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Attitude of Academic Librarians Towards Marketing of Library Services , a LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction

New kind of information users and new types of information tools are created by the advanced ICT development every day. Both libraries and librarians have to cope with different aspects of information change like the new wave of ICT development, lack of library staff, demand of more efficient services and needs of users, ascending cost of library services. Libraries must compete with the internet which is now more powerful than ever (Kanauji, 2004). In this age of advanced information technology there is a need to promote information services that meet the needs of students and faculty member and motivate them to use these services more. Academic libraries need new and more advanced information tools to serve the ascending demand of student that form the audience of the academic library.

As a result of the increased demand for the information service that is provided through the use of information technology the academic libraries has to compete with other information providers and provide better services and promote them with a planned marketing strategy to ensure a continuous flow of financial resources and support. The need to present a well suited self image is essential. Libraries are not different from any other organization that needs more than ever to use marketing as a tool to endure the fast changing world of information (Spalding & Wang, 2006).

The librarians recognition of the concept of marketing and the marketing mix means the insurance for not waisting the marketing effort. The knowledge that librarians have about marketing library service is essential as librarians form the backbone of the library because the main concept of marketing is built around the idea of satisfying the customers and providing the best service available. It is not enough to bring new furneture or new computers or even improve the service and train the library staff to bring more users to the library. The way librarians think and act in regards to promoting library services is as important as any aspect that affect the library performance and future (Helton & Esrock, 1998).

In this regard, the attitude of librarian towards marketing is important as librarians represent the face of the library and manifest its direction. Studying the nature of librarian’s attitude toward the use of marketing in academic libraries can affect the success and failure of any marketing effort in the library, as the idea of using marketing in promoting library services needs a welcoming environment. For that, librarians attitude towared the use of marketing in the library is crucial for the library to succeed in pormoting the information services and to guarantee users satisfaction (Kaur & Rani, 2008). The study of attitude of librarians towards the use of marketing in academic libraries can make a differenence in the survival of academic libraries.

Academic libraries more then ever needs the attention and support to be more efficiant and resource providing for the students and staff. Studing The attitude of librarians in these libraries towrd marketing library services will be helpful to determaine the best marketing plane and stratagies to follow according to the study results.

Academic libraries at the present time are facing great difficulties in the field of providing information as competition is more aggressive than ever. The increasing use of electronic services is making the academic libraries less needed. Therefore these libraries are in desperate need for a powerful method to promote and market the use of their  resources and services. However, the use of business methodologies in libraries is effected by the attitude of librarians. This attitude of librarians can be a major obstacle in the face of marketing library services in academic libraries.

Definitions

Marketing: “Marketing is a stance and an attitude that focuses on meeting the needs of the users. Marketing is a means of ensuring that libraries, librarians and librarianship are integrated into both today’s and tomorrow’s emerging global culture. Marketing is not separate from good practice. It is good practice” (Smith, 1995).

Marketing mix, 4P’s: “Is the development of the product, service or material for the identified target market, and its price, place of distribution and promotional characteristics. Every product has a price and must be made available some place and promoted” (Koonts, 2004, p.250)

Literature Review

The literature available that discuses the attitude of librarians toward the use of marketing methods in libraries in general is rare, there are not many studies about this topic. It is harder to find literature discussing the same topic for academic libraries particularly. While some of the literature relates marketing library services to this topic, but attitude of librarians is another matter that need to be tackled and studied.

Academic libraries have always perceived themselves to be an inherent part of the academic community, that’s why they have often felt they do not have to justify their existence. This is why the academic libraries have begun to understand the need to market themselves and engage in marketing activity only in recent years. Times are changing and academic libraries are facing increasing costs. As a result, they are being forced to justify budget demands to university administrators. This can be a difficult task when some administrators, faculty and students question the need for libraries at all (Neuhaus & Snowden, 2003).

