Marketing Library Service

Strategic planning for marketing library services Samuel Olu Adeyoyin Circulation Unit, Igbinedion University Library, Okada, Nigeria Abstract Purpose – The paper aims to centre on marketing of library and information services and to attempt to correlate marketing as a concept to the provision of library services. Design/methodology/approach – The user groups are identi fied with library classificat ion in the pape r. The paper als o high lights librar y mana gement in rel ati on to mark eti ng its ser vic es and products. Findings – I n vie w of the social , eco nomic and tec hnol ogic al cha nge s, the paper advo cates a paradigm shift from the traditional marketing system into a more vibrant and dynamic, strategic marketing of library services/products. The paper concludes that a major marketing campaign is necessary to increase awareness and educate the library users about available library resources. This crusade can be further strengthened by the provision of the right service at the right time and the right price to the right users in the right place while supported by a quality management team. Originality/value – The pap er provi des usef ul inf ormat ion on the mar keti ng of li brary and information services. Keywords Information services, Libraries, Marketing strategy, Strategic planning Paper type Research paper Background Any modern economy consists of households or consumers, business enterprises, and non-business organizations, all of which constantly interact within the context of a dynamic environment. The int er act ion res ult s in the con cept ion, dev el opment , production, distribution and consumption of goods and services whose major purpose is to satisfy human needs. Within any organization, a number of activities are necessary to generate, facilitate and direct the flow of goods and services. The entrepreneur must acquire resources (men , materials, money, mac hines and tec hnol ogy) and combine them in suit able proportions. The production unit, the personnel department, the finance unit and the accounting department, should all work towards achieving the organizational goal. The contribution of marketing to the attainment of the enterprise objective lies in ensuring that there is a ready and profitable market for the company’s products (i.e. goods and services). This role includes, but is not limited to, finding a market. Findin g a market presupposes a post-product ion search while ensuring that there is a market is a continuous process that precedes and outlives the production activity. Introduction Services are those separately identifiable, essential ly intangibl e activitie s that provide want-satisfaction, and that are not necessarily tied to the sale of a product or another service. In the broadest sense, product marketing and service marketing are the same. The Eme ral d Rese arch Regi ster fo r th is j our nal is avai lable at The current issue and ful l text arc hive of thi s jo urnal is available a t www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister www.emeraldinsight.com/0143-5124.htm LM 26,8/9 494 Receiv ed 15 Novemb er 2004 Revised 12 March 2005 Accepted 16 July 2005 Library Management Vol. 26 No. 8/9, 2005 pp. 494-507 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0143-5124 DOI 10.1108/01435120510631783

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Marketing Library Service