Marketing Library and Information Services II: A Global Outlook 9783110281040, 9783110280869

Table of contents :
Preface
Section 1 Marketing concepts
Marketing Library and Information Services: Connecting from Past to the Future
Changing Marketing Concepts: Contemporary Theories and Paradigms in Services Marketing
Gaining Customer Loyalty: the Ultimate in Marketing
Branding Libraries: the Challenges and Opportunities
Section 2 Excellence in Marketing
Excellence in Marketing: 2002-2012
Falling in Love with the Library: Marketing Tsinghua University Library in an Innovative Way
Internet Marketing: the Silver Bullet for Web 2.0?
Web-based Marketing
Have You Done Your Homework? Five Years on of a Campaign Life-Cycle
Building Community and Fostering Connection in a Canadian Academic Library through a Buttons Campaign
Story Tubes Contest: Marketing Libraries in the Digital Age
Happy Days for Welsh Libraries
From Georgia Tech to the World: Leveraging Existing Campus Infrastructure to Market the Library to a Global Audience
Section 3 Marketing in Different Countries and Libraries
Messaouda Boutaba and Nadia Temmar (Algeria)
Marketing in Algerian libraries: an Overview
Teaching Marketing for Better Cultural Projects’ Management: the Book Trade, Information and Communications Department Expertise
Management and Marketing: an Insight to Developments in German Libraries
Library and Information Services Marketing in Pakistan: a Profil
Relationship Marketing in Brazilian University Libraries
Creating Value for Users of University Libraries: Brazilian View
Being a Library and Being Visible in the Community Today
Marketing Library and Information Services: Exploration and Practice of the National Science Library of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Marketing as an Access Tool for Public Archives: Guidelines for its Application in Libraries
Reaching the Islands in the Community: Marketing Practices in Madeira Regional Public Library, Portugal
Section 4 E-marketing
E-marketing for Libraries
Digital Marketing Tools Applied to the IE Library
Effective Use of Social Media Marketing for Customer Engagement in Information Organizations
Marketing Strategy to Monitor Library Websites’ Functional Performance
Section 5 LIS marketing literature: a global outlook
Literature on Marketing of Library and Information Services: an Analysis Based on Google Scholar
Marketing Library and Information Services: a Bibliometric Study of IFLA publications
Towards the Global Library: Applying Agenda 21 to Library Marketing

Citation preview

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions Fédération Internationale des Associations de Bibliothécaires et des Bibliothèques Internationaler Verband der bibliothekarischen Vereine und Institutionen Международная Федерация Библиотечных Ассоциаций и Учреждений Federación Internacional de Asociaciones de Bibliotecarios y Bibliotecas

About IFLA

www.ifla.org

IFLA (The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions) is the leading international body representing the interests of library and information services and their users. It is the global voice of the library and information profession. IFLA provides information specialists throughout the world with a forum for exchanging ideas and promoting international cooperation, research, and development in all fields of library activity and information service. IFLA is one of the means through which libraries, information centres, and information professionals worldwide can formulate their goals, exert their influence as a group, protect their interests, and find solutions to global problems. IFLA’s aims, objectives, and professional programme can only be fulfilled with the cooperation and active involvement of its members and affiliates. Currently, approximately 1,600 associations, institutions and individuals, from widely divergent cultural back-grounds, are working together to further the goals of the Federation and to promote librarianship on a global level. Through its formal membership, IFLA directly or indirectly represents some 500,000 library and information professionals worldwide. IFLA pursues its aims through a variety of channels, including the publication of a major journal, as well as guidelines, reports and monographs on a wide range of topics. IFLA organizes workshops and seminars around the world to enhance professional practice and increase awareness of the growing importance of libraries in the digital age. All this is done in collaboration with a number of other non-governmental organizations, funding bodies and international agencies such as UNESCO and WIPO. IFLANET, the Federation’s website, is a prime source of information about IFLA, its policies and activities: www.ifla.org Library and information professionals gather annually at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress, held in August each year in cities around the world. IFLA was founded in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1927 at an international conference of national library directors. IFLA was registered in the Netherlands in 1971. The Koninklijke Bibliotheek (Royal Library), the national library of the Netherlands, in The Hague, generously provides the facilities for our headquarters. Regional offices are located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Pretoria, South Africa; and Singapore.

IFLA Publications 159

Marketing Library and Information Services – II A Global Outlook

Edited by Dinesh K. Gupta, Christie Koontz and Angels Massisimo

De Gruyter Saur

IFLA Publications edited by Michael Heaney

Social science libraries : interdisciplinary collections, services, networks / edited by Steven W. Witt and Lynne M. Rudasill. p. cm. -- (IFLA publications, ISSN 0344-6891 ; 144) “Each chapter is a direct result of the IFLA Social Science Libraries Section’s 2008 conference titled Disappearing disciplinary borders in the social science library : global studies or sea change?, which took place August 6th- 7th, 2008 at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Information (FI)”--Foreword. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-3-11-023214-1 (alk. paper) 1. Social science libraries. 2. Interdisciplinary research. I. Witt, Steve W. II. Rudasill, Lynne M. III. International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. Social Science Libraries Section. Z675.S6S63 2010 026.3--dc22 2010019674

ISBN 978-3-11-028086-9 e-ISBN 978-3-11-028104-0 ISSN 0344-6891 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A CIP catalog record for this book has been applied for at the Library of Congress Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available in the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de. Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston © 2013 by International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, The Hague, The Netherlands

♾ Printed on permanent paper The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard – Permanence of Paper for Publications and Documents in Libraries and Archives ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R1997) Cover Image: Eyecandy Images/Professor with students in library/Thinkstock Typesetting: Dr. Rainer Ostermann, München Printing and binding: Strauss GmbH, Mörlenbach Printed in Germany www.degruyter.com

Contents Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Section 1 Marketing concepts Dinesh K. Gupta (India), Christie Koontz (USA) and Angels Massisimo (Spain) Marketing Library and Information Services: Connecting from Past to the Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Judith Broady-Preston (UK) Changing Marketing Concepts: Contemporary Theories and Paradigms in Services Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

23

Kiran Kaur (Malaysia) Gaining Customer Loyalty: the Ultimate in Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

43

Jennifer Rowley (UK) Branding Libraries: the Challenges and Opportunities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

55

Section 2 Excellence in Marketing Christie Koontz (USA) Excellence in Marketing: 2002–2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Han Lifeng and Wang Yuan (China) Falling in Love with the Library: Marketing Tsinghua University Library in an Innovative Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

87

Elke Roesner and Urlika Ostrzinski (Germany) Internet Marketing: the Silver Bullet for Web 2.0? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Sharon Koh and Wan Wee Pin (Singapore) Web-based Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

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Rosalind Dorsman (Australia) Have You Done Your Homework? Five Years on of a Campaign Life-Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Nancy Collins (Canada) Building Community and Fostering Connection in a Canadian Academic Library through a Buttons Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Faith Brautigam and Denise Raleigh (USA) StoryTubes Contest: Marketing Libraries in the Digital Age . . . . . . . . . . 163 Jane Purdie and Alyson Tyler (UK) Happy Days for Welsh Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177 Charlie Bennett and Ameet Doshi (USA) From Georgia Tech to the World: Leveraging Existing Campus Infrastructure to Market the Library to a Global Audience. . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Section 3 Marketing in Different Countries and Libraries Messaouda Boutaba and Nadia Temmar (Algeria) Marketing in Algerian libraries: an Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 Lamia Badra (France) Teaching Marketing for Better Cultural Projects’ Management: the Book Trade, Information and Communications Department Expertise . . . 213 Hella Klauser (Germany) Management and Marketing: an Insight to Developments in German Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 Kanwal Ameen (Pakistan) Library and Information Services Marketing in Pakistan: a Profile . . . . . 241 Walqueline da Silva Araújo and Márcio Bezerra da Silva (Brazil) Relationship Marketing in Brazilian University Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . 249 Nivaldo Oliveira, Ricardo de Souza Sette and Vânia Natal de Oliveira (Brazil) Creating Value for Users of University Libraries: Brazilian View . . . . . . 263

Contents

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Verena Tibljas (Croatia) Being a Library and Being Visible in the Community Today. . . . . . . . . . 275 Fang Shu and Yang Zhiping (China) Marketing Library and Information Services: Exploration and Practice of the National Science Library of the Chinese Academy of Sciences . . . . 287 Sofia Margarida de Castro Barros Correia dos Santos (Portugal) Marketing as an Access Tool for Public Archives: Guidelines for its Application in Libraries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299 Ana Figueira, Andreia Sousa and Carla Nunes (Portugal) Reaching the Islands in the Community: Marketing Practices in Madeira Regional Public Library, Portugal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

Section 4 E-marketing Viviana Fernández Marcial (Spain) E-marketing for Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335 A. Marcos Blázquez and J. C. Marcos Recio (Spain) Digital Marketing Tools Applied to the IE Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rajesh Singh (USA) Effective Use of Social Media Marketing for Customer Engagement in Information Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361 Sueli Angelica do Amaral (Brazil) Marketing Strategy to Monitor Library Websites’ Functional Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373

Section 5 LIS marketing literature: a global outlook G. Mahesh and Dinesh K. Gupta (India) Literature on Marketing of Library and Information Services: an Analysis Based on Google Scholar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387

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Dinesh K. Gupta, G. Mahesh and Sarvesh Pareek (India) Marketing Library and Information Services: a Bibliometric Study of IFLA publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399 Joachim Schöpfel (France) Towards the Global Library: Applying Agenda 21 to Library Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409

Preface We have next-generation users, including Generation-Y, Generation-X, and now Google-generation (those born after Google came into existence). These users have different information requirements and searching capabilities. They are also well informed, more demanding, cannott wait for any service/product, their loyalties shift faster and of course they are frank enough to make and share their opinion based on their experience. So understanding and keeping track of the demands of these users is a big challenge for library and information service managers; they need to pay more attention to these users, to understand them well, and to establish continuous dialogue. Generally, librarians believe that marketing begins when a product is ready. In case of libraries, a book is acquired or a library publication is brought out, or website is designed. But marketing begins much earlier than buying a book for the library, bringing out a library bulletin, or designing a web-site. Every library activity from selection of books to arrangement and display, collection of information for a publication and website, must be seen through marketing lenses. All aspects of signage, stock arrangement, display, new book strategy, departmental policies, entertainment facilities, refreshments at the library premises, are part of library marketing. We do a lot of marketing every day, not only to the users but also when we try to influence and attract the attention of legislators, policy planners, fund providers and social leaders for greater support for the library. We do it all to let them know about what we do, how we do that which makes the lives of users better. We can do lot of marketing through media – and more recently social media – to make our voice heard. So marketing is about dialogue, about understanding, about trust, about relationship, about offering values, about creating brands, about bringing and delivering quality, about sustainability and about everything we do for customers in our daily professional lives. There are no set examples of library marketing, it varies greatly. Library and information managers have a variety of experiences of marketing. In the earlier IFLA volume of 2006, Marketing library and information services, 40 contributions of 49 colleagues from 20 countries were included. To continue efforts, the present volume brings current global marketing practices in front of library and information professionals. It represents current understanding of how marketing works in libraries and information services around the globe. The Editors

SECTION 1 MARKETING CONCEPTS

Marketing Library and Information Services: Connecting from the Past to the Future Dinesh K. Gupta Associate Professor, Department of Library and Information Science, Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University, Kota, India

Christie Koontz Associate in Research, School of Information Studies, Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, United States and

Angels Massisimo Professor, Faculty of Information and Documentation, University of Barcelona, Spain

Abstract Marketing library and information services (LIS) is an established sub-set of management practices which identifies customer wants and needs and meets those needs within the resources of the organization. In recent times this area is growing both in quantity and quality. Dimensions of theory, research and practice are also changing. In the IFLA Publications series volume Marketing library and information services: international perspectives (Gupta et al. 2006) a beginning was made to put forth newer concepts, practices and concerns. The present volume is a further step in this direction. This paper links past efforts to the present volume and to future possibilities. This introductory paper offers information on each paper included in the present volume.

Introduction Marketing in library and information science first appeared in the literature in the early 1970s and since that time many developments have taken place in marketing of library and informantion services. We have witnessed the occurrence of many types of marketing in the literature, viz not-for-profit marketing, social marketing, strategic marketing, services marketing, relationship marketing, internal marketing, integrated marketing, guerrilla marketing, collaborative marketing, e-marketing, web-based marketing, digital marketing, web 2.0 marketing, and so on. Every kind of marketing has applicability in libraries as

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identified by the authors. But there is still no consensus among library professionals on any particular scheme of marketing. Therefore, it is always beneficial to maintain a continual debate on marketing theories, practices and research in libraries in the past and connecting with the future. The IFLA Management and Marketing (M&M) Section continues its efforts to link the past with the future. The earliest paper was presented at the 63rd IFLA Conference ‘Marketing library services: how it all began’ (Renberg 2000), uncovering the roots of marketing in libraries prior to Kotler’s theory of Not-for-Profit-Marketing in 1969. Thereafter the IFLA M&M Section sponsored a study ‘Key Publications in Library Marketing’ (Koontz 2006) gathering important publications after 1970. It was very important in this context that the Section brought out Marketing library and information services:International perspectives in 2006. Glimpses of the book were presented in the IFLA preconference satellite meeting of the Section at Shanghai in 2006 and included in the proceedings of the pre-conference (Gupta 2007). In the words of a reviewer, “This book … brings together 40 contributions from 47 experts from 21 countries ... It is not only the fact of having so many colleagues from all over the world but the way they have been collected as a vivid panoply of best practices, country reports or academic papers, which makes the book persuasive” (Hobohm 2007). Marketing library and information services II highlights a further variety of exemplary LIS marketing practices and efforts from around the globe.

Revealing the past IFLA’s role in bringing marketing closer to libraries is of significance in many ways. Its formation of a new Section on Management and Marketing in 1997 was an important step in this direction. This section has taken up many initiatives to bring marketing into the heart of libraries and librarians. It has organized workshops/conferences and made the marketing theme popular; brought out many useful publications putting marketing jargon inter simple ways; promoted the marketing theme for inclusion in course curricula; and worked to identify best practices through instituting the IFLA International Marketing Award. Its publication Marketing library and information services was well received in the library community world and was reviewed in many international journals in English and other languages, as below: The literature related to library marketing is growing, which is a sign of increasing interest as well as scholarship. This volume is an important addition to that body of knowledge and reflects the views of more than forty library professionals around the globe. These international

Marketing Library and Information Services 15

perspectives bring depth and clarity to the marketing of libraries discussion... As a contributor to marketing literature over the years, I am pleased to see that this very important aspect of management is alive and well and moving forward internationally. It is very heartening and I certainly recommend this book to the profession (Weingand 2008). If this publication is taken as a barometer two trends emerge. One, library marketing is a subject of increasing importance and interest in the library and information sector. And another trend is the increased use of case studies, focus groups and other marketing tools, i.e. market research (Marcial 2009). ... the focus of the book is more on what is going on in library and information centers about marketing of library services. It would have been better it had emphasized future strategic marketing plans to library and information centers, marketing in the digital age, customer relationship/orientation, marketing examples from other service areas applicable to library and information centers, commercial information providers and other intermediaries as the libraries no longer monopolize the sources of information and retrieval... (Malathy 2006). Truly, the book is a treasure, and scattered knowledge on the important aspects of marketing has been nicely put together. But, then it is a little off track to say that the ‘whole scattered store of knowledge’ has been brought under one heading. Nevertheless, the book has filled in a vacuum created in the discipline of LIS marketing literature after the landmark book by Blaise Cronin in 1981 (Arora 2006). I like the way IFLA books are produced. I like the community and networks involved creating something on global basis. This time it is a 400 plus pages book about a topic, the editors themselves call a mindset or even a mind shift in librarianship. How can you represent a mind shift in 40 contributions of an international volume? Yet it is really the right moment for stocktaking after more than a decade of global efforts to assimilate the old marketing business talk – from product focused to customer focused markets – into the minds of librarians. For quite a long time you could still encounter the misconception of marketing being merely publicity or public relations. Most of the contributions of this volume demonstrate that finally librarianship has accepted Philip Kotler’s four Ps (namely: besides publicity also price, place and product) to be the fundamental basis of every endeavor involved in offering

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any service or product on every market whatsoever ... The general concept of the volume and the qualitative selection of the articles further contribute to fruitful reading. From outside IFLA one might want more thinking out of the box, more academic reflection. As holds true for comparable IFLA publications (including this writing) you sometimes have the feeling that you read an “international text” because some of the foreign language citations or diacritics are not quite correct. It is always a pleasure though to read an “Indian English” text, which reminds us Ranganathan’s prose (Hobohm 2007). We have tried to incorporate suggestions given by various expert reviewers in the present volume, and it is hoped that we will have similar critical reviews for this volume.

The presented knowledge To continue past efforts, the new publication Marketing library and information services II: a global outlook was planned in 2011 with the objective of bringing out newer marketing concepts; highlighting excellent marketing practices recognized through the IFLA International Marketing Award after 2006; reviewing marketing in other countries and libraries; highlighting experiences of e-marketing; and assessing the outlook of library marketing by way of professional/academic contributions. Accordingly, the volume is divided into five sections: – – – – –

Marketing concepts Excellence in marketing Marketing in different countries and libraries E-marketing LIS marketing literature: A global outlook

Marketing concepts There is consensus amongst LIS professionals that adopting marketing practices is critical. This is true all over the world. A variety of marketing approaches can be identified in the professional literature. There is no one agreed upon or acceptable marketing approach for library and information centres’ yet it is essential that library professionals are aware of various approaches and theories of marketing. This section brings out the variety of dimensions of marketing to readers which appear to be in the forefront.

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Judith Broady-Preston, an academic from the UK and an active member of the IFLA Management & Marketing Section, gives a holistic picture of contemporary marketing theories and the changing paradigm of services marketing in her paper ‘Changing marketing concepts: contemporary theories and paradigms in services marketing’. She offers newer definitions and basic premises of marketing, and advocates for alternative theories (in particular, relationship marketing) she also discusses the concepts of customer relationship management (CRM) and e-CRM. She considers that, without an ability to understand and apply relevant contemporary services, marketing frameworks, models and theories to service delivery, library service managers may be more constrained in their ability to manage services effectively. Malaysian author Kiran Kaur in her paper ‘Gaining customer loyalty: the ultimate in marketing’ relates relationship marketing to customer loyalty and advocates that ‘customer loyalty’ can be achieved by retaining customers for a longer period and that is the ultimate of all marketing approaches and theories including relationship marketing. She discusses concepts such as measurement of customer loyalty; the link between quality, satisfaction and loyalty; customer relationship and branding, etc. Jennifer Rowley, an academic and researcher from the UK, argues for libraries to take a strategic and holistic approach to managing their brands in her paper ‘Branding libraries: the challenges and opportunities’. She advocates that branding must be addressed as a strategic issue in libraries; library brand needs to be positioned and striven towards; the core of brand identity must be supported thoroughly; branding must be linked to strategic and operational tasks and initiatives, and users must be engaged in branding and in the whole system of library services.

Excellence in marketing The IFLA International Marketing Award was introduced in 2001 and was awarded for the first time in 2002. Since then, this award has recognized the winner and the second and third runners-up each year, based on marketing projects in all kind of libraries, worldwide. The award has attracted 276 applications from 55 countries during the last 10 years. This section covers writings on some of the marketing award runners-up and the details of the award winning programmes in award winners’ own words. By telling their own stories, the people share their insight into the colourful behind-the-scenes daily business of modern libraries. Christie Koontz, one of the founders and most active members of the M&M Section, in her paper ‘Excellence in marketing: 2002-2012’ gives full details of the award and award winners during the last ten years. Han Lifeng and Wang Yuan of Tsinghua University Library in China, the winner for the year

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2012, share information about its micro-video series ‘Falling in love with the library’. Elke Roesner and Ulrike Ostrzinski in their paper ‘Internet marketing: the silver bullet of web 2.0?’share information about the 2011 award winning project ‘Pilots take off – and land (as you like it)’ for behavioural change through integrated communication channels at the German National Library of Medicine. Sharon Koh and Wan Wee Pin of the National Library Board, Singapore make mention of their experience for the ‘Go Library’ award winning project for 2009. Rosalind Dorsman of Central West Libraries, New South Wales, Australia shares information about the campaign called ‘Have you done your homework?’ which was recognized with the sixth IFLA International Marketing Award in 2008. The other award winning projects in this section include the ‘Buttons campaign’ of the University of Waterloo Library, Canada shared by Nancy Collins; the ‘StoryTubes Contest’ generating reading passion at the Gail Borden Public Library District, USA shared by Faith Brautigam and Denise Raleigh; the ‘Happy Days’ campaign project at Wrexham County Borough Council, UK, written by Jane Purdia and Alyson Tyler; and ‘Lost in Stacks’ at the Georgia Institute of Technology Library, USA presented by Charlie Bennett and Ameet Doshi.

Marketing in different countries and libraries Library marketing is thriving, but at a different pace and attitude and in diverse settings. Additionally it is beneficial to look at marketing activities taking place at the macro- and micro-level. It gives understanding of progress taking place at the national level and local level and proves that marketing is of worth to libraries around the world. Algerian colleagues Messaouda Boutaba and Nadia Temmar, a member of the M&M Section, Standing Committee in their paper ‘Marketing in Algerian libraries: an overview’ find a positive connotation in marketing and libraries in Algeria, assess librarians’ attitudes towards marketing and offer insight into marketing practices performed at the Library of the Higher Bank School in Algiers. Lamia Badra, a member of the M&M Section Standing Committee, in her paper ‘Teaching marketing for better cultural projects’ management: the Book Trade, Information and Communications Department expertise’ gives an overview of the challenges facing French universities and focuses on marketing and management training for master’s degree students in France. Hella Klauser of the German Library Association and a member of the M&M Section Standing Committee in her paper ‘Management and marketing: An insight to developments in German libraries’ considers performance meas-

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urement and continuous monitoring as essential for future development in German libraries. In this context, the importance of surveys and analysis is emphasised. Using a variety of tools, many libraries, both in the public and the academic library sectors, base their approaches to their users and communities on a thorough knowledge of the specific environment in which they operate and offer services based on its analysis. Kanwal Ameen from Pakistan in her paper ‘Library and information services marketing in Pakistan: a profile’ reviews the developments that have taken place in library marketing in regard to: offering marketing in LIS as a full course at library schools; research writings; continuing professional development; and application in libraries. Márcio Bezerra da Silva and Walqueline da Silva Araújo from Brazil in their paper ‘Relationship marketing in Brazilian university libraries’ present a theoretical discussion as a support for the adoption of relationship marketing in the management of university libraries. Nivoldo Oliveira, Ricardo de Souza Sette and Vânia Natal de Oliveira in their paper ‘Creating value for users of university libraries: Brazilian view’ offer a theoretical framework on the usefulness of marketing for university libraries in Brazil with a case study of strategic marketing at the library of the Federal University of Lavras. Verena Tibljas, an active member in the IFLA Libraries for Children and Young Adults Section from Croatia, in her paper ‘Being a library and being visible in the community today’ shares her experience at Rijeka City Library (Croatia) with its methods of advertising its cultural programmes for all age groups, which is trying to emphasise quality, innovation and an attractive approach. Fang Shu and Yang Zhiping from China in their paper ‘Marketing library and information services: exploration and practice of the National Science Library of Chinese Academy of Sciences’ share the status of carrying out marketing service according to the demands and environments of users in subjectoriented information services. Sofia Margarida de Castro Barros Correia dos Santos from Portugal in her paper ‘Marketing as an access tool for public archives: guidelines for its application in libraries’ shares her marketing experiences of archives which could be useful for information professionals and suggests several ideas and employing marketing for librarians based on her professional expertise as archivist in charge of Madeira Regional Archives Educational Service/Cultural Extension. Another paper from Portugal ‘Reaching the islands in the community: marketing practices in Madeira Regional Public Library, Portugal’ by Ana Figueira, Andreia Sousa and Carla Nunes covers several practices of library marketing adopted at the Madeira Regional Public Library in order to truly reach the community.

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E-marketing Viviana Fernández Marcial, a Spanish reviewer of the earlier volume of this title, in her ‘E-marketing in libraries’ offers a theoretical framework of e-marketing and concepts related to it, and makes mention of e-marketing techniques, customer relationship management; viral marketing, etc. A. Marcos Blázquez and J. C. Marcos Recio in their paper ‘Digital marketing tools applied to the IE library’ describe marketing tools used in the library of the Spanish university IE by considering digital marketing tools as applied to the 4Ps in the traditional and service marketing mix. Rajesh Singh, a researcher and academic in the US, in his paper ‘Effective use of social media marketing for customer engagement in information organizations’ considers that at the core, most people want to know that their input makes a difference and that their voices will be heard. At the end of the day, marketing is still about interacting with people and providing solutions to their information problems in a timely manner, and social media can help information professionals in many ways. Sueli Angelica do Amaral, also a researcher and teacher from Brazil, in her paper ‘Marketing strategy to monitor library website functional performance’ presents a framework to monitor library website functions considering that websites can play several functional roles such as informational, promotional, instructional, reference, search and communicational media.

LIS marketing literature: a global outlook G. Mahesh and Dinesh K. Gupta in their paper ‘Literature on marketing of library and information services: an analysis based on Google Scholar’ look at papers on LIS marketing indexed in Google Scholar for the period 2000-2011. They find that 457 journal articles have been published during this period at an average of 38 articles per year. They identify prominent journals, cited articles, authors, etc. Dinesh K. Gupta, G. Mahesh and Sarvesh Pareek in their paper ‘Marketing library and information services: a bibliometric study of IFLA publications’ make a bibliometric study of publications of the Management and Marketing Section and present results in regard to geographical representation of authors, collaborative patterns, highly contributing authors, citation patterns, etc. Joachim Schöpfel in the paper ‘Towards the global library – applying Agenda 21 to library marketing’ proposes to apply Agenda 21 of the United Nations’ action plan for the twenty-first century in favour of sustainable development to library marketing and management and to move on to the global or sustainable library.

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The future Library and information professionals should be aware of the competition that they will face from other information players in the future. Typically, library and information managers must have a plethora of solid experience and a vast understanding of the information industry and the specific changes impacting the library and information sector they will work within in the future. Library and information managers should be familiar with how to communicate their messages across a variety of media and how to connect with a large customer base and inform and involve patrons. Library and information managers have employed marketing through web 2.0 but they will have to master their strategies in search-engine marketing, viral marketing and web-based marketing. Certainly many libraries will employ such marketing strategies in their services and would be interested to share with colleagues around the world. The Committee of the IFLA International Marketing Award decided to make a mention of 10 top applicants from 2013 onwards, in the hope that many of such excellent marketing experiences will be shared within the IFLA circle and outside. Perhaps the next volume of Marketing Library and Information Services will again be composed of such recognized successful experiences and may be published in 2020, re-writing the adage that “life is not a journey but a destination” into “excellence is journey not a destination”.

References Arora, R. 2006. “Marketing library and information services: International perspectives” [book review]. Annals of Library and Information Studies. March, 54-55. Gupta, D.K. 2007. “Glimpses of the ‘Marketing of library and information services’.” In Library management and marketing in a multicultural world edited by J. L. Mullins, 13-26. Munich: K.G. Saur. Marketing library and information services: international perspectives, edited by D.K. Gupta, et al. 2006. Munich: K G Saur. Hobohm, H. 2007.” Marketing library and information services: International perspectives” [book review]. IFLA SET Bulletin. 8(1): 43-45. Koontz, C., D.K.Gupta. and S. Webber 2006. Key publications in library marketing.” IFLA Journal. 32(3): 224-231. Malathy, S. 2006. Book review: Marketing library and information services: International perspectives. SRELS Journal of Information Management. 43 (2). Marcial, V. F. 2009. “Marketing library and information services: International review” [book review]. IFLA Management & Marketing Section Newsletter. 20: 11-12. Renberg, G. 2000. “Marketing library services: how it all began.” In Adapting marketing to libraries in a changing and worldwide environment, edited by R. Savard, 5-11. Munich: K G Saur. Weingand, D.E. 2008. “Marketing library and information services: International review” [book review]. IFLA Management & Marketing Section Newsletter. 20: 1

Changing Marketing Concepts: Contemporary Theories and Paradigms in Services Marketing Judith Broady-Preston Senior Lecturer, Department of Information Studies, Aberystwyth University, United Kingdom

Abstract The rising importance of marketing in the nonprofit sector is identified and discussed, together with an assessment of the impact of newer developments on traditional views and definitions of marketing. Contemporary ideas, theories, and paradigms in services marketing are identified, outlined and discussed in this paper. The salient features of each concept and theoretical framework are outlined and analysed, including Market Orientation and the Conventional Marketing Exchange or Transaction model. Acknowledging the perceived lack of suitability in many sectors in regard to this exchange model, alternative conceptual paradigms are also explored, including Relationship Marketing, Customer Experience Marketing, Service Experience Management, Service Dominant Logic, and Social Marketing.

Introduction Historically, the concept of marketing has had somewhat of a bad press. For many, it brings to mind connotations of the ‘hard sell’; of sleight of hand and deception. However, such views are not confined solely to the general public or those unfamiliar with marketing principles and practices. A Cranfield Business School study of 500 FTSE companies concluded that directors viewed their marketing director colleagues as “unaccountable, slippery and expensive”. Furthermore, negative views of marketing are also held by marketers themselves. Deloitte discovered that a mere 20% of senior marketers believed marketing to be truly effective, with only 12% holding the view that the role of marketing was articulated clearly in their organization (Future of marketing 2009). Similarly, in its 2011 re-evaluation of the role of marketing, the Chartered Institute of Marketing acknowledges the continuing “misconception” of what marketing is and what marketers do (Tomorrow’s word 2011, 5).

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Such views may give rise to our questioning the contemporary relevance of marketing activities in libraries, especially in the context of a global recession. Given the prevalence of views such as those outlined above, it is valid to begin with a clarification of the term “marketing” as a discipline and as a management practice. As shown below, there is no agreed definition of the term, and in the specific context of service or services marketing, much contemporary debate.

Marketing: definitions and terms Marketing is a dynamic discipline, constantly having to innovate and adapt to changes at both global and local levels. Consequently, there are many different ways in which marketing may be defined at any one time and from any one perspective. Given below are some of the definitions in existence currently, incorporating some of the fundamental concepts and ideas: Marketing is 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 (AMA definition of marketing 2007). “Marketing is everything” (McKenna 1991). Recognizing the limitations of their existing 30-year-old definition of marketing as “the management process which identifies, anticipates, and supplies customer requirements efficiently and profitably”, in 2011 the Research and Information team of the Chartered Institute of Marketing proposed that marketing should now be defined as the strategic business function that creates value by stimulating, facilitating and fulfilling customer demand. It does this by building brands, nurturing innovation, developing relationships, creating good customer service and communicating benefits. “With a customer-centric view, marketing brings positive return on investment, satisfies shareholders and stakeholders from business and the community, and contributes to positive behavioural change and a sustainable business future.” The concepts outlined in these definitions underpin much of contemporary thinking in relation to the theory and practice of marketing. The similarities and differences in these formal and informal definitions reflect the fact that if five individuals in a group are asked to define marketing, then in all probability, each individual would produce a definition which differed from those produced by the others, even if only subtly.

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If we attempt to unpack the content of these definitions, we can begin to see why this should be so. Marketing is categorized as an activity, a process, and as a set of institutions, creating, communicating and delivering value for individuals and groups, (customers) by creating and fulfilling demand, thereby creating a viable and sustainable future for the organization and indirectly contributing to behavioural changes in society at large. More significantly perhaps, the current debate in relation to achieving a relevant, contemporary definition of the term acknowledges the increasing growth of marketing in the not-forprofit sector, and the concomitant need to adapt the basic definition to reflect this. Each idea or concept expressed in these generic definitions has resulted in debate and differing interpretations as to how these translate into theoretical models and practical applications. It is important to understand the key strands of current arguments and thinking, in order to make sense of marketing in a library and information service environment.

Origins of marketing theory Traditional marketing theory was developed during an era when the manufacturing of material goods and their subsequent sale was the dominant economic paradigm. However, in most of the contemporary “developed” world, societies have moved from a position where the manufacturing of physical goods is the primary economic focus to one where the service sector forms the predominant economic base. Global market forces have resulted in transnational companies moving their manufacturing operations out of “developed” nations and relocating them in “developing” countries where manual labour and production costs are cheaper. In the developed world, the decline of manufacturing is counteracted by the rise of a knowledge-based economy in which knowledge / information management and processing have become two of the main drivers of wealth production. Service industries of various types now constitute the major economic sector in most post-industrial nations. This shift has resulted in the recognition that one cannot simply apply marketing principles derived from a manufacturing economy to a service economy without some adjustment. Whilst there are certain principles which apply equally across all sectors, equally the unique attributes of services and a service philosophy result in a different approach being necessary when marketing in this sector or context. Similarly, many activities do not fit readily within a binary classification of goods and services, nor are easily placed on a spectrum running from pure good to pure service. Grönroos (2006) contends that despite the existence of earlier publications addressing services marketing issues, it was only in the 1970s that research developing specific concepts and models for this sector started to emerge, be-

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ginning with the publication of Shostack’s ground-breaking 1977 paper in the Journal of Marketing.

Exchange (transaction) Although marketing per se only really developed in the United Kingdom as a formalized business concept with a codified philosophy and a set of techniques since the end of the Second World War, arguably it has been in existence since “mankind has been capable of producing a surplus” (Lancaster n.d.). Marketing is basically therefore a form of trade, and as such is an exchange process. This view of marketing is expressed in the definitions outlined above, reinforced by the view offered by Kotler and Armstrong (2012) that “Marketing is human activity directed at satisfying needs and wants through exchange processes”. The conventional marketing exchange framework is based on the simple idea of a mutually satisfying exchange – i.e. “I give you something you want, in exchange for something I want.” In most economies this will be based on a monetary exchange for goods or services. If you want a cup of coffee, for example, you might go into a café; order a cup of coffee, and the staff will give you a cup in exchange for money. Thus, value is transferred from the seller (producer) to an external customer or consumer during a transaction without thinking of the further business with the customers in the future. This view of marketing is therefore often categorized as “Transaction” marketing.

Market orientation Market orientation is a fundamental concept in marketing, and resulted from organizations being forced to trade (exchange) in a highly competitive environment. The marketing-orientated firm achieves its business objectives by identifying and anticipating the changing needs and wants of specifically defined target markets. Although a fundamental idea, again it is one which has been the subject of many differing definitions and interpretations. Essentially, market orientation assumes a direct relationship between market focus and business performance. The organization which is market oriented is therefore able to show direct benefit in terms of improved business performance, often measured by Return on Assets (ROA). Market orientation is the: Organization-wide generation of market intelligence pertaining to current and future customer needs, dissemination of the intelligence across departments, and organization-wide responsiveness to it (Kohli and Jaworski 1990, 6).

