact
- 915 Political advertising and disclosure
- 916 Accessibility and inclusion
- 917 Safety, light and environment
- 918 Cultural and religious sensitivity
- 920 Federal regulation
- 930 State and local regulation
- 940 Contracts, compliance and insurance
- 950 Sales ethics and professional conduct
- 960 Privacy and measurement ethics
- 970 AI, automation and synthetic media
- 980 Industry codes and self-regulation
- 990 Case studies in ethics
Shelves marked as placeholders are reserved. They will be filled as the Editor approves items.
Course: SB 101 (draft)
Draft for Editor approval SB 101 is a short, plain-English course for owners planning a first billboard campaign. It runs in six lessons. Titles and outlines below are drafts and will change before publication.
Course details
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Number | E&J 480.1-S (syllabus) |
| Audience | Small business owners (SB), level 101 |
| Format | Six lessons, each with a reading, a short video (when available) and a worksheet |
| Status | Draft. Not yet reviewed by the Editor |
Lessons
| Lesson | Title | Outline (draft) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Why billboards, and who sees yours | What out-of-home is and how people pass a board. Digital and static. |
| 2 | Setting one goal | Calls, visits, sales or awareness. Pick one. |
| 3 | Choosing a place and a format | Location, traffic, digital rotation and run length. |
| 4 | Budget and what it buys | What affects price and how to plan a first budget. |
| 5 | Writing and designing the ad | A few words, a clear picture, one call to action. |
| 6 | After it runs | Proof of performance and simple ways to track results. |
Readings and tools (to be confirmed)
- Billboard cost guide (E&J)
- Is a billboard worth it? calculator (E&J)
- Billboard mock-up tool (E&J)
- Outside readings will be added with full APA citations and links.
Assessment
Each lesson ends with a short worksheet. A final one-page campaign plan completes the course. Certificates are not planned yet.
Reading Rooms
The reading rooms hold the shelves shared by both wings. The Reference Desk, Open Shelf and Bookstore Shelf are open. The video, audiobook, artifact, games and global rooms are being stocked and will open as items are approved.
Reference Desk
Start with these free guides:
- How much does a billboard cost? Price guide
- “Build Boards” or “billboards”?
- Billboard advertising FAQ
- Birthday billboards, personal shout-outs, business shout-outs
- Guides and articles
- Billboard glossary
- DOOH screen advertising
How to cite
The library uses APA 7. Each page ends with a suggested citation. When a page quotes outside work, it credits the author, publisher, date and link.
Checking a source
Ask who wrote it, who published it, when, what evidence it gives and whether others report the same.
Open Shelf: free books
Books that are free to read legally online. Sources include the Internet Archive, Open Library, Project Gutenberg, HathiTrust and OpenStax. Specific titles will be listed here after the Editor reviews each one.
Bookstore Shelf: recommended books
Affiliate disclosureSome titles listed here will link to booksellers. If you buy through those links, E&J may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Recommendations are chosen by the Editor, not by sellers. Titles are being selected.
Government & Public Sector Reading Room
This shelf is for Public Information Officers and other public-sector communicators. Each item links to a free guide.
- Government and public-awareness billboard campaigns
- How booking works
- E&J OOH News: Public Information Officers desk
- E&J OOH News: Government & Global Capital desk
- Ask about a public-sector campaign
Shelves being stocked
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Corrections and Policies
If you find an error in the E&J Library, email info@eandjbillboards.com with the page address and what is wrong. Fixes are logged on the item.
Corrections
Send the page, the error and, if you can, a source. The Editor reviews each report. Corrected items show the date of the change and a short note.
Editorial policy
- Jasmine Billions is the Editor and reviews every item before it is published.
- Items are credited to the E&J Library. Where an item draws on the Editor’s own research, it says so.
- Outside work is cited with author, publisher, date and link, and credited to its source.
- Historical and cultural claims are checked against sources before publication.
- Placeholders are labeled as placeholders.
Sponsorship policy
Sponsored items carry a clear Sponsored label and paid links use rel=“sponsored”. Sponsors do not control editorial content.
Affiliate disclosure
Some book and audiobook links are affiliate links. E&J may earn a commission on purchases at no extra cost to you. Free books are listed separately on the Open Shelf.
Children’s pages
Pages for children will not collect personal information, require sign-in or track visitors.
Not advice
The library is for education and general information. It is not legal, financial or medical advice.
Origin: written and edited by the E&J Library; outside sources are credited on each item with author, publisher, date and link.
E&J Library · Edited by Jasmine Billions, Editor · Corrections and policies · E&J OOH News · Write to info@eandjbillboards.com
Some pages contain affiliate links or sponsored items, which are always labeled. See the editorial, sponsorship and affiliate policy. This library is for education and general information, not legal, financial or medical advice.