This article was published in the Conference Proceedings of National Conference on "Library & Information Technology: Driving Management Education" , conducted by NICME New Delhi.
MARKETING OF LIBRARY SERVICES
By Manju Yadav (Asst. Librarian)
Omegan School of Business, Vadodara
intellectmanju@yahoo.com
Abstract
In this paper, we tried to give lime light to the marketing of library services. This means to inform our user what we are doing? and what we can do?? This is the information explosion phase, and library plays imperative role in almost every field of knowledge. We had many intellectual minds, but lack of services restricting them. Users are not thriving to library because they are unaware of library services. Here the need of, marketing of library services arises. Promotional activities give visibility in public. Marketing of library services helps the user to acquire the resources in best possible way. In this regard libraries can conduct: (a) Public announcements on radios, newspapers and TVs (b) Book Exhibitions, Book Fairs, Book Displays (c) Co-relating between pattern of exhibition and library services in exhibition premises (d) Conducting recreational activities in library. Within the library also librarians can encourage users by having good atmospheric conditions like neat and tidy environment, drinking water and zerox facilities etc.
Promotions of marketing activities depend upon various mediums and skills like personal skills, e-mails, internet, newsletter and leaflets. As a librarian we are the persons, who have to actively promote and advertise library services.
1. Introduction
We are living in 21st century and library plays pivotal role in almost every field of knowledge. Whether Science and technology, Banking, Insurance, Mass media etc., each and every field needs continous development and growth and library helps in this. Marketing is defined by the American Marketing Association as the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. Marketing basically involves two processes first identification of customers needs and then try to fulfill that requirement. As a librarian we are the persons who are continuously in this process and try to fulfill the demand of users.
2. Need of Library Services
Library helps in research and development, and in growth of any subject or concept or field. The development of any nation is broadly depends upon researchers, but instead of having good library and library services, they are unable to give their best. The reason is that they are not aware of library services, the titles and resources of library were not utilized properly because of lack of awareness about services. With the growth of cyber world and internet, the services of library is also growing and developing. But lack of information about services curbing the users, hence the requirement for the marketing of library services crop up. Marketing and promotional activities give visibility to the library in public. And hence resources of library utilized in best possible way. In order to perform marketing services effectively librarians has to do three steps: market research, plan accordingly and then execute the plan.
Marketing or advertising of library services are basically different from advertising or marketing in commercial sense. The latter is competitive in nature, while libraries promotion is invariably informative. Marketing of library is done to spread awareness of the facilities offered by libraries and of the need they can fulfill. Hence, it indicates library as a provider of knowledge and information. The principal objective is to bring the library and community closer together.
3. Marketing of Library Services
Libraries can promote and market services in two ways, first within the premises and secondly beyond the library premises.
3.1. Marketing beyond Library Premises
Beyond the premises librarians can conduct the following activities:
3.1.1. Public Announcements: Librarians can carry out public announcement activities on radios, newspapers and TV’s. If library is launching any new service, they can announce it on different Medias. As now day’s radio is very popular and in rural areas also, radio facility is available, hence it can be actively used for marketing. It is an excellent medium for reaching the non-user.
3.1.2. Book Fairs/ Book Exhibition/ Book Displays: Time to time by conducting these activity, users came to know new arrivals of library. And this gives visibility to the library collections, hence, users get motivated to use library. By using book fairs as an aid librarians can make users aware about their services. Librarians can use this activity as a platform for marketing its services.
3.1.3. Co-relating between pattern of exhibition and library services in exhibition premises: Exhibitions of different product gathers the bulk public, librarians can place a small stall of library books and make the people aware of their new services. Banners of library can be utilized for visibility in these exhibitions.
3.1.4. Recreational Activities: The places where any recreational activities like cooking, painting, music, art competitions were going on. Their also, by conducting one presentations the librarians can create awareness and market their library services.
3.1.5. Organizing Seminars: The librarian would conventionally conduct seminars and workshops for library services. Always take along some leaflets or handouts for distribution at the end of the seminar to reinforce audience, what has been said and to remind them of the library services after they have left the seminar and workshop.
3.1.6. Holiday mobile libraries and book buses: These services of libraries are very valuable as they take the library out of its normal extent and can able to capture the attention of non-users of the library.
3.2. Marketing within Library Premises
Within the premises also the librarians can gather public and market library services. Like
Book Exhibitions, displays can be conducted within the library itself. Activities which are predominantly book or library oriented will include talks of authors, illustrators and book collectors and film and slide shows relating exclusively to the library service. One of the most enlightening means can be used for introducing larger library to the community by the way of guided tour; this includes a look behind the scenes at those departments to which the public do not normally have access. Special events may also be put on for particular group of user, like open evening for business men and service class. All these events give excellent opportunity to key library personnel to make contacts with regular and potential users in commerce and industry in the locality. For all the above events library lecture hall or meetings rooms can be used. All these library presentational activities need careful planning and execution.
4. Promotions of Marketing Activities
Marketing and promotional actions entail various mediums and skills like:
Personal Skills: The behavior in person or in telephone, matters in user’s rating of the library. Skills like professionalism, soft speaking with smile and grace helps in building healthy relationships with users. A librarian should be soft spoken and mixing in nature then only it will be easy for them to convey their information.
· E-Mails: With the introduction of Internet, various tasks can be performed very easily. Through e-mails advertising messages reach to the user very easily and quickly. It is the best method for reaching to the user quickly and cheaply.
· Newsletter and Leaflets: Both are the means of disseminating the information. Leaflets and guides can be used to for displaying on notice boards. And newsletters are used for listing interesting new websites, new journals, new services and for general science news of interest. Newsletter should be produced on regular basis.
· Good quality print, use of more illustrations, pictures and use of catchy headlines helps a lot in good marketing.
A good marketing attracts the attention of the public and hearten the users. And time and cost is involved in the marketing, so always make sure that you get the full benefit of cost incurred. Marketing should be done within the time limit and with good frequency. 5. Conclusion
Marketing and promotion of library services are purely in the hands of librarian. For that the librarian should well aware of all the services, so that they can able to elucidate the doubts of users. Marketing gives wide range of contacts with the public and furnishes unique opportunity to improve on previous standards and to lead the way in local government in the provision of publicity of a high standard. Every thing had some positive sides and with that some negative points too. It harm when it creates a demand which cannot be met, or raises expectations beyond our capacity to conform them. So, marketing should be engaged up to the extent that it should reach to the acceptance level, in both quality and quantity.
References: -
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