Kaur and Rani (2008) examined the attitude of library professionals in university libraries in India. Results of the research reveal that 84.6 % of the librarians and professionals under study have not studied marketing in their schools of library and information science. 94.2 % have not attended any workshop and seminar on marketing of information services and products. More than 94 % of the respondents either agree or strongly agree that the concept of marketing is equally applicable in the field of library and information science and it should form an important component of the curriculum in the library schools. Of the respondents, 84.6 % think that marketing relates not only to selling and advertising but also to customizing the services to serve the user needs in a more fulfilling way, and 82.7 % admit that traditional view of libraries towards marketing has been in terms of promotion only. The positive response to all the statements shows that librarians feel the need of applying the marketing principles in the libraries in an era of global competitiveness and shrinking resources.

From the same study the researchers found that 84.6 % of the population of the study agrees that libraries conduct marketing programs at random rather than develop a consistent program, the lack of consistency in marketing education is crucial as it affect the perspective of librarians towards the use of marketing in libraries. Regarding the marketing mix the overall result were positive in favor of introducing and implementing the basic marketing mix and the four P's of marketing.

Kanaujia (2004) findings in his study reveal that librarians have a positive attitude towards the different aspects of marketing of library information products and services. The problem is that librarians are not getting the chances to apply their lessons into marketing practices and application planning for the library. All librarians in the study agree that ignorance with marketing is responsible for discouraging marketing applications. The study results reflect the need of proper training and teaching of marketing. efforts for increasing librarians awareness and separate financial support are necessary for efficient marketing. Instead of scattered approaches and different styles, a consistent view must be taken.

Shontz, Parker and Parker study (2004) identifies the attitude of public librarians toward the marketing of library services and relate this attitude to selected independent variables. Although most of the respondents had generally positive attitudes toward library marketing there were statistically significant differences between subgroups. For example, more positive attitudes toward marketing were expressed by library administrators. The study proves that librarians who have taken a course in marketing in the past five years hold a more positive attitude toward marketing. And librarians who had taken a course or workshop in marketing and those who perceived marketing positively conceder marketing practice to be a high priority in their libraries. That’s why the authors relate the bad attitude for marketing ‘if it exist’ to the lack of knowledge of marketing. Marketing knowledge and experience also positively correlated with years of library experience. This may indicate that marketing techniques are learned over the course of a librarian’s career, or perhaps late in ones career. Librarians who work in libraries that offer a broader range of services learn to appreciate the importance of making the public fully aware of these services.

Workshops can be an appropriate mechanism for changing certain types of attitudes. The results of Grunenwald, Felicetti and Stewart study (1990) show that participants did learn about marketing and gained a better understanding of library marketing. In addition, participants enjoyed learning about library marketing and were less tending to view marketing as only publicity. The workshop experience also helped participants to realize that marketing has a legitimate place in a library environment. It should, however, be noted that participants attended the workshop on a voluntary basis. As a result, their attitudes toward libraries marketing are likely to be more favorable than attitudes held by librarians in general. Perhaps the individuals who need to learn more about library marketing are not the ones attending workshops. It is possible, however, that the workshop participants can be influential in changing the negative attitudes toward marketing that are held by other librarians. But a note should be made that workshop participation will not result in radical changes in the attitudes of the participants, as a result attitude changes are likely to be gradual.

There is a positive connection between the marketing attitudes and behavior. Nevertheless, professional experience, marketing education, seminars, training courses, personality of individuals, and institutional cultures are factors that could cause marketing attitude and behavior to be in disparity with each other. Many marketing jargons and terminologies such as ‘customers’, ‘profitability’, ‘bottom line’, ‘value-added activities’ and ‘competition’ are increasingly accepted into the LIS landscape which were considered alien in the beginning. The gradual integration of the marketing concepts into LIS sector has influenced the scholarly landscape of the LIS discipline. This new landscape provides both opportunities and challenges for future scholarship and practice in these related disciplines (Singh, 2008).

