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OMOLUABI 2015 Marketing of Library products and
services in University Libraries in Nigeria: case studies of Hezekiah
Oluwasanmi Library, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife and The Library, Oduduwa University, Ipetumodu.
Paper Presented At The National Conference/Annual General Meeting Of The
Nigerian Library Association At Osogbo, osun State,26th -31st July ,2015
Ishola, Bolanle Clifford, CLN. Department of Library and Information
Science The Federal Polytechnic, Ede [email protected],07032433049 and Prince Obadare Sunday Olurotimi, CLN
Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife
[email protected],08067902932
AUTHORS
The study investigated marketing of library products and services in university libraries with particular reference to Hezekiah Oluwasanmi library, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife and The Library, Oduduwa University, Ipetumodu, Nigeria. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for this study. The main instrument for data collection for this study was the questionnaire. The questionnaires were carefully designed for the respondents; 10% of registered undergraduate library users of Oduduwa University library and Hezekiah Oluwasanmi library, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State. A total of 1100 copies of the questionnaires were distributed to students out of which 1015 (92.2%) were returned in usable form. The study reveals that the users are not aware of library products and services. Hence, 89 % of the respondents stated that they are not aware of the library services and products and 11 % indicated otherwise. The study also revealed that lack of awareness of library products and services have influence on student’s access and use of library products and services. The study recommended various promotion strategies to promote library product and services
ABSTRACT
The university is generally regarded as a custodian of knowledge where every student, especially the undergraduate students acquires knowledge.
The primary purpose of university libraries is to support teaching, learning, and research in ways consistent with, and supportive of the institution's mission and goals.
Introduction
What is marketing? At its basic level, marketing is about
determining the value of your products or services and communicating that information to customers. (Canada Business school)
Introduction Cont’d
Olson and Moseman (1997) and Okogwu (2006) posit that marketing includes determining market niches, defining products and services, setting prices, promoting services, and building good public relations.
In the university library setting, marketing library and information services entails understanding the objectives of the library, researching the needs of the target market, packaging the library and its services to meet these needs, then promotion of the library and its services to attract the target market, and finally, pricing. It is important that libraries first create a clear vision of their values and of their contributions to the university, its faculty, staff and students and to the society
Introduction Cont’d
Information marketing by university libraries is essential in order to facilitate :
• Promotion of the use of information resources; • Create perception of need and thereby create demand; • Ensure the optimum use of information. • Improve the image and status of the libraries and library
professionals. • Tackle the problems of rising costs of reading materials,
journals, and databases; • Cope with the information explosion; • Introduce cutting-edge information technology systems in
library services; • Balance shrinking funds; • Save libraries from devaluation • Save libraries from declining reader-support; • Uphold the dictum that information is power.
(Madhusudhan,2008)
Introduction Cont’d
Martey (2000) aver that academic librarians have no option but to get seriously involved in planning and implementing marketing strategies in their libraries. He stressed that, there are very good reasons why we should do this because:◦ Marketing is an important weapon for handling
competition in view of perceived ICT challenge:◦ Users who have stopped using the library must be won
back ◦ Continuing financial support for the library may
depend on proven use of the library There is the need to retain existing users
Introduction Cont’d
The overriding objective of this study is to investigate marketing of library products and services in university libraries with particular reference to Hezekiah Oluwasanmi library, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife and The Library, Oduduwan University, Ipetumodu in Nigeria. Specific objectives are to:
Survey the products and services in both institutions with a view to access their level of patronage,
Determine the influence of students understanding of these library products and services on usage,
Find out the level of satisfaction derived by user from these library products and services
Proffer some basic marketing strategies to increase the level of patronage and users satisfaction.
Objectives of the Study
Madhusudhan, (2008) list the library product and services in his home university which they are currently marketing:
Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC): Digital information services: The library offers access to reference
materials such as general and subject encyclopaedias Searchable full text e-journals and databases
NISCAIR services: facilitating access to National Information Science Communication and Information Resources (NISCAIR)
DELNET services: GUL is a member of Developing Libraries Network (DELNET). DELNET offers access to web-based databases
Current awareness bulletin: provides contents pages for subscribed journals and has created a new monthly newsletter
Library Website: The library website is to guide to the physical facilities that delivers detailed information about the library
Remote Access Service. A Remote Access Service (RAS) Server has been installed for networking with affiliated college libraries
Literature review
Griffith (1992) maintains that the library has an image whether or not one wants to admit it and this image must not be allowed to develop haphazardly.
Jose and Bhat (2007) opined that marketing library include focusing on the customer, improving the image of the library, building relationship with the corporate world and cost recovery. Therefore, effective marketing strategy takes information services to the customer and it comprises market segmentation, market research, and marketing mix
Literature Review Cont’d
Madhusudhan, (2008) opined that a product is anything that can be offered to a market to satisfy a need. A large assortment of materials, services, and programmes constitute the library's product. A library offers goods, either tangible (e.g. books and Internet access) or intangible (e.g. personal assistance, or value of the library as a premier community institution).
De Aze (2002) says that, "products and services which provide benefits for users and which answer users' most important needs are the core business of the library and information service"
Literature Review Cont’d
Seetharama (1998) considers that, without products no organization has reason to exist, there is no task to perform; hence product is the most important factor in marketing.
Iwhiwhu and Oforududu (2012) Opined that the main purpose of any library is to provide relevant and up- to-date materials with a view to satisfying the information needs of users.
Literature review Cont’d
The descriptive survey research design was adopted for this study. The main instrument for data collection for this study was the questionnaire. The questionnaires were carefully designed for the respondents: 10% of registered undergraduate library users of Oduduwa University library and Hezekiah Oluwasanmi library, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State. Also a personal observation in the libraries understudied was made by the researchers to supplement and authenticate all the evidences given. This was made possible because both researchers were staff of the universities under studied as at when the research was carried out. A total of 1100 copies of the questionnaires were distributed to students out of which 1015 (92.2%) were returned in usable form. The researchers were able to achieve this remarkable response rate because most of the questionnaires were administered to students personally at the main library of the institutions of study and were collected that same day, between 30 minutes and one hour of administration.
Methodology
Analysis on table 1 shows that it is quite obvious that the users are not aware of library products and services. Hence, 89 % of the respondents stated that they are not aware of the library services and products and 11 % indicated otherwise. These findings gives credence to the findings of Arif and Meadows (1994) which revealed that once users become aware of an information product and services they tend to use it.
Table one: Awareness of library and Information products and
services
The study reveal that the respondents are not making use of interlibrary loan services 1101(99.9%) documentary services 714 (70.34%), current awareness services 722 (71.13%), selective dissemination services 711 (70.04%), publishing services 799 (78.71%), access to social media 1002 (98.71%), printing services 1007 (99.21%), and referrer services 998 (98.32%) sufficiently, this is obvious from the response rate.
This finding is confirmed by the earlier findings of Iwhiwhu and Okorududu (2012). They however pointed out that the main purpose of any library is to provide relevant services and up- to-date materials with a view to satisfying the information needs of users.
Table Two: frequency of use of library products and services
The study revealed that lack of awareness of library products and services have influence on student’s access and use of library products and services. hence, 100% response rate was recorded. this findings give credence to previous findings of selvam and subramanian (2013) but they further pointed out that marketing of library products and services helps to promote library usage, upgrade the quality of services and create awareness among the users.
Table 3: Influence of Understanding of library and information product and
services on students’ usage
Analysis on table 4, revealed that majority of the respondents do not understand these library services : interlibrary loan services, documentary services, current awareness services, selective dissemination services, publishing services, access to social media, and referrer services, hence it recorded 91% response rates. This Study is supported by earlier study by Popoola, and Zaid, ( 2015) which found that there was a significant difference in users awareness of available library information products and services. The study further revealed that the level of knowledge of users has positive relationship with the frequency of use.
Table four: Products and services students do not understand
Responses to the question on how adequately library products and services are supporting learning and research reveal that 51% of the respondents said yes, 31% said no and 18% said partially. This findings buttress Kanaujia (2004) view that though the librarians had a positive attitude towards marketing of library information products and services, there was less evidence of the systematic and planned use of marketing in the service design, pricing and delivery of information products/services in supporting students learning and research
Table 5: Support of library and Information product and services on
students learning and research.
Respondents were asked to indicate how satisfied they are with their library products and services, table 6 shows that 51% are always satisfied, 20% are often satisfied,11% are seldom satisfied and 18% said never satisfied. This findings is confirmed by earlier study by Wang and Shieh (2006) which revealed that quality of library product and service has a significant positive effect on over all user satisfaction
Table 6: Users’ satisfaction
Publicity and Public relations; Wide publicity should be given to products and services. Various advertising methods should be employed . e;g local newspapers and magazines should be used for dissemination of information related to the various programmes and activities being performed by the library .
Libraries should employ the use of library guides, year books, workshops/seminars/ refresher courses to improve the image of the library. Including the specific ventures such as workshops, seminars, and refresher courses
Recommendations
Pricing: price charged for library services and products should be reasonable. Financial experts could be consulted when fixing pricing policy and library can decide to offer free services over a period of time as a bait .
Power: the library can put in place uninterrupted power supply system at the library. This was experimented at Oduduwa University. It was a huge success
Recommendation Cont’d
Service quality and user satisfaction: Librarians should focus more on service quality and user satisfaction of their users.
Clear vision of value: libraries should create a clear vision of their values and of their contributions to the university, its faculty, staff and students and to the society as a whole
Automation Programme; Wider publicity should be given for information technology training programmes, and to library automation and networking. Financial assistance could be sought from several bodies.
Recommendation Cont’d
OPAC :bibliographic database of the library collection should be made available online
User centred product and services. Library manager must be ready to develop the products to meet the needs expressed by the users.
Complaint/suggestion box should be place at location where they can be easily accessed by users.
Recommendation Cont’d
Feedback mechanism :to monitor the effectiveness of the services and products. Regular surveys of the users should be conducted to know the continuity/discontinuity of the existing services/products and initiation of new services/products.
Enlightening and educating institutional policymakers: those who make library policies and hold the purse strings but know precious little about libraries must be educated and enlightened.
Recommendation Cont’d
University library effectiveness does not depend on only its gargantuan collection/resources and other facilities parse, but also on the success of its exploitation and use, though the problem of underutilization of library resources is global. Never the less, librarians have the responsibility of creating awareness to their users to enable them take full advantage of the acquired materials. Librarians must not shy away from this all important responsibility and must do all they can to sustain quality library and information services to their users which is a feature and nature of the 21st century library and information services and the much talked about treat posed by internet technology to relevance of library profession in this age will just be a mirage.
Conclusion
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Thank you
Appreciation