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Organization culture that most effectively and efficiently creates the necessary behaviors for the creation of superior value for buyers and, thus, continuous superior performance for the business (Narver and Slater 1990, 21). Deshpandé et al. (1993, 27) view “customer orientation as synonymous with market orientation, defining the former as the set of beliefs that puts the customer’s interest first, while not excluding those of all other stakeholders such as owners, managers, and employees, in order to develop a long-term profitability enterprise”. However, Sen (2010, 345) contends that customer orientation is a “selected aspect” of market orientation. She also dismisses the contention that societal orientation is more significant in the context of the nonprofit sector, arguing that market orientation by definition requires organizations to consider the requirements and drivers of its macro-environment. The original Narver and Slater study outlined three components of market orientation, later extended to include consideration of the influence of entrepreneurial orientation on profitability (Narver and Slater 2000). However, their original categorization is still widely employed, namely:  Customer orientation: The organization has sufficient knowledge, information and understanding of its core or target customers to be able to create value for them. This should not relate solely to the present, but should be an ongoing process, understanding how value for customers may change and develop over time.  Competitor orientation: Organizations need to achieve an understanding of the weaknesses and strengths of contemporary and potential future competitors, in both the long and the short term.  Inter-functional co-ordination: To create superior value for customers, the organization needs to co-ordinate and use all its resources. It requires awareness that value for the customer may come at any point in the transaction and thus marketing is the responsibility of everyone in the organization and not merely that of a specialist department. Organizations should therefore have strategies in place to ensure effective integration of ALL resources, material, financial and human. Organizations which are market-oriented have a systematic approach to gathering information about the market, which is then communicated throughout the organization (Jaworski and Kohli 1993; Kohli and Jaworski 1990). Equally, market-oriented organizations place a high priority on discovering customer needs and building consensus among departments (Narver and Slater 1990). These original theories have been refined and adapted subsequently, but are

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still found to be relevant and useful in a variety of contexts, including that of library services (Shoham et al. 2005; Sen 2010). Arguably, viewing marketing as essentially an information and knowledge process has equal validity with more traditional views which categorize it primarily as a management activity. Marketing is both a philosophy which places the customer at the heart of the organization, and is also a series of techniques for acquiring information about new and existing customers and markets. If organizations are to “walk the walk” as well as “talk the talk” when it comes to being customer focused, then all staff, regardless of function, have to put the needs of customers at the forefront of every activity. Marketing thus becomes an all-pervasive way of thinking rather than a specialist function; marketing is the job of everyone not just staff in the marketing department. In a library, the cleaner working at night when the library is closed contributes equally to customer care and the customer experience, as do the librarian, library assistant and security staff member. For the library to be successful, the cleaner needs to have the customer in mind when cleaning the library, and to see their work as contributing directly to creating a positive image of the library in the mind of the customer.

Customers break the “rules” In a manufacturing context such as the production of cars on a factory assembly line, there is a high level of predictability and uniformity. With good management and appropriately designed production processes in place, it is possible to create a highly efficient series of largely mechanistic systems, resulting in the end products being of a uniformly high quality. Robots or similar may be programmed to ensure that there is no difference between the production quality of the first component manufactured on the line and the 1,000,000,001st. Such predictability and uniformity are far less attainable within a service context because of the high levels of human involvement in services, both from staff and customers. When considering customer behaviour, we can see that customers do not necessarily behave consistently nor predictably; to put it another way, customers break the “rules” (Palmer 2011, 91-92). In other words, they can behave in ways which are unpredictable and sometimes inconsistent. Unpredictability and inconsistency can be programmed not to occur in the manufacture of physical goods or products. Recognition of this basic distinction between the two sectors has resulted in new theories and practices being devised in order to market services effectively. However, as outlined below in the following section, this is by no means a simple or straight forward divide; in practice many ‘goods’ have a service component and many services have elements which lend themselves to being produced consistently.

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Need for alternative marketing models and theories In many sectors, the traditional, market exchange framework does not “fit” for a variety of reasons. In the public and not-for-profit sectors, organizations may view marketing as having “unpleasant commercial overtones” (Baldock 1993, 4) resulting in their being reluctant to adopt marketing techniques and tools, viewing these as “manipulative and unprofessional” (Broady-Preston, Felice and Marshall, 2006, 433). Artists, whilst obliged to sell their art, have often struggled with the commercial imperative, seeing it as a threat to artistic integrity and creativity. To resolve this inherent conflict, Hirschman (1983) suggests an alternative marketing exchange framework. In Hirschman’s framework, the artist is both the producer and the primary consumer, i.e. art is produced primarily for the creative satisfaction of the artist, not in order to be exchanged for money. Thus, we can categorize artists as customer focused, in that they produce work (producer role) to satisfy their own needs (consumer role), and in this sense therefore, are market.

Relationship marketing (RM) Traditional perspectives on marketing, based on models of the physical production of goods, concentrate on the transaction/exchange which takes place when a customer buys the product. However, as production and consumption of material goods tend to occur at different places and times, there is little scope for a relationship to develop between producer and consumer. This is not necessarily the case with the delivery and consumption of services; simultaneous production and consumption may be the norm. Grönroos (2007) suggests that in services marketing, the primary focus is on developing a relationship between service provider and customer, to ensure the customer does not have a single transaction or encounter with the service, but returns on numerous occasions, thereby building a long term and loyal relationship with the service provider. Thus, the focus moves away from the traditional exchange model, with its emphasis on generating numerous single transactions, towards one whereby the primary focus of the marketing effort lies in creating, sustaining and managing ongoing relationships with the customers. Services marketing is the first and foremost a perspective of how the firm can relate to its customers and other parties. It has an impact on how the business is developed and customers are managed. According to this perspective, marketing is seen as the management of customer relationships, and of relationships with suppliers, distributors, and other network partners as well as financial institutions and other parties. As a result, a key objective for service providers is to identify potential customers and seek to develop a relationship with them. Successful relation-

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ship development requires service organizations to obtain information about customers’ needs, desires, dislikes, and preferences, which they then use to inform and develop appropriate services and service delivery processes. Whilst relationship marketing may be relatively new in terms of a theoretical model, Fletcher (2001, 214) notes that “businesses of all sizes have managed relationships with their customers for centuries”. Relationship Marketing (RM) differs fundamentally from the traditional, exchange based model of marketing in placing the creation and maintenance of relationships with customers at the core of organizational activity. Payne (1995 as cited in Zineldin 2000, 12) summarized the key differences between the two approaches in table-2.1. Table 2.1. Transaction versus Relationship Marketing Transaction

Relationship

Focus on a single sale

Focus on customer retention

Orientation on product features

Orientation to customer values

Short timescale

Long timescale

Little emphasis on customer service; Limited customer commitment

High customer service emphasis

Moderate customer contact

High customer contact

Quality is primarily the concern of production

Quality is the concern of all

RM, CRM, E-CRM: confusion? There is some confusion with regard to the various terms used to categorize and describe relationships in a marketing context. The most frequently encountered are: – Relationship marketing/management (RM) – Customer relationship marketing/management (CRM). Traditionally, RM is the generic term, used to describe the theoretical framework outlining these ideas. Conversely, CRM is a more specific term used to denote the information systems which identify, monitor and track customer data, as a foundation for good customer relations. CRM has been used generically to describe processes which ‘join up’ an organization’s customer-focused information systems, to track dealings with individual customers throughout the relationship life cycle (Broady-Preston and Felice 2006; Palmer 2011). RM and CRM are often treated synonymously: both are concerned with building successful long-term and trusting relationships with customers for mutual

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benefit. Similarly, e-CRM denotes organizational information systems used to manage electronic customer data records; the ‘e-’ prefix being tautological and therefore, arguably redundant. There are however, contemporary concerns in relation to the effectiveness of CRM systems, centring on their inability to deliver benefits as promised, in addition to compromising loyalty and trust in relationships with customers (O’Malley and Prothero 2004; Palmer 2011; King and Burgess 2008).

Mass marketing versus individualized marketing Strauss et al. (2006) categorize the distinction between transaction marketing and RM as mass versus individualized marketing as mentioned in table 2.2. Table 2.2. Mass versus Individualized Marketing Mass marketing

Individualized marketing (RM)

One-off transactions

Ongoing transactions

Short term

Long term

One-way communication

Two-way communication

Acquisition focus

Retention focus

Seeks share of market

Seeks wallet share

Product differentiation

Customer differentiation

A mass marketing strategy seeks to create multiple opportunities for single transactions with customers to achieve organizational goals. Conversely, an individualized marketing strategy aims to target, create, and maintain relationships with individual customers and market segments, using individually tailored marketing approaches delivered via a range of technologies, albeit on a large scale. With mass marketing, the organizational focus is not on building and maintaining relationships with customers over time. Information is distributed with something of an undiscriminating ‘scattergun’ approach in the hope that some of the individuals receiving such information will be interested enough to follow it up and access the service or buy the product. Therefore the primary focus is on persuading customers to engage in single transactions, characterized by one-way communication from organization to customer, and shortterm in its strategic outlook. Organizations attempt to stand out from their competitors by differentiating their services, i.e. making them distinct from other services available. The overall goal is to capture a pre-determined share of the total market that exists for these specific products or services. In contrast, individualized marketing focuses on developing technological relationships over time, so that customers return repeatedly to the service pro-

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vider, thereby engaging in multiple transactions. Thus, individualized marketing has a long-term strategic perspective, seeking two-way communication, enabling organization and customer to engage in a relational dialogue – i.e. the organization learns individual customer preferences, whilst the customer acquires knowledge of what the organization has to offer. The strategic aim is for an organization to retain and develop relationships with customers once acquired, and to attempt to increase its “wallet” share over time, wallet share being a metaphor for the total amount available to any one individual to spend from his/her wallet or budget. Organizations seek to differentiate between customers by identifying individuals and personalizing the service each individual receives. Amazon.com is a classic example of a company employing an IT-enabled individualized marketing strategy. The customer is encouraged to register initially with the site, and to log in on each subsequent visit. Customer behaviour whilst logged in is captured and analysed by the organization. Typically, customers look for specific products or types of products and may buy DVDs, books, CDs and so forth. Information obtained by companies such as Amazon is used to build up a profile over time of the kinds of products that individual customers may be interested in, based on their past interaction with the service. This knowledge about the buying and searching behaviour of the individual customer is then used to place targeted adverts or product alerts for the customer to receive when they log in, or via e-mail messages to their designated address.

Relationships For a relationship to develop there must be a high level of contact between the service and the customer. As Strauss et al. (2006) indicate this need not necessarily be through direct physical contact; however, there must be some means of communication and interaction which allows a relationship to develop and evolve, and which includes two-way communication. All interactions between staff and customers, by whatever means, are opportunities for relationship development, and all of them need to be of high quality in order to create a positive impression upon the customer. It is important that all staff view the maintenance of a relationship, and therefore marketing, as being their responsibility, and ensure quality pervades all aspects of their work, especially that which involves interaction with customers (Broady-Preston and Swain 2012; Palmer 2011). Nonetheless, as Palmer (2006) contends, customer information may impede rather than create more effective relationships, as in many organizations there is a failure to link multiple databases and customer service systems.

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Making relationships work For any relationship to be successful both parties need to be happy: good relationships are based on honesty, trust and integrity. Manipulative, coercive or dishonest attempts to persuade people to buy products or services they may not necessarily want or need have rather tainted the image and perception of marketing. Arguably, you can sell anything to anybody once if you are sufficiently persuasive; however, if you promise what you cannot deliver or even knowingly lie about the benefits of the service then it is unlikely you will do so twice. Ultimately if you lose the goodwill and trust of your customer, you will lose the customer; goodwill and trust once compromised or lost, are notoriously difficult (and expensive) to regain.

RM: pros and cons There are several benefits to relationship marketing from the perspective of the service provider, not least of which is that it is cheaper to retain customers through developing and sustaining relationships than it is continually to seek new customers. Advertising campaigns are an expensive means of keeping your message in the forefront of the customer’s mind. Loyalty-card systems, operated by many supermarkets and retail outlets, are a cheap and extremely effective way of obtaining very accurate data about the way customers engage with the organization. A card which is swiped every time a purchase is made is recording data about the actual purchases of each loyalty-card user. These activity data can be analysed and used to build up a very detailed picture of actual customer behaviour, as opposed to predicted behaviour, which is the outcome of most traditional market-research data. Loyalty card data may also be used to create demographic profiles of customers to inform service development and delivery, and to target marketing efforts to particular segments of the customer base. Furthermore, they are an extremely cheap means of rewarding “loyalty” (hence the term), making the individual customer feel valued for their custom. Thus, the desired outcome of RM is that customers are loyal to the organization. The work of Dick and Basu (1994) is seminal in this context; they link attitude towards the brand with service behaviour. Translated into a library context, high awareness of library products and services and positive views of the service as opposed to alternatives, together with high usage, is indicative of a loyal, satisfied customer (user). Conversely, low awareness and low usage denotes an absence of loyalty. Customers expressing negative views of services, whilst simultaneously using these repeatedly and extensively, are categorized as showing “spurious loyalty”.

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An implicit assumption of RM thinking is that both parties wish to engage in a relationship; whether or not a relationship is the preferred state for the customer or is only in the mind of the organization is “the blind spot” in consumer marketing (Fernandes and Proença 2008, 153). Customers may differ in terms of the types of relationships they seek and how they wish to interact with a service provider. As Grönroos (2007) indicates, this does not necessarily change from customer to customer; individuals may differ in how they wish to engage with the provider depending on the type of transaction, the reason for the purchase, or just their general mood on that occasion. Human behaviour is unpredictable and inconsistent. Palmer (2011, 182-227) identifies several limitations to RM as a reliable model for services marketing:  Personal relationships are an unreliable metaphor: The metaphor of a personal relationship to describe the relationship between organization and customer is deficient in practice, especially with regard to remote e-service delivery. Whilst technology can capture data about actual customer behaviour reliably, it does not show the reasons for such behaviour. A DVD bought by a customer on Play.com as a gift will not provide reliable data on which to base targeted advertising in relation to customer preferences; indeed it may not reflect the personal interests of the customer at all.  Customers seek variety: However, good the service provider and however consistent the quality of the service, individuals may become jaded or bored and seek novelty. Few of us wish to buy exactly the same sandwich filling for lunch every day from the same sandwich shop. Data gathered on previous occasions form an unreliable basis from which to predict accurately future desires and behaviour.  RM theory fails to distinguish adequately between attitudes and behaviour: Customers may express views that suggest they desire quality and excellence in relation to their service experience; in reality they often trade-off quality and cost. In an ideal world, we may all wish to fly first class; in practice many of us will choose to travel using budget carriers where the quality is significantly lower, but cheaper ticket prices compensate.  Customers seek novelty: Whilst an organization may invest heavily in developing high quality relationships with customers, there is still no guarantee that customers will not choose to go elsewhere. Relationship quality is not of itself a determining factor in achieving customer loyalty and retention. Customers may still be enticed away by the novel, and may feel that the service provider has nothing more to offer them than that which they have already experienced. Thus, in a sense, organizations are “punished” by customers for being too good, as they believe this means the provider may only become worse and not better –“the

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only way forward from the top is down! ” Retail banks recognize this need for novelty and many develop packages which make it easy and straightforward for the customer to “switch” banks. Websites such as SwitchGasandElectric.com/Switch have developed, allowing customers to make a one-stop comparison between energy providers.

Customer experience management Questions about the relevance of general RM theory to the way in which customers interact with service providers have given rise to new ideas, one of which is the concept of customer experience (O’Loughlin 2004). Palmer (2010) devised a model which sets out an evolutionary progression in the way that organizations seek to differentiate themselves from their competitors, based on his observation of changes in marketing theory over time as presented in Figure 2.1:

Figure 2.1. Evolutionary progression in differentiation (based on Palmer 2010)

Originally, organizations sought to differentiate themselves from their competitors on the basis of the tangible elements or qualities of their products – for example, promoting the supposed superiority of Coca Cola over Pepsi (or vice versa). The second or subsequent means of achieving differentiation relates to whether organizations produced physical goods as opposed to services of some description. Level three focuses on the nature of the relationship organizations had with their customers, depending on the extent to which these were shortterm relationships involving largely one-off transactions, or whether the strategic

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emphasis lay in achieving ongoing relationships, resulting in multiple transactions over time. The fourth and final level suggests that organizations differentiate themselves from their competitors on the basis of the degree to which the marketing strategy of an individual organization is derived from their knowledge of the experience of customers’ encounters with the organization. Thus, the focus is on ways to measure the customer’s perceptions of quality in experience of service use, and on how this information can be used to try to ensure that all necessary steps are taken throughout the organization to maximize the probability that the customer experience is of a uniformly high quality. In customer experience management, customers seek products and services because of the experience they wish to have through their use and consumption. However, there is a whole range of factors which affect customer motivation and perceptions, and organizations need to take account of these in developing holistic marketing strategies. As Palmer (2010) readily concedes, the difficulty lies in measuring and managing experiences.

Service experience management The requirement for a “joined-up” or cross-functional approach to marketing is highlighted in research by Kwortnik and Thompson (2009). They identify the need for a new organizational function which they designate service experience management, based on their adaptation of Edvardsson’s 1997 Service Operations Systems (SOS) model by Kwortnik and Thompson (2009). Service experience differs from customer experience management and RM in that it is not an alternative means of managing the relationship between an organization and its customers, but is rather a way of integrating service and customer management. It recognizes that services result from an integration or combination of organizational functions such as marketing and operations management, together with human resources and information systems (Zeithaml, Bitner and Gremler 2012).

Service-dominant logic (S-D logic) The basic premise that marketing is an exchange process and that in order to deliver value there must be some form of exchange transaction between the seller (provider) and the consumer (customer) has been questioned by several theorists. Vargo and Lusch (2004, 1) identified what they categorized as a “new dominant logic for marketing”, the S-D logic. It is easier to understand what S-D logic is by looking firstly at what it is not. One generally held fallacy with regard to this idea is that in some form of contest between services and goods,

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services have “won”. Services are a type of “special product” which are inherently different from goods, and therefore need to be treated differently; the differences in production, delivery and marketing of baked beans as opposed to legal services, for example, are such that a new paradigm for services is necessary. As services “dominate” economies, their treatment should therefore become the dominant logic or model for marketing. However, as they themselves state, this is both a fundamental misunderstanding of their proposition, and furthermore, is too simplistic. New ways of thinking are required which reflect the complexity of the actual relationship between goods and services. Essentially, they differentiate not between goods and services per se, but between organizations operating with a G-D (goodsdominant) logic, and those with an S-D logic. In so doing they seek to extend our thinking beyond a simple ‘goods versus services’ dichotomy. Rather than focusing on the principal distinctions between goods and services, they consider the delivery processes, together with the necessity for integrating organizational resources, and the role of the customer in the cocreation and co-production of value. The focus is therefore less about whether these processes relate to material goods or ‘pure’ services but is rather concerned with the delivery itself. Importantly we use the singular “service” in S-D logic, indicating a process of doing something for someone, rather than the plural “services”, implying units of output as would be consistent with G-D logic. The goods versus services debate was about the supposed differences between goods and services; service-dominant logic considers the relationship between service and a good – that is, a good is an appliance used in service provision. In S-D logic service is the common denominator of exchange and thus is hypernymic to goods. There is no good-versus-service winner or loser in S-D logic (Lusch and Vargo 2006). The term “hypernymic” refers to an entity which is a super-set of some lower-level groupings; thus “vehicles” are a hypernym of the lower-level set, “cars”. Therefore, within S-D logic “service” is an essential component of any exchange between the organization and the customer; we do not think in terms of goods versus services, even if the exchange involves physical goods. Thus, organizations are required to focus on identifying the service elements of the processes involved, regardless of the extent to which the organization produces physical goods or less tangible services as its products. Interaction between the service provider and the consumer plays a key role in both the creation and perception of value. Indeed, Grönroos (2006) argues that interaction is such a central concept that it should displace exchange entirely in marketing theory. The Nordic School1 research, whilst sharing many features 1

Berry and Parasuraman (1993) identified two separate schools of marketing research arising in Europe in the 1970s, one based in the Nordic countries and one in France. Grönroos, amongst others, is a key theorist of the Nordic School.

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in common with S-D logic, places greater reliance on the concept of interactions, i.e. that value is not created in the design, production and planning stage of service processes, but when products or services are used by customers. Services are processes where a set of company resources interact with the customers so that value is created or emerges in the customers’ processes. Hence, unlike goods that are value-supporting resources, services are valuesupporting processes. In the Nordic School service logic means that the firm facilitates processes that support customers’ value creation (Grönroos 2006). In other words, organizations supply the raw materials which customers use in some way to create value for themselves. The raw materials may therefore be either physical objects, or a service process. Organizations selling washing machines enable customers to create value for themselves by using the machine to wash their clothes at home; equally, value is only created for the customer by a laundry service when the customer sleeps on the clean sheets or uses a clean towel. To extend the analogy to library and information service provision, libraries enable individuals to access to information, but value is only created for the library user (customer) when she or he uses such information to achieve benefit, however defined or determined. Ideas and theories about marketing are in transition; Lusch and Vargo (2006) outline their analysis and categorization of this transitional landscape in table 2.3. Table 2.3. Conceptual transitions Goods-dominant logic Transitional concepts concepts

Service-dominant logic concepts

Goods

Services

Service

Products

Offerings

Experiences

Feature/attribute

Benefit

Solution

Value-added

Co-production

Co-creation of value

Profit maximization

Financial engineering

Financial feedback/learning

Price

Value delivery

Value proposition

Equilibrium systems

Dynamic systems

Complex adaptive systems

Supply chain

Value-chain

Value-creation network/constellation

Promotion

Integrated marketing communications

Dialogue

To market

Market to

Market with

Product orientation

Market orientation

Service orientation

In a later paper Lusch and Vargo (2008) address the application of their theories directly to the nonprofit sector, suggesting that not only is S-D logic relevant and accommodating of social and non-profit marketing and ethics, but could “provide a foundation for the development of a new theory of society.”

Changing Marketing Concepts 39

Public sector marketing, profitability and social marketing As shown above and earlier, marketing principles and theories are being applied increasingly to services in the voluntary, charitable and public sectors. Services such as libraries, archives and museums have clearly defined business objectives and targets, measure performance, and increasingly adopt a marketing orientation, often with the express intention of giving customers choice, which can often be somewhat illusory when the service provider is in a monopoly situation (Broady-Preston and Swain 2012; Sen 2010; Palmer 2011). Returning to the earlier definitions, the concept of exchange in return for profit (profitability) has traditionally created problems for services operating in the public and/or “not-for-profit” sector. As these organizations are not required to make a financial profit, many managers in this sector demonstrate resistance to marketing, associating it with an emphasis on “the bottom line”, i.e. financial profit. However, “profit” may be defined and measured in many different ways; not merely financial, but also in terms of social or cultural gain. Thus, concepts of profitability need to be considered in relation to the basic purpose of an organization (Broady-Preston and Swain 2012). Whilst the UK National Health Service does not exist to make money per se, its profitability may be judged in relation to performance indicators such as the health of the nation and the general quality of delivery of health-care services, using measures such as reduced waiting times for patients needing treatment, increased service provision, and so forth. Social marketing is one attempt to apply marketing concepts in a not-forprofit environment and reconcile potential differences between the demands of commercial marketing and corporate social responsibility and ethics. Used extensively in the health sector, its precepts are arguably more widely applicable to the nonprofit sector as a whole, including library and information services. Originally identified and defined by Kotler and Zaltman (1971), there are now many differing definitions of social marketing. In 2002, Kotler, Roberto and Lee (2002, 394) defined it as the use of marketing principles and techniques to influence a target audience to voluntarily accept, reject, modify or abandon a behaviour for the benefit of individuals, groups or society as a whole. Weinreich (2010) contends that the Kotler and Andreasen definition of social marketing differs from other areas of marketing only with respect to the objectives of the marketer and his or her organization. Social marketing seeks to influence social behaviours not to benefit the marketer, but to benefit the target audience and the general society. This view of social marketing as one which exists to influence individual behaviour for the benefit of society as a whole, is found in this more recent definition of the term by the National Social Marketing Centre (NSMC)2 as 2

NSMC was formed following the publication of the It’s our Health report, commissioned by the Department of Health in England. The NSMC was a strategic partnership between the

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An approach used to develop activities aimed at changing or maintaining people’s behavior for their benefit. Whereas marketing in the commercial world ultimately seeks to influence consumer behavior for profit, social marketing encourages behaviors that provide benefit for individuals and society as a whole.(What is social marketing? 2012) Similarly, the Marketing and Sales Standards Setting Body (MSSSB) produced the Social Marketing Functional Map, in which it states the key purpose of Social Marketing is to apply marketing alongside other concepts and techniques in order to influence individuals, organizations, policy-makers and decision-makers to adopt and sustain behaviour which improves people’s lives (The social marketing functional map 2009).

Conclusion In this paper, a range of ideas in relation to marketing has been identified and discussed. Specifically, the origins of marketing theory have been identified, the features of the transaction model outlined, followed by the identification and evaluation of more recent alternative models and theories. Each theory and/or model has been examined for its relevance and significance to contemporary services marketing, especially in relation to the provision of library and information services. What is apparent is that marketing theories are central to understanding customers and devising services which are of direct benefit and relevance to them. This is equally true in the not-for-profit or public sector where the majority of library and information services are located. Without an ability to understand and apply relevant contemporary services marketing frameworks, models and theories to service delivery, library service managers may be more constrained in their ability to manage services effectively.

References AMA definition of marketing. 2007. American Marketing Association. Accessed 25 February 2013. http://www.marketingpower.com/Community/ARC/Pages/Additional/Definition/ default.aspx. Baldock, C. 1993. “Marketing libraries: A survival course?” Library management 14(1): 4-8. Berry, L.L. and A. Parasuraman. 1993. “Building a new academic field: the case of services marketing.” Journal of retailing 69(1): 13-60. Broady-Preston, J. and J. Felice. 2006. “Customers, relationships and libraries: University of Malta, a case study.” Aslib proceedings 58(6): 525-536. Department and Consumer Focus (formerly the National Consumer Council), but is now (July 2012) a non-profit community interest company.

Changing Marketing Concepts 41 Broady-Preston, J., J. Felice and S. Marshall. 2006. “Building better customer relationships: case studies from Malta and the UK .” Library management 27(6/7): 430-445. Broady-Preston, J. and A. Lobo. 2011. “Measuring the quality, value and impact of academic libraries: the role of external standards.” Performance measurement & metrics 12(2): 122-135. Broady-Preston, J. and W. Swain. 2012. “What business are we in? Value added services, core business and national library performance.” Performance measurement & metrics 13(2): 107-120. Deshpandé, R., J.U. Farley and F.E. Webster, Jr. 1993. “Corporate culture, customer orientation, and innovativeness in Japanese firms: a Quadrad analysis.” Journal of marketing 57 (January): 23-27. Dick, A. S. and K. Basu. 1994. “Customer loyalty: toward an integrated conceptual framework.” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 22(2): 99-113. Fernandes, T. M. and J.F. Proença. 2008. “The blind spot in consumer markets: the consumer proneness to engage in relationships.” Journal of marketing management 24(1/2): 153-168. Fletcher, L. A. 2001. “Going beyond the buzzword, what exactly is CRM?” Learned Publishing 14(3): 213-222. The future of marketing. 2009. Maidenhead: Chartered Institute of Marketing. White paper. Grönroos, C. 2006. “Adopting a service logic for marketing.” Marketing theory 6(3): 317-333. Grönroos, C. 2007. Service management and marketing: customer management in service. 3rd ed. Chichester: John Wiley & Son. Hirschman, E. C. 1983. “Aesthetics, ideologies and the limits of the marketing concept.” Journal of marketing 47(3): 5-21. Jaworski, B. J. and A. Kohli. 1993. “Market orientation: antecedents and consequences.” Journal of marketing 57(3): 3-71. King, S. F. and T.F. Burgess. 2008. “Understanding success and failure in customer relationship management.” Industrial marketing management 37(4): 421-431. Kohli, A. and B.J. Jaworski. 1990. “Market-orientation: the construct, research propositions, and managerial implications.” Journal of marketing 54(April): 1-18. Kotler, P. and G. Armstrong. 2012. Principles of marketing. 144h ed. Harlow: Prentice Hall. Kotler, P. and G. Zaltman. 1971. “Social marketing: an approach to planned social change.” Journal of marketing 35(3): 3-12. Kotler, P., N. Roberto and N. Lee. 2002. Social marketing: improving the quality of life. London: Sage. Kwortnik, R. J. and G.M. Thompson. 2009. “Unifying service marketing and operations with service experience management.” Journal of service research 11(4): 389-406. Lancaster, G. n.d. “Development of the marketing concept.” Marketing lectures. Castle Eden: Durham Associates. Accessed 25 February 2013. http://www.da-group.co.uk/index. php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20%3Aorigins-ofmarketing&catid=2%3Amarketing-lectures&Itemid=3 Lusch, R F. and S.L.Vargo. 2006. “Service-dominant logic: reactions, reflections and refinements.” Marketing theory 6(3): 281-288. Lusch, R F. and S.L. Vargo. 2008. “Service-dominant logic: continuing the evolution.” Journal of the academy of marketing science 36: 1-10. McKenna, R. 1991. “Marketing is everything.” Harvard business review January-February: 1-10. Narver, J. C. and S.F. Slater. 1990. “The Effect of a Market Orientation on Business Profitability.” Journal of marketing 54 (October): 20-35.

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Narver, J. C. et al. 2000. Total market orientation, business performance, and innovation. Cambridge, MA: Marketing Science Institute. O’Loughlin, D., I. Szmigin. and P. Turnbull. 2004. “From relationships to experiences in retail financial services.” The International journal of bank marketing 22(7): 522-539. O’Malley, L. and A. Prothero. 2004. “Beyond the frills of relationship marketing.” Journal of business research 57(11): 1286-1294. Palmer, A. 2010.”Customer experience management: A critical review of an emerging idea.” Journal of services marketing 24(3): 196-208. Palmer, A. 2011. Principles of services marketing. 6th ed. London: McGraw Hill. Payne, A. 1995. Advances in relationship marketing. London: Kogan Page. Sen, B. 2010. “Theory, research and practice in library management, 8: Market orientation”. Library management 31(4): 344-353. Shoham, A. et al. 2005. “Market orientation and performance: a meta analysis.” Marketing intelligence & planning 23(5): 435-54. Shostack, L. 1977. “Breaking free from product marketing.” Journal of marketing 41: 7380. Singh, R. 2009. “Does your library have a marketing culture? Implications for service providers.” Library management 30(3): 117-137. The social marketing functional map. 2009. London: Marketing and Sales Standards Setting Body. Accessed 25 February 2013. http://www.rsph.org.uk/filemanager/root/site_assets/ about_us/policy_and_projects/shaping_the_future/june_09_newsletter/msssb_social_ marketing_national_occupational_standards_functional_map_march2009.pdf Strauss, J. et al. 2006. E-marketing. 4th int.ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall. Tomorrow’s word: re-evaluating the role of marketing. 2011. Maidenhead: Chartered Institute of Marketing.Also accessed 13 February 2013. http://www.cim.co.uk/resources/ understandingmarket/definitionmkting.aspx Vargo, S. L. and R.F. Lusch. 2004. “Evolving to a new dominant logic for marketing.” Journal of marketing 68(1): 1-17. Weinreich, N.K. 2010. “What is social marketing?”. 2010. Accessed on 25 February 2013. http://www.social-marketing.com/Whatis.html. “What is social marketing?” 2012. Accessed on 25 February 2013. http://www.thensmc. com/search?search=what+is+social+marketing Zeithaml, V. J., M.J. Bitner and D.D. Gremler.(2012. Services marketing. 6th ed. London: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Gaining Customer Loyalty: the Ultimate in Marketing Kiran Kaur Senior Lecturer, Department of Library & Information Science, Faculty of Computer Science & Information Technology, University of Malaya, Malaysia

Abstract Rising competition from the internet information service providers and the changing expectations of library users are current daily challenges academic libraries are facing. Though libraries have survived and may continue to survive there is a rising need to justify their role in academia, especially with increasingly easy access to information resources in alternative media. Libraries need to gain a competitive edge and build customer loyalty by focusing on the customers rather than traditional processes. In marketing strategies, competitive advantage allows firms to stay ahead of present or potential competition by offering customers greater value, either through lower prices or by providing additional benefits and services that justify similar, or possibly higher, prices. The key to such an approach is retaining customers for a longer period as these loyal customers allow the organization to survive in the competition from the commercial world for information access and delivery services with the support of the ever expanding digital technologies. Understanding customer needs and adapting library services to these needs will ensure the library’s relevance in its local and global community.

Assessment, measurement and service concerns Library service assessment is an important activity that has been the focus of library and information science (LIS) research, especially in the changing landscape of the information market. The increased competition from the number of non-library service providers continues to nudge libraries to adopt business strategies to “take care of their customer” in order to demonstrate library’s superiority to its stakeholders (Saunders 2007, 21). Librarians and information professionals have long been interested in measuring the performance of their services (Kyrillidou 2001, 1) for management decision making and to retain current budget levels if not to increase them. In the 1980s and

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1990s, the focus of library service evaluation was on library performance indicators (Van House, Weil and McClure 1990). As electronic services began to emerge, researchers (McClure and Bertot 2001) included electronic service performance measurement into their research agenda. Other library evaluations projects, such as COUNTER, EQUINOX, eVALUED and MINES, all of which have different approaches to measuring service effectiveness, have also been established over the years. Though measures that rely on library statistics as surrogates for performance measurement and use of specific standards and measures to assess performance are being practised, academic libraries continue to experience difficulties in developing and applying performance measures (Hiller and Self 2004, 130). Nevertheless, measuring service continues to be imperative for libraries because services are the link between the user and what the library has to offer. Library services (and outputs) must be evaluated in terms of ‘quality’, probably to retain customers in a competitive environment (Altman and Hernon 1998). It is supposed that the measure of library service quality will enable librarians to understand the library’s social role and the needs of its users in assessing library services (Kyrillidou 2002). Since the LIS literature was not rich in quality measures, LIS researchers and practitioners focused instead on the most researched conceptualization of service quality available in the service marketing literature – the Gaps Model of Service Quality and its corresponding measuring instrument, SERVQUAL (Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry 1988) . The conceptualization of service quality has not only influenced research on service quality in marketing to this date, but has also had a big impact on the development of service quality measures in the LIS discipline. Though the SERVQUAL and E-S-QUAL (Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Malhotra 2005) model continues to be used, with slight modifications, to suit the context of library services, a number of studies have shown that the five underlying factor structures of service quality (reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy and tangibles) are not always recoverable in the academic library context (Nitecki 1996; Cook 2001; Hernon and Calvert 2005). In 2000, a group of researchers from the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) developed a service quality measuring tool specifically for libraries, LibQUAL+®. It is based on the same methodological and conceptual model as applied in the development of SERVQUAL. These measures are based on customers’ expectations and perceived performance of the service. The use of performance indicators, user satisfaction surveys and measures of service quality are efforts by libraries to justify their existence to stakeholders and also assist in informed decision making. However, it is time that libraries look beyond these indicators and concentrate on strategies on how to retain their clientele from their competitors. Increased familiarity with the internet has resulted in the phenomenon that libraries are facing competition from alternative information providers (Ross and Sennyey 2008; Griffiths and Brophy 2005). Jones (2002, 12) reported that

Gaining Customer Loyalty 45

over 70% of college students depended upon the internet more than the library when conducting research, suggesting an exponential growth of internet use in college student life. Despite the continual efforts by academic libraries to adopt technology in providing services, the phenomenon of students and researchers preferring to use other service providers is prevalent. It was also highlighted that “libraries are beginning to recognize that customers have choices for their information needs and some of these choices are drawing customers way from the library, and perhaps for good” (Hernon and Whitman 2001, ix). So how did academic libraries address this issue? Does focusing on the quality of library services, or assessing library customer satisfaction suffice for continued use of the library, its services and collections? A distinctive view is presented by Kerr’s comment on public libraries, that “competition is everywhere in Western society, and it has arrived at the door of the world’s public libraries” (Kerr 2010, 4). Libraries in different countries now experiment with various econometric models designed to provide evidence of good value for money invested in their service provision or the valuation of their impact that makes them worthy of public investment. Kerr recognized that the most efficient way to increase use was to get former users to return. He termed them as the “lapsed borrowers” (Kerr 2010, 1). When referring to the traditional use of library in lending and borrowing, his research confirms that libraries can win back a significant proportion of lapsed borrowers, and presents cost data to demonstrate that the effort to win back lapsed users is cost effective. This brings us to the issue of retaining and bringing back customers as it has been proven to be the most important factor in business for profitability and growth. The myth that, because a library exists, customers will come in, be satisfied, be loyal, and be supportive may no longer be valid, as libraries and its community are operating in a new environment that no longer makes the library a unique place for information resources.

Customer loyalty Customer loyalty is viewed as the strength of the relationship between individual’s relative attitude and repeat patronage (Dick and Basu 1994). It is demonstrated by the actions of the customer, when the customer continues to believe that a particular organization’s services remain his/her best option. In other words it can mean that the organization meets their value proposition. Moreover, loyalty means hanging in there even when there may be a problem because the organization has been good to them in the past and addresses issues when they arise. It means that customers do not seek out competitors and, when approached by competitors, they are not interested. The construct of loyalty belongs to “behavioural intentions” which has been posited as a multidimensional construct consisting of loyalty, recommendation and paying a pre-

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mium price. Ideally, loyal customers believe these products and services are superior to those of the competition and they view their interactions as more than simply transactional. They believe there is a relationship that is bigger than just the products or services they buy. Measuring loyalty means measuring the strength of this relationship between the organization and its customer. In a nutshell, loyalty means a customer wants to do business with you. Library customers need to be brought back to the library whether physically or remotely. They need to believe that the library is the best choice for their information needs. Some of the important attitudes and behaviours expected of a loyal customer of a library may include: – – – –

Likelihood to recommend the library and its services to others; Likelihood to continue using the library collections and services; Likelihood of continued use of new services; Believing that library services are superior to other information services; and – Not actively seeking alternative information service providers to replace the academic library.

Measures of customer loyalty Similar to satisfaction, loyalty consists of attitudinal and behavioural components where attitudinal may include the cognitive element (Minkiewicz et al. 2008). It is suggested that customers with positive image and positive expectations of their experiences would create a positive image in their mind which would lead to greater customer loyalty, especially with multiple experiences. But it doesn’t mean that the customer’s satisfaction level can measure his/her loyalty. Customer loyalty is not customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is the basic entry point for a good business to start with. A customer can be very satisfied with the deal and still not be loyal. On the other hand a customer may not express satisfaction but wants to remain loyal to the service provider for other reasons by which he/she benefits from that provider. Any determination of loyalty must address the customer’s purpose for library use. The purpose might relate to use of the facilities, technology, staff, or collections. Currently, library users have demanded extended services to fit their busy non-traditional schedules, and libraries have responded to these demands by expanding services with technology. Chat reference and instant messaging, blogs, federated searching and Google Scholar are examples of this (Hernon and Altman 2010). Librarians are also engaged in other “social software” such as wikis that allow users to add and delete information as desired and allow users to “make friends” with the library by adding the library to their circle of friends (Facebook). This is a result of libraries applying the business /

Gaining Customer Loyalty 47

economic principle of “supply and demand” (Konata 2009). The ability of the library management to continually adapt current services and create new services to match the digitally inclined customer will ensure its relevancy to the customer and customer will return for the value of this service. Positive experiences with the library will influence the level of customer’s satisfaction and this will lead to repeated patronage.

Link between quality, satisfaction, value and loyalty In the business enterprise, research has shown that customers’ behavioural intentions, including repeat use and loyalty, are consequences of service quality and customer satisfaction (Zeithaml, Berry and Parasuraman 1996; Cronin, Brady and Hult. 2000). Customer retention is sometimes used as a key performance indicator in industry. There has also been a debate on the link between service quality and customer satisfaction and how these contributors are related to service value and intentions to use the service again. The concept of customer value and its relationship with service quality and customer satisfaction is lacking in empirical research, though a large body of knowledge does exist on this concept (Wang 2004, 325). Service quality and customer satisfaction are recognized as crucial indicators for customers’ behavioural intentions, including loyalty. Most studies investigate either the antecedents or the relationships among the moderating and mediating variables as consequences of the behavioural intentions. Customer satisfaction measures “the consumer’s fulfillment response, it is evaluative in nature…the customer determines whether it meets expectation…thus calling for an extended service encounter and not temporally service encounter” (Zeithaml, Berry and Parasuraman 1996). The first study that simultaneously compared the relative influence of the three constructs of satisfaction, value and quality on the service encounter outcomes or on behavioural intentions (Cronin, Brady and Hult 2000) operationalized behavioural intentions as consumers’ intention to use the service again, recommend it to others and repeat use. A study by Kiran Kaur and Diljit Singh (2011) investigated the relationship between service quality, customer satisfaction and service value with the construct, customer loyalty. Though the study is limited to web-based services offered by selected academic libraries in Malaysia, it was the first time all four constructs were empirically tested simultaneously in one confirmatory model through structural equation modelling (SEM) .The analysis of the direct, indirect and total effects revealed some contradicting but interesting findings. It was found that in the case of academic library web-based services, service quality and service value did not have a significant direct effect on customer loyalty. Meaning that perceived service quality or service value may not directly

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lead to intention to or repeat use of the service. It was customer satisfaction that had a direct effect on customer loyalty. What influences customer satisfaction? The quality of the service and its value to the customer are essential antecedents. In this study, it was found that customer value and customer satisfaction were the mediators between service quality and customer loyalty. If the library wants to increase customer loyalty towards web-based services, then the library must work on increasing perception of service value and level of customer satisfaction (Figure 3.1).

Figure 3.1. Web-based service quality model by Kiran & Diljit (2011)

So the first step is to ensure services are of quality. This translates to setting specific key quality performance indicators for all services provided. Besides that, libraries must align these services with activities of their clientele, the students and academics. The services provided should be perceived to add value to the demands and needs of this clientele. Services that are perceived to add value to their task will over time create a feeling of satisfaction with the service. This satisfaction will drive the library clientele to continually use the service (loyalty) and advocate the services to others (brand ambassadors).

Focus on customer loyalty Measuring customer loyalty and developing a retention strategy are of great importance to an organization’s success. Customer service drives intent to return. Intention to return is a measurable indicator of future use, thus loyalty. With a proper approach customers may naturally turn into clients and later into brand ambassadors and advocates. Customer satisfaction towards library collection and services is just a starting point in the building of long-term relationship with the academic library. The major factor that determines the success of relationship marketing is customer loyalty. However, the central issue is how to transfer customer satisfaction to loyalty. People who do not receive quality customer service may not complain but will simply take their business elsewhere. Library customers who

Gaining Customer Loyalty 49

do not get what they want from the library resources or services may simply turn to other information service providers on the internet, especially Google or Wikipedia. This is evident in much of the research on information resources use by students and academic staff. When does this happen? It happens when the library fails to: – Listen to their customer’s feedback; – Efficiently resolve issues that arise from unsatisfactory service; – Establish a communication channel; and – Add value to the service. Basically the key is to simplify the customer’s life and as evident in Google’s marketing strategy – make them say ‘Wow!’, and they will return for more.

CRM and branding Closely knit with strategies for customer loyalty, are two very important strategies often used by the customer relationship management (CRM) and branding. CRM is not new in libraries. Traditionally library services such as current awareness services (CAS) and selective dissemination of information (SDI) have been core library services to inform users of the latest acquisitions at the library. This service helped to build a relationship between the library and academics. Liaison librarians communicate with the academics or faculty to find out their specific needs and align resources and services to meet these needs. However, with the development in the web technology, physical patronage to the library has decreased and remote access to resources may have reduced the direct communication between librarians and their clients. The availability of online resources has decreased the need for CAS and SDI. Library clients are assumed to be independent users and automatic alerts have reduced the need for librarians to take the role as “informers”. Librarians believe that they are providing superior service and most often do not have a formal strategy for customer loyalty. Lubans (2000) in his keynote speech at the ACRL annual conference reminded the audience that “Libraries already have what every website wants: a trusted and respected brand identity, providing a highly positive user experience that results in frequent return visits – or what marketers call stickiness to a brand”. He suggested using the library website to promote return visits. The American Marketing Association dictionary (2013) defines a brand as a “name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers”. This makes the product or service unique. There is a strong relationship between corporate image, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Corporate image is many times used as synonym for

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concepts such as reputation, perception, attitude, belief, communication and relationship (Grunig 2003). A strong brand will increase the trust a person has in purchasing a service and will allow the customer to visualize the nature of a service before it is purchased. A strong service brand becomes a “promise of future satisfaction” in a service (Walton 2008, 771).There is a possibility that a positive corporate image may negatively influence customer satisfaction. When the image creates unrealistic expectations and when these are not met the customer is dissatisfied!

Customer loyalty in academic libraries How do academic libraries compete with “I Google”? How do we brand academic libraries in the eyes of the customers so that they come back for more, or even recommend it to others! The academic environment is of “value” not “profit”, thus the adoption of marketing strategies, though extremely necessary in academic library management, must be aligned to the value perceived by the students and academics. Libraries must know the information needs and technological inclination of the modern customer. Building such a positive rapport with library customers will initiate this channel of information flow and a continued long-term relationship. As customer relationship management refers to all business activities directed towards initiating, establishing, maintaining, and developing successful long-term relational exchanges, one of the results of CRM is the promotion of customer loyalty (Hariff and Rowley 2011), which is considered to be a relational phenomenon. The benefits of customer loyalty to a provider of either services or products are numerous, and thus organizations are eager to secure as significant a loyal customer base as possible (Gefen 2002; Rowley and Dawes 2000). CRM – customer relationship management – is very important part of that. After all, if you don’t understand your customers, you won’t be able to give them the high-quality service they deserve, and it will in turn be more difficult for you to build loyalty to your brand. This can have implications for the library’s reputation, so boosting the CRM system is definitely a worthwhile endeavour. On the other hand branding may pose a problem for libraries. How can libraries move from a typical brand of “books” to something more meaningful in today’s world of technologically networked society? Libraries need to be innovative and change this image that has been associated with the term library. It has been proposed that using logos focuses on the concepts of a library’s brand, building a brand, and using a tag line to communicate the library’s mission to its public may assist libraries in building its brand (Hafner and Akers 2011). But it is important not to rely too much on logos or designs, as these are just graphic representations of the brand. The brand is more associated with reputation. Another important aspect is the commitment by employees that

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will shape and deliver the brand through their services. To add value to the brand, the entire library operation needs to be aligned and integrated for communication and service. The focus on marketing is creating branding or corporate image. What image do academic libraries want to make? It has to one that current library customers want to be associated with and proudly share it with others. Recent developments in technology have given academic libraries a new role: to facilitate the link between CRM and customer loyalty. The degree to which the internet is used by organizations and the considerable praise that it has received may be attributed to its enhanced informational and interactive communication capabilities. In this way, it can be used as a business channel and so lead to the development of more effective CRM as well as the emergence of new network cooperative opportunities. Academic libraries need to take advantage of opportunities that the web can present for CRM. Another important issue is about empowerment. Empowerment generally refers to the process a firm adopts to encourage and reward employees who exercise initiative, make valuable creative contributions, and do whatever is possible to help customers solve their problems. Customers who believe their problems are of concern and are acted upon will build a trust in the organization and this will inculcate a sense of belonging. Library staff should be well trained in being receptive towards customers complaints and prioritize the action taken to reduce customer anxiety. Libraries may also use the personalization feature offered by the web technologies. Current practices of user control and two way interactions with library services via interactive transactions enable librarian and customers to have a dynamic relationship over the web. Remote access may no longer alienate the library customer from the service provider. In this case users will always feel the librarian is around.

Conclusion The business world has been using corporate branding and relationship marketing to build customer loyalty and satisfaction. It’s time academic libraries applied the tenets of branding to reach out more effectively to their users and build long term relationships that are beneficial to both users and librarians. Research has shown that service quality and service value are antecedents of customer satisfaction. Measures of customer satisfaction should consider the key indicators of the quality of the service, and at the same time it is important to measure customer satisfaction in the context of the service: that is, the value placed by the customer on the services rendered. Once customer satisfaction is achieved, then the next level is ascertaining customer loyalty. The common practice of customer satisfaction measures via customer surveys in libraries

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must be elevated to a new level of measurement, with emphasis on knowing what services add value to their customers and identifying key measures of service quality. This has to be ongoing as customers’ wants and needs are changing with technology advancements and library services are following suit. To sustain their competitive edge against other information providers on the Web, libraries have to rely on the loyalty of their customers to justify its existence to stakeholders. This may well be the most valuable marketing strategy for academic libraries to continually survive within this competitive era.

References Altman, E. and Hernon, P. 1998. “Service quality and customer satisfaction do matter.” American libraries 29(7): 53-54. “American Marketing Association dictionary.” Accessed on 9 March 2013. http://www. marketingpower.com/_layouts/Dictionary.aspx. Cook, C. 2001. “A mixed-method approach to the identification and measurement of academic library service quality constructs: LibQUAL+®”(PhD diss., Texas A&M University). Available from Proquest Dissertation Abstracts International (UMI No. 3020024). Cronin, J. J., M.K. Brady and G.T.M. Hult. 2000. “Assessing the effects of quality, value and customer satisfaction on consumer behavioral intentions in service environments.” Journal of retailing 76(2): 193-218. Dick, A. S. and K. Basu. 1994. “Customer loyalty: toward an integrated conceptual framework.” Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. 22(2): 99-113. Gefen, D. 2002. “Customer loyalty in e-commerce.” Journal of the Association for Information Systems 3: 27-51. Griffiths, J. R. and P. Brophy. 2005. “Student searching behavior and the web: use of academic resources and Google.” Library trends. 53(4): 539-554. Grunig, J. 2003. “Image and substance: from symbolic to behavioral relationships.” In Revealing the corporation: perspectives on identity, image, reputation, corporate branding, and corporate-level marketing, edited by J.M.T. Balmer and S.A. Greyser. New York, NY: Routledge. Hafner, A. W. and S.G. Akers. 2011. “Building the library’s brand using taglines or logos.” Public libraries 50(1): 34-37. Hariff, S. and J. Rowley. 2011. “Branding of UK public libraries.” Library management 32 (4/5): 346 – 360. Hernon, P. and E. Altman. 2010. “Embracing change for continuous improvement.” American libraries 41(1/2): 52-55. Hernon, P. and P. Calvert. 2005. “E-service quality in libraries: exploring its features and dimensions.” Library & information science research 27(3): 377-404. Hernon, P. and J.R. Whitman. 2001. Delivering satisfaction and service quality: a customer based approach for libraries. Chicago, IL: American Library Association. Hiller, S. and J. Self. 2004. “From measurement to management: using data wisely for planning and decision making.” Library trends 53(1): 129-155. Jones, S. 2002. “The internet goes to college”. PEW internet and American life project. Accessed 9 March 2013. http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2002/PIP_ College_Report.pdf.pdf

Gaining Customer Loyalty 53 Kerr, G. D. 2010. “Gaining and retaining customer loyalty.” Public library quarterly 29(1): 1-29. Kiran Kaur and Diljit Singh. (2011). “Antecedents of customer loyalty: does service quality suffice?” Malaysian journal of library & information science 16(2): 95-113. Konata, L. L. 2009. “Reinventing libraries for the next generation of library users.” Georgia library quarterly 46(4): Article 6. Accessed 26 Ferbruary 2013. http://digitalcommons. kennesaw.edu/glq/vol46/iss4/6. Kyrillidou, M. 2001. “Symposium on measuring library service quality.” ARL bimonthly report 215. Accessed 26 February 2013. http://www.arl.org/bm~doc/octsymp.pdf. Kyrillidou, M. 2002. “From input and output measures to quality and outcome measures; or, From the user in the life of the library to the library in the life of the user.” Journal of academic librarianship 28(1): 45-46. Lubans, J. 2000. “Opening the Gates: Developing our Information Communitie”. Keynote in ACRL New England Chapter. Accessed on 9 March 2013. http://www.lubans.org/ ACRL.html. McClure, C. R. and J.C. Bertot, eds. 2001. Evaluating networked information services: techniques, policies and issues. Medford, NJ : Information Today. Minkiewicz, J. et al. 2008. “An investigation of corporate image, customer satisfaction and loyalty – more than just monkey business.” ANZMAC Proceedings: Shifting focus from the mainstream to offbeat, Australia and New Zealand Marketing Conference. Sydney. January 2008. Accessed 26 February 2013. http://dro.deakin.edu.au/eserv/DU:30018169/ bridson-investigationofcorporate-2008.pdf. Nitecki, D. A. 1996. “Changing the concept and measure of service quality in academic libraries.” Journal of academic librarianship. 22(3): 181-190. Parasuraman, A., V.A. Zeithaml and L.L. Berry. 1988. “SERVQUAL: A multi-item scale for measuring customer perception of service quality.” Journal of retailing 64(1): 12-40. Parasuraman, A., V.A. Zeithaml and A. Malhotra. 2005. “E-S-QUAL: a multiple item scale for assessing electronic service quality.” Journal of service research 7(3): 213-233. Ross, L. and P. Sennyey. 2008. “The library is dead, long live the library! The practice of academic librarianship and the digital revolution.” Journal of academic librarianship 34(2): 145-152. Rowley, J. and J. Dawes. 2000. “Disloyalty: A closer look at non-loyals.” Journal of consumer marketing 17(6): 538-549. Saunders, E. S. 2007. “The LibQUAL+ phenomenon: Who judges quality?” Reference & user services quarterly 47(1): 21–24. Van House, N. A., B.T. Weil and C.R. McClure. 1990. Measuring academic library performance: a practical approach. Chicago IL: American Library Association. Walton, G. 2008. “Theory, research, and practice in library management 5: Branding.” Library management 29 (8/9): 770–776. Wang, Y., H. Lo and Y. Yang. 2004. “An integrated framework for service quality, customer value, satisfaction: Evidence from China’s telecommunication industry.” Information systems frontiers 6(4): 325-340. Zeithaml, V. A., L.L. Berry and A. Parasuraman. 1996. “The behavioral consequences of service quality.” Journal of marketing 60(2): 31-46.

Branding Libraries: the Challenges and Opportunities Jennifer Rowley Professor, Department of Information and Communications, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom

Abstract This paper argues that libraries need to take a strategic and holistic approach to managing their brand. It sets the stage by discussing the importance of branding to libraries, and presenting examples of some successful branding initiatives. It then explores library branding in terms of four key challenges. The first of these relates to taking a strategic approach to branding. A model of a holistic process that privileges the brand experience is outlined. The second challenge relates to the development of a clear and sustainable notion of the library brand identity. The impact of a legacy of negative images is discussed, as is the need to differentiate and position to achieve a sustainable identity. The third challenge involves managing relationships with other brands to good effect, or co-branding. Finally, the fourth and arguably most important challenge relates to the digital or online library brand. Here, whilst website content and service remain important, social media pose many opportunities and challenges for the library brand.

Introduction This paper draws on a range of theories, observations, and research to offer comments on the use of branding in libraries, and some of the considerations that should be at the core of branding strategies. It is not a primer to branding concepts, nor it is a review of library activities in this area, rather it seeks to set an agenda for the strategic role of branding in libraries. Indeed, it adopts the stance that the objective of all marketing activities, initiatives and investment is to build awareness of, preference for and affiliation to the brand. Furthermore, since all brand communications must be authentic and believable, these must be founded on the reality of the brand, or the brand identity, which, in turn emerges from the lived experience of the library, as experienced by both the library staff and the library users. Hence, central to brand strategy is the establishment of an authentic and relevant brand identity. On the basis of this

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brand identity, libraries can use brand articulations (such as logos, and brand livery) and marketing communications, supported by brand experiences, to build not only brand awareness, but also brand preference, and brand loyalty. However, in doing this libraries face a number of challenges. Before delving into the challenges and opportunities posed by branding for libraries, it is important to explain the rationale and central significance of branding for libraries. First, and foremost, as Singh suggests in a very recent conference paper, there are very few studies that have considered the branding of library and information services. He notes only three studies (Rowley 1997; Rowley 2004a; Hood and Henderson 2005) and suggests that there is a sense that “branding has been left behind as libraries have rapidly evolved and embraced a much broader role” (Singh 2011, 94). Other useful contributions are by Singh (2004), Tennant (2006), Thorhauge (2007), Walton (2008) and Hariff and Rowley (2011), but by any standards, branding has been even more neglected than any other aspect of marketing in the literature of library and information science. Yet some of the brands that be seen as in competition with libraries in this digital age, such as Google, Apple, and Amazon, are not only owned by innovative and large commercial organizations but also have an enviable position in brand rankings. Library managers might be forgiven for being daunted by the challenge of competing with such organizations and their brands, arguing that they are commercial concerns, with large marketing budgets. Library managers, on the other hand, have limited marketing resources at their disposal, and suffer from a range of challenges associated with being part of a public sector organization. Whilst this may be true, there have been some attempts, particularly in the public library sector, to undertake re-branding exercises, to re-energize library brands and promote engagement with the library. Examples in the UK include the re-branding of the Devon Library service, the creation of idea stores by the Tower Hamlets (London) public library service, and Happy Days, a Welsh national marketing and branding campaign for libraries (Hariff and Rowley 2011). Another new initiative is “The Hive”, a joint university and public library in Worcester (UK), which although not presented as a re-branding exercise is a collaborative venture under the new library brand, ‘The Hive’ (Hannaford and Kirk 2012). On the other hand, more generally, there is a groundswell of opinion that the library brand is in trouble. Specifically, commentators variously suggest that non-users hold negative perceptions of libraries (McNabola 2008; Lilley and Usherwood 2000), that many people do not know what their libraries currently offer (Tennant 2006), and lack of a clear coherent vision for the future image or brand of libraries (Marketing strategy for public libraries in England 2008). This paper proposes and discusses a number of key challenges facing libraries in the branding arena. The first challenge is concerned with taking a strategic and holistic approach to branding. The second centres on the “library brand” identity. The third focuses on co-branding and partnership in branding.

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Finally, the challenge associated with brand building that is increasingly dependent on communication through digital channels is discussed. The paper incorporates a series of action points to respond to these challenges, and concludes with a summary of the way forward.

Taking a strategic and holistic approach to library branding Too often library professionals are inclined to restrict their notions of branding to those of brand articulation (logos, brand livery etc), or at best brand image (how users see the library) or brand identity (how the library wishes to be perceived). This is a very restricted notion of the nature of branding for two key reasons:  The literature on corporate branding calls for emphasis on the importance of alignment between “how the organization wishes to be perceived” and “how it actually is”. It views the corporate band identity as emerging from the corporate identity, and, as such, the brand identity must be grounded in the core values of the organization. Further, Schultz (2005, 28) defines corporate branding to include not only external stakeholders, such as customers and users, but also internal stakeholders, such as staff and managers: “corporate branding can best be described as the process of creating, nurturing and sustaining a mutually rewarding relationship between the organization, its employees and external stakeholders”. This approach is consistent with the notion of the brand as a promise to deliver specific features, benefits and services consistently to the user (Hood and Henderson 2005). Hence, stakeholder engagement in branding processes, and, importantly, the delivery of the brand promise, is pivotal to successful branding.  In an experience economy, the ultimate outcome of the branding process is not the brand image, as how the users view the library, but the brand experience, as the users’ perceptions of their experience of engaging with the library. So, whilst marketing communication and brand image remain important, they are only part of the equation. It is increasingly necessary to focus on the delivery of the brand promise through the brand experience. In order to deliver the best brand experience, it is essential that all elements of the library that contribute to the service experience, the staff, the buildings, the systems, and the resources, both digital and physical are reliable, responsive and supportive. In short, a perspective on branding that privileges the brand experience and centre stages the corporate identity demands a holistic and strategic approach to branding. Figure 4.1 identifies the components of such a process and the links between them.

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Figure 4.1. Strategic library brand management (developed from Hanna and Rowley, 2011)

The particular value of a holistic process is that it embeds the acknowledgement that the branding process has a number of components, each of which needs to be managed and evaluated. The elements in the strategic brand management process in Figure 4.1 are:  Stakeholders and their contribution: Stakeholders are the people and organizations who view themselves as having a stake or interest in the library and its resources and services. Usually, stakeholders can be clustered into groups such as staff, users, politicians, senior university management, but the precise classification of stakeholders and their relative significance varies from one library to another.  Library infrastructure and resources: These are the assorted resources that are used to deliver a library or information service. They may include, for example, library buildings, information systems, printed collections, and digital resources.  Library brand identity: is what key stakeholders perceive to be the essence of the library service, including what it is, its value, and its purpose.  Brand articulation and communication: It is the way in which the brand is represented and communicated though various marketing media (including print and digital), and other ‘contact points’ with stakeholders. The brand articulation includes the brand logo, the brand livery or house style, and the brand’s visual identity, whilst brand communication focuses on the marketing communication activities undertaken to promote brand awareness and engagement.  Brand experience: It is stakeholders’, and most significantly, users’, experience of their engagement with the library and their perceptions of that experience.  Brand image: It is the image that stakeholders have of the library, which is influenced by the nature of their engagement with the library, including their role, and their experience of the library, as well as by brand articulation and communication.

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 Brand evaluation: It is the process through which the essence of the library and its brand are evaluated. This may include informal evaluation by users and other stakeholders, which may form the basis for word-of-mouth recommendations, as well as formal evaluation of, say, brand image, brand experience, brand articulation, and brand identity. Successful branding, then, depends on the management of each of the components in Figure 4.1, and equally importantly needs to be grounded on recognition of the multiplicity of relationships between these components. It is easy to argue the case for taking a strategic approach to branding a library, but much more difficult to achieve it. The “promotion” notion of marketing, which focuses on selling the library service, is still prevalent in libraries. Most significantly, this often has consequences for branding; in this paradigm, branding is seen as being part of marketing, rather than marketing being seen as part of branding. It is important to view branding as associated with the essence of the library and what it seeks to offer its users, and not simply part of marketing communication. For example, whilst a library may need to enlist external specialists with marketing and branding expertise to assist with brand articulation and the design of marketing communications, it should not need external assistance in understanding its identity. If the library has clear statement of its mission, vision, and strategic objectives, and an embedded and shared set of values, it understands its corporate identity, and this forms the basis of its brand identity. Coincidentally, since mission, strategy and values are a core responsibility of senior management, this approach to branding places responsibilities for branding firmly in the hands of senior management. Brand identity must be grounded on the library’s core competencies, but it is also concerned with positioning. What does your library offer your users and community that they cannot get elsewhere? Is this something that they value? What is the long-term sustainability of the library’s offering? Positioning for the future should not be a “knee-jerk” response to budget cuts or statistical reports that show declining issues. Instead, the current and proposed future position need to be grounded in an understanding of the macro-marketing environment, competitors, and consumers, and any trends associated with each of these. The macro-environment is subject to political, economic, social and technological change. Often, changes in the micro-environment impact on most organizations in a given sector. So all libraries are currently suffering from financial cutbacks, significant technological developments (such as mobile platforms and e-books), and the evolving information behaviour and expectations of digital consumers. Many would argue that these changes have further weakened the “library brand”, which in turn makes the need for individual libraries to be confident about their identity and to promote it effectively through brand communications. In a declining marketplace, or one in which powerful new competitors are making inroads, competition becomes even more fierce, so library

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managers need to understand the competitive dynamics of the marketplace. Competitive analysis starts with identification of competitors, and proceeds to monitor and analyse the strengths and weaknesses of each competitor in relation to those of the library under analysis. This should lead to a good understanding of the threats and opportunities to which the library must respond. Finally, there is growing evidence that the digital consumer appreciates the value of information more than ever before, and uses a wide range of channels and information sources. Libraries need to shape their offering to ensure that it remains relevant and valued, and shape their brand accordingly. – Action 1: Treat library branding as a strategic issue – Action 2: Understand library brand positioning and strive for its sustainability

Managing the library brand identity Organizations and their corporate brands have two key components: their identity and their image. Their corporate reputation or brand image is how they are viewed by others. Brand image is influenced by marketing communications, and, most importantly by the actions, or service delivery of the organization. Libraries and other organizations need to work on their reputation and image and to align it with things that users value. Brand-building needs to tease out and communicate those brand values that will take the organization where it wants to go, evolving from any existing brand image and capitalizing on the strengths embedded in the corporate identity. A clear corporate or brand identity is, then, an important foundation for successful branding. Any attempt to brand or re-brand will falter without a firm notion of brand identity. So focusing on brand identity, brand identity captures the essence of the organization. It can be represented in terms of the values or the aims of the organization, and as such is a statement of what the organization believes it is and what it seeks to be. In order to be successful an organization must not only be aware of its corporate or brand identity, it must be able to communicate that identity, and to convince others that it is capable of delivering. Re-framing a brand or re-branding, is then a process that is not just about marketing communication, or even about delivering on the brand promise inherent in the brand communications, but is also concerned with the essence of the organization itself. Singh (2011) suggests that in the re-branding process there is potential for three different types of gaps that might herald failure:

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– The vision-image gap- where outsiders’ images conflict with management strategic vision; – The image-culture gap – where the organization does not live up to its promises, and – The vision-culture gap – where employees do not understand or support the strategic direction. Research demonstrates that one of the big problems for libraries lies with the library brand identity; suggests that the library brand suffers from a legacy brand image, lack of a coherent identity, and failure to define and communicate a new brand identity for the digital age. This could be viewed as being associated with the vision-image gap. Evidence of the vision-image gap has a number of perspectives. First, research shows that non-users’ reasons for not visiting libraries are based on the negative perceptions that they hold of libraries which are deeply entrenched (McNabola 2008). Unfortunately, libraries are not seen as exciting and interesting places to visit; they are seen as places for quiet and individual study, with old dusty and tatty book stock. Further, research conducted by Lilley and Usherwood (2000) revealed that these negative perceptions are formed not only by the users’ library experience, but also by internal and external factors ranging from family influence to the media. Secondly, these deeply entrenched institutionalized images and perceptions are slow to shift and change (Evjen and Audunson 2009). A study conducted in 2005 by OCLC, Perceptions of Libraries and Information Resources, covering the UK, USA, Singapore, India and Australia, found that the “book” is still the global library brand and that many respondents clearly do not know what their libraries currently offer (Tennant 2006). Finally, libraries are struggling with formulating and communicating a coherent, clear and positive identity with relevance in the digital age. It would appear that there is much work to do in re-framing the library brand, both generally, and in specific contexts, by getting users and potential users to see the library brand differently. Re-framing might be achieved by changing the values that are associated with the brand, by aligning the brand and its associated values with the strategic vision for the library, and delivering on its values by addressing as necessary the image-culture and the visionculture gaps. On their branding journey, libraries could take the opportunity to learn from the big commercial organizations in the information industry. Such organizations may have much larger marketing budgets than libraries, but that has little to do with knowing who they are, and working out how to communicate it through their service and activities. Take Google as an example, Google has a wide portfolio of services and products, designed for different stakeholder groups, ranging from web search, Scholar, News, Books, Maps and YouTube to AdWords, AdSense and Google Analytics; but it knows that core

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to its identity and its image is “search”. As they put it: “Search is how Google began and it’s still at the heart of what we do today. We devote more engineering time to search than to any other product, because search can always get better and faster at helping you find what you want, when you want it, where you want it”. This focus on “search” is also evident in their mission statement that “Google’s mission is to organize the world‘s information and make it universally accessible and useful” (About Google n.d.). Arguably the way forward is for libraries the embrace the “book” brand, possibly supported by the “knowledge” brand and to evolve them in a way that is relevant in the digital era, notwithstanding the multitude of other services and values are part of the bigger picture. – Action 3: Understand the core of the library brand identity, and support its delivery through vision and values

Co-branding and partnerships in branding No brand stands alone, and indeed one of the challenges for libraries is that the library brand is often a sub-brand of a local council or university brand. For example, Smith and Rowley (2012) cite the very real problems associated with marketing local studies resources in public libraries and the consequences of constraints imposed on website design and navigation by local authorities. In the university context, academic libraries are often branded under the umbrella brand of the university, yet writers on university branding suggest that universities themselves may suffer from some of the same challenges regarding identity as those experienced by libraries, due to complexity arising from stakeholders, internal organization and diversity of provision (Chapleo 2007; 2010). Co-branding is a concept that has been introduced to describe the public linkage of partner brands in order to enhance the value of both brands (Motion, Leitch and Brodie 2003). Co-branding and partnering with other agencies or organizations can be beneficial at several levels. However, before delving further into the nature and value of co-branding for libraries it is useful to explore the essence of co-branding further. The brand web concept specifically, and the brand network perspective more generally, seek to capture and represent the multiple relationships between brands that are associated with one another in some way. The brand web proposed by Leitch and Richardson (2003) and its extension the “corporate brand association base” model proposed by Uggla (2006) are conceptual frameworks for the creation and ongoing analysis of corporate brands and brand relationships, and are particularly appropriate in the context of brand alliances between corporate brands, such as those of library and information organizations. The brand web model, for example, argues for

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consideration of the power relationship between the corporate brands; their corporate identities and brand values; the goals of each brand, and the relative strategies pursued to achieve these goals. In other words, these key commentators on brand relationships suggest that co-branding should be a purposive activity that assists all of the organizations that participate in the co-branding relationship to achieve their goals. In the context of branding, such goals are likely to be associated with enhanced brand awareness, brand engagement, or brand value. This also implies organizations having the opportunity to choose their co-branding partnerships, taking into account the alignment of objectives and values between partners, and perhaps across a brand web. However, as Hariff and Rowley (2011) demonstrate, for public libraries opportunities to work in partnerships are driven mainly by government priorities and savings agendas rather than seeking positive brand associations that would enhance the brand of the library. For example, the Idea Stores have cafés. However, the sub-contract will largely be driven by budget rather than by strategic branding association decisions, though quality of service is seen as an important deciding factor. On the other hand, whilst both Devon public libraries and Tower Hamlets public libraries came under pressure to allow other council services to be associated with their brand, the librarians resisted this pressure until they felt that the brand was sufficiently secure such that co-branding with other services in the same building would strengthen rather than threaten the library brand. They recognized the value of a strong successful brand in allowing the service to dictate partnership terms and flexible in accommodating co-brands without diluting or damaging the core brand image and values. Above we have cited two good but limited examples of the management of co-branding relationships. The brand web urges consideration not only of didactic relationships, but also of networks of relationships. From this perspective, library managers need to be asking questions about the benefits of being in a brand web, with its network of brand relationships. They need to understand where the leadership lies, any hierarchy of brand relationships, and the future sustainability and direction of the web. – Action 4: Manage partnerships to develop mutual brand equity alongside other strategic and operational benefits

Managing digital brand presence Libraries are multi-channel service providers with a presence in both physical and digital worlds. As such, they have to manage and integrate their brand identity, communications and experience in several channels. Whilst perceptions of libraries can be enhanced through improvements in the experience of visiting a physical library through building and infrastructure projects, it is also

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important that libraries attend to their online brand identity, communications and experience. Increasingly, more users more regularly engage with the library through the library’s presence in online media, including their websites, digital resource platforms, virtual learning environments and social media activities, than visit any library building. In some respects, online branding is the same as branding through any other medium, but in others it is very different. Table 4.1, developed from a model proposed by Ghachem (2011) suggests some of the components that contribute to the library online brand. First, and possibly most important, is content. Content is an important part of the library brand offering, and as such it must be regarded by consumers as adding value, it must be updated, customized as appropriate for different groups, and accessible via mobile channels. Secondly, website design is key to a successful brand interaction, with attributes such as ease of use, security, reliability, navigation and enjoyment requiring attention. Finally, but increasingly challenging in this age of growing social media, the library online brand presence must embed interactivity, including more traditional channels such as e-mail, as well as opportunities for interaction through social media and virtual learning environments, and content created responsively by both users and librarians (Pin 2008; Xu 2009). All of these are elements of the online library brand experience. As Dayal, Nadesberg and Zeisser (2000) suggested, in the digital world the brand is the experience and the experience is the brand. Table 4.1. Library online brand (developed from Ghachem 2011) Online content

Website attributes

Interactivity

Updating

Ease of use

E-mail

Value added

Security

Social networking

Customization

Reliability

Librarian blogs

Coverage

Navigation

User generated content

Mobile content

Enjoyable

Professional comments on articles User generated content RSS feeds

Online branding and digital branding are not just a challenge for libraries; all organizations face a number of challenges in promoting and protecting their brand in digital channels. These include: – Understanding the online branding objectives that should be associated with each channel, and developing measurement statistics to assess whether they have been achieved. Typically, branding objectives may relate to brand awareness and recall, brand engagement (purchase, use

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information, visit to a website), brand behavioural loyalty (return business, visits or engagement), or brand advocacy (recommendations to others). Libraries need to decide the relative importance of these objectives. Measurement is another problematic area – although there are some standard sets of web analytics relating to web traffic and clicks, and special-purpose statistics for accesses to journals, these are poor indicators of brand impact. Furthermore, the development of social media metrics, often described as “soft” metrics is in its infancy. In the absence of objectives and measurement, libraries have little evidence of impact. – Ever-changing technology, including an increasing number of potential channels for engagement. Libraries have always needed to keep up with new technology, but with new channels such as new social network sites being launched relatively frequently, libraries need to decide whether to establish a presence in each new channel. If they do not, then others will, and this may weaken their brand. If they do, they have to invest resources in maintaining a viable and attractive presence on the channel. – Concurrent use of multiple channels: currently, key issues are the increasing use of smartphones, and the linked increase in the use and diversity of social media channels and platforms. Together these technologies have created the opportunity to be “always connected”, and to be using several devices and platforms concurrently, if not simultaneously. Students, for instance, can be chatting on their phone, looking at photographs on Facebook, and searching Google for information on their next assignment more or less concurrently. During this process, they may be exposed to a number of brand communications, and experiences, which is, in turn, likely to lower their consciousness of the brand delivering the service. It is becoming increasingly difficult for brand owners to grab “share of mind”, and they therefore need to be ever more innovative in grabbing attention. – Protecting brand visibility: there is no point in having a brand if it is not noticed or if negative publicity is circulating about the brand. On brand visibility, quite apart from the challenges with grabbing share-of mind mentioned above, library brands are either invisible to the user, or lost in a confusing web of other content brands (Rowley 2004b). For example, providing a link on Google search output pages to resources licensed and made available through the academic library is functionally very convenient for users, but from a library brand visibility perspective the process is so seamless that many a student may not be aware that the library makes any contribution to their access to the resources. Even if they are aware that the library is involved, it can easily take on the spectre of a shadowy non-entity. In addition, even when the user accesses resources through the virtual learning environment (whose brand they are likely to use in everyday speech) or through access to various pub-

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lishers’ or other intermediaries’ platforms, the library brand can be swamped in a sea of other information brands. – Brand reputation and advocacy: in the age of social media, brand reputations can be made or lost in a matter of minutes. Very rarely will a library take actions that will outrage sufficiently for comments to spread this fast, but nevertheless even rumbling discontent circulating around social networks can erode the library’s reputation. Libraries need to be alert to what others are saying about their services in social media and take appropriate steps to capitalize on positive comments, and thereby cultivate advocacy, and respond constructively to any negative comments. For example, looming cuts to services in both public and academic libraries have provoked many key public figures to speak out in support of libraries in social and other media; libraries could usefully disseminate some of their comments (with permission) through social media, their website, and other channels. Also, in major disasters, such as the flooding of a basement store of valuable archives, social media can be used to cultivate support. Finally, just in case the worst does happen and a major incident attracts a deluge of negative response, libraries need a social media crisis management plan. – Action 5: Take a systematic approach to understanding how users are engaging with the library brand, and how they will engage in the future, and use this as a basis for evolving the library brand

Conclusion Although there are some notable exceptions, many libraries pay insufficient attention to their brand, possibly assuming that it is just part of marketing the library, which they often view as starting and ending with promotion. In addition, very few authors have commented on branding in the context of libraries. This paper, then, urges librarians to adopt a strategic perspective to branding, which centre stages brand identity, brand experience, and the adoption of a holistic approach to branding. The paper acknowledges that there are some significant challenges in the realm of library branding, starting with the identification of the library brand identity. In this arena, the challenge for libraries, which have not always been very good at understanding and promoting their brand, is not only to understand and communicate their current identity, but also to evolve that identity as the way in which consumers search for and use information undergoes radical transitions. Their success with this will depend on building relationships with other organizations and brands, and on the way in which they meet the challenges and opportunities in the boiling cauldron of technological developments.

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References “About Google: company.” n.d. Accessed 26 February 2013. http://www.google.com/corporate//. Chapleo, C. 2007. “Barriers to brand building in UK universities.” International journal of nonprofit and voluntary sector marketing 12: 23-32. Chapleo, C. 2010. “What defines ‘successful’ university brands?” International journal of public sector management 23 (2): 169-183. Dayal, S., H. Nadesberg and M. Zeisser, M. 2000. “Building digital brands.” McKinsey quarterly 2: 42-51. Evjen, S. and R. Audunson. 2009. “The complex library: do the public’s attitudes represent a barrier to institutional change in public libraries?” New library world 110(3/4): 161174. Ghachem, L. 2011. “Online branding in newspapers: a conceptual model.” Communications of the IBIMA. Article 489627. Accessed 26 February 2013. http://www.ibimapublishing. com/journals/CIBIMA/2011/489627/489627.pdf. Hanna, S. and J. Rowley. 2011. “Towards a strategic place brand management model.” Journal of marketing management 27 (5/6): 458-476. Hannaford, A. and K. Kirk. 2012. “The Hive: a shared learning gateway for town and gown.” CILIP update July: 30-32. Hariff, S. and J. Rowley, J. 2011. “Branding of UK public libraries.” Library management 12(4): 346-360. Hood, D. and K. Henderson. 2005. “Branding in the United Kingdom public library service.” New library world 106(1208/1209): 16-28. Leitch, S. and N. Richardson. 2003. “Corporate branding in the new economy.” European journal of marketing 37(7/8): 1065-1079. Lilley, E. and R. Usherwood. 2000. “Wanting it all: the relationship between expectations and the public’s perceptions of public library services.” Library management 21(1): 1-2. McNabola, A. 2008. “Increasing attendance and participation.” MLA research briefing number 4. Accessed 26 February 2013. http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/media/uploads/ mla_research_files/MLA%20Research%20Briefing%204%20-%20Participation%2019_ 01_09.pdf. Marketing strategy for public libraries in England. Apr 05 – March 08. 2008. MLA/LGA Future Libraries Programme. Accessed 15 July 2012. http://www.mla.gov.uk/what/ strategies/The_future_libraries_programme. Motion, J., S. Leitch, S. and R.J. BrodieJ. 2003. “Equity in corporate co-branding: the case of Adidas and the All Blacks.” European journal of marketing 37(7/8): 1080-1094. Olkkonen, R. 2001. “Case study: the network approach to international sport sponsorship arrangement.” Journal of business & industrial marketing 16(4): 309-329. Pin, W. W. 2008. “ Library 2.0: the new world order.” Public library quarterly 27 (3): 244-246. Rowley, J. 1997. “Managing branding and corporate image for library and information services.” Library review 46(4): 244-250. Rowley, J. 2004a. “Online branding.” Online information review 28 (2): 131-138. Rowley, J. 2004b. “What a tangled information brand web we weave.” Information services & use 24 (2): 73-82. Schultz, M. 2005. “A cross-disciplinary perspective on corporate branding.” In Corporate branding: purpose/people/process, edited by M. Shultz, Y. M. Antorini and S. Csaba, 23-56. Copenhagen: Copenhagen Business School Press.

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Singh, R. 2004. “Branding in library and information contexts: The role of marketing culture.” Information science & use 24(2): 93-98. Singh, R. 2011. “Re-branding academic libraries in an experience culture.” Kansas Library Association, College and University Libraries Section proceedings 1: 91-95. Smith, L. and J. Rowley. 2012. “Digitization of local heritage: local studies collections and digitization in public libraries.” Journal of librarianship and information science 44: 272-280. Tennant, R. 2006. “Digital libraries: the library brand.” Library journal 131(1): 38. Thorhauge, J. 2007. “Branding the library.” Scandinavian public library quarterly 40(4): 3. Uggla, H. 2006. “The corporate association base: a conceptual model for the creation of inclusive brand architecture.” European journal of marketing 40(7/8): 785-802. Walton, G. 2008. “Theory, research and practice in library management 5: Branding.” Library management 29 (8/9): 770-776. Xu, C., F. Ouyang and H. Chu. 2009. “The academic library meets Web 2.0: applications and implications.” Journal of academic librarianship 35 (4): 324-331.

SECTION 2 EXCELLENCE IN MARKETING

Excellence in Marketing: 2002–2012 Christie Koontz Associate in Research, School of Information Studies, Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, United States

Abstract Successful marketing identifies and meets customer wants and needs. Librarians around the world who are identifying customer wants and needs, and delivering products and services (offers) to fulfil those needs, are by definition successfully marketing. To recognize the librarians and their libraries that develop and implement successful and effective marketing programs, the Management and Marketing Section of the International Federation of Library Associations created the IFLA International Marketing Award in 2001, and first awarded it in 2002. The award is currently sponsored by Emerald Group Publishing Limited. The IFLA International Marketing Award is currently the only award amongst other library public relations and marketing awards that is international in its scope and is open to all kinds of libraries. First, second, and third prizes are presented at the IFLA Annual Conferences. The second and third place winners receive certificates and notification at the IFLA closing ceremony, while the first-place winner receives same, and airfare, lodging, and registration for the IFLA General Conference, and a cash award of US$1,000 to further the marketing efforts of the library. Over the ten-year history of the award there have been 255 applicants from six continents. This paper reviews the history, criteria, application and applicants, the milestones of the award over the decade, and the winners.

Introduction Successful marketing identifies and meets customer wants and needs. Librarians around the world who are identifying customer wants and needs, and delivering products and services (offers) to fulfil those needs, are by definition successfully marketing. Successful or “true” marketing activities are built upon research of the organization’s environments and customers. (“True marketing” is a term coined by the author to distinguish the systematic activities that comprise marketing, from the singular activity of promotion that is often confused

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with “marketing”.) The offer can then be developed for, and targeted to, customer segments (individuals who share similar traits and needs.) The offer is further optimized by strategic use of the “4Ps”, which includes not only the research-based product (offer) but awareness of its best price (acceptable costs from the customer’s point of view); best place (optimal channel(s) of delivery); and best promotion (communication venues i.e., social media, web, or television) as segments prefer. Finally, documentation of the success or failure of the marketing effort (evaluation) is essential to meet this definition of “true marketing”.

An award for successful library marketing To recognize those libraries that develop and implement successful and effective marketing programs, the Management and Marketing Section (M&M) of the International Federation of Library Associations & Institutions (IFLA) created the IFLA International Marketing Award in 2001, and first awarded itin 2002. The award is currently sponsored by Emerald Group Publishing Limited.1 The award was based upon the success of the John Cotton Dana Library Public Relations Award of the American Library Association’s Library Administration and Management Association, first presented in 1946, to honour outstanding library public relations programmes that support a specific project or activity, or a sustained ongoing programme (e.g. the promotion of the summer reading program, a year-long centennial celebration, or fundraising for a new college). Various other awards recognize excellence in LIS marketing, e.g. CILIP’s PPRG Marketing Excellence Awards (previously, Public Relations and Publicity Awards); the Best Practices in Marketing Academic and Research Libraries @your library® Award, and the AALL/West Excellence in Marketing Award for five different categories. These awards inspire and educate professionals about successful marketing practices. However, many of the awards are subject to specific areas. The IFLA International Marketing Award is the only award that is international in its scope and is open to all kind of libraries and organizations. First, second, and third prizes are presented at the IFLA Annual General Conferences. The second- and third-place winners receive certificates and notification at the IFLA closing ceremony, while the first-place winner receives the same, and airfare, lodging, and registration for the IFLA General Conference, and a cash award of US$1,000 to further the marketing efforts of the library. Over the ten-year history of the award there have been 255 applicants from six continents. 1

The previous sponsors included 3M Library Systems and SirsiDynix, during the first five years of the award.

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Criteria and applications As stated above, the award is designed to recognize libraries in the global community which develop and implement successful and effective marketing programs. A second goal is to edify and build understanding of marketing concepts agreed upon by the M&M Section Standing Committee. To facilitate this goal, a summary of select terms is provided in an appendix to the award application. The full “Glossary of Marketing Definitions” (1998) can be downloaded. This explanation allows universal understanding of concepts agreed upon by many countries, with the intent to further genuine knowledge of true marketing principles and practices. The application form and announcement are currently translated into all seven IFLA languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Russian and Spanish. These translations represent passionate time-consuming work by members of the M&M Section who write and speak these languages. Applications are submitted in any of the seven languages and reviewed by committee members in the author’s original language so nuance or intent is not overlooked. This voluntary contribution by M&M Section members is commendable and also makes the award widely available, furthering the chances of winning to more of the world’s librarians. Applicants are judged on such criteria as creativity and innovation as demonstrated by solutions to marketing challenges, effectiveness of marketing goals, and an ongoing commitment to marketing. The applicants (thus far) are judged on the following criteria throughout the lifespan of the award: – Strategic approach to marketing communications, indicated in the research and planning stages of a submitted project; – Creativity, innovation as demonstrated by the originality of solutions to marketing and communications challenges, and social value; – Potential for generating widespread public visibility and support for libraries, irrespective of the kind or amount of resources employed; – Effectiveness illustrated by efforts to emphasise the organization’s communication and marketing goals; – Commitment to ongoing marketing and public relations activities; – Expression of emotion, sustainability and ethical aspects; – The designated timeframe of the project as stated each year in the criteria area. The jury continues to revise the criteria and simplify the application to facilitate participation by a broader range of countries. For example, in 2004 an effort was specifically made to recognize marketing efforts by developing countries with fewer resources.

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In 2009, the M&M section and jury added some additional criteria in response to global trends affecting libraries. These trends included the downturn in the economy, burgeoning online services, and diverse applications in web 2.0. These revised and changing criteria illuminate the widening nature of responses libraries must consider to keep old customer markets coming back, and new markets coming in through the door or website.

Other milestones Upon review and reflection other achievements or milestones in the award period occurred and include: 1. Three prominent sponsor partnerships invested time and resources to building the award including 3M, SirsiDynix and currently Emerald Group Publishing Ltd; 2. The process of receipt and dispersion of applications to jury changed from postal to emailing, resulting in greater efficiency and speed for all concerned; 3. Inclusion of a marketing glossary that was keyed to the application (for readers) assured all applicants had a shared understanding of terms; 4. Commitment by the jury to expand from a changing number of languages for the application and announcement to all seven IFLA languages; 5. Availability of professional listservs and the stabilization of the IFLA website facilitated broader awareness of and access to the award information, and subsequently to previous winners.

Winners in reverse chronological order Exhaustive coverage of the 255 applicants is not possible in this paper, though admittedly it would be of great interest and merit. Tales untold of all the libraries that successfully market and have not or did not apply for this award would also be valuable. Fortunately, there is growing information on library marketing-topic websites which offers insight into significant marketing efforts. These examples can offer evidence to funders, furthering support for librarians to practice and employ the tenets of marketing. Marketing and funds to support it can help the library retain its place as the première information agency in the community, campus, or corporation. The goal of this review is to offer global role models and high points if you will, in the marketing effort. (Otherwise unattributed quotations in the following sections are taken, with permission, from the applicants’ submissions.)

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Over the course of the award, the winning libraries were judged to market successfully in a systematic way. Perhaps, though, and more importantly, by telling their own stories the people who applied for this IFLA International Marketing Award provided insight into the colourful behind-the-scenes daily business of modern libraries.

Winners in 2012 For this tenth award there were 39 applicants from 20 countries including Australia, Canada, Chile, China, India, South Korea, Lithuania, Russia, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, USA, and Zimbabwe. First place was awarded in Helsinki, Finland to Tsinghua University Library, Beijing, China. The project team, composed of professional librarians and students, created a low-cost series of five short, entertaining videos that feature two undergraduates who meet in the library. Their interactions not only tell the humorous, light and warm story of “Falling in love with the library” (2012) but also improve library brand awareness and library literacy and thus help students, especially freshmen, make optimal use of library services and fully benefit from them. The videos are offered in two versions, one with Chinese and one with English subtitles. A web-based book-shelf matching game is also offered. Second place was awarded to the University of Waterloo Library, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The library launched a “buttons campaign” featuring 13 creative button designs to capture the visual identity of the six library locations available to students, faculty and staff. The buttons were also used on bookmarks, posters, brochures, and Facebook and library signage as an eyecatching branding device. The library distributed over 23,000 buttons, which quickly became collector’s items during the campaign. Third place was awarded to the Kosteneevo Rural Library, Yelabuga District, Republic Tatarstan, and Russia for the project “The Whole Village Reads”. The project began with a book festival, followed by a year-long calendar of programs, competitions, and other activities geared to diverse audiences, from children to elderly men. The goal was to raise interest in the library and make it the “informational, intellectual, and spiritual centre” of the small rural village with 558 inhabitants. The program received excellent press coverage and resulted in greatly increased use of the library and recognition of the librarian from the Tatarstan government.

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Winners in 2011 For this ninth award, there were 19 applicants from 12 countries: Australia, Canada, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Lithuania, Maldives, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, and USA. First place was awarded in San Juan, Puerto Rico to the German National Library of Medicine, (Cologne, Germany) for its campaign “Pilots take off – and land (as you like it)”. The campaign focuses on ZB MED search portals MEDPILOT and GREENPILOT, and follows the principle that online products must be marketed online for optimal impact and success. The basic premise relies upon target-group specific communications to the search portals’ “digital residents”. Users with comparatively conservative usage behaviour (“digital visitors”) are reached through more traditional media such as trade shows, press releases, personal contacts and in-house events. In this manner, an integrated communication consisting of both conventional and innovative measures is achieved. Second place was awarded to Edmonton Public Library (EPL) (Edmonton, Canada), for the project “Rebranding the Edmonton Public Library – from research to implementation to results”. In the fall of 2009 EPL started an ambitious project to change dramatically the perception and image of its library system, culminating with the launch of EPL’s new brand in 2010. The new brand provides a fun, fresh and creative base from which to engage library stakeholders. Third place was awarded to the Georgia Institute of Technology Library (Atlanta, Georgia, USA), for the project and radio broadcast “Lost in the Stacks”. This is the world’s first and only research library rock n’ roll radio show and airs on WREK 91.1 FM (and streams worldwide) on http://wrek.org every Friday at noon from Georgia Tech’s campus.

Winners in 2010 For this eighth award there were 26 applicants from 13 countries: Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, India, Korea, Lithuania, Nigeria, Norway, Russia, Switzerland, USA. First place was awarded in Gothenburg, Sweden, to the Learning Resource Centre (LRC), Indian School of Business, Gachibowli, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. The slogan for the winning campaign is “Knowledge Companion to Empower You!” The LRC developed a product line of information alerts for administration, faculty and students marketed as “Global InfoWatch”. This umbrella product offers all stakeholders facts and figures to update their knowledge in select and relevant areas. The administration can access competitive business school data such as rankings, faculty and students knowledge

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of industry trends, and provocative articles on business and management. Graduates receive timely recruitment and placement information. LRC also supports ongoing reference queries to assure and retrieve quality content for student projects. Congratulations to the LRC for its user-centric approach and innovative product line of information tools for the 21st-century business student. Second place was awarded to Gail Borden Public Library District, Elgin, IL, USA, represented by Denise Raleigh. The second place winning slogan is “StoryTubes: Kids Go Live with Books”. Youth star with their favourite book in their own self-made videos for fun and prizes, with the goal of strengthening reading and libraries and productive use of technologies. This North American project is intended to go global. Googling the website “Storytubes” (2008-13) returned 27,000 links. Third place was awarded to the University of Bergen Library, represented by Ole Gunnar Evensen and Svein Arne Selvik,. The third place winning slogan is “The Magic of the Library – a presentation of the University of Bergen library”. The broad video presentation of the University Library provides an interesting, resilient and funny review of the library’s resources and departments- intending to motivate students to re-ignite interest and place value in their library.

Winners in 2009 For this seventh award, there were 22 applicants from 17 countries: Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, France, Jamaica, Netherlands, New Zealand, Republic of Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Senegal, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, United Kingdom and the USA. First place was awarded in Milan, Italy, to the National Library Board (NLB), Singapore. The slogan for the winning campaign is “Go Library.” NLB’s “Go Library Project” (2009–13) is comprised of several components including “Go Library” and “Go Kids” physical guides (GLP); “Go Library Virtual” (GLV); and “Go Media” (GM). This is a multi-platform project which aims to entice new and old customers to Singapore’s rich resources and libraries. The physical programme guides are available in the 22 libraries, and virtual web information targets demographic groups. Significant inroads were also made via outreach efforts to schools, institutes and organizations to create understanding of the library’s relevance to those who may currently receive information only from online search engines or other non-conventional media. Way to “GO!” works strategically, diligently and smartly for customers. Second place was awarded to Wrexham County Borough Council, Wales, United Kingdom. The second place winning slogan is “Happy Days/Take a Fresh Look at Your Library”. The purpose of the project was to promote libraries in Wales during a one-month period to increase visitor figures and develop

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renewed perceptions of what the library offers. The campaign communicated that coming to the library “will make you happy”. Data indicated the top reasons that people use libraries in Wales were to get their favourite books, save money and chat with staff. Library cards (210,000) were circulated to all secondary schools in the early fall, and the library dedicated web pages to “Happy Days”. The staff were briefed on all aspects of the campaign to achieve that needed buy-in. Third place was awarded to the Alberta Library, Edmonton, Canada. The third place winning slogan is “The Alberta Campaign/Books and Beyond.” The campaign targeted customers age 18 to 35 who had not been to the library for a while. The library wanted to inform this valuable market about the library’s 30 million resources which include not only books, but additionally CDs, DVDs, magazines and newspapers, thousands of library programmes across the province, and of course internet access. Print ads were provided to libraries, and television and radio coverage ran outside major metropolitan areas to ensure a “local feel” was part of the communication. Online ads were also run and the campaign included a website that supported key messages, e.g. that one million Albertans took part in over 50,000 library programmes.

Winners in 2008 For this 6th award there were 27 applicants from 16 countries: Australia, Belgium, Burundi, Belgium, Burundi, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, India, Ivory Coast, Philippines, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, Tanzania, USA. First place was awarded in Quebec City, Canada, to Central West Libraries, Australia. The library developed an online classroom providing homework help for school students. The slogan for the winning campaign was “Have you done your homework?”. Central West Libraries (CWL) is a regional public library service with seven branches covering a large geographic area in New South Wales, Australia. CWL developed the project based on cusotmer data from its marketing plan entitled “No longer a quiet place: Central West Libraries” (2006–09). Each branch provided resources to support students’ studies, but only one branch, Orange City Library, had developed capacity to offer a dedicated homework help service. Critical customer research garnered two key facts through focus group consultation, telephone surveys, anecdotal evidence, staff feedback and professional networks: homework stress was having an impact on area students, and students were most likely to use the internet to obtain material for their homework National statistical data indicated the service area of CWL offered recent and increased internet connectivity, speed and better pricing structure.

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Second place was awarded to Richmond Public Library (RPL), Canada for the “Ralphy Card Campaign”, and the world’s first round library card, coupled with the slogan “Go Anywhere, Learn Anything; Read Every Day”. The card features Ralphy the Rhino, the central character in the book series written and illustrated by Trevor Lai (also creator of the round library card). While the Ralphy Card is intended for ages kindergarten to grade seven, anyone can get a Ralphy card. The card was used as a clever way to heighten awareness of library resources to students and families not familiar with public library service. A staggering 57.4% of Richmond’s population is foreign born and more than 50% of residents are of Chinese origin. Staff sent media releases in English and Chinese, visited 20 elementary schools Third place was awarded to Calgary Public Library (CPL), Canada, for the project “Connecting Everyone” and slogan “The Neatest People Have a Library Card”. The six-week campaign encouraged Calgarians to become a part of the library “family”, making use of the library as a community gathering space. Identifying explosive population growth in the city over the past ten years, the library recognized that Calgarians are from diverse and dissimilar backgrounds. CPL then sought to promote its role as a destination for everyone, and celebrate the diversity of its users. The campaign made use of special events, print and television advertising featuring actual cardholders, and a website where people could post a picture, tell what makes them unique (“neat”), and talk about what they like to do at the library. Over 5,000 people – from the homeless to a billionaire and a belly dancer – directly participated in the website and special event portions of the project. Over 7800 new library cards were issued and visits increased.

Winners in 2007 For this fifth award, applications were from 12 countries: Argentina, Australia, Canada, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Peru, Netherlands, Portugal, Singapore, United Kingdom, and USA. First place was awarded in Durban, South Africa, to Tartu University Library, Tartu, Estonia for “The Night Library and The Mom-Student Library Project”. The slogan for the winning campaign was “Students Don’t Sleep! Come to the Library!”. The library’s campaign goal was to be responsive to diverse student market needs during exam week, providing a comfortable place for reading and study. Hours were extended and babysitting provided for those students who were also parents. The idea for the programme was born from real needs of users – the needs of students looking for a comfortable place to read and study, especially during the exam period. “A library’s value extends beyond research and book storage. The university also creates

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a comfortable study environment for students with loud roommates or neighbours.” On the first day of the Night Library, staff counted 180 students entering through the main door after 9 p.m. There were about four dozen student parents using the baby-sitting service. The reading rooms were reported “full and no one slept!” The atmosphere was described as “very practical and enjoyable, both students and the staff were in an elevated mood”. Second place was awarded to Mladen Masar, representing the Zadar Public Library, Zadar, Croatia for “Knjiga u diru” a localism translated to “Wheel of Books” “Circle of Books” or “Books Taking a Turn”. The bookmobile campaign brought services to schoolchildren, the disabled and the elderly living in war-affected rural areas of Zadar County. Library staff stated, “For many areas the mobile library would mean the only information access. The fact that the targeted area is underdeveloped and presents a vast blank on the map of information access in Croatia made it even harder for promotion of the new service-a bookmobile-a thing not ever seen before. More so because some areas had no library access at al prior to the war, some others lost their libraries during the war while the area was temporarily depopulated.” The mobile library carried a comprehensive selection of CDs and DVDs equipped with a wireless internet connection. While some groups were initially targeted, the service made information available to all social strata. Third place was awarded to Doris Yvon Samanez Alzamora, representing Municipalidad de Miraflores (Public Library) of Lima, Peru, for “Leyendo en el Mercado” translated to “Reading at the Market”. The campaign offered books and other materials (and a chance to sign up for a library card) via library staff who were pushing book-filled grocery carts into local markets. Vendors, who bring their children to the market during the workday, were one of the targeted customer groups.

Winners in 2006 For this fourth award, there were 15 applicants from three continents, sent in from ten countries: Belgium, Canada, India, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Senegal, Spain, United Kingdom and United States. First place in Seoul, Korea was awarded to the public library of Spijkenisse, near Rotterdam, in the Netherlands,. So many libraries lament the “non-user” but few go after these unknown folks with an active campaign to win them back. The campaign coordinator described the campaign. She stated the library offered “personal attention” to non-users (defined as those who borrowed zero to two books a year) by sending a simple “reminder” postcard. The marketing slogan “We Miss You” (in Dutch: “Wij missen u”) was placed on the front, and a reminder of library services and products, and a question as to why they

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were not visiting, on the back of the card. The library estimated that if 1.7% of the customers contacted came back to the library the mailing would be costeffective. After the mailing they were surprised that 20% of the customers returned, and also many gave positive feedback on the postcards. The library, in evaluating the number of non-users who became users, conducted the most overlooked step in marketing activities – marketing evaluation Second place was awarded to the Public Libraries of Québec, for developing a topical and unique marketing campaign entitled “Follow the Stream” (in French: “Suivez le courant”) during the Public Libraries Week of Québec. A major goal of the campaign was to develop partnerships and alliances with new and current customer groups who are environmentally conscientious. The library developed and gave away “sustainable promotional materials” such as reusable shopping bags for customers’ books. Promotional themes on the reusable bags communicated the magic and beauty of the library, as well as its fascinating and intriguing collections. Third place was awarded to the Regional Library Service of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain for the campaign entitled “Public Libraries: No Need to Knock!” (in Spanish “Biblioteca Pública, pasa sin llamar”). The project chair stated that the campaign’s main objective (communicated through a travelling exhibition) was to inform citizens (previously unserved) in small towns about the new public library, and the library’s new social functions and services “in today’s information society”. A by-product of the campaign was to encourage the citizens to persuade local authorities, to continue funding and support for the new libraries in these more rural areas. No award was given in 2005, due to lack of sponsorship.

Winners in 2004 This third year altogether there were 52 applicants from all five continents, sent in from 17 countries: Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, New Zealand, Philippines, Romania, Russian Federation, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States. First place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was awarded to the Australian Islamic College (AIC) which designed computer-based reading and computer literacy as well as cultural amelioration for 300 refugee childen who recently migrated to Australia from Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia and joined the school at the end of 2001. While the Accelerated Reader program was commercial, the motivational writing and research programs, “Cyber Camp,” and “Yes! I Can Write!” were developed in the library to enable newly arrived students to develop the skill of writing and research in literature-based programmes, and explore their new culture. It was noted in the application that most of the children had little or no computer skills; almost all were first time

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English book readers; many of the children had never been in a library in their whole life; most never attended school with the other sex; most never had foriegners (people who do not speak their native language) as teachers and librarians; and many were traumatized, with fears of anything foreign. The challenge was for the library to overcome these barriers to service, which they successfully did. Second Place, “Remedy for the Soul” was awarded to Krasheninnikov Regional Research Library, Kamchatka, Russia. The library has many years of experience dealing with socially disadvantaged populations in the region, and working with local government and charitable organizations in partnership. In the past in-home books were delivered to the disabled and the elderly, and library services and activities were offered to the same population such as computer training, and special exhibitions and programs to enhance leisure time. The library’s goal for this new programme was to develop an information and referral centre for the socially disadvantaged. The programme would facilitate access to important social services, and leisure-enhancing information, and include a summary database of organizations and institutions which offer “help services”, called “Ask and You Will Get Help”. This was an impressive programme which included systematic marketing. Third Place, “Current Contents at WARDA”, was awarded to the West African Rice Development Association Center in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Africa. The National Agricultural Research System (NARS) of West Africa identified the growing need to provide current information to agricultural researchers to strengthen their scientific research capabilities through provision of tables of contents of recently acquired journals, worldwide access to agricultural literature particular to rice, and provide photocopies of articles in the Current Contents Bulletin without charge to users. These requirements were identified at a WARDA meeting at which NARS members presented their needs, and their inability to subscribe singularly to current journals. The organization WARDA also identified price as cost of user’s time to fill out forms of request. Direct mail and conference presentations were being used to disseminate the new services. This programme offered many successful components of a marketing plan, and came through great effort from a developing country in West Africa, amidst civil war.

Winners in 2003 For this second award there were 15 applicants from 7 countries (4 from Spain, 4 from USA, 3 from UK, 1 each from India, Serbia and Tanzania, Thailand). First place was awarded in Berlin, Germany to the Concorci de Biblioteques de Barcelona (CBB) of Barcelona, Spain, for developing non-users into users through a programme called “Literary Pathways”. This was a programme fea-

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turing actors or guides leading tour participants and reading selections of works, into neighbourhoods in which famous authors lived, or were portrayed in their writings. The library required the literary travellers to register for a library card. The nearest library was often a stop on the tour as well. The library encouraged families and children to participate together, thereby creating a basis for a whole new generation of library users. Subjects of tours included foreign writers living in Barcelona, such as George Orwell, author of 1984 and Animal Farm, who once spent time in the late-night neighbourhoods. Other topics included famous poets, children’s authors, and even a ghoulish tour of a cemetery where authors lie in rest. The campaign was supported by a variety of communication media from posters in bakeries, to publicity articles in specialty magazines and local newspapers. Brochures and buttons were developed as well as point of purchase displays in the libraries. The second place went to the programe “CU e-Intellectual Property” Center of Academic Resources, Chulalongkorn University from Bangkok, Thailand (and the 1999 site of an IFLA marketing workshop, sponsored by the Management and Marketing Section.) The Center of Academic Resources within the university offered a full-text in-house database of graduate theses which was well accepted, but little used. To increase use and better serve the academic community, the library added in faculty research data. Yet use of the database still did not increase at the rate planned, so during a time of increased need to show the value and impact of the library, staff created a well-developed marketing plan to increase use of the database by 10%. A second objective was to provide easier access to the database at anytime from anywhere. These objectives were to be met within 18 months. The campaign used all the tenets of marketing, including customer identification and segmentation, marketing strategy and evaluation. The database was renamed to “CU e-Intellectual Property”. Third Place was awarded to Newman College of Higher Education Library and Learning Resource Centre, Birmingham, UK. Newman College Library designed a campaign “We Got News for You!” to communicate changes in the library’s staff, programmes and services. The library staff identified primary the target markets as academic staff and students. The goal was to make the markets more knowledgeable about the “new” and larger library, and to increase use of a growing array of virtual services. The library created a newspaper The Library Times, which was published and available on campus and on the college’s intranet. The paper was packed with library news and information, and students were encouraged as columnists. The library also held onsite quarterly showcases which illuminated new services and products. The winning features of this application were again the identification of customer groups, the precise and systematic communication to those groups through various and sundry media, and evaluation based upon measurable objectives.

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Winners in 2002 For this first award there were 37 applicants from four continents, sent in from 14 countries: Argentina, Benin, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Congo, Germany, Italy, Kenya, Poland, Romania, Spain and USA. First Place in Glasgow, Scotland was awarded to the Houston Public Library, for “The Power Card Challenge: A Long Term Marketing and Public Relations Plan to Increase Library Card Registration and Use by the Children of Houston”. The goal was to increase the number of children accessing library materials, both to improve their schoolwork and to develop lifetime readers, thereby ensuring educated and productive future generations. The three-year campaign set specific goals for juvenile registration and circulation each year, with the final numerical goal of increasing juvenile registrations from a little over 100,000 to 303,000, and increasing juvenile circulation by 30 percent. School-age children in Houston number 500,000, nearly 30 times the 17,000 targeted in a 1997 library card sign-up campaign. Parents, grandparents, teachers, and caregivers returned the applications to the library. Potential partners included community organizations, businesses, schools, city government and the media, who extended the reach of such an ambitious campaign. Second place was awarded to the Calgary Public Library for the campaign “Rediscover Your Calgary (Public) Library”. The library’s research identified clear demographic gaps in its customer base. A plan was developed to use television advertising to target groups that did not use the library, but might. It would be the first time that television advertising was used to promote a library anywhere in Western Canada. Three “hot buttons” were identified: high costs of books, music CDs, and magazines; the love of, and need for, convenience and easy access in everything, and the confusion over the volume of information available in the world today, and the accuracy of that information. For each point, fifteen-second television commercials were produced. Evaluation benchmarks were established, and a two-week TV campaign ran in September/October of 2001. Third place was awarded to the Flushing Library, one of 62 branches of the Queens Borough Public Library, which is one of New York City’s three independent systems, for “The Opening and Promotion of the Flushing Library”. The 76,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art public library opened in June 1998. The marketing campaign leading to Opening Day was designed to stimulate awareness, to relieve irritation of customers who had been getting library services from an undersized temporary storefront during construction, and to reinforce Queens Borough Public Library’s name with patrons, legislators, and donors. The concept of the Flushing Library Public Relations Plan was to stir broadbased city-wide and national attention and support for this new facility, the largest branch library in New York State. It was hoped that the Flushing Library

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would be a springboard from which publicity for the Queens Library system as a whole could be generated.

The value of systematic “true” marketing Upon review, each of the winning campaigns successfully employed true marketing practices. These include marketing research (identification of actual and potential customer data and analysis of the organization’s environment), followed by marketing segmentation (grouping customers with shared wants and needs), the marketing mix strategy (using characteristics of product, price, place and promotion (4Ps) to strategically develop customer offers), and marketing evaluation (documenting and assessing success.) In summary, the librarians gathered data to identify unmet needs, successfully created services and programmes for targeted groups, and assessed the success of the effort through evaluation.

The commitment to “true” marketing Both sponsors – IFLA’s Management and Marketing Section and Emerald – share a strong commitment to increasing awareness about the value of librarians employing “true marketing” of their services. This shared commitment served as the foundation for the partnership between IFLA and Emerald, and support for the IFLA International Marketing Award. With continued support such as this, libraries in all countries can share just how they are bringing customers what they really want and need. This annual international award was created to identify best marketing practices. The award, through the voices of its many applicants, can best communicate the types of marketing activities that libraries successfully engage in, not only to colleagues around the world, but also to people who use libraries or may want to use libraries, or those in charge of providing funds for library services. This award at the time of this writing is now in its tenth year, continuing to offer opportunity for all types of libraries to showcase marketing campaigns and programmes, rather than simple publicity efforts.

References “Falling in love with the library.” 2011. Accessed 27 February 2013. http://www.youku.com/ playlist_show/id_16919888.html. “Glossary of Marketing Definitions.” 1998. Accessed 27 February 2013. http://archive.ifla. org/VII/s34/pubs/glossary.htm.

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“Go Library.” 2009-13. Accessed 27 February 2013. http://golibrary.nlb.gov.sg/. “No longer a quiet place: Central West Libraries.” 2006-09. Accessed from the Internet Archive 27 February 2013. http://web.archive.org/web/20110822190844/http://cwl.nsw.gov.au/pdfs/CWL-NoLongerA QuietPlace.pdf. “Storytubes.” 2008–13. Accessed 27 February 2013. http://www.storytubes.info.

Falling in Love with the Library: Marketing Tsinghua University Library in an Innovative Way Han Lifeng and Wang Yuan Deputy Director, Information & Reference Service Unit and

Wang Yuan Deputy Director, Information & Reference Service Unit, Tsinghua University Library, Beijing, P.R.China

Abstract The status quo of marketing research and practice in library and information services in China is briefly reviewed. After the library marketing mind shift, both research and practice have made progress in China in recent years. However, due to lack of both advanced technologies and ideas, many marketing activities are inefficient as they tend to be traditional and one-sided promotion and contain little user interaction. In 2011, a micro video series, “Falling in Love with the Library”, was released as the product of a marketing pilot project carried out by Tsinghua University Library, and proved to be very successful. The details about the project including planning, implementation, promotion and evaluation are presented. Use of user participation experience marketing, cultural marketing, library 2.0, social network and use of new media are highlighted in the project. The successful factors and future plans are also discussed. The news that the project won the 10th IFLA International Marketing Award inspired great enthusiasm for library marketing among Chinese library professionals and profound influence on marketing practices in China.

Introduction Chen Chao and Pan Jun (2006) offer an overview of the development of marketing practices in mainland of China in 2006. During the past few years, Chinese libraries have employed marketing strategies to tackle financial and technological challenges in the constantly evolving information landscape. A literature search was carried out about library marketing in Wanfang Data, from a famous Chinese database provider. There are 653 journals articles with “library” and “marketing” in their titles from 2000 to 2011, as shown in Table 6.1.

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Table 6.1. Statistics on papers published in 2000-2011 (Data source: China Online Journals from Wanfang Data) Year N

2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 87

88

76

74

67

69

58

43

45

24

15

7

100 90

88

80 74

70

69

60

87

76

67

58

50 45

43

40 30 24

20 15

10

7

0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Figure 6.1. Statistics on papers published in 2000-2011(Data source: China Online Journals from Wanfang Data) Table 6.2. Statistics on papers published in 1986-2003 (Data source: Database for China Newspaper and Journal Indexes, Philosophy & Social science on CD-ROM by Shanghai library (Chen Chao and Pan Jun 2006)) Year N

2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 25

12

9

6

8

3

2

2

2

3

1

1

It is noted that the data for 2000-2003 in the two tables above are different due to different data sources, whilst the trend is quite similar. Compared with the findings of 1986-2003 by Chen Chao and Pan Jun. In the two tables above, there is an obvious increase of research papers in 2004–2011. There are only a total number of 73 papers from 1986-2003, while 74 papers were published in the year of 2008. From 2006 and on, there is a steady climb but averaging at 80 papers per year, which indicates library marketing has been a popular topic in professional and scholarly publications. Corresponding to the increase of research articles, marketing practice is also flourishing in the library community in the past few years, but not as active as the research on marketing, partly owing to the fact that most libraries hardly incorporate marketing principles and

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strategies systematically into practice. Many marketing and promotional activities may seem vigorous but rarely make an impact on users and achieve the desired outcomes. The promotional activity at a national level in China is the civil reading campaign on 23 April every year, World Book Day. The original aim of the campaign is to promote reading as an individual activity, rather than promoting the libraries themselves. However, libraries, particularly public libraries, take the opportunity to hold a variety of promotional activities, by which the library brand and awareness is enhanced. At the local or institutional level, marketing activities usually include homepages with information highlights, library newsletters, and library logo etc. Many leading public libraries and some academic libraries conduct various activities in Library Week or Library Month in April. Another large-scale campaign organized in academic libraries is in autumn, mainly to welcome new students to campus. Taking Tsinghua University Library as an example, we have launched a library promotion month every two years since 2006. A lot of activities, such as library tutorials, user satisfaction survey, user communication workshop, library skills competitions, new services exhibitions, etc. are carried out in that month. Yet it could be said, there is still a long way to go for Chinese libraries to build effective marketing strategies and carry out best practices. Particularly as the information technology and user environment is developing rapidly, the traditional library marketing approach, which is usually one-sided and selfpromotional, is facing serious challenges in marketing libraries effectively and efficiently.

Academic library marketing in the new environment For most libraries traditional promotion involves folded informational fliers, poster displays, bookmarks with slogans, library homepage, and informative bulletins. As information technology developments have a huge impact on people’s lives, libraries are expected to apply new technology in library marketing. For academic libraries, the customers consist of college students and faculty, and each group has its own characteristics in information behaviour. Young people love to follow new trends and try new things. For example, young generations share original content and ideas on the internet and particularly social networks in recent years. User generated content is growing fast on the web. “Fast adoption of social networking and media has placed sites such as Facebook and YouTube at the top of most-used online sources. Most (92%) college students use social networking sites; 81% use social media sites. Twothirds of students who use social networking log on daily” (College students, 52). It is found that new media like micro video and micro blog are widely

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used for campus events nowadays. In Tsinghua University, students make their own videos for new student orientation days, award presentation ceremonies, student festivals, graduation days, even student government election days. “No video, no activity”. It is the appeal of video that young users prefer to create and share. Being part of campus, how could the library keep abreast of development in the field of new information and communication technologies to promote library resources and services? As a leading academic library in China, Tsinghua University Library is committed to providing best resources and services and supporting the teaching and research objectives of the university. Professional librarians have been active in seeking better ways to extend library presence through innovative services. For young users who are born and bred in the internet era, why don’t we try to use new ideas and technologies to promote library? One of the reasons why most libraries are hesitant to do this is that the staff usually does not have enough knowledge or skills regarding these technologies. We think we should resort to cooperating with students who are strong and interested in video-making and distributing. With that, we would be able to break new ground and in library promotional efforts. The significance of marketing academic libraries is indisputably established. Numerous user surveys show that college students urgently need instructions to use the library effectively and adequately. For instance, freshmen are likely to get lost in millions of library collections and need help to get what they look for. According to a survey of freshmen and sophomore students by Tsinghua University Library, 42% of students don’t understand library policies and procedures very well, nearly almost half of them take BAIDU.com (a popular Chinese search engine) or Google.com as sole information sources when doing their assignments, nearly 60% only see the library as a studying place (by the way, unnecessary seat occupation is quite a common and troublesome phenomena for Chinese academic libraries, which is a topic in the micro video). One single organized campaign per year is obviously not enough. The traditional one-sided promotion is inefficient and not well accepted by young users. The marketing should be more aggressive, innovative and needs continuous work as well. We noticed that an MTV song, “Good morning, library”, produced by Taiwan University Library, became popular on the internet in 2008. The light and humorous style was well accepted by the audience. However, successful cases of library marketing with innovative ideas are rarely reported during recent years. We decided to conduct the pilot project to market the library, not to preach to users but let the story unfold in a style they feel comfortable with, such as short movies and games. We hoped it would be more persuasive than the traditional approaches.

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Overview: pilot project to reality The project aimed to promote library services in popular and effective ways that highlight new media, Lib2.0 and user-interactive innovative marketing ideas and technologies. It was approved by the Student Research Training Program at the university in early 2011. The target customers of the promotion project were undergraduates, especially freshmen. The team was composed of three professional librarians and four undergraduate students who were invited to join and contribute to the entire process of creating videos and games in this marketing campaign. A number of student volunteers were also recruited. The goals were to improve library brand awareness, improve the library literacy of students, and thus help them make optimal use of library services and fully benefit from them. About the title: Falling in Love with the Library (2011a), “爱上图书馆” (2011b) in Chinese has dual meanings, one is “fall in love with the library”, and the other is “love to go to the library”. Both are just what we want to convey to the users.

Goals – To promote library services, resources, technologies and facilities in a popular way; – To evoke a feeling of love for the library in a story full of relaxation, romance, fun, and warmth; – To accomplish the objectives by creating user-oriented content with user participation; – To promote library services using web 2.0 technologies, such as micro blogs, social networks; – To improve library literacy in a way of entertainment, like stories and games; – To raise the profile of the library across the university.

Practice At the beginning of the project, the team compiled an operational plan, outlining the whole workflow and basic schedule (Table 6.3). We had regular face-to-face meetings every two weeks and occasional meetings whenever necessary to ensure the smooth accomplishment of every milestone. We built an online group to stay in touch via Fetion (a popular Chinese instant messaging software like MSN). The budget was a key issue for a project. Whilst the project was supported by the University Student Research Training Program, the money was not enough to

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cover the expense required by the campaign. So we applied for additional fund from the library. The total operation proved to be low cost but highly effective. The most challenging part of the process was script writing that needed open–minded creativity and design. Thanks to our excellent team members and numerous brainstorming sessions, a creative script was completed, which laid the foundation for the success of project. Table 6.3. Project schedule Timetable

Task Name

January

Project Approval

March

Team recruiting

April

Training and planning

May

Scriptwriting and game design

June

Shooting

July-September

Editing and programming

October

Final approval, product release

November

Promotion and project review

Products The project team produced a short play series and a library game as main products. The short play series, namely micro videos, is available at both the official website of the Library and on the web at Youku.com as well. The minigame is a web-based bookshelf match game in Flash format currently limited to campus use. More details about the video are shown in Table 6.4. Table 6.4. Titles and related topics of all episodes Title

Related topics and services

Preview

Falling in love with the library

Episode 1

Love Ignited by a Book The End of Her Wait Starts His Waiting

Circulation alert services by e-mail or SMS

Episode 2

The Second Encounter in the Old Hall The Courting Youth and the Cold Beauty Story in the cubicle Loneliness Eased by Chat on Paper

Against unnecessary seat occupation Library graffiti wall, culture value

Episode 3 Episode 4

An Argument over the New Library and the SMS and call number, library Humanities Library building names Yi Fu Vexed and Kai Feng Confessed

Episode 5

Time Flies but Memory never dies Ending of Season 1

My reading history, library environment

Game

Crazy book shelving!

Bookshelf match game

Falling in Love with the Library 93

Figure 6.2. Montage models of all products of the marketing project

– The micro video series was about a romantic story of a beautiful couple of college students. They meet each other by chance due to a reserved library book. Audiences enjoyed the romantic, humorous, light and warm love story and learned more about library policies and procedures as the story went on. Everything happened in the library. The beautiful courtyard and the quiet reading cubicle, abundant resources, convenient services, technologies and facilities available to users were all presented in the videos. It was the goal of the promotional campaign to offer attractive, original and competitive products in an increasingly complex information environment to reach more young users. New media also enabled the public to get a deeper understanding of library culture and knowledge. – The library-specific topic in the videos ranged from circulation services, new technology, and library culture to library rules and services. – It is a known challenge for undergraduates, especially freshmen, to locate books they need among rows of shelves and thousands of collections in the library. Since each book had its own unique call number, we used it to locate books on the shelves. This bookshelf match game helped the player learn the rules of shelving and therefore obtain the exact item he/she was seeking effectively. – The promotion process of the products was innovative, too. We used both library website and micro blog to release the announcement in order to get more attention from customers. Micro blog and social networks proved to be very useful to keep library marketing activities more userengaged and interactive. We also piloted using the mobile platform to broadcast the products.

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– A final research report was completed when the campaign came to an end. It contained the movie scripts, samples of posters, promotional postcards, and assessment questionnaires.

4Ps of the campaign – The Product: The promotional micro video series “Falling in Love with the Library” and a mini game. – The Price: The products are cost-effective. They have engaged more customers in the knowledge of library policies and services, which helps save money and time than other marketing activities. And also it generates potential support for the library from both the university and alumni. – The Promotional tools: Micro blog, social networks, word of mouth marketing, posters, post cards and bookmarks. – The Places of distribution: Video websites, library official websites, library micro blog, campus TV, campus media, etc. –

Figure 6. 3. Promotional materials (posters, postcards and bookmarks)

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Evaluation: statistics The video series proved a great success and the Chinese version received about 160,000 visits within 20 days since the preview was released on 24 October 2011, suggesting about 8000 visits per day, and the number has exceeded 200,000 visits by the time the article is drafted in May, 2012. The projectrelated topics received about 1000 remarks from students, alumni and the public on the library micro blog, remaining a popular topic during the promotion month. The mini game was played more than 2000 times in a week after publication and has been used in library literacy classes. As a main channel for user interaction in the campaign, the library micro blog enjoyed a sharp increase in the number of followers in a month.

Feedback and questionnaire A total of 124 students participated in the online questionnaire and 97% of them gave high ratings to the work, commenting that it helped them learn more about the library and enjoy the library as well. Many students left messages that they had similar experiences and also discovered many things new about the library in the videos. They also loved the fresh and humorous style, which was quite different from the serious, rigid and old-fashioned library image. The videos brought back memories of graduates, as an alumnus wrote, “I recall those days on campus. The old building, the old books and my favorite seat are still there whilst the days are gone forever”. It’s worth mentioning that the most unanticipated story went to a humorous commentary video series created by “Angel Brother” (who later proved to be a postgraduate in the university) available online (Falling in love with the library 2011c), which also attracted a lot of attention, and in turn facilitated the broadcast of the videos. Table 6.5. The students’ attitude about the video to library promotion: a sample question of the survey What do you think about the meaning of library promotion by video?

Percentage

Strongly agree. It helps the students a lot. I hope to see more products like this video.

70.16%

Partly agree. But hope to see other types of promotion too.

26.61%

Don’t care. The current library promotion is enough.

2.42%

Disagree. I don’t like this type of promotion.

0.81%

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Peer review The project captured massive attention from library professionals once the products were released. They offered praises for the originality and creativity of the products. Here are some typical examples: “It’s a new trend for the libraries to conduct social media marketing. Perfect!” “Tsinghua is Tsinghua. As micro film is becoming a fashion, the play adds some romance to the library.” “I enjoy the small fresh style, much better than the serious preaching. Looking forward to the sequel. Tsinghua Library, come on!” “The video is full of love and youthful spirit, really attractive; you cannot help but falling in love with the library. We need such creative marketing products. The library should prove itself valuable nowadays.” “The boss let me pay close attention to the videos. Probably we need to consider creating our own video for our students.” At the same time the team members were invited to present at professional conferences to share experience with colleagues. We also got a lot of inquiries about how to replicate this model for their own communities. Recognition by colleagues from other libraries certainly improved the library brand.

Media focus The promotion products generated much mass media attention varying from campus media to social mass media, and some news portals as well. The team members and the actors were interviewed by the campus TV and newspapers. A report by the famous media company Phoenix New Media, “Fashion drama, let you fall in love with the library”, (Fashion drama 2011) was cited repeatedly by many websites. China Library Weekly, the major professional newspaper in the library community, published a two-page report for the project, “Open the door of library new media marketing” (2012), covering the project plan, process, results and future plan in detail.

IFLA award and the way forward The project has achieved the set goals and is considered a big success. At the end of 2011 it was awarded a silver prize from the University Student Research Training Programme Committee, which was one of 20 outstanding projects from all of 865 projects in 2011.

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On 23 March 2012, we got the news that the project was awarded the first place in the 10th IFLA International Marketing Award. We learned that it is the first time that a Chinese library has won the honour. We got warm congratulations from many colleagues working in other libraries. It is really a great pleasure and encouragement for the library community in China. It will have positive influence to bring library marketing efforts to a new level. This is not the end. It is just Season 1 of Falling in Love with the Library. There will be Season 2, Season 3, and so on. We’ll continue to carry out the best practice model to promote the library brand and services in the future. With collaboration with outstanding users, we could do better to keep pace with new media and meet the evolving expectations of the users and be closer to them as well. We have a dream, let the whole world “fall in love with the library”. We’ll move forward to realize that.

Conclusion As the marketing program drew to an end it was evident that the aims and objectives of project of “Falling in love with the library” were well fulfilled, which included raising awareness of the library brand and resources and improving library literacy. The case proved that using new media and technology and partnership with users are critical to the success of marketing operations. To cooperate with users and provide customer-oriented marketing products helped to achieve user satisfaction. It also helped the library integrate into the community and develop lasting relationship with customers. Hence the library brand and the visibility in the community are strengthened. The video also helped the library establish and reinforce the responsibility to promote the university’s specific culture and identity, as the library is usually seen as a cultural centre of a university. The web video also has gone beyond the library and reached out to the public, which helps to improve the university brand as well; as a result, the Admission Office of the university presented the videos in the official website. Social networks and social media are powerful in communicating with young users. The tools were used throughout the campaign, from team member recruiting, news releasing, user feedback and discussion, etc., to staying highly interactive with users. The strong enthusiasms and participation in the programme from the students revealed their deep love for the library. After all it’s not only about a romantic story about library, but also about youth, love, aspiration, growth, and memory of the precious campus life. The title and slogan of the project, “Falling in love with the library” has been widely accepted as the name brand identity of the Library and has been later used in library workshops and library brochures for freshmen. It is critical

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for a successful campaign to create a product with name brand identity that would appeal to the target audience. Most important of all, the operational mode of the project turns out to be a “win-win” operation mode, and thus sustainable to carry on. It is this mode that put all the talent and energy of librarians and students together into this promotional campaign. The library benefits from the promotion and we also see the team members’ growth throughout the process. As Lian Huiyang, a team member wrote in her final project report, “At the beginning, I knew little about the library. For me, like many of my classmates, the library was just a place to study. Through the programme, I have explored every corner of the library. And now, I’m so confident and proud to say I become a ‘Library master’ (图书馆达人 in Chinese).” The students’ knowledge, skills, attitudes and teamwork with others have all been improved. What’s more, the achievements of the project help them succeed in their professional development too. In this way the library builds a platform that brings together students with diverse backgrounds and helps them realize their dreams, which is in line with the fundamental task of higher education. Therefore the significance of the project is not just manifested in the fact that library services have been promoted, but also the library has been integrated into the university mission through close partnership with students and helped their success.

Acknowledgement We wish to express our deepest gratitude to Ms Yang Yi, Deputy Librarian, whose leadership has always been farsighted and encouraging. We are grateful to Dr Luo Lili (San Jose University, California, USA), who gave us friendly help in revising the English language of the manuscript. We are always grateful for all the team members for their excellent work. Lastly we warmly thank all the people that have helped us.

References Chen C. and J. Pan. 2006. “From mindset to paradigm shift: marketingmanagement in China libraries.” In Marketing library and information services: International Perspectives, edited by D.K. Gupta et al., 73-83. Munich: K.G.Saur. “College students.” 2010. In Perceptions of libraries, 2010, 52-62. Dublin, OH: OCLC. Accessed 27 February 2013. http://www.oclc.org/reports/2010perceptions/collegestudents. pdf. “Falling in love with the library.” 2011a. Chinese/English subtitle version. Accessed 27 February 2013. http://www.youku.com/playlist_show/id_16919888.html. “Falling in love with the library. 爱上图书馆.” 2011b. Chinese version. Accessed on 27 February 2013. http://www.youku.com/playlist_show/id_16568360.html.

Falling in Love with the Library 99 “Falling in Love with the Library (Interpretive Version). 爱上图书馆（解说版).” 2011c. Accessed on 12 March 2013. http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzE2NjA0ODMy.html. “Fashion drama, let you fall in love with the library”. 2011. Phoenix New Media. Accessed on 3 May 2012. http://www.fawan.com/Article/sq/xb/2011/11/04/091652135347.html. “Good morning, library. 早安，圖書館.” Accessed on 12 March 2013. http://tw.youtube.com/ watch?v=7PF7U_WIlTo. “Opening the door of library new media marketing.” 2012. China Library Weekly. 10 February 2012. Accessed on 3 May 2012. http://a.xhsmb.com/html/2012-02/10/node_13.htm.

Internet Marketing: the Silver Bullet for Web 2.0? Elke Roesner and

Ulrike Ostrzinski Marketing Department, German National Library of Medicine, Cologne, Germany “If I could solve all the problems myself, I would.”1 Thomas Edison’s response to the question of why he had 21 employees.

Abstract In many industrialized countries, internet marketing is also used as a tool for marketing library products and services. This article examines the question of whether this can generally be considered to be the best and most up-to-date solution. Using the example of the German National Library of Medicine (ZB MED) and based on experiences gathered from the worldwide web 2.0 community, it presents examples of best practice for library marketing. Based on our own experience, we also offer tips and advice on working with social networks and preferred platforms. One of the key prerequisites for conducting tailored marketing is a solid understanding of the target groups, their needs and their technical devices (PC, tablet, smartphone). It is essential to be where your customers are – whether that is online or on their doorstep – and achieving this requires accurate analysis, market monitoring and a flexible approach. The ZB MED currently favours a combined solution that encompasses both internet and traditional marketing. At the moment, the ZB MED considers this to be the ideal solution, or “silver bullet”. In this article, we hope to encourage readers from other libraries and countries to find their own silver bullet adapted to the specific needs of their own institution.

Introduction Collaborative work based on the division of labour is a well-established 21stcentury phenomenon, and much of this work is increasingly being carried out 1

Cited in Coming together 2004, 2.

102 Elke Roesner and Ulrike Ostrzinski on the web. Documents are collaboratively authored and edited in wikis, distributed in Skype conferences, and made accessible from anywhere using tools such as Dropbox, while bibliographies are increasingly being developed on the web. Collaborative working has become the norm, with users delving into complex topics on blogs and cultivating friendships through social networks such as Facebook and Google+. The concept of Future internet also plays a key role in many library users’ daily work, even though they might often be unaware that this is the case. Not all of a library’s users are web-savvy digital residents who spend most of their time online. There are also considerable numbers of digital visitors, in other words people who go online to search for specific content. Even back in the days of ground-breaking innovations in the fields of electricity and power generation, the idea of a single scientist working in isolation was probably the exception rather than the rule, however, much Thomas Edison may have yearned for such tranquil privacy. Whatever the case may be, Edison’s inventions in the fields of electric lighting and telecommunications certainly provided the basis for developing the internet. And the research-based internet developed just as rapidly into the new concept of a participatory web in which users both consume and produce contents, giving them the status of prosumers.2 Web 2.0 and indeed Library 2.0 are topics that have recently made the leap from a limited circle of insiders to a more mainstream trend that is prompting widespread media changes. Social media platforms have become a key component of communication, and social web elements are becoming a library service element that people have come to expect. With web 2.0 gradually achieving broader social acceptance, the trend is already progressing towards web 3.0 – the semantic web. With innovation cycles becoming shorter and technical capabilities skyrocketing, it is almost impossible to predict where the technology may develop from here. So how should a library respond to a period of such dramatic change? Does it make sense to pursue traditional marketing with its print materials and careful cultivation of face-to-face communication at trade fairs and in-house events? Or is it necessary to make a complete switch to internet marketing? The ZB MED marketing team favours a combination of both these possibilities: integrated, target group-specific marketing that encompasses both social media and traditional marketing. Why?

2

The term “prosumer” is a portmanteau formed by contracting the word producer with the word consumer.

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German national library of medicine – ZB MED The ZB MED is Germany’s central specialist library and information infrastructure provider in the fields of medicine, health, nutrition, the environment and agriculture, with a national remit to supply and archive information. It is one of the world’s leading institutions in the field of subject-specific full text provision with both its online and print services. The ZB MED strives to drive forward innovative development in the field of information infrastructure, including semantic search technologies, intelligent retrieval, open access publications and ePublishing. Two of its most notable services are the subject portals Medpilot and Greenpilot. Medpilot, which has been online since 2003, covers the fields of medicine and health. Greenpilot came online in 2009 and specializes in the subject areas of nutritional, environmental and agricultural science. These two search portals support the scientific and research communities by providing direct access to the print and online stocks of the ZB MED. They also provide access to the world’s most prestigious subject-specific databases, such as Medline. Both portals use computational linguistic methods to offer a multilingual experience: thanks to their integrated thesauri, Medpilot speaks seven languages and Greenpilot speaks sixteen. Users also benefit from impressively user-friendly interfaces, with drill-down menus, powerful sorting of search results, automatic error detection, and automatic searching by synonyms, acronyms and composites. Our marketing strategy for the library and its products strives to use integrated marketing activities to address the needs of our heterogeneous target groups as closely and accurately as possible.

We want to be where our customers are That presupposes that we know where our customers are. This is rather less simple and implies the need for careful analysis. Many libraries work on the basis of assumptions and take action based on their good feeling, which may or may not be accurate. Instead of working through a solid marketing cycle of analysis, composing a strategy, planning and taking action steps and evaluating their effects, they simply focus on taking action. If their gut feeling was correct, then the result may be satisfactory. But how can anyone be sure whether their gut feeling is right or not? Might it not be possible to improve their marketing if they had a better understanding of their customers? Are there any key performance indicators –for example from usage statistics – which could help determine whether or not the implemented measures have been successful? And do the customers really feel they are being listened to? We have a small marketing team and a relatively small marketing budget, so it is essential that we focus on measures that are

104 Elke Roesner and Ulrike Ostrzinski truly important. That applies to the whole library and it raises questions that confront librarians all over the world. Is the library offering the right things? By that, we mean the entire product portfolio, which may include search portals and online/on-site services as well as the library’s physical and electronic stocks. Strategic marketing involves a whole lot more than just advertising these products and services. It means a strategic attempt by the institution to place a targeted focus on its customers’ needs – something that it can best achieve based on a solid understanding of its markets and its customers.

Market research Market research can be conducted in a number of different ways. Desk research can be a fruitful means of determining the number of potential target groups. Studies available online on information literacy and usage habits can provide useful tips which can be applied to your own institution. But, ultimately, the only way to obtain concrete information on your customers’ satisfaction with your own products and services is by conducting your own surveys. These might include usage statistics which offer genuinely reliable figures for online search portals (excluding web crawlers) and customer surveys. That can provide the basic information for a solid marketing strategy. However, our experience suggests that more extensive surveys are required if you wish to validate the strategy or create an entirely new strategy – surveys that reveal who your customers really are, where your potential customers might be found, and what their usage habits are. As a research library specializing in the fields of medicine, health, and nutritional, environmental and agricultural science, the ZB MED focuses on researchers, scientists and students in the life science arena. We have spent a number of years conducting regular customer surveys on current issues and using the results to optimize our products and services. These have included surveys on customer satisfaction with our document delivery service and our website, user acceptance and utilization of web 2.0 and our search engines Medpilot and Greenpilot, as well as on the needs of young scientists and junior researchers. To obtain genuinely neutral results, it can be helpful to employ the services of a management consultancy firm – though it is important to remember that even management consultants cannot necessarily be relied upon to produce the “philosopher’s stone”. In our experience, nothing can replace a clearly phrased question with a clearly defined task for the consultant and a correspondingly well-prepared briefing. For a number of reasons, including cutting down on costs, we have tended to carry out our surveys ourselves3. A cost-effective alternative is to 3

We would of course be delighted to receive any innovative recommendations of consulting firms and we would also be pleased to receive tips on important innovations, not all of

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take one of the frequent opportunities that arise to collaborate with universities. We ourselves have already conducted a number of surveys in collaboration with students who were taking their internship at the ZB MED as part of their course in Library and Information Science.

Quantitative or qualitative surveys As a rule, we prefer survey formats that combine quantitative and qualitative aspects: we sometimes use telephone interviews, sometimes online surveys, and sometimes a mix of the two. One tried-and-tested approach is to pose open-ended questions which really allow you to evaluate properly the customer’s situation. Our decision to conduct expert interviews with scientists at a research centre once again demonstrated that one-to-one discussions are absolutely indispensable. By taking the time to ask the scientists about their personal work situation, you obtain a far more sophisticated and detailed picture of what the scientists actually need from a library and how these needs might develop in the future. Even just a handful of interviews demonstrate that it is impossible to simply group everyone under a single category of scientist – an approach that we would probably all recognize as over-simplistic. Each scientist’s needs and requirements are as heterogeneous as the specific, narrowly focused fields of research in which they work. Some of them collaborate within globally active teams while others tend to work in smaller groups of colleagues within the research centre itself. Some make almost exclusive use of the literature recommended by their respective professional network, others are 98% satisfied with the services provided by their library, and still others perform searches in Wikipedia and the standard search engines when they are looking for literature on peripheral subjects. The ways in which they access information are equally varied. Customers from the medical arena frequently access the internet through tablets and smartphones as well as their PCs, while users from the fields of nutritional, environmental and agricultural science are currently less likely to do this.4 One method that has proved successful in our work has been to integrate market-research studies in our marketing approach in order to develop strategies and plan measures on the basis of these studies. For example, a survey carried out by the ZB MED revealed that the acceptance of social media (web 2.0) among so-called “digital residents” is high,

4

which need to be as groundbreaking as the innovations that made Thomas Edison so famous! One of the results of a brief survey conducted by the ZB MED at the 2012 Scientific Congress of the German Nutrition Society (DGE) in Freising.

106 Elke Roesner and Ulrike Ostrzinski while the use of social media by “digital visitors” is low (Roesner 2009). The study was carried out in 2009 – three years ago. In the computer age three years is an eternity, and experts currently estimate that 50% of internet users now use social networks (Kremsberger and Zeger 2011). It is also important to note that the users that also use social networks to search for specialist information tend to be “digital immigrants”, i.e. comparatively older users. Younger people, who belong to the group known as digital natives, primarily use social media to network with their friends (Kremsberger and Zeger 2011). The use of web 2.0 elements is essentially extremely diverse, with differences emerging even within a single defined group. For example, not all web-savvy digital natives are continuously online in both personal and professional capacities. Some choose not to bother with social networks at all, either because they consider them to be ineffective or because they are worried about privacy issues, while others are quite genuinely permanently online and also participate in scientific communities. The majority of people in the target group lie somewhere in the middle.

Online marketing for online services The advantage of using internet marketing for online services is clear: by offering easy accessibility with direct links to the services on the web, you avoid the awkward shift from one form of medium to another which is inevitable with print advertising. Internet marketing also has other advantages, including interaction and networking, viral distribution in real time, increased visibility, and the customer loyalty of fans and followers – not forgetting of course the innovative image of web 2.0 which gives a modern edge to the companies that get on board!

Which social media platforms? There is one key question that always arises in relation to internet marketing: Which platforms are the most relevant? The New York Public Library seems to suggest that the answer is to have a presence on as many channels as possible (Figure 7.1). The NYPL not only offers the well-established channels of Facebook and Twitter, but also relatively new platforms such as Google+, comparatively unknown channels such as Pinterest and the location-based network Foursquare. And in many instances it operates more than one account – for example it has more than 60 accounts on Twitter. This commitment bears fruit in the form of fans and followers. NYPL has been “liked” on Facebook 50,000 times – and that’s only counting its primary Facebook channel. Impressive figures such as

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Figure 7.1. Access channels visible in screenshot of NYPL: http://www.nypl.org/voices/connect-nypl (accessed om 30 May 2012)

these strongly suggest that the NYPL has become one of the major public libraries on social networks. Generally speaking, normal scientific libraries cannot afford to cover so much ground, and there is no real need to do so anyway. The BibCharts (www.bib charts.eu), a ranking of German-language libraries that participate in social networks, only compares numbers of followers on Twitter and fans on Facebook. (Note: As of 21 May 2012, the highest-ranked scientific libraries are the Saxon State and University Library Dresden (SLUB) with 2,383 Twitter followers and the Swiss National Library with 4,945 Facebook fans.) We can certainly conclude from this that these are the two most important channels: Facebook has maintained its dominance in the field of social networks – Google+ has not yet gained significant ground – and Twitter has firmly established a leading position among micro blogging services. Other platforms fulfil different purposes: Flickr is useful for presenting photos, while YouTube is the number one video channel. It is important to remember that this snapshot of the current situation could change at any time. That’s why it is so important to monitor the social media market to identify new developments. For most institutions, however, it is not possible to pursue each and every trend since this would require too many resources. We also face this problem, which is why

108 Elke Roesner and Ulrike Ostrzinski we always attempt to maintain an overview of the social media market but only actually take action when the number of users that could benefit from our services has reached a critical mass. We do, however, set up a profile at a much earlier stage in order to reserve a place on the network under our own name. The web also features a number of special services which offer some useful functionality. These include Slideshare, a network for uploading and publishing presentations, and social bookmarking platforms such as Delicious and Digg which allow people to share content from anywhere on the Web. There are also specialist literature cataloguing applications for the library sector such as LibraryThing and Mendeley. One trend that is already fairly well established is the use of smartphones and tablets for mobile internet use, and these mobile devices are steadily becoming more and more popular. A survey by the GfK Group suggests that 38% of men and 26% of women in Germany now use these kinds of devices for mobile calls and surfing (38% der Männer… 2012). This poses new challenges for marketing teams but also opens up many new opportunities. It is highly likely that institutions will very soon be providing a smartphoneoptimized version of their websites as standard. The incorporation of QR codes in print advertising is already widespread. In the future, libraries will undoubtedly also pursue this trend further by offering additional smartphone-specific applications such as location-based services which make route planning significantly easier. It is also important to consider whether it makes sense to develop apps for your own services which can then be sold through the App Store (for Apple devices) or Play Store (for Android devices). This is still a relatively recent development in the library arena, so there is currently no one-size-fits-all recommendation. There is a wide range of factors and philosophies that must be considered; in addition to examining the financial cost and issues of technical know-how, it is also important to establish what makes your own target group tick!

Strategy for social media involvement All these tools have become commonplace in the marketing sector. This method of showcasing libraries and their products can achieve seemingly unlimited levels of publicity with relatively little effort and at a relatively low cost. But really succeeding in this area requires more than just time and commitment – you also need a strategy which clearly sets out where you want to be and how you intend to get there. The German National Library of Economics (ZBW), which developed the Science 2.0 principle, condenses its strategy for social media involvement into three key points: information, entertainment, and direct added value (Neuer

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2011). The basic task is to inform users of the latest developments and new features, but unless you include some kind of entertainment factor it is unlikely that the information will be properly assimilated in the social media environment. You can also obtain a tremendous boost in interest by offering added value such as competitions and direct access to online services, wherever possible including special offers for fans and followers. Nevertheless, the way these various factors are weighted depends on the specific web 2.0 application. For example, the New York Public Library has noticed a difference between Facebook fans and Twitter followers in terms of how they respond to its network presence: the former engage comparatively more actively with contents and make greater use of special offers (Kremsberger and Zeger 2011). Our own experience has also confirmed the importance of entertainment and direct added value. Social media channels are an excellent way of disseminating information, but this rarely leads to interaction with users, more likes or more followers. But the moment we include attractive photos or something amusing in our timeline, the response is usually instantaneous! The simplest way to acquire more fans is to tempt them with exciting offers. Plenty of organizations, including libraries, run competitions in which they hand out prizes to one or more of their fans. The only thing you need to do to participate is to click the “likes” button. These kinds of competitions might be a good solution for certain pages, but we are skeptical as to whether fans who are only clicking “likes” to win an iPad are actually valuable contacts to have. Our aim is to acquire fans and followers from our target group and encourage them to build a relationship with our library and our products so that they end up becoming real customers. It is therefore essential to provide direct links from the Facebook page to the library’s services – for example by including tabs which enable users to perform a direct search of the library’s online catalogue. At the ZB MED, we regularly post lists of search results from our online search portals on current issues, not only to show people the range of literature we offer but also to illustrate the versatility of our search portals.

The way social media channels operate To make the best use of social media channels, it is also important to understand that they operate in a different way to conventional public relations work and ‘normal’ online articles/publications. “You need people who are already familiar with social media and the standard modes of communication used in Web 2.0”, Kremsberger (Kremseberger and Zeger 2011) writes in explaining what she expects from people who perform social media work for her institutions. It is important to strike the right tone in web 2.0, and there are plenty of dos and don’ts for posters to remember – something which requires a solid

110 Elke Roesner and Ulrike Ostrzinski understanding of social media users. Not everyone is capable of entering the web 2.0 world; and, just as importantly, many people don’t even want to. The URL shortening service Bitly offers another tip on making successful use of web 2.0 channels which initially sounds rather trivial: for every channel, there is a right time to post. Bitly bases this argument on the different levels of traffic recorded on the corresponding pages at different times of the day, and it recommends adding new postings at times when the pages are experiencing the most traffic. For Facebook and Twitter postings, Bitly states that the best time to post is from Monday to Thursday between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Items posted after 8 p.m., on Friday afternoons and at the weekend tend to be read by fewer people (Bonset 2012).

Satisfying the information requirements of every single user? But even if you follow all this advice and make every effort to get everything else right, you still won’t satisfy the information requirements of every potential user. Our challenge is to use every possible means of reaching everyone in the right way on the right channel; in other words, to be where our customers are. That makes it essential for us to have an active online presence. Internet marketing is clearly a must-have, but so is traditional marketing. The web 2.0 expert Dr Hans G. Zeger has confirmed that it is cheaper and easier to reach the people who move in these networks online than through a newsletter or similar device, “but it is important not to forget the other people. Neither of these media replaces the other” (Kremsberger and Zeger 2011). Even those users who tend to behave more conservatively and who exhibit a preference for printed materials will often perform searches in online catalogues or specific internet search engines, so there is also potential for internet marketing in this customer segment. One aspect that is increasingly being forgotten, especially in the Western world, is the digital divide – in other words the fact that some people have limited or no access to electronic sources on the web. Restrictions on people’s ability to access the internet, which are generally motivated by political or economic factors, create a genuine social division. What this means in today’s knowledge society both for individuals and for societies as a whole is a topic that could fill pages in its own right, but it is something that still needs to be addressed in general and also when planning marketing activities, assuming your goal is to efficiently reach as many customers as possible.

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The role of traditional marketing activities This is why traditional marketing activities continue to have an important role to play when it comes to reaching a target group that is extremely heterogeneous for many different reasons. Conferences are as crucial as ever, especially for people involved in science and research, and having a physical and not just virtual presence at these events can be a good way of gaining a wider audience for libraries and their products. One option is to reserve a booth at the trade exhibition that is often run in tandem with conferences. Our experience has shown that the booth should fulfill similar conditions to social media approaches: it is not solely the information that counts, but also the huge boost in publicity that can be achieved through added value in the form of marketing initiatives such as competitions and attractive freebies. Unlike virtual contacts and print advertising, direct contact with your target group is also an ideal opportunity for discussions, surveys and observations. So is this the perfect marketing approach? If you can find the right conference which has a high percentage of the right target group, then perhaps it is. But it is important to remember how expensive it is to attend conferences: Once you add up the cost of booth rental, booth fittings, the cost of marketing events at the booth, forwarding agents, travel and accommodation, it is clear that the costs will work out much lower if there is an opportunity to give expert presentations or poster presentations. Scientists still read journals, and publishing articles can be another way of achieving your marketing goals. However, this is not really an option for highly specialist trade journals, which only really offer an opportunity to place ads, which can once again end up being very expensive. And it is highly questionable whether you really get enough publicity, prominence and hits on your website to make these costs worthwhile. Some events and in-house activities can actually achieve remarkable levels of publicity even though they can be complex to plan and implement. We have had good experience with product presentations to which we invite users and people who are in a position to disseminate the information we provide, and we also find occasions for special events. For example, the ZB MED has twice been awarded the status of a Selected Landmark as part of the Germany – Land of Ideas initiative and has celebrated this in appropriate style! Conversely, these occasions can be used to create traffic on social media channels: You announce the event on Facebook in advance, live tweet the event and then share these tweets on a Twitter wall, post photos of the event to Flickr, and so on.

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Conclusion In conclusion, it may be said that it is absolutely essential not only to be able to precisely define your target group, but also to remain permanently in contact with them. At a time of rapid innovations in which web 2.0 was celebrated as hype one year and cited as a standard one to two years later while other elements were being written off as “old hat”, a library and its marketing team must be highly sensitive to the current Zeitgeist and must develop customer needs that are genuinely relevant. Without market research – however straightforward its implementation – you cannot operate in the industrialized world if you wish to satisfy the demands of sponsors and target groups. By leaving behind closed questions along the lines of “Do you use XY?” and “Do you need Z?”, we have changed the strategy we used to formulate questions. Innovation managers are fond of a quote from Henry Ford: “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses”. In other words, asking customers to describe their concrete wishes does not necessarily enable you to achieve your goals. We have moved to a situation where we are asking about concrete problems and specific needs. What is now both relevant and challenging is the task of using the answers to develop a suitable range of library services and then marketing these in a way that makes customers feel they are being listened to. The idea of primarily marketing online products online is essentially the right one. Nevertheless, it requires a sophisticated and discriminating approach which takes into account both different usage habits and the human factor. A social media strategy should precisely define which channel is intended for which target group. Is the main emphasis on content, added value or entertainment? This path may indeed be the ideal solution for internet marketing. In our view, the “silver bullet” for marketing is currently a combination of traditional and internet marketing and the integrated planning and coordinated execution of all the different measures. Only the next series of surveys we carry out will give us a better idea of whether this will still be the case tomorrow.

References “38% der Männer und 26% der Frauen telephonieren smart”. 2012. Password 5:25. Bonset, S. 2012. “Die besten Zeiten zum Posten auf Facebook, Twitter und Co.” (“The best times to share on Facebook, Twitter and Co.”). Accessed on 6 June 2012. http:// t3n.de/news/besten-zeiten-posten-facebook-386864/. Coming together. 2004. Annual report. Boston, MA :CBR Institute for Biomedical Research. Accessed 27 February 2013. http://www.idi.harvard.edu/uploads/user_files/ annual_report_2004.pdf Köck, A. M. 2012. “Bibliotheken im Social Web. Wie aus Fans und Followern Kunden werden.” (“Libraries in the social Web. How to turn fans and followers into customers.”),

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slide 7. Berlin. 2012. Accessed on 6 June 2012. http://www.zbw.eu/aktuelles/docs/2012informare-social-web.pdf . Kremsberger, S. and H.G. Zeger. 2011. “Im Web 2.0 ist alles anders.” (“Everything is different in web 2.0”). Büchereiperspektiven 4: 7. Accessed 6 June 2012. http://www. publikationen.bvoe.at/perspektiven/bp4_11/s6-7.pdf. Neuer, J. 2011. “Die sozial vernetzte Bibliothek.” (“The socially networked library.”) Büchereiperspektiven 4: 17. Accessed 6 June 2012. http://www.publikationen.bvoe.at/ perspektiven/bp4_11/s16-17.pdf . Roesner, E. 2009. ZB MED goes web 2.0: survey of our target group on their use of web 2.0 applications and their usage preferences. German National Library of Medicine, Cologne/Bonn.

Web-based Marketing Sharon Koh and Wan Wee Pin Associate II, Publishing and Production and

Wan Wee Pin Assistant Director, Engagement & National Initiatives National Library Board, Singapore

Abstract This paper will examine the opportunities and challenges in marketing library programmes online. In 2008, we entered into social media channels and platforms so as to create an online presence and link people back to our website. From feedback received from library patrons, we realise that the effectiveness of marketing online depends very much on the type of online user activity on these channels and platforms. Our experience netted us the IFLA Marketing Award in 2009. As the landscape for social interactions is ever changing, we decided on a fresh revamp of our online platforms to better serve our customers. With a cleaner and less cluttered interface, the Go website (http://golibrary.nlb. gov.sg) also incorporated a payment and registration module.

Introduction In 2008, the Programmes and Exhibitions Department at the National Library Board, Singapore underwent an overhaul in our suite of programmes to cater for specific demographic groups. We also made the decision to market our programmes online to keep up with the changing character of our audience base. In this paper, we shall briefly describe the impetus to go online and the number of channels we have set up to do so. After examining the impact these channels have had on our numbers, we then streamline the online approaches so as to maximize marketing efforts. Back in 2007, we overhauled the way programmes are categorized and we also decided to market them online so as to extend our reach. We recognized that more and more people are getting their information online and we needed to come up with a strategy to properly present our suite of programs. By categorizing programmes into channels, we not only created an identity towards which people would feel an affinity, it was also easy to chart the avenues

116 Rosalind Dorsman needed to market them. Briefly, we categorized our programmes into demographic groups, both subject-based and interest-driven. For example, the channel scene, with its emphasis on music, film and literature, should appeal to those with the same interests. Our various channels are detailed below in the table 8.1: Table 8.1. Various channel details Scene: for lovers of music, film and literature Vibes!: for hip and trendy youths Business: for PMEBs to provide networking opportunities Life: for seniors with focus on health-wellness, grand parenting and life-skills Simply: for DIY enthusiasts Paarvai, Arena, Chinese: for quality Indian, Malay and Chinese programmes Heritage: for all who appreciate the rich literary heritage of Singapore Bounce: for little ones with focus on fun and discover

We also revamped our programme guides, Go Library and Go Kids. Previously, programmes were presented in a bimonthly fold-out, with minimal categorization for kids and adults. For example, all “Health” programmes were lumped together, whether they suitable for kids or adults. While the primary aim of the physical guides is to publicize library programmes across the 22 libraries in Singapore (21 public libraries and the National Library in 2008), they also serve to highlight whenever possible the rich and varied resources in the libraries. Programmes are marketed under the above-mentioned channel concept with each channel taking up two or more pages in the physical guides. They list the programmes exclusive to the channel for that month and include carefully selected book reviews and discussions to engage readers and patrons. While the guides consolidate the number of programmes available each month, there is a sense of “preaching to the converted” as the bulk number of the guides are placed in the libraries themselves. It has to be assumed that people picking up the guides are already library visitors. To extend our reach, in April 2008 we also launched “Go Library Virtual” (http://golibrary.nlb.gov.sg) and “Go Media” (http://gomedia.nlb.gov.sg) to help patrons register for popular programmes with a limited number of places. There are two main approaches to our online marketing strategy – home and away. While marketing programmes to library patrons is of course important, it is also a good idea to market programmes outside of the library network so as to entice first-time visitors to the library. The mainstay of our marketing tools, the “Go” Guides, is converted into an online PDF edition that patrons can either browse online or download from our website (http://golibrary.nlb.gov.sg). By using the “Go Guides” as a bridge between the physical and virtual media, we aim to tap into the increasingly “plugged in” mentalities of visitors.

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We wanted “Go Library Virtual” (GLV) to mirror popular cinema websites where up-and-coming movies are given top billing and ease of booking tickets online is top priority. Our “Go Library Virtual” (Figure 8.1) provides functionality and service to patrons who wish to register for programmes online. Utilizing the popular Amazon.com concept in which a customer checks out the items into his or her shopping cart, the website is designed to tap into the established habits of internet-savvy library patrons and make their experience on our website seamlessly intuitive. To build a good foundation for our website, a search engine is also built in to help patrons search for programmes they are interested in, whether by date, location or subject.

Figure 8.1. Snapshot of Go Library

Figure 8.2. Snapshot of Go Media

118 Rosalind Dorsman The team also records quality programmes to put up on “Go Media” (Figure 8.2), especially when they are graced by high-profile personalities. For example, in 2008, John Woo came to the library to give a talk about his film Red Cliff. The talk was meant for 120 patrons but was quickly oversubscribed. The team recorded the interview event and put it up on “Go Media” so that patrons who could not attend the programme could still watch it in the comfort of their own homes. Our two websites (“Go Library Virtual” and “Go Media”) constitute our “Home” approach to marketing programmes online. Though the team has made significant efforts to make it easier to search for programmes online on “Go Library Virtual” and extend the afterlife of programmes on “Go Media”, we also recognize the need to proliferate marketing strategies externally, by actively going out to people. Our “Away” strategy, in essence, aims to populate our programmes on external platforms and via different media. For example:

Classifieds We discussed earlier about the danger of preaching to the converted. The team wants to avoid that by actively enticing first-timers to the library, especially those who think that the library is a little staid. By populating details of our programmes online on events classifieds websites such as www.gumtree.com and www.sgfreeclassifieds.com, we hope to reach out to people who have never been to the library (Figure 8.3).

Figure 8.3. Example of a programmes listing on an event listing website

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External websites Besides populating our events on external classifieds, we also try whenever possible to package our branding in the form of a header (Figure 8.4). We hope, first, to strengthen public awareness of our channel concept and second, to differentiate our programmes from the myriad of other events out there.

Figure 8.4. Example of a programmes listing on a event listening website with our channel branding

Facebook Leveraging on the popular Facebook platform, we have also created a page for each of our channels (Figure 8.5). We hope that by doing so, we not only entice people to attend our programmes but more importantly build a community of interested participants. Not only could “fans” find out more about a particular programme, they could also share with others in the same community photos and other materials after attending the programmes.

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Figure 8.5. Example of Facebook page

YouTube and other video platforms The videos of recorded programmes are tagged and uploaded onto YouTube before they are embedded into “Go Media”. These videos are originally put up on the popular YouTube platform (Figure8.6) so that linking to our “Go Media” website would be easier. Further, by populating YouTube with our videos, we could also entice YouTube viewers to our “Go Media” website. To further proliferate our videos online, we upload them onto different video platforms as well. By first understanding the audience base of, for example, Dailymotion.com, we are able to match our videos to the platforms’ targeted base.

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Figure 8.6. Our YouTube channel page

Feedback While we have identified the online media and tailored information to proliferate across said channels, we soon recognize that not all online media yield the same results. After each of our programmes, we try to get participants to fill up a simple feedback form. Besides finding out the kind of programmes that appeal to participants, we also ask them where they have heard about the programme, listing the various sources, e.g. “Go Library”, website, Facebook page, friend, and so on. Across the almost 3,000 programmes we run each year, most participants read about our programmes from our “Go Library” physical guides, “Go Library” website as well as Facebook pages. There was almost no record of any participant attending our programmes because he/she came across our listing in classified events guides. The most effective form of online marketing tools at our disposal, after our own website is our Facebook pages (Figure 8.7), where a community with the same interest gets to share among each other, for example, photos of events that they have attended together.

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Figure 8.7. Our “Go arts” Facebook page has garnered 1,245 fans so far

Further, to use the example of our “Go Arts” Facebook page, the administrator is able to disseminate vital information (e.g. urgent change in programme timing) and run contests to generate even more interest. Through this Facebook page, we are not only able to brand our channel more effectively; we are also building a community of people passionate about the arts in Singapore who feel that they are also contributing to the scene. It is this very dialogue between the library and the community that is ultimately valuable to both parties. In 2010, we embarked on a revamp of our digital platforms. To focus our efforts on what works is both prudent and effective, we decided to do away with populating event classifieds websites and external interest-group websites, as the completed feedback forms demonstrate. After discussions with various colleagues, we discovered that the colour brown on our website was in fact not appealing to some people, especially since it may be difficult to read white text off a dark background. The hygiene factor plays an important role as it helps push people to explore other pages in the site (Figure 8.8).

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Figure 8.8. Our new look-and-feel for golibrary.nlb.gov.sg

With regard to functionality, there are several learning points from our first foray into online marketing that we hope to incorporate into the revamp. First, to weave inter-connectivity into the website, we included SMS and e-mail reminders, as well as recommend-to-friend features on our website. We have also added a social bar that people could push to social networking websites such as Facebook, Twitter and so on.

Figure 8.9. The NLBmylibrary Facebook app

Second, by working with colleagues from other departments who were developing an NLBmylibrary Facebook app, we integrated source data from our “Go Library” website. This then lets our users post the event details into their Facebook pages and recommend the programmes to his/her friends, hence effectively helping us marketing the programme as well.

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Transaction While the majority of our programmes are free for the public, some of our craft programmes do incur material costs. As we run many of these programmes, especially during school holidays, we require payment to offset these costs and also to guarantee attendance (Figure 8.10).

Figure 8.10 Example of programme with fees

To provide more convenience, 2010’s revamp also includes the incorporation of a payment module (Figure 8.11). We had a difficult time incorporating the payment module, as there were many considerations we had not thought of. For example, we needed a secure site to handle money and much time was spent consulting and testing. We anticipated that people will also want to check their transactions and programme bookings, and thus had to build a payment module. The upgrade thus took longer than we had envisioned. It was almost a year and a half before we had the system in place, figured out the security problems when handling money and accounting issues after receiving money.

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Figure 8.11 “Go Library’s” payment module

Conclusion From 2007, when the objective was to market our programmes online, we have come a long way. We had wanted to create a presence and to link people back to our website. But that’s not enough. We now recognize the impact of the type of online user activity as well as the user’s online social context and the roles they play on the effectiveness of our internet marketing. People are no longer content to receive information but they want information to be tailored for them. Detailing our experience with social media, we netted the IFLA Marketing Award in 2009. While the team is ecstatic that our efforts have been rewarded, we believe that we have not done quite enough. Similar to all libraries around the world, NLB faced the onslaught of the social media phenomenon. Faced with the situation of either adapting to the changes or stick to the usual mode of operations, we chose to plunge into the unknown with a spirit of experimentation. As our paper shows, a lot of what we did and what we implemented was picked up from outside of the library world and not all trials were successful. Yet this period was crucial in enabling the organization to achieve a deeper understanding and appreciation of new dimensions, new challenges and also new solutions. As we enter into the next phase of our development, we now recognize that the type of online user activity as well as the user’s online social context play key roles on the effectiveness of promoting library programmes. Such ac-

126 Rosalind Dorsman tivities on popular web 2.0 platforms range from traditional ones, like reading an article online, to recently adopted conventions, like photo tagging, social bookmarking and messaging. Thus, in addition to the role of online activity type, a user’s social context (that is, the role of a user’s online social network) has a great impact on his/her receptiveness to online marketing. Thus, we try as far as possible to mimic behaviours (on popular social media platforms) that are familiar to our users. To that extent, we realized that behaviour on the internet is no longer solitary; in fact, we now need to create dialogues or conversations through interactivity as the next important feature of the web and new media. Since the internet is a digital medium and communications are mediated by software on the web server that hosts the web content, this provides the opportunity for two-way interaction with the customer. This is increasingly crucial when it comes to marketing and publicity. Conversations in the past were ingrained in the DNA of librarians; through active conversations with our customers, we were able to help them find answers to their questions, recommend them the right resources (and even talks and programmes) and generally sustain an intimate relationship that was the library’s calling card. Today that is now lost as technological developments have eroded the relevance of both libraries and librarianships. We have been trying very hard to regain lost ground since; but in the midst of our transformation, we may have missed out on the key factor that sustains libraries – that essentially we are to talk to our customers, whether physically or even digitally.

Have You Done Your Homework? Five Years on of a Campaign Life-Cycle Rosalind Dorsman Technical Services Librarian, Central West Libraries, New South Wales, Australia

Abstract In 2007, Central West Libraries (CWL, New South Wales, Australia) introduced an online homework service for school students offered through a partnership with a new, dynamic small services company, Tutoring Australasia. The initiative responded to a need, identified during focus group discussions associated with Central West Libraries’ strategic and marketing plans, to provide high-quality assistance independent of where the student resided in the catchment community. The initial campaign called “Have you done your homework?” made an impact and was also awarded the 6th IFLA International Marketing Award in 2008. In the subsequent five years since the online homework service commenced, a number of strategies have been implemented to keep the awareness of the service alive and its provision established as a good investment by CWL.

Introduction Central West Libraries is a regional public library service located in New South Wales, Australia. The central branch and administration unit are in Orange which is an important, economically diverse city in the region. As well as Orange, Central West Libraries provides library services to four other local government areas of Blayney, Cabonne, Cowra and Forbes. Each area, except for Cabonne, has one branch library in the main town. As Cabonne has a number of towns of similar size it supports three smaller branch libraries. Central West Libraries (CWL) undertook a significant community consultation in 2006 as it prepared its strategic and marketing plans for the next five years. Information from focus groups, telephone user and non-user surveys, anecdotal evidence, staff feedback and professional networks indicated that “homework stress” was having an impact on students using our library services.

128 Rosalind Dorsman The resultant plan, “No longer a quiet place: Central West Libraries: a planning framework 2006 to 2009” (2006) made reference to information support for students in the sections on “Begin with young people” and “Information literacy” (pp. 65-68, 80-86). Student focus-group sessions reinforced the need for CWL to investigate other ways to provide assistance to this particular client group. All branches had a strong commitment to customer service but only the central branch, Orange, had the capacity to offer specialized assistance to students (and frequently their parents) seeking help with homework assignments. The solution needed to be able to provide a high-quality service equitably across the seven branches. Additional specialist staff at each location was certainly not an option and referring students back to the central branch would not meet the immediacy required by this group. Many students, especially those living out of town, did not visit the library branches as they had to travel home by bus immediately after the school day finished. In 2007, the answer had been found: “your tutor online classroom” provided through a new Australian services company, Tutoring Australasia1 was introduced into CWL and the campaign “Have you done your homework?” began.

Marketing life cycles Conventional marketing theory postulates that products and services go through a life cycle from inception to demise. Kotler et al. (2003, 313-329) describe the process as beginning with product development where a new product is found and developed, then is introduced to the market where it, hopefully, goes through a growth stage with rapid acceptance before moving on to the fourth stage, maturity. It is in this maturity stage that the product (or service) may undergo modification, improvements and strategy changes in the marketing mix to attract potential buyers and keep existing ones. The final stage, decline, is where the product (or service) has lost its appeal and may disappear or become something different. Unlike most biological life cycles, the marketing adaptation does not have a set period for each stage and so may be applied to the more elastic nature of a campaign to introduce a service like the online classroom. In reviewing the five years since the “Have you done your homework?” campaign commenced, it seems that the service has gone through these stages up to maturity. Kotler et al. (2003, 319-320) also refer to a variation on the product life cycle process applicable to high-technology industries. While the CWL cam1

Tutoring Australasia is Australia’s leading provider of online tutoring and e-services learning “yourtutor” is their online classroom which is available in school and libraries in all states of Australia. More information may be found at their website http://yourtutor. com.au/

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paign does not qualify as an example of a high-technology industry, features of the six zones or stages seem to apply to our experience. The technology adoption cycle recognizes a greater volatility of the sequences through which a product or service with a high technology function goes and this seems particularly pertinent to online services in libraries. The technology adoption cycle begins with the early use by enthusiasts and visionaries (the early market); next comes the “chasm” where the early adopters lose interest and no others take it up. Where the product or service satisfies a niche market, it may progress into the “bowling alley” zone and, if its appeal is broadened to attract mass market adoption, take off like a tornado as many switch to the new technology. The fifth zone, the “main street” is where the product (or service) has become well-established and development continues. In the final zone, “end of life”, new formats supplant the original.

Serendipity marketing Despite good planning for the introduction of a new service in a library and the development of a comprehensive marketing campaign, there is the potential for unexpected, serendipitous events to occur and over which the library has no control. CWL was able to take advantage of some of these at the introductory phase of the campaign. The first was the emergence of the online information services such as “Ask a Librarian”2 and “AskNow”3 virtual reference desk supported by consortia of state, university and public libraries across Australia. This raised the possibility of CWL using these services for student clientele. However, anecdotally there was little awareness of such services among CWL’s student members and few staff had the experience to advocate a virtual reference desk to potential users. The second was the presence of the new online classroom developed by Tutoring, who had already prepared the online infrastructure, appointed experienced tutors and had a readymade marketing programme available for subscribing libraries to implement. CWL became one of the early public libraries to subscribe to this innovative company’s service. The third feature was the increased uptake of internet connections in the region served by CWL. To a somewhat inconsistent degree, connectivity, reli2

3

“Ask a Librarian” services are offered by various library services including the State Library of New South Wales and the National Library of Australia both of which include an online request form. These services do not have real-time chat functionality although they do provide consultations by prior arrangement. “AskNow” chat information service moderated by consortia of Australian libraries is no longer available.

130 Rosalind Dorsman ability, speed and price had improved so that the campaign aim to appeal to students at home had a greater chance of success. More recently, two Australian Government initiatives have built capacity for CWL and “yourtutor” services to reach more households and students. Between 2008 and 2011, the “Digital Education Revolution” programme4 provided laptops for senior students and, although locked down for some online activities, they would be suitable for connecting to the online classroom. The National Broadband Network (NBN) infrastructure project5 promises to eventually bring higher speed internet access to many communities within the CWL footprint. The above three online enablers, appearing independently of CWL plans for delivering online services, are also joined by the phenomenal growth of social media. The demographic cohort of school students is online savvy and expects everything to be easily available to them online. Connecting with “yourtutor” should hit the “main street” zone if CWL can engage their interest through all the “online noise” to which students may choose to be subjected. The distribution element of the marketing mix was facilitated by the combination of existing computer technology and connectivity and a provider ready to tutor online. The fourth serendipitous event occurred when CWL was ready to introduce its online classroom and to launch the campaign. Australian regional and national media were enveloped in a spirited debate about the stress of homework on students and their families. One popular morning television programme, with good coverage over the CWL region, raised the contentious subject of homework during a current affairs segment. As these programmes usually respond to, and occasionally create, viewer interest they tend to act as a barometer of community concerns. The commentators’ opinions are also highly regarded by the general public and have a high acceptance amongst family viewers. This unprecedented and unsolicited media attention allowed CWL to grab greater than usual coverage in the local media when the launch occurred. It is believed that this media attention resulted in the peak in the number of sessions in May and June 2007 during the introduction of the new online classroom service. 4

5

As part of the “Digital Education Revolution” programme of the Australian Federal Government, from 2008 students in the last four years of high school would receive a laptop which was ready to use for their studies. The roll out was to take 4 years with the last equipment being received by early 2012. The emphasis of the “Digital Education Revolution” was then to be towards digital content and teaching aids. The programme has had its critics but for the purposes of CWL online delivery, it had the potential to add access for students less able to purchase their own equipment. The Australian Government National Broadband Network (NBN) is a large scale infrastructure project which will provide faster, more reliable broadband access to all Australian premises. The connectivity is being rolled out progressively but it is not yet available in CWL’s footprint. Details available at http://www.nbn.gov.au/.

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Face-to-face paradox The term “face-to-face paradox” has been coined to describe the way in which traditional media and promotions worked to establish awareness of an online service. Print, radio and television media reached a wide audience and generated immediate interest. Follow-up with interaction between an enthusiastic, knowledgeable staff and a group of students or an individual was more influential in generating use of the online classroom than CWL’s virtual efforts. The library’s collection had included online resources for some time but the interactive online classroom was an entirely different offering which would rely on early-adopter enthusiasts to validate the somewhat risky investment. The mainstream community had not yet taken up a significant interest in social networking media so it was the conventional promotion that was effective to foster visits to the CWL “yourtutor” site. Tutoring Australasia had also developed a range of material to promote the service and this was used extensively at all CWL branches. They also ran a number of online promotions with prizes for students and libraries who subscribed to the service. For CWL these promotions did not result in increased use so it would appear that the online promotion of an online service was then less than ideal. When it appeared that the campaign and the service had hit the “chasm zone” in early 2008, personal letters of invitation were sent to a select group of CWL members. The criteria were that their membership was due to lapse and that they were entering the final two years of high school. The invitation included quotations from satisfied online classroom users with the expectation that peer recommendation would be more potent than that from library staff. This strategy resulted in approximately 46% of the annual sessions occurring during the mail-out period. In 2010 and 2011, face-to-face demonstrations of the online classroom were conducted to students at their schools. The personal approach from a credible source (CWL) and with a person nominated as a contact within the library, had the desired effect. After each visit, the number of sessions increased to the point where the total number of sessions for the year secured the continuance of the service subscription. At the end of each session, the student may answer the question “Would you recommend this service to a friend?”. In 2010 and 2011, almost 80% said that they would do so. While CWL has no way of knowing whether this peerto-peer recommendation ever occurred, it indicated that word of mouth remains a powerful part of the promotions mix.

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Figure 9.1. Percentage that would recommend service to a friend

In late 2011, CWL launched a substantially redesigned website which gave greater prominence to the “yourtutor” link. This visibility had been strongly advocated by Tutoring Australasia as being the most important online tool for bringing clients to the online classroom. Initial reports from January to May 2012 showed that the number of sessions had already reached about 43% of the previous year’s total. If the trend continued, we could conclude that an online campaign might supplant the personal one in most circumstances.

Not just about size CWL had particular objectives when it launched the online classroom. These were based on providing a needed service rather than on absolute numbers of users. It was recognized that both the campaign and the service would go through a number of peaks and troughs before the online service could become an integral part of what CWL had to offer students. Since 2007, the online classroom has been evaluated to determine its future. As long as it met some service criteria, the subscription would continue. The evaluation criteria include: – – – – –

Available at the same level of quality from all branches; Significant percentage of remote (i.e. at home) users; Available outside library opening hours; Client satisfaction; Ability to deliver assistance in subject areas with which staff have limited expertise (e.g. mathematics, science); – Cost per session commensurate with the average cost of library resources; and – Satisfaction with service partner.

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Objective evaluation of the service and the initial “Have you done your homework?” campaign and its successors includes statistics of the number of sessions, which year of school students attend, with what subjects they require assistance, the average session time online and the student’s location. All this information is provided in monthly reports devised by the service provider, Tutoring Australasia. Until 2012, feedback was provided about whether the online tutor helped with their assignment. The monthly reports also include optional comments solicited from the students. While these may range from positive exclamations like “cool”, “great” and “amazing help” they also contain suggestions such as “have longer hours”, “have a microphone on the library computers so we can talk,” “had to wait ages to get on.” CWL can address some of this qualitative feedback but issues such as connectivity are outside the library’s control. The capacity to assist with specialist subjects is well documented. A chart shows the percentage of sessions each year which involve tutoring in mathematics from the basics to specialist levels. It has been a consistently high performer when compared with all other subjects and soared in 2011 to over 70% of total annual sessions. If the percentage of mathematics printed works that are currently circulating is investigated, the result of about 1% is such a dramatic difference from the online classroom figures that the value of online sessions is confirmed. It may be time to plan and introduce a variant campaign to capitalize on this demonstrated need.

Figure 9.2. Mathematics sessions as a percentage of all sessions

Questions of branding, loyalty and trust Guided by the strategic and marketing plans research, senior staff at CWL were convinced that it would only be possible to deliver the type of high quality homework service that was desired if a third party were engaged. This created some challenges as not all staff was convinced that online resources would be

134 Rosalind Dorsman acceptable to CWL clientele or that the uptake would warrant the implementation costs. The initial “Have you done your homework?” campaign needed to persuade some in-house staff that the identity of CWL was not compromised. Any plan had to take this into account and recognize that fundamentally, as a library service, CWL’s role was as a facilitator between the enquirer and the information sought. CWL should not need to own the online information any more than they would for the content of printed resources. Another question was whether the provision of the online classroom through an intermediary, Tutoring Australasia, made a strong enough link between homework assistance and Central West Libraries. Once the student clicks on the link to “yourtutor,” they leave CWL and are placed in the hands of the provider who has a strong, albeit commercial, incentive to deliver what is required. While this creates tension between the brands of “yourtutor” and CWL, library membership is essential to gain access to the service. The campaign message consistently reinforced the click through access from the CWL website or a URL incorporating CWL in the address. As there is the desire to clearly identify CWL with the service, it may seem counter-intuitive that one of its main purposes was, and is, to allow students to participate away from the library branches and outside some of their opening hours. Between about 50% and .70% of students reporting their location nominate that they are “at home” rather than at one of the seven library branches. This is the result that CWL wishes to achieve and grow as online connectivity improves in more remote areas. However, more detailed information would be useful so that it may be understood whether the student “at home” lives near one of the branch localities. This would help to predict whether branch based campaigns would bring more users to the service or if future efforts should be directed more intensively to online methods.

Figure 9.3. Percentage of users reporting their location as “at home”

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As a product or service moves through to the growth and maturity stages, customer relationships, loyalty and trust are important to maintain relevance to consumers. A characteristic of the online environment, especially since the upsurge of social networking, is feedback. Satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the online classroom can be directed at the provider and also forwarded to CWL through monthly reports. The target audience of students is quick to give an opinion and to seek alternative sources of support if assistance falls short of their expectations. Examples of comments that may indicate a turn away from the service include: “never again”, “didn’t help a whole lot”, and, in a more positive vein, “excellent was worth the wait”. The library’s reputation as a source of trusted information is at stake if satisfaction rates fall below acceptable levels. Fortunately, this has not happened. Another area that the campaign has been so far unable to address is evidence of loyalty as expressed by repeat visits to the online classroom. Some comments provide anecdotal evidence of students returning to the service and face-to-face conversations indicate that some students go back for assistance with the same subjects or with different ones. Some comments from students that suggest that they have used the service before or will do so in the future include: “my favourite tutor so far”, “I hope I have him next time”, “when I get stuck with questions I come to ‘yourtutor’ and get help so that I can complete my homework faster” and “whenever I need help with homework or assessments I know I can rely on ‘yourtutor’”. These quotations also show that the brand recognition is with “yourtutor” rather than with CWL so effort needs to be placed in ensuring the connection is made with the library service as the facilitator. The promotional strategy, especially at the beginning, has been targeted towards raising awareness of the service and seeking new clients. In future, CWL needs to look at ways to re-engage and reward former participants who still require homework assistance.

Campaign life cycle After five years, marketing of the service by CWL has settled into a phase parallel with the maturity and main street stages used in marketing theory. The initial “Have you done your homework?” campaign did not have a finite conclusion but rather scaled down into a less aggressive promotion. Face-to-face promotion managed to rekindle interest and also emphasised the need to continue to assess the marketing campaign for more effective methods. Table 9.1 summarizes the campaign life cycle using a combination of the product life cycle and the technology adoption cycles described by Kotler et al. (2003).

136 Rosalind Dorsman Table 9.1. Campaign life cycle concepts Product life cycle & technology adoption cycle [after Kotler et al.]

“Have you done your homework?” campaign life cycle

Product development

Needs scoping Provider search

Introduction & early market

Launch service and campaign Benefit from media interest in homework issues Early adopters use service Curious try service

Chasm

Introductory campaign concluded Mail out invitation to raise awareness Lowest number of annual sessions Continuity in danger – reconsider strategies to promote service

Growth, bowling alley & tornado

Step up face to face promotion Reinvigorate handout material Educate staff to promote more effectively

Maturity & main street

Research & scan competitors Introduce social media links Revisit needs analysis Confirm links to overall strategic & marketing plans

Decline & end of life

Not reached

CWL’s partner, Tutoring Australasia has developed its online services in response to its customers. They support more subjects under the “yourtutor” product and have added new e-learning modules to suit different market segments. Part of Central West Libraries’ consideration of its next phase in marketing online services will be to investigate which new services are suitable and what level of financial commitment will bring the desired results. The future will be another exciting marketing project for Central West Libraries.

IFLA International Marketing Award experience The IFLA International Marketing Award recognizes and rewards library projects that demonstrate the application of marketing principles and that will encourage other libraries to initiate their own projects. A jury panel selects a winner and two runners-up according to a range of published criteria which may emphasise different attributes each year. The project does not need to be large or require significant resources; it needs to show that the project and marketing strategies involved reflect what is required for that particular service. In 2008, the “Have you done your homework?” project received the sixth International Marketing Award, which enabled Rosalind Dorsman to attend the IFLA congress in Quebec City, Canada. The main features of the campaign re-

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cognized by the jury panel were the background research, application of existing information, use of partnerships, the ability to link hot media topics into the campaign and the existence of plans to continue. It was an honour and a privilege to attend the conference and to be able subsequently to share the whole experience with colleagues from across the world. Any library services with an interest in the application of marketing principles will find the IFLA Marketing and Management Section is a valuable resource. For those embarking on a marketing project for the first time, a study of the IFLA International Marketing Award submission form will give them a framework around which they can build a successful project. It is highly recommended as an excellent way to participate in your personal professional development and assist your library service at the same time.

References Kotler, P. et al. 2003. Principles of marketing. Frenchs Forest: Pearson Education Australia. “No longer a quiet place: Central West Libraries: A planning framework 2006 to 2009”. 2006. Orange: Central West Libraries.

Building Community and Fostering Connection in a Canadian Academic Library through a Buttons Campaign Nancy Collins Communications and Liaison Librarian, University of Waterloo Library, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Abstract The University of Waterloo Library (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada) was placed second in the tenth Annual IFLA International Marketing Award for its buttons campaign. Launched during the fall of 2010, the campaign featured thirteen button designs that captured the visual identity of the library’s different locations. The purpose of the campaign was to generate library pride and celebrate the connection that students, faculty, and staff feel for the library. It was also intended to educate students about the library’s different locations, to unify and engage the library’s different locations under one campaign, and to surprise and delight library visitors. Since launching the campaign, students, faculty, and staff have picked up close to 30,000 buttons. The button designs have also been used to brand a wide range of promotional materials including bookmarks, workshop brochures, and posters. This article describes the buttons campaign, including the campaign’s concept, its many facets, and planned future directions.

Introduction The University of Waterloo is located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It has close to 35,000 full and part-time students and has been ranked as Canada’s “most innovative university” for 20 consecutive years (About Waterloo 2012). At the University of Waterloo Library, we aim to be innovative in the delivery of services and resources to Waterloo students, faculty, and staff. Part of how we accomplish this is through a strong focus on marketing and user engagement. Our marketing efforts have been coordinated by the library’s Outreach Committee since the committee was formed in 2004.

140 Nancy Collins Initially, the Outreach Committee focused its efforts primarily on a promotional poster and bookmark series that used the American Library Association’s “@ your library” brand (Caldwell 2006; Campaign for America’s Libraries 2013). Shortly after, we started to expand our reach to coordinate other initiatives such as events and contests. The impetus for our buttons campaign came from the recognition that Waterloo students, faculty, and staff feel a strong connection to the library. This sense of connection was something that was becoming evident through the success of various initiatives coordinated by the Outreach Committee: – “Why do YOU love the library?”: video contest – In 2008, we held a “Why do YOU love the library” video contest where we asked students to describe, in 45 seconds or less, why they loved the library. We received 18 outstanding entries where students creatively articulated the reasons why they love the library (Collins 2008). – Photo contest: In 2009, we held a photo contest where we asked students, faculty, and staff to submit pictures of their favourite spots in the library along with a description of why they liked them. The results gave us an even greater appreciation of the importance of the library’s spaces in our users’ lives (Collins 2009). – “Doodle Dana” activity: One year during our Annual Library Day event, students, faculty, and staff drew over 100 “doodles” of the Dana Porter Library during a “Doodle Dana” activity (UW Library Day’s photostream 2008). The idea for this activity was to capture the variety of ways that our users envision the Dana Porter Library. – E-card activity: Every year during our Library Day event, one of the most popular activities is an e-card event, where visitors have the opportunity to get their pictures taken by a professional photographer on a “libraryinspired” set. Figures 10.1 and 10.2 show a couple of examples. Through the activities described above, we became increasingly aware that Waterloo students, faculty, and staff feel strongly connected to the library’s locations. All that was missing was a way for them to express the connection that they felt! The buttons campaign was intended to fill this gap and provide users with a way to express their allegiance to the library, or as often was the case, to specific library locations. By doing so, our hope was to help build community and foster feelings of connection. On a separate level, we also recognized that the buttons campaign was a possible way to unify and engage all of the library’s locations under one marketing campaign. As often happens in large library systems, each of our library’s locations has a unique identity, culture, and community. We needed a way to strengthen the identity of the library as a whole, while also celebrating the

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individual differences of our many locations. The buttons campaign was a perfect strategy for accomplishing this aim.

Figure 10.1. E-card activity from Library Day 2010

Figure 10.2. E-card activity from Library Day 2009

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The buttons campaign The University of Waterloo Library launched the buttons campaign during the fall of 2010. The core campaign features 13 button designs that capture the visual identity of the six library locations that Waterloo students, faculty, and staff have grown to love – all in one-inch buttons! These buttons are visible in this article and also on the buttons campaign website (Library buttons 2012).

Objectives of the buttons campaign – Generate library pride. The campaign was intended to provide a way for students, faculty, and staff to express the connection they felt to the library; – Educate our users about the library’s different locations. Before this campaign, many of the library’s users were only aware of the library’s two largest locations (the Dana Porter and Davis Centre libraries). We wanted to raise awareness of the library’s other locations; – Unify and engage the library’s different locations under one marketing campaign. We needed a way to strengthen the identity of the library as a whole, while also celebrating the diversity of our different locations; and – Surprise and delight library visitors. Things can get pretty serious in academic libraries sometimes. Students are stressed. Faculty members need things yesterday. Research can be a maze-like endeavour. This campaign was intended to bring out the fun side of the library.

Audience All of the library’s users have taken an interest in the buttons campaign; however, we designed it primarily for students. Our focus on students was particularly relevant when selecting the location abbreviations for the buttons. For example, we selected “DP” and “DC” as abbreviations for the “Dana Porter” and “Davis Centre” libraries’ buttons entirely based on student feedback. Before designing the buttons, we conducted a brief survey to see what students call the library’s locations in their own words. We found out, for example, that the majority of students call the Dana Porter Library “DP” and the Davis Centre Library “DC” even though staff members refer to these locations as “Porter” and “Davis.”

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Product: the buttons The buttons campaign emphasises the library as space and recognizes the strong connection that students, faculty, and staff form with the library’s physical locations. The library’s locations include the Dana Porter Library, the Davis Centre Library, the Musagetes Architecture Library, the University Map Library, the Witer Learning Resource Centre, and the Pharmacy Resource Centre, depicted in Figures 10-3 to 10-8.

Figure 10.3. “DP” – The Dana Porter Library. This is the arts, humanities, and social sciences library. It is located on Waterloo’s main campus.

Figure 10.4. “DC” – The Davis Centre Library. This is the engineering, mathematics, and physical and life sciences library. It is located on the main campus.

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Figure 10.5. “ARCH” – The Musagetes Architecture Library. This is the School of Architecture’s library. It is located in Cambridge, Ontario, about a 30-minute drive from Waterloo’s main campus.

Figure 10.6. “MAP” – The University Map Library. This is the library for cartographic materials including paper maps, atlases, and geospatial data. It is located on the main campus.

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Figure 10.7. “WLRC” – The Witer Learning Resource Centre. This is the optometry library. It is located on the main campus.

Figure 10.8. “PHARM” – The Pharmacy Resource Centre. It is located in the School of Pharmacy, a satellite location in Kitchener, Ontario, about a 10-minute drive from Waterloo’s main campus.

There were one to three button designs for each library location. All of the button designs featured photographs of details from each Library’s physical location (most often these are architectural or interior design details) that visitors could readily recognize upon closer inspection. Examples to illustrate this include the distinctive arches framing the windows at the Dana Porter Library (Figure 10.9) and the edge of students’ study carrels at the Davis Centre Library (Figure 10.10).

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Figure 10.9. Distinctive arches framing the windows at the Dana Porter Library

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Figure 10.10. Students’ study carrels at the Davis Centre Library

Further examples include the door to the University Map Library (Figure 10.11), lights inside the Davis Centre Library (Figure 10.12), and some of students’ very favourite chairs in the WLRC (Figure 10.13).

Figure 10.11. Door to the University Map Library

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Figure 10.12. Lights inside the Davis Centre Library

Figure 10.13. Some of students’ very favourite chairs in the WLRC

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Creating demand A key component of our buttons campaign was to also create a demand for the buttons. Instead of making all of the buttons widely available, the committee sought to spark interest and generate demand by only distributing the buttons in their respective locations. To further the challenge, each location only distributed one design at a time and always somewhat sporadically. As a result, people were required to visit the library’s different locations to complete their buttons collection. We would often hear from visitors, “there’s an optometry library?” … “What’s the map library?” and quickly people began to regularly visit the library’s locations in order to complete their collections. To maintain the campaign’s momentum, we also created special-edition buttons (Special edition buttons 2012). These included a Valentine’s Day button (Figure 10.14), which was very popular (running out in a matter of days in our busiest locations), and a series of limited edition buttons that we distributed for only one day on our annual “Library Day” event (Figure 10.15).

Figure 10.14. Valentine’s Day button

Figure 10.15. Two examples of limited edition buttons

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Price We did not charge for the library buttons. We were often contacted by individuals interested in purchasing the buttons; however, we never pursued the idea of selling them.

Promotion Much of the interest in the buttons campaign grew out from word-of-mouth. That said, we did promote the campaign in a handful of ways: – Created a poster (Figure 10.16) and bookmark (Figure 10.17) featuring the button designs. Posters were posted across campus and the bookmarks were offered in the library’s locations and distributed to other areas upon request. –

Figure 10.16. Buttons campaign poster

Figure 10.17. The back of the buttons campaign bookmark

– Used the button images as the profile pictures on each library; location’s Facebook page. For example, the profile image for the Davis Centre Library’s Facebook page is shown in Figure 10.18;

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Figure 10.18. Profile image for the Davis Centre Library’s Facebook page

– Created a website for the buttons campaign; – Used the button images to brand the Library’s signage, handouts, and other promotions. Examples include a workshop poster to promote the library’s regularly-offered workshops, a welcome sign that is used at the start of term (Figure 10.19), and a locations poster that is used at the library’s information booth during campus events (Figure 10.20);

Figure 10.19. A welcome poster used at the start of the term

152 Nancy Collins – Created four videos on the buttons campaign which were streamed on digital display screens across the university’s campus: – Video 1: http://tinyurl.com/cwcdt75; – Video 2: http://tinyurl.com/crbkw8w; – Video 3: http://tinyurl.com/ca7l44k; – Video 4: http://tinyurl.com/bo99sfe; – Promoted the campaign via the Library’s Twitter feed at http://twitter. com/uwlibrary.

Figure 10.20. A poster used at the Library’s information booth during campus events

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Place The buttons were primarily distributed in their respective locations at the circulation and research help desks. The buttons were placed in bowls beneath the sign reproduced in Figure 10.21.

Figure 10.21. Promotional sign used on the service desks where the buttons were distributed

154 Nancy Collins Library staff would also distribute the buttons at the library’s information booth during campus events and occasionally librarians would bring the buttons as incentives during class visits.

Costs The primary costs associated with the buttons campaign were: – – – –

Professional photography and design; Professional button printing; Button-making supplies, for printing buttons ourselves as required; Additional design work to create the poster.

The costs were primarily covered from the library’s publications budget. Since this publications budget is required to cover much more than just a single campaign (it covers any printing of handouts, signage, library brochures, etc.), expenses for this campaign were also partially covered by the library’s operating budget. Although the core buttons were designed and printed professionally, we did do a significant amount of design and print work in-house. We designed and punched buttons for the Valentine’s Day “library love” button and we also designed one of the core buttons (PHARM) and two of the limited edition buttons (PHARM and one of the DP buttons). However, we purposely had most of the buttons professionally designed as we wanted to give this project the professional look it deserved. It was also more feasible to have the buttons made, due to the sheer bulk that we required. We did purchase our own button-making machine and supplies so we could create our own buttons whenever necessary.

Evaluation The sheer number of buttons distributed during the year offered the Outreach Committee quantitative evidence of the marketing campaign’s popularity. We distributed close to 26,000 buttons during the 2010-2011 academic year – a considerable achievement, considering that the university’s full-time enrolment was just over 26,000 during that year. The number of buttons we distributed continued to grow after this period and reached close to 30,000. Evidence of the campaign’s success was also visible just by taking a walk across campus. Students would often pin the library buttons onto their knapsacks and pencil cases. The picture reproduced at Figure 10.22 was captured by a staff member while waiting in line for coffee one day and shows a student with a variety of the library buttons pinned onto her knapsack.

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Figure 10.22. Students often pinned the library buttons onto their knapsacks

Perhaps the most useful measure of the campaign’s success has been the amount and quality of feedback that we have received about the buttons from students, faculty, and staff. The buttons campaign has generated not only the interest of these groups, but even one of the university’s top administrators, who had been spotted visiting our various locations to complete his collection before finally requesting a full set from our University Librarian. We have also been contacted on numerous occasions by current students looking for buttons, by alumni living out of town, and by staff members from across campus won-

156 Nancy Collins dering if we sell collector’s sets. Below are some examples of the feedback we have received: From a student, by e-mail: “I find this campaign really interesting and engaging, and a great incentive for everyone to visit the different libraries on campus. During last year, I tried to collect the full set and even contemplated visiting the Architecture campus in order to collect the button. I definitely think it would be a great idea to reprint the buttons because there are many friends I know who are just as enthusiastic about the library button campaign as I am who were on co-op this term and therefore missed out on the chance to collect the buttons from this year’s Library day.” From an alumnus, by e-mail: “I just saw the buttons from the library’s twitter feed. I am a recent grad and I would love to get a handful of buttons for me and my friends. I really like the one of the DC desks. There was a core group of 6 of us who slugged it away every day in those desks. How can I purchase these?” From a student, by e-mail: “This is a random request that I wanted to address you with. I have loved the idea of the Library pins and have collected a few that are around the campus. My friend’s birthday is coming up in September and she’s more of a fanatic than I am so I thought this would be a great gift idea for her. I was wondering if the university sold a packaged set of pins in a decorative manner that I could give to my friend as a present. She will be graduating this fall so I thought it would be a great “goodbye” present as well. Please let me know if you can help or have any suggestions as to who I should contact for further assistance!” From a university staff member (outside the Library), by e-mail: “I sit on the Kitchener Public Library Board and would love to take these buttons to give to my fellow board members. We have a board meeting next week. Any chance I could get 12 of these buttons?”

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And a follow-up e-mail, sent after her meeting with the Library Board … “I just wanted to follow up about the library love buttons you gave me to share with the KPL board. They were a hit, they all put them on and one of the members tweeted about the button during the meeting. And I convinced one of the city councilors who sit on the board to wear it to Monday’s budget council meeting when he speaks about why the KPL shouldn’t take a 5% budget cut. Library love indeed! I did have to give out my button so if you have another I would be happy to take it. Thanks – cute idea.” From a current student, by e-mail, who was hoping to complete her collection: “I am so glad that I found most of the buttons, but there are still two buttons that I have no idea where they are. For the two ARCH, the Musagetes Architecture Library is that in Cambridge? OMG, that’s too far from main campus... and for PHARM, The University Map Library is that the same location as the one for MAP buttons? Why I haven’t seen that there? I am getting close to collect them all. Hope I can find the rest of them before the term ends.” Figure 10.23 shows a screenshot taken from “OMGUW”, an anonymous online forum created by University of Waterloo students (at http://www.omguw.com/ 2010/11/5558.html). A very important measure of success for this campaign was also the amount of positive feedback and support that the Outreach Committee received from other library staff members about the buttons. We were often contacted by staff members who were enthusiastically collecting the buttons themselves and were wondering how they could complete their collection and what we had planned next. The level of staff involvement was an encouraging surprise and it really brought staff together to help make the campaign a success. Lastly, an important measure of success was also the support that the Outreach Committee received from the library’s administration. Our library’s Executive recognized the campaign’s value and offered financial support beyond our regular budget when required.

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Figure 10.23 A screenshot taken from “OMGUW”.

Future directions The buttons campaign was so successful for our library that we decided to continue with the buttons theme, but to change it to focus on designs that students created themselves. During the month of March 2012 we held a buttons contest where we asked students to design their own “library-inspired” buttons (Figure 10.24). Students could paint, draw, or photograph their button design to express whatever inspired them about the University of Waterloo Library or libraries in general. As incentives, we offered a Canadian $ 250 cash prize for the top button design and, perhaps more enticing for most students, we committed to printing and distributing the top ten button designs at all of the library locations starting in the fall of 2012. As a further incentive, we offered all entrants five buttons featuring their button design – whether or not they won.

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Figure 10.24. Poster to promote the buttons contest

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160 Nancy Collins The response to this contest was outstanding. Students submitted a total of 223 “library inspired” button designs, so it was very difficult to select only ten. The final top ten designs that we selected to distribute in all of the library’s locations starting fall 2012, and the winner, are pictured in Figure 10.25.

Figure 10.25. Top 10 button designs

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The Library purchased button-making supplies and will be printing these buttons ourselves in preparation for fall 2012. More information about these designs and the contest can also be found on the Library’s buttons campaign website, on a page dedicated to the contest (Collins 2012).

Conclusion The main objective of the buttons campaign was to generate library pride and celebrate the connection that students, faculty, and staff feel for the library. Secondary objectives were to educate students about the library’s different locations, to unify and engage the library’s different locations under one campaign, and to surprise and delight library visitors. Based on the positive response to the campaign and the feedback that the library has received from our students, faculty, and staff, we feel that the campaign has been a successful initiative for engaging with our users and accomplishing these objectives. To revisit the quote by our University Librarian appearing at the start of this paper, “casual approaches” like the buttons campaign should not be overlooked, as “the goodwill they generate is priceless”. This has been our experience at the University of Waterloo and it will continue to inform the approach that our Outreach Committee takes when developing new marketing initiatives in the future.

References “About Waterloo: who we are.” 2012. Accessed 12 March 2013. https://uwaterloo.ca/about/ who-we-are. Caldwell, R. 2006. “Teamwork @ your library. news @ your library.” Accessed on 1 March 2013. http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/newsatlib/060420/teamwork.html. “Campaign for America’s libraries.” 2013. American Library Association. Accessed 1 March 2013. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/advleg/publicawareness/campaign%40your library. Collins, N. 2008. “Winners of the ‘Why do YOU love the Library?’ contest announced. Accessed 1 March 2013. http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/contests/lovelibrary/contestwinners. html. Collins, N. 2009. “Library photo contest – results!”. news @ your library. Accessed 1 March 2013. http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/newsatlib/090312/photocontest.html. Collins, N. 2012. “Buttons Contest Winners.” news @ your library. Accessed 1 March 2013. http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/newsatlib/120426/buttonscontestwinners. “Library buttons.” 2012. University of Waterloo Library. Accessed 1 March 2013. http:// www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/buttons/index.html. “Special edition buttons.” 2012. University of Waterloo Library. http://www.lib.uwaterloo. ca/buttons/specialeditions.html. UW Library Day’s photostream: doodle dana. 2008. University of Waterloo Library. Accessed 1 March 2013. http://www.flickr.com/photos/uwlibraryday/.

StoryTubes Contest: Marketing Libraries in the Digital Age Faith Brautigam Director, Kokomo-Howard County Public Library, USA and

Denise Raleigh Division Chief, Public Relations & Development, Gail Borden Public Library District, Elgin, Illinois, USA

Abstract Using the power of social media, the StoryTubes Contest generates reading passion, taking it from a solitary pastime to a shared interactive experience. StoryTubes builds technology skills and engages students as active designers of content, inviting them to create short, digital videos about their favourite books. It then pulls in viewers of all ages to interact with the videos. Through participant enthusiasm and the power of the internet it has spread to include three countries since its inception in 2008 and has garnered interest from around the world while winning a national award for innovation in technology. It has also bridged demographic gaps, with participants representing diverse locales, income levels, and native languages. The project is effective on multiple levels: it succeeds as a library marketing tool and as a resource-stretching partnership while creating a real-world educational environment and a modeling virtual library service in the digital age. By marrying reading with technology, it re-brands reading as a 21st-century pursuit. The paper discusses developments of StoryTubes programme during the last four years.

Why is StoryTubes valuable marketing? In marketing terms, StoryTubes is a tremendous project that engages users in creative action with remarkable reach offered at a minimal price. Belmont (2007) described marketing success this way: “Today, the customer in charge makes all the money”; and: “Allow consumers to help you shape the brand experience. … Content is no longer something you push out. Content is an invitation to engage.”

164 Faith Brautigam and Denise Raleigh While library marketing is more often about making additional customers than about making money, StoryTubes draws customers by putting them in charge. They are in charge of creating content from start to finish with minimal restrictions, and are in every way “invited to engage”. As for Belmont’s second point, asking readers to create content related to their love of books is inviting them to help to “shape the brand experience” more than we might imagine. While library services are changing dramatically, books and reading are still the library’s brand across all ages of library users according to a report (Perceptions of libraries 2010, 38). Following is a summary of the value of StoryTubes, given in traditional marketing terms:

Specific offer With StoryTubes featuring self-created videos about favourite books, it connects entrants in a meaningful way despite the great variation in entries. The videos run the gamut. They can be as simple as one child holding a book while expressing heartfelt statements. They can be as sophisticated as a group of students designing a book commercial using green-screen technology and extraordinary editing. Whatever the entry, the project is about marrying enthusiasm for reading with the exploration of new technologies.

Product The StoryTubes project is a two-minute or shorter “my favourite book” online video contest that uses both YouTube and TeacherTube as video hosts. Teacher Tube was added in 2009 due to requests from educators in districts that blocked YouTube.

Customer costs The beauty of this project is its minimal cost for entrants. The video can be filmed by phone, digital camera, webcam or video camera. Once footage is captured, there are many free videoing editing programs such as Windows Movie Maker and Apple’s iMovie. After the video is edited, both YouTube and TeacherTube are free video hosts. Time and creativity are the major costs, and to minimize technology learning time the StoryTubes website has video “How tos” such as “What is StoryTubes” (n.d.). Libraries are the perfect partners for this project due to their roles as technology facilitators and providers of technology access.

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Promotional tools Marketing of the project is very low cost. Downloadable posters, instructions, and release forms are housed on the StoryTubes website. The real cost is in the engagement experience, people’s time spent with each other, talking and working with one another about books and technology. Regardless of whether the final product is an individual or group entry, entries nearly always involve adult and student communication and interaction. Without any advertising budget or formal campaign, Googling “StoryTubes” today results in over 112,000 links such as these (Caskey 2010): “Today from Kalamazoo Public Library’s website – Your Own Book Reviews are fun for you to make and fun to listen to. Did you know there’s a nationwide contest of videos made by kids talking about their favorite books? It’s called “StoryTubes”, and it’s awesome! While KPL doesn’t provide cameras to record videos at the library, you can make your own “my favorite book” video with a digital camera or even a cell phone with video, upload it to YouTube or TeacherTube and enter the StoryTubes contest. Just how creative can you be in a video talking about your favorite book in less than two minutes?”

Assessment tools The other component that makes StoryTubes a marketing gem is the readily available assessment tools. A check of one YouTube entry indicates that a simple entry on “The Lightning Thief” has been viewed over 23,000 times (Zooey 2007). This YouTube entry is followed by over 10 pages of comments of young people engaging with each other about their love of a book.1 The Gail Borden Public Library entered a number of their entries using one account over the period of three years, from 2007–2009. These 105 entries have been viewed 205,455 times. These results indicate that there are multitude points of engagement with the library brand from creation to discussions that happen for months and years afterword. In addition, StoryTubes positions the library’s brand as not only furthering the use of books, but creating content to advocate to others about reading.

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Entered on YouTube under the name of the contest during its first year, “Storypalooza”. The subsequent year, the partners voted to change the name to “StoryTubes”.

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Library message: empowering creativity Empowering creativity is important to library message in the internet age. The OCLC report From Awareness to Funding (2008) found that the place for purposeful information no longer holds the esteem that it once had relative to library funding support. Transformative experiences are now key to library support. This report found (page 4-12) that: “The degree to which the public library was perceived as transformational is significantly higher among the most committed funding supporters (voters who said they would definitely vote yes for a library referendum, ballot initiative or bond measure). There are 16 emotional or intellectual rewards that the most committed funding supporters associate with the public library. Of this list of 16 attributes, half are in the ‘purposeful transformation’ quadrant of the Emotional and Intellectual.” The report lists these purposeful transformation attributes as: – – – – – – – –

helps create who you are; makes you feel good about yourself; allows you to appreciate the beauty in life; you come away feeling like you really learned something; fills you with hope and optimism; empowers you; helps you seek truth; serves a serious purpose.

For the majority of StoryTubes entrants, the contest embodies nearly all of the attributes described above. It also has the opportunity to connect people to their library at a young age, providing a springboard for a positive relationship that can last through life.

Why is StoryTubes timely? Social media have shifted the very foundations of human interaction. What was once private is now public; geographic boundaries no longer apply; friends, casual acquaintances, and total strangers interact over shared interests both within and outside of real time. As an early adapter of social technology, StoryTubes sought to redefine reading. Historically, reading has been a private pursuit, developed long before technology and at a time when options for both entertainment and education were limited. In our current society, as children

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mature their interest in reading for fun declines while the time they spend going online or using a cell phone increases (2010 Kids and Family Reading Report 2010, 7) . By embracing technology, the StoryTubes Contest has the opportunity to use a social platform to increase interest in reading and to improve students’ perception of reading as a pastime.

A 21st-century model Most students are very familiar with movie “trailers”, short ads for upcoming movies shown on television and in movie theatres. StoryTubes invites students from age five through eighteen to create their own “ad” for a book. Entries range from the very simplest – a student talking on-camera about a favourite book – to complex entries using sophisticated technology and scripts. The book “ads” first become social by being uploaded to YouTube or TeacherTube, then entered into the contest and viewable on the StoryTubes website. The contest itself is open to English speakers everywhere. When viewing contest videos, the variation in accents, vocabulary, and usage bespeaks the diverse regional and national beginnings of the participants. It also reminds us of how the internet has connected the world. Simply using the internet to feature students’ impressions about books removes geographic boundaries, as well. Not only may their work be shared with friends and relatives, regardless of location, it is also available to others with shared interests. In addition, one’s own work can then be compared to others’ entries, regardless of the physical location of that student. In speaking about the videos created by English-language learners in a sheltered instructional setting, Beth Enochs, librarian at George C. Clarke Elementary School in Fort Worth Texas noted that through the project the students gained “...a sense that they were a part of the world beyond themselves,” something that is a particular goal of the programme (Enochs 2009). Being an actual contest, videos are judged by a panel of experts and a few select videos receive prizes. All other entries, however, are eligible for runners-up or wild-card online voting. As families, schools, and communities mobilize their votes, the global nature of the internet continues to come into play. By spot-checking IP addresses, we have verified online support in the form of votes arriving from across the country and literally from around the world. Online voting utilizes the power of the virtual world to bring visibility to students’ work. Traditional, physical student projects are unlikely to be viewed outside the classroom, or at the most, the school walls. The StoryTubes Contest has been used as an alternative to traditional book reports, according to Natalie Hoyle, Library Media Center Director at Spring Brook Elementary, Indian Prairie School District #204 in Naperville, Illinois. The contest format makes students feel as if they are starring in their own movie, a fact that they found to be “highly motivating” (Hoyle 2010). The high profile

168 Faith Brautigam and Denise Raleigh of an online project viewed by thousands of strangers who visit the site to vote is intricately tied to several core outcomes of the project, as seen by educators.

How is StoryTubes an educational model? Developing technologies, an ever-changing society, and our own understanding of how humans learn each have created new educational expectations. As the American Association of School Librarians document Standards for the 21st-century learner states, “Multiple literacies, including digital, visual, textual, and technological, have now joined information literacy as crucial skills for this century”. In addition, it notes the social context in which we now learn: “Learning is enhanced by opportunities to share and learn with others. Students need to develop skills in sharing knowledge and learning with others, both in face-to-face situations and through technology” (Standards for the 21stcentury learner 2007, [3]). StoryTubes meets these varying educational expectations together in just one project, as noted below: – students translate across media from reading, and written words within a book to creating a visual production; – the brevity of StoryTubes entries pushes students to extract critical scenes or ideas from many pages of reading; – the varied skills of planning, script-writing, acting, editing, and producing a short film may be emphasised and/or adapted by students with different learning styles; – group entries allow students to work cooperatively, learning from and with each other; – depending on age and expertise, students learn or apply a range of technology skills; and – completed and uploaded videos extend social interaction and learning through online viewing and voting for each other’s projects. Margaret Hollar, Media Specialist at Shamrock Gardens Elementary School in Charlotte, North Carolina, stated that at her school there is a “...diverse population of learning styles, cultures, and student interests” and noted that “StoryTubes appealed to everyone in some way or another”. She summarized the value of the contest this way (Hollar 2009): “Incorporating StoryTubes into my media plan really gave students who were reluctant writers or book reviewers the opportunity to feel success by doing it in another format. Then they could later translate those skills into a written format. Their success with video reviews

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could only lead them to becoming better writers, not to mention better users of information and technology”. At the Your School Library 2010 online conference, Lyndy Cracknell of Australia summarized a major appeal of the contest this way: “I am an old learning difficulties teacher so I always think of that group first – it would be so great for them to use video in this way, give them a chance to rehearse, replay and practice rather than being judged on their first performance.” As a user experience it also offers a training ground for life skills and allows for enormous creativity, a skill today’s students will need in their future lives. Student creativity reveals itself in fresh ways each year of the contest. In 2012 a Judges’ Choice Honorable Mention Award (citation only) was given to a “Just for Fun” video for the first time. While the “Just for Fun” category was designed for videos that fall outside of the contest’s prize parameters, a remarkable effort by teacher Casey Wyant of Orion, Illinois and his class to convey how much they love a favourite book clearly spoke to the heart of the contest. As he states (email to Brautigam 26 March 2012), “We pride ourselves on thinking outside of the box, and the StoryTubes contest was the perfect opportunity to showcase some of our best ideas.” The perceived value of StoryTubes is not limited to the United States, as demonstrated by the quotes available across the internet. From a 2009 post on the German blog, Globolibro, we read, “Eine exzellente Idee, um Leseförderung mit modernen Medien zu verbinden und so die zeitlose Freude am Lesen zu dokumentieren” [“An excellent idea to combine promoting reading in modern media and thus document the timeless joy of reading.”] (Mittrowann, 2009). A similar post stated: “Een briljant idee naar mijn mening en ik begrijp dan ook niet dat dit in Nederland nog nooit is gedaan. Blijkbaar vonden ze in Amerika dit idee wel de moeite waard en dus lees ik vandaag bij Michael Stephens over StoryTubes” [“A brilliant idea in my opinion and I do not understand that this has never been done in the Netherlands. Apparently they found this idea well worth it in America, so I read today in a piece on StoryTubes by Michael Stephens.”] (Moqub 2008). At the online conference referenced above, teachers and school librarians from Hong Kong, Australia, Poland, and the United Kingdom were among those who commented positively on the contest.

Learning in the marketplace “Students say they are motivated by solving real-world problems. They often express a preference for doing rather than listening. At the same time, most educators consider learning-by-doing the most effective way to learn. Yet for decades, authentic learning has been difficult to implement.” (Lombardi 2007, 2).

170 Faith Brautigam and Denise Raleigh This quote neatly summarizes the problem. A major part of StoryTubes’ appeal is the outcome of authentic learning. While Lombardi’s paper refers primarily to learning in computer-simulated environments, StoryTubes’ real-world environment shares the same learning components. Entering work into a real contest brings relevance to the project in a way that an isolated assignment meant only for the teacher cannot. Kelly Wood Farrow, Learning Resource Center Director at Fairmount School, Downers Grove, Illinois, commented in a video testimonial (available at www.storytubes.info) on the cross-disciplinary skills developed by Story Tubes projects and the authentic learning that results from the process (Wood Farrow 2009). Real-world tasks of teamwork, collaboration, compromise, and comparing one’s own skill set against that of a colleague’s are developed alongside reading, writing, public speaking, and presentation. This point was made by Pat Carmichael in discussing StoryTubes at the 2010 Your School Library online conference: “I have spoken to Drama, English and Business Studies as it would make a fantastic cross curricular piece of work – script, teamwork, marketing, reading, acting etc. it’s all there.” The artificial boundaries that surround school subjects in traditional education models are absent when students complete a StoryTubes entry. In addition, the motivation cited above gives students an extra push to excel at their work. As individuals or groups of students adapt their plans and projects, they are assessing their own work naturally, as a part of the task. This contrasts starkly with traditional education in which the teacher has the final word on determining the degree to which the student succeeded. In addition, the student is often expected to aim for a specific and pre-determined end to reach a narrowly defined learning goal. StoryTubes, on the other hand, offers the same creative process as the business world when a new product is in development: there is no single, pre-determined “right” answer for which to aim. The best solution must be determined as a part of the process. Similarly, as students encounter problems in planning and creating their videos their problemsolving may potentially result in a real-world difference when the video is viewed by judges or online voters. The outcome is driven by students and their own assessment of their work. The creative challenge presented by StoryTubes leads students through process to product and allows their product to compete in an actual marketplace. In addition, virtual work can remain available for “real-world” re-use indefinitely. As an example, a 2008 StoryTubes video on Gail Damerow’s book Your Chickens: A Kid’s Guide to Raising and Showing (http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=B9P17eYfp4E) was featured on the Parentmap blog (http:// www.parentmap.com/blog/9297/storytubes-your-chickens-a-kids-review) in March 2012 as part of a series on urban farming and gardening. The same video was posted on www.growbackyardchickens.com, garnering an array of comments.

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How is StoryTubes a sustainable model? Even the best-funded public library or school or the most financially stable company has finite resources. Sharing our resources, including staff expertise, across institutions and dividing the workload among them acknowledges our financial constraints while encouraging innovation. StoryTubes has depended on a cooperative model since its inception, with the key contributors each leveraging their own strengths. Public Libraries: a small team of public libraries administers the contest each year. They contribute staff time to make administrative decisions, to publicize the contest in free venues, to review regional contest entries using a standard grading rubric, and to coordinate final judging to award prizes. They also provide the computer programming that underlies the contest’s virtual structure, allowing partner public libraries thousands of miles apart to interact seamlessly and moving contest entries through the necessary steps. Publishers: To encourage a love of reading and in return only for publicity on the contest’s website, publishers have donated prizes for winning entries. Over the course of the contest, major publishers have provided prize sponsorship, including Charlesbridge, Dorling Kindersley, Little Brown, Scholastic, Scholastic Canada, and Simon & Schuster. Schools: Educators and students have sustained contact with each other, providing the opportunity to develop long-term projects in a way that is challenging for in other environments, including the public library. By working with students to guide the StoryTubes process, to assist with technology training, and to complete the online entry process, schools are the perfect environment for developing and supporting video creation. In addition, educators sharing their experiences with StoryTubes with the real and virtual communities they inhabit, helping to supplement the public library’s lack of an advertising budget for the project. Because of our overlapping interests, yet diverse strengths and resources, schools, libraries, and businesses can cooperatively offer students more and better learning opportunities than if each of us worked independently, and StoryTubes capitalizes on this.

Technology growth In both public libraries and schools, limited funding for equipment and limited staff time to learn new processes can result in a lag in implementing new technologies. While minimal equipment is necessary to enter the contest, we know from participant reporting that it is often the driving force behind institutions acquiring additional and newer equipment. Technology acquisition and learning presents a growth opportunity that still exists in many institutions according to School Library Journal’s 2011 Technology Survey:

172 Faith Brautigam and Denise Raleigh “Maribel Castro, a high school librarian, in Lubbock, TX, spoke for many school librarians when she wrote that even though her library is behind the tech curve, she still feels that ‘we are at the cusp of great things.’ “But in spite of the general optimism, others point to some significant obstacles: technological innovations are often hampered by poor funding, lack of time, and unsupportive administrators. ‘I feel like I am blocked by my district at nearly every turn’, says an Oklahoma elementary school librarian” (Kenney 2011). In order to provide technology assistance to students, educators improve their own knowledge of and comfort with technology, drawing on the expertise of local colleagues or the public library contest administrators as needed. Meanwhile, contest administrators gain additional experience in working cooperatively in a virtual environment. The contest, then, improves the roles of both educators and public library staff as they move from technology learners toward becoming technology leaders. This need is noticeably higher among librarians over the age of 55, according to the SLJ survey cited above.

Evidence of success When viewing who participates in StoryTubes, the result is that the contest reaches across demographics regardless of the definition of the word. In a time when educational staff are stretched to the maximum and no publicly funded entity has money to spare, it has met a current educational need that cuts across a broad and deep representation of students. A statistical snapshot of our 2012 award-winning videos and online voters’ favourites demonstrates the reach the contest has. Geography: Winners represented the U.S. Pacific Northwest, the Northeast, the Southeast, the Midwest, and the Southwest, as well as Ontario. Entries came from the United Kingdom, as well as the USA and Canada. Population: Extremely rural areas (Potlatch, ID: population 804; Brasher Falls, NY: population 1,179), small towns (Cayce, SC: population 12,528), suburbia (Downers Grove, IL: population 49,143) and urban areas (Fort Worth, TX: population 741,206; Houston, TX: population 2.1 million) all produced winning videos. Income: The median household income for winners’ cities of residence ranged from US$26,651 in Monroe, GA to US$176,442 in Darien, CT. Language: While videos must be created in English, two winning videos were clearly narrated by students who were English-language learners. A third video without spoken narration appears to have been created by a group of

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teens who are bilingual. Of 14 winning videos, then, 21.4% were submitted by students who speak two or more languages. Ability: Online voting increased our diversity this year, with the 11-13 year old voters’ choice award going to a video from a self-contained program for autistic students.

2012 StoryTubes results At the conclusion of the 2012 contest, all adult contacts listed on students’ entry forms received an electronic survey. A total of 73 unique adult e-mail addresses received the survey and 34 (46.5%) completed it. Adults viewed the biggest benefit of StoryTubes for students as being the creative challenge it presented (32.4%), but significant numbers also noted the reading motivation it provided to individual readers (17.6%) and the real-life experience of competing and interacting with others (17.6%). Of the adults surveyed, 29.4% thought their students read additional books as a result of StoryTubes, and 58.8% thought their students’ perception of reading as a pastime improved somewhat. The likelihood of recommending StoryTubes to a friend or colleague was overwhelmingly positive (79.4% very likely plus 14.7% somewhat likely for a 94% approval rating). Customer satisfaction has always been important in securing repeat usage, but is even more critical as we move more of our services into the virtual environment. More than half of the survey respondents also took time to give us specific comments that will help us to develop the contest further.

How is StoryTubes future oriented? The role of libraries is changing drastically, as physical materials are replaced by digital ones. A question being widely considered is whether libraries will reinvent themselves adequately to weather the massive changes or whether they will simply cease to exist. Lynn Neary describes it this way in “The Future of Libraries in the e-book age”: “Libraries have always been thought of as a kind of “temple of books” ... a place you can go to for peace and quiet, a place to read and think. They are intricate part of the fabric that pulls a community together. But if they are to be relevant in the future they will have to make space for themselves in the digital community as well.” (Neary 2011) Could StoryTubes be, in a microcosm, the model for how libraries will operate in the digital community? Ignore for a moment the audience (kids and teens) and the topic (book reviews). What is left is the following format:

174 Faith Brautigam and Denise Raleigh – – – – –

the public creates digital content; other institutions pool resources to facilitate content creation; the library coordinates content management; the public interacts virtually with each other over the content; and the content remains available for virtual sharing and re-use.

In citing Richard Kong as a Library journal “mover and shaker” (Media Lab Launcher 2012), the article describes public digital media labs as “…one of the library field’s newest interpretations” of the way information, technology and people can intersect. Inviting the public in as creators and allowing them to interact with us and others is one of the directions public libraries are looking toward to reinvent themselves.

Conclusion StoryTubes offers high value as a library marketing tool, engaging participants in creating content and shaping our brand. As an educational experience, StoryTubes uses a 21st-century construct that appeals across all demographic lines. It offers authentic, cross-disciplinary student learning, provides an actual marketplace, renews reading passion, and pushes both adults and kids to develop technology skills in a hands-on process. As a sustainable library service model, it capitalizes on shared resources and expertise while harnessing the power of social media by inviting participants to create virtual content and to interact virtually. StoryTubes is a model for working within the digital environment, reinventing libraries for the digital age and rebranding reading as a 21st-century pursuit.

References 2010 Kids and family reading report. 2010. [New York]: Scholastic. Accessed 1 March 2013. http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/themes/bare_bones/2010_KFRR.pdf. Belmont, D. 2007. “Define points of engagement.” Brandweek 48(25): 16. Caskey, B. 2010. “Parenting and kids blog.” [Web log message, 7 January.] Accessed 1 March 2013. http://www.kpl.gov/kids/blog/default.aspx?id=25417. Enoch, B. 2009. “StoryTubes for ELL.” Accessed on 12 March 2013. http://www.youtube. com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UucdfMt9iTw Hollar, M. 2009. “Hollar testimony.” Accessed on 12 March 2013. : http://www.youtube. com/v/fJuMygFESYw&rel=0. Hoyle, N. (2010, September). “StoryTubes and you: online kids’ booktalks @ your library.” Speech presented at Illinois Library Association (ILA) Conference, Chicago, IL. Kenney, B. 2011. “SLJ’s 2011 technology survey: Things are changing fast.” Accessed 1 March 2013. http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/890197-312/sljs_2011_ technology_survey_things.html.csp.

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Lombardi, M. 2007. Authentic learning for the 21st century: an overview. Educause. Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI3009.pdf. Media Lab Launcher: Richard Kong. 2012. Library Journal. 137(5): 61. Mittrowann, A. 2009. “USA: Wettbewerb ‘StoryTubes’ gestartet.” [Web log message, 24 January.] Accessed 1 March 2013. \http://globolibro.wordpress.com/2009/01/24/usawettbewerb-storytubes-gestartet/. Moqub. 2008. “Kids en boeken.” [Web log message, 1 April.] Accessed 1 March 2013. http://www.moqub.com/2008/04/01/kids-en-boeken/. Neary, L. 2011. “The future of libraries in the e-book age.” Accessed 1 March 2013. http:// www.npr.org/2011/04/04/135117829/the-future-of-libraries-in-the-e-book-age. From awareness to funding: A study of library support in America. 2008 Dublin, OH: OCLC. Accessed 1 March 2013. http://www.oclc.org/reports/funding/fullreport.pdf. Perceptions of libraries. 2010. Dublin, OH: OCLC. Accessed 1 March 2013. http://www. oclc.org/reports/2010perceptions/2010perceptions_all.pdf. Standards for the 21st-century learner. 2007. American Association of School Librarians. Accessed 1 March 2013. http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/guidelines andstandards/learningstandards/AASL_Learning_Standards_2007.pdf. “What is StoryTubes?” n.d. Accessed 1 March 2013. http://www.storytubes.info/categories/ what_is_storytubes.html. Wood Farrow, M. 2009. “StoryTubes testimonial.” Accessed on 12 March 2013. http://www. youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HO1Sb_nD8RM. Zooey. 2007. “’The lightning thief’ book recommendation”. Accessed on 12 March 2013. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5BjswpshtI.

Happy Days for Welsh Libraries Jane Purdie Libraries Inspire Marketing Project Officer, Wrexham County Borough Council, Wales, United Kingdom and

Alyson Tyler Libraries Development Adviser, CyMAL: Museums Archives and Libraries, Wales, United Kingdom

Abstract At the time of writing, libraries in Wales are bucking the trend with regard to figures for library visitors and active borrowers; this article outlines the elements of the IFLA award-winning “Happy Days” libraries marketing campaign for Welsh libraries which took place in 2008. It also refers to the ongoing marketing activities that have taken place since then. The article begins by describing the political context of library development in Wales and the important market research work that was undertaken before the creation of a marketing strategy for Wales. It also outlines the future direction for marketing of Welsh libraries under the new library strategy for Wales, “Libraries Inspire”.

Introduction Wales is one of the countries that make up the United Kingdom and since 1999 responsibility for a number of issues has been devolved to the National Assembly for Wales. Libraries are one of the devolved responsibilities meaning that Wales can create its own library policy and initiatives separately from England, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Just over three million people live in Wales (Wales population 2010) and they are served by: – 1 National Library of Wales; – 22 local authority (public) library services with around 300 branches in total; – 12 higher education library services (university level); – 18 further education library services (college level); – 5 prison library services; – Many health libraries, school libraries and workplace libraries.

178 Jane Purdie and Alyson Tyler In 2004 a policy division of the Welsh Government was established to oversee museums, archives and libraries in Wales – CyMAL: Museums Libraries and Archives and Libraries Wales. This mirrored the establishment of a single body in England (Resource, later known as the Museums Archives and Libraries Council or MLA, which was subsequently dissolved by the UK Government in October 2011). As a result of these political developments and through sustained investment, libraries in Wales have been at the forefront of many innovative developments in the UK and farther afield. The Welsh Government has issued three library strategies since 2005 which have guided library developments including marketing policies and initiatives. – @ your library 2005-07; – Libraries for Life 2008-12; – Libraries Inspire 2012-16;

A marketing strategy for Welsh libraries Each of the three library strategies for Wales has placed great emphasis on marketing, that: “In the case of libraries, the adoption of the marketing concept is critical to their survival in the current environment of technological turbulence, increasing competition and easier access to information.” (National marketing strategy for libraries 2006, 27) As part of the first Welsh library strategy extensive marketing research was commissioned in order to provide both qualitative and quantitative evidence of the current position of libraries and to inform the development of a robust marketing strategy for libraries in Wales. The extensive focus groups provided a comprehensive bank of material and evidence (cited in the strategy document) including some very insightful quotes from users and non-users which revealed the challenges ahead: – – – –

“They should do buy one and get one half price”; “Well there are two places – first the internet and then the library”; “I didn’t know they had computers in there” [non-user]; “Because everyone still has the image of a boring old smelly library, you know, they should have some drinks in it or something, or some crisps, or something you know, they haven’t even got a toilet in there” [non-user];

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– “I think the library is a bit like tigers, you know, I’m never likely to see a tiger in the wild, but I’d hate to think of them becoming extinct” [nonuser]. It should be noted that there were also many positive comments about libraries as well as these slightly depressing ones! The research showed that libraries are a known and trusted brand, but often with negative associations and that these misperceptions were often based on experiences from years ago. Furthermore, library users were unaware of many of the facilities and services on offer in libraries (Harrison and Shaw 2004). There were also conflicting views on library staff. As a result of the market research the marketing strategy from 2006-2011 for libraries in Wales focused on raising awareness of what is available but also linking it to the benefits to the user/non-user and to key life stages to help tailor the marketing, improving the customer experience, staff training and developing an increased media profile for libraries. The research also had the added benefit of contributing evidence to the need for investment in the public library infrastructure and led to a new Welsh Government grant program for modernization grants being established. With the marketing strategy in place, the marketing work was undertaken by one library service (Wrexham County Borough Council) on behalf of all library services in Wales. The project officers are not librarians but crucially have professional marketing experience, qualifications and skills enabling them to approach libraries with fresh, independent eyes. The marketing work is also supported by a website (librarywales.org) and an online staff toolkit which contains marketing information, artwork, photographs and other resources for use by library staff.

“Happy Days” campaign One of the suggested activities in the libraries marketing strategy was to have a high-profile bilingual (English and Welsh) annual campaign or festival. These have taken place every year since 2006, with different approaches each year. Initially the early campaigns were outsourced to professional marketing and PR companies, but for various reasons it was decided to take this work on inhouse and 2008 was the first year of “doing it for ourselves”. We were therefore extremely pleased when the “Happy Days” campaign subsequently won second place in the IFLA international marketing awards in 2009 (Winners… 2009). The “Happy Days” campaign took place during October and November 2008 and the overall aim was to raise awareness of the services available at libraries in Wales. It was aimed at potential and existing library users in public

180 Jane Purdie and Alyson Tyler libraries and at students in further and higher education institutions. The objectives were to increase visitor figures and to help shift public perceptions about the library brand. A variety of marketing techniques was used to highlight the benefits of using the library and provide a call to action to visit the library. An integrated marketing campaign was developed which included the following elements: – a survey with library users/students to gain evidence and stories; – an all-Wales and local authority/institution “Top Ten” list of reasons why libraries make people happy; – showcasing the variety of events in libraries by promoting existing and new events during the campaign period; – a high-profile national launch and regional events with Welsh celebrities; – increasing staff recognition and motivation via the Marketing Innovation Awards; and – undertaking national, regional and local media and public relations drives utilizing the above activities. To communicate effectively with the media and to demonstrate a positive impact on people’s/students’ lives, a series of messages were used during the campaign targeted towards specific audiences. These were as follows: – – – – –

older people –value of staff; family – saving money; teenagers – social element; primary-aged children – activities available in libraries; students – saving time and the added-value of staff.

Many of the messages were applicable across the target groups enabling local authorities and institutions to pick and choose which ones they wished to use. The key messages formed the main thrust of the campaign and were highlighted in all public relations work and publicity materials.

Creative concept The campaign title “Happy Days” was developed along with the strap line “Take a fresh look at your library”. Bilingual posters, postcards, bookmarks and popup banners were professionally designed and produced to promote the campaign using different messages aimed at different audiences. The messages hinted at the benefits of libraries without being too descriptive. Genuine library users featured in the five creative executions:

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older people – “our librarian introduced us to a whole new world”; family – “we had a lovely day out thanks to our library”; teenagers – “we found more than we expected in the library”; primary-aged children – “we have so much fun at the library”; students – “I get to spend the day in bed, thanks to my librarian”.

A range of professional designed templates, including A3 and A4 empty-belly posters and A5 flyers was produced for local authorities and institutions to enable them to insert their own local information onto the marketing materials whilst maintaining a consistent national approach and look for the campaign.

Figure 12.1. “Happy Days” campaign

National and regional events A national launch and three regional events took place during October and November. The main objective of the launch was to attract national media coverage and give the campaign a strong initial impetus. The regional events were successful in gaining national, regional and local press coverage and in attracting users and non-users and forging new partnerships for example, working with local clubs. Each celebrity event had a different target audience, from school children to teenagers and from athletes to music fans, depending on the nature of the celebrity. TV actress and writer Ruth Jones and the then Heritage Minister launched the campaign in Barry Library on 2 October; singer Cerys Matthews and former Stereophonics drummer Stuart Cable were at Swansea Metropolitan University and Swansea Central Library on 15 October; TV presenter Gethin Jones visited Colwyn Bay Library on 30 October and Olympic hurdler Colin Jackson appeared at Coleg Powys and Newtown Library on 6 November. These events were attended by over 300 people in total.

182 Jane Purdie and Alyson Tyler Help and support from local staff was essential to the success of these events and all levels of library staff were involved. A local photographer was commissioned for each event for press purposes and for our own records for use in future publicity. Local suppliers were also used for sound systems and catering. Invitations and press packs were issued for each event and press releases were distributed nationally and locally in order to maximize press coverage.

Local events Many events were organized in libraries during October-November. Some of these events were already happening and some were organized especially to coincide with “Happy Days”. For example, Torfaen invited poet John Hegley for two performances achieving an audience of 124 in total – comments received included “Thoroughly entertaining”; “A breath of fresh air which cheered me up no end”, and “He was a really cool person to have in the library”. Whitchurch library in Cardiff ran events for five days over the half term with over 200 children attending their events during the week.

Library survey An all-Wales survey of library users was conducted as part of “Happy Days” for two main purposes:  to compile a Wales “Top 10” list demonstrating the main reasons libraries make people/students happy, which could also be filtered by county or institution for more local press interest;  to gain a bank of special stories about how the library has made a difference to people’s lives. These stories are still being used for both national and local press coverage as well as advocacy purposes. Nearly 3,000 people across Wales took part in the public library survey to say why libraries make them happy. The results showed that getting their favourite books (75%) and saving money (69%) were the top reasons for people feeling happy when using libraries, along with chatting to staff (59%). Almost 400 students took part in the academic version of the survey which showed that help with research (83%), surfing the net (70%) and having somewhere peaceful to study (68%) were their top reasons why libraries made them happy. The survey also resulted in a bank of personal stories which are excellent for advocacy purposes. To encourage people to participate in writing a brief story about how libraries are important to them each participant was entered

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into a prize draw. Winning story entries were then chosen from each local library service, one further education college and one higher education institution, with a £100 prize for each author. These winning stories have also been really successful in generating positive local press coverage. All the stories were then put into an online story bank which is accessible to all library staff and can be searched according to subject, location and age of the contributor. These stories have continued to be used by staff as quotes in reports, in presentations and added into press releases.

Marketing innovation awards A new awards scheme to recognize and reward marketing innovation by library staff during the campaign period was launched during “Happy Days”, giving library staff at all levels and in every sector the chance to win recognition for their work in promoting their service. It was open to all library and information services in Wales. These awards have continued to be run in subsequent years with increasing numbers of entries and substantial prizes being awarded.

Laptop competition (public libraries only) About 210,000 “library” cards promoting “Happy Days” via an online competition were circulated to all secondary schools during September and October 2008. The cards promoted the library website, highlighted the name of the campaign and encouraged pupils to visit the website and enter the prize draw. There were dedicated pages on the library portal website promoting “Happy Days” and library services with links to an online joining form for the opportunity to enter a competition to win a MacBook Air laptop. Over one thousand entries were received in total and two winners were picked at random. Again, press coverage of the winners receiving their laptops resulted in local media coverage.

Website: www.librarieswales.org During the campaign period there were dedicated pages about “Happy Days” on the all-Wales library portal website (www.librarywales.org). The website was updated regularly with all the latest news on the campaign and pictures of the events were included in a gallery. As well as the public-facing web pages, use was made of the online staff toolkit allowing staff to download all the publicity materials and other documents, for example awards information and staff briefings.

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Staff briefings Achieving buy-in from the library sector and from the Welsh Government’s Heritage Minister was very important throughout the campaign period. To help achieve this four staff briefings were produced and circulated with the intention that they would be distributed to all library staff. The briefings helped to communicate the latest news about the campaign and inform library staff about future plans.

Press coverage Media analysis undertaken for the campaign showed the following results: – over 90 separate mentions of “Happy Days” campaign/events recorded; – media mix – featured in online news items; national and local radio; national TV; daily and weekly national, regional and local newspapers; library sector media; celebrity and community websites; residents’ magazines; trade publications and institutions’ internal staff newsletters; – over 4 million potential impressions (the total possible number of times someone could have viewed or heard a news item about the campaign); – at least 27 minutes of broadcast coverage (plus some repeated news items on radio); – approximately 2000 single-column centimeters of newspaper coverage; and – estimated advertising value of £42,276.

Lessons learned As mentioned earlier, the “Happy Days” campaign came second in the seventh IFLA International Marketing Awards in 2009 and it was also one of five winners of a CANMOL Wales (Chartered Institute of Marketing Wales: http://www. canmol.com) marketing award in 2009. Even so lessons were learnt from it to help inform the plans for future campaigns: – a long lead in time is needed to implement effective public relations activities; – the full support of the library sector is very important; – constant communication and feedback to ensure library staff buy-in; and – it is difficult to keep the campaign relevant for both public and academic libraries and tailored elements may be required.

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Subsequent campaigns An annual campaign has taken place each year since “Happy Days”, again with the national marketing team undertaking the work on behalf of the libraries in Wales.

“Express yourself” (2009–2010) This campaign took the form of a bilingual national arts competition with “libraries” as the theme. Entries were accepted in various media including creative writing, visual art and short film or audio. The entry categories covered all areas of the community from primary and secondary schools, higher and further education, individuals and community organizations. The marketing materials were strong and vibrant and well received by staff and users.

Figure 12.2. “Express Yourself ” campaign

The competition entries were judged at a local level (by each organization) and the local winners were then put forward to be judged nationally by external judges from the arts, libraries and media industries. The campaign culminated in an awards ceremony at The Senedd (the building of the National Assembly for Wales) in Cardiff and a touring exhibition of the winning entries which travelled across the whole of Wales until February 2012. The exhibition provided a long legacy for the campaign.

“Fancy that” (2010–2011) The 2010–11 marketing campaign was called “Fancy That”. By encouraging people to “try something new” and demonstrating that they would “be sur-

186 Jane Purdie and Alyson Tyler prised by what goes on in their library” this campaign encouraged people to learn new skills and to find out more about their local library. It featured BBC Wales’ weatherman Derek Brockway as the ‘face’ of the campaign and he travelled to various libraries learning new skills at key regional events including wood-carving, rapping and knitting. Each event with Derek was filmed and these were posted on the Welsh Libraries YouTube channel at http//:www. youtube.com/ user/WelshLibraries. This campaign also saw the introduction of the Bibli Family – animated characters who demonstrate the relevance of libraries to all members of the family from babies to grandparents. Five short films were also produced to promote the library services, each featuring one or more of the Bibli family to highlight a key message of the benefits libraries: free books, free internet, free activities for children, free access to family history resources and a space to meet friends. The Bibli characters were also used on the promotional materials for the “Fancy That” campaign. They have been used since then for other marketing as library staff felt there was additional scope to use them.

Figure 12.3. “Fancy That” campaign

The teenage daughter of the family, Lauren Bibli has had Facebook and Twitter accounts set up and these are ‘voiced’ by a group of teenagers based in one of the library authorities.

“Libraries Fortnight” (2011–2012) Our most recent of the annual marketing campaigns was “Libraries Fortnight” in October 2011. Using a sports theme and linking into the London 2012 Olympic Games, the marketing team wase successfully awarded permission to use the “Inspired by London 2012” logo for use on the marketing materials for this campaign which was titled “Race down to your library”. The sporting theme for the professionally designed artwork featured the Bibli family characters on a running track.

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Figure 12.4. “Libraries Fortnight” campaign

The objectives of the campaign were to engage all local library services and at least 20% of academic libraries, to sign up 10,000 new members across Wales, to organize a key event in each local authority (with non-users wherever possible), to film the key events and upload the films onto the Welsh Libraries social media sites, to hold at least 100 events across Wales and to generate local and national press coverage. Over 400 events took place in libraries across Wales during the fortnight including over 20 key events which were filmed and uploaded onto the Welsh Libraries YouTube channel. Over 11,000 new members joined Welsh libraries. The marketing team has experimented with the campaign format each year, but the evidence shows that in terms of media coverage, staff engagement, creating a legacy and winning awards the Happy Days campaign has been the most successful.

Other Welsh library activities Library portal In Wales we have a bilingual portal (www.librarywales.org) which is a single point allowing the public to access information about public library services including the latest news and information about national campaigns, find their nearest local library, join a public library online, search and reserve items using

188 Jane Purdie and Alyson Tyler a live web search of all the Welsh library catalogues, use the ask-a-librarian facility, and access online reference resources. During a recent refresh of the website we also added a book review club to which staff can upload book reviews and recommendations received from members or reading groups, staff and the general public.

Staff toolkit A link from the library portal takes library staff to a separate bilingual online staff toolkit (which is password protected) and, which provides an excellent resource for staff to access information, documents, training manuals, presentations and evaluation reports about marketing and other issues to do with Welsh libraries. The staff toolkit has become a vital component of the national marketing campaigns as staff can download the professionally designed artwork, logos and information which are uploaded into the toolkit by the marketing team.

Staff training The marketing team have organized and facilitated various training initiatives since 2006 including marketing and user focus training, change management, advocacy, social media training and retail innovation techniques.

Membership drives By developing partnerships with other agencies such as “Visit Wales” (http:// www.visitwales.co.uk) the marketing team has been able to offer incentives to non-users to increase membership. In 2010 a prize draw to win two VIP tickets to the prestigious international golf tournament the Ryder Cup resulted in over 9,500 new members and a great deal of public interest and media coverage. A similar promotion in 2011 for the Wales Rally GB resulted in 4,500 new members from a fairly niche market (car rally enthusiasts).

Press releases The marketing team issue regular national press releases responding to hot topics, addressing a particular theme or supporting a current campaign or initiative. In order to maximize media coverage and engage local staff and press, template press releases are sent out to local library services into which local quotes, information and contact details can be inserted. This method ensures that consistent and professional messages are used throughout Wales and the maximum amount of press coverage can be obtained.

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Figure 12.5. Special campaign

Films In 2011, the marketing team commissioned the production of two short films – one aimed at the further education sector and titled “Mad Dads and Psycho Exes” and another aimed at higher education sector. Both films demonstrate the relevance of libraries to students and the films have been used by institutions in a variety of ways including presentations, information screens and social media. The further education sector film has also been embraced by public libraries and the marketing team produced posters utilizing QR codes which could be downloaded from the staff toolkit and used by library staff to encourage students to use their mobile devices to access and view the film. Both films can be viewed on the Welsh Libraries YouTube channel and are available in Welsh, English and subtitled versions.

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Figure 12.6. “Mad Dads and Psycho Exes” video

Social media “Progressive marketers realize that to be heard in today’s interactive world, they need to participate in that conversation… and, of course, if you want to get the most out of any conversation, you have to spend part of your time listening.” (Ryan and Jones 2012, 152). Many Welsh libraries are moving forward in social media with Facebook, Twitter, blogs and YouTube accounts for their libraries. The all-Wales marketing team has established a Welsh Libraries presence on Facebook (http://www.face book.com/welshlibraries) Twitter (@WelshLibraries) and YouTube, as well as Welsh language accounts on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/llyfrgelloedd cymru) and Twitter (@LlyfrgellCymru) to ensure the content is available bilingually. As mentioned previously, Lauren Bibli also has a presence on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/laurenbibli) and Twitter (@LaurenBibli).

Marketing champions The marketing team firmly believes that the most effective way forward is to use colleagues’ local knowledge, commitment and networks whilst ensuring high standards across the country. It was self-apparent that the marketing pro-

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gramme needed to mobilize the front-line workforce although there were one or two barriers to overcome, for example, some library staff feeling that they were already too busy to undertake what at first they saw as additional duties. However, since 2005/06, a network of marketing library champions has been developed across all 22 public library services in Wales, and additional networks for champions in further and higher education libraries. These champions are employed at different levels of the service from front line staff up to heads of service and have been identified as the lead “enthusiast” for the marketing programme from their institution. The champions act as a two-way communication channel between their service and the marketing team, as a national sounding board for ideas and initiatives and as the catalyst for local activity. They meet a few times during the year to discuss ideas, share best practice and agree future activities. Their support is crucial to the success of the library campaigns.

“Libraries Inspire” As the Libraries for Life strategy came to a close in 2011, CyMAL worked closely with the library sector to create a new library strategy for Wales. Following public consultation the new strategy, “Libraries Inspire”, was launched in November 2011 by the Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage (Libraries inspire 2012, 7). The “Libraries Inspire” strategy includes a vision of libraries in Wales for the near future which is: “Libraries will inspire the people of Wales to enjoy reading, enhance their knowledge and skills, to enrich their quality of life and empower them to realize their full potential”. As with previous strategies, marketing plays a key role in the new strategy and is one of the seven work strands. To complement Libraries Inspire and to update the 2005 research, a new marketing strategy, the Welsh Libraries National Marketing Strategy 2012-2016 (2012) was commissioned looking forward from 2012 to 2016 and identifying some key actions and areas for development. These include: – – – – – –

strengthening audience development work; improving the information base for library marketing; empowering staff and motivating marketing champions; maximizing the use of social media for marketing libraries; exploiting cross-domain opportunities with museums and archives; increasing the involvement of academic libraries;

192 Jane Purdie and Alyson Tyler – making library marketing more strategic; and – ensuring marketing looks to the future.

Conclusion How do we know things have improved? A mystery shopper exercise was commissioned in both public and academic libraries during the first quarter of 2009. The findings were extremely positive in terms of the shift in customer experience compared to 2005/06, and also in improved staff interactions. The delivery of all-Wales library campaigns and marketing activities is possible as Wales is a relatively small country with excellent partnershipworking across library sectors and across regions. Future marketing initiatives include promoting a trial of e-book downloads from most of the public libraries in Wales, and promoting a refreshed cross-Wales library catalogue search facility. In the last decade or so usage of public libraries across the United Kingdom has been declining. It’s therefore pleasing to see a recent change to this trend in Wales where the figures are starting to increase once again. Hopefully it’ll be happy days ahead for Welsh libraries in the years to come. Table 12.1. Number of borrowers and vistors during 2007-08 to 2010-11 (CIPFA figures comparing year on year www.cipfastats.net accessed 31 May 2012) Number of: Active Borrowers Visitors

2007–08

2008–09

638,344

645,383

13,464,839

13,959,517

2009–10

2010–11

681,517

737,076

14,717,224 14,838,917

References Harrison, P. J and R.N. Shaw. 2004. “Intra-organizational marketing culture and market orientation: a case study of the implementation of the marketing concept in a public library.” Library management 25 (8-9): 391-398. Ryan, D. and C. Jones. 2012. Understanding digital marketing. London. Kogan Page. Libraries Inspire 2012-16. 2011. Cardiff: Welsh Assembly Government. Accessed on 13 June 2012. http://cymru.gov.uk/topics/cultureandsport/museumsarchiveslibraries/cymal/ libraries/librariesinspire/?lang=en. National Marketing Strategy for Libraries April 2006-April 2011. 2006. Cardiff: Welsh Assembly Government. Accessed on 13 June 2012. Wales Population: a demographic overview 2010. 2010. Cardiff: Welsh Assembly Government. Accessed on 13 June 2012. http://wales.gov.uk/topics/statistics/publications/wales pop10/?lang=en.

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Welsh Libraries National Marketing Strategy 2012-2016. 2012. Cardiff: Welsh Assembly Government. Accessed on 13 June 2012. http://librarywales.org/stafftoolkit/documentlibrary/strategies-and-plans/. Winners of the 7th IFLA International Marketing Award for 2009. 2009. IFLA. Accessed on 13 June 2012. http://www.ifla.org/en/news/winners-of-the-7th-ifla-international-marketingaward-for-2009.

From Georgia Tech to the World: Leveraging Existing Campus Infrastructure to Market the Library to a Global Audience Charlie Bennett Undergraduate Programming and Engagement Librarian, Research, Instruction and Outreach Services Dept. and

Ameet Doshi Head, User Experience Dept., Georgia Institute of Technology Library, Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Abstract “Lost in the Stacks” is the world’s first and only research library rock’n’roll radio show. The programme consists of a mix of library-related interviews and music related to the discussion. “Lost in the Stacks” broadcasts every Friday at noon on WREK 91.1 FM Atlanta and streams worldwide on http://wrek.org from the WREK studio located on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. A two-week archive is also available streaming at http://wrek.org/lostinthestacks.

Introduction The primary target audiences for this radio marketing project include Georgia Tech students, staff and faculty, as well as local and international librarians and library staff. Secondary audiences include those interested in libraries and new music. The goal of the radio show is to provide an interdisciplinary forum for the library community (students, staff, faculty, librarians, authors, and others) to discuss library-related issues. The programme also serves as a venue to educate and market library events and resources to our listeners. We invite many guests from within and outside the university community onto the show to discuss their areas of expertise within librarianship or related fields. Based on the most recent data from Facebook we estimate our international audience to consist of listeners from at least 15 non-US countries (source: http://lostinthestacks. org). We initially envisioned this collaboration with