The understanding of librarians that the user and user's needs are the main purpose and aim of library services is the key to library marketing and positive attitude of librarians toward marketing library services. In Mills and Lodge study (2006) Thirty-Four academics were interviewed on their information seeking behavior. The concepts of influence and emotional intelligence have been introduced so information professionals can obtain a more clear understanding of the information environment. The paper builds upon research on the information seeking behavior of academics and explores the idea that users select information sources for more than cognitive reasons. The importance of the emotional aspect of user interaction with sources, including information professionals, in their search for information has been neglected. It is necessary to re-examine why and for what reasons users discriminate in their choice of information sources.

In order to connect more closely with their user populations’ information professionals could consider holding the key tenets of emotional intelligence as useful assistance strategies in user-librarian interaction, and understand that personal interaction is important for many users. Also the understanding that such interaction can offer valuable insights into user understandings of the role of the library. there is more to a library than resource access, and not all the users share the same perceptions as librarians of the information values of such tools as catalogues and databases, Information professionals muse learn to appreciate that users see many roles for a library and these are individually constructed based upon past experience and current needs. There is a great need to extend the physical boundaries of the library into user communities. It is important for the role development to accept that the key marketing strategy of commercial retailers to get customers to buy and return to buy, is relevant in environments such as libraries (Mills & Lodge, 2006).

Library services can be packaged and promoted like almost any other product, for those with a professional background in marketing it is almost certain to think of programs and services as if they were consumer products, but that’s not always easy for librarians. Any information professional who listens to and acts on the unique needs of users is thinking like a marketer although limited time and funding often push marketing to the bottom of the priority list in the library. (Helton & Esrock, 1998)

References

Grunenwald, J. P., Felicetti, L. A. & Stewart, K. L. (1990). The effects of marketing seminars on the attitudes of librarians. Public Library Quarterly, 10(2), 3-10.

Helton, R. & Esrock, S. (1998). Positioning and marketing academic libraries to students. Marketing Library services, 12(13), 5-7.

Kanauji, S. (2004). Marketing of information products and services in India R&D library and information centers. Library Management, 25(8/9), 350-360

Kaur, A. & Rani, S. (2008)., Marketing of information services and products in university libraries of Punjab and Chandigarh (India): an attitudinal assessment of library professionals. Library Management, 29(6/7),.

Koontz, C. (2004). Market research and the virtual customer: realities, possibilities, experiances. IFLA Publication 117.

Mills, J., Lodge, D. (2006). Affect, emotional intelligence and librarian-user interaction. Library Review, 55(9), 578-597.

Neuhaus, C. & Snowden, K. (2003). Public relations for a university library: a marketing program is born. Library Management, 24 (4/5), 193-203.

Shontz, M. L., Parker, J. C & Parker, R. (2004). What do librarians think about marketing? a survey of public librarians' attitude towards the marketing of library services. Library Quarterly, 74(1), 63-84.

Singh, R. (2008). What kind of connection exists between marketing attitudes and behaviour? A peep into the interacting landscape of the marketing and LIS world. School of Library, Archival and Information Studies, Vancouver, University of British Columbia

Smith, D (1995), "Practice as a marketing tool: four case studies", Library Trends, Vol. 43 pp.450-62.

Spalding, H. H. & Wang, J. (2006). The challenges and opportunities of marketing academic libraries in the USA: experiences of US academic libraries with global application. Library Management, 27(6/7), 494-504.

About the Author

Bahrani, Mohammad AL. Kuwait Master degree in Information Management, Kuwait University. B.A. in Business Administration -Marketing (major) , College of Commerce, Economics and Political Science , Kuwait University. Head of Promotion and Advertisement section in Ministry of Communications in Kuwait since 1997. IT articles writer in Al-Qabas Kuwaiti newspaper(2001-2004). Created MLIS Blog and website http://liskw.wordpress.com since 2007.Can be reached at mohdbahrani@gmail.com.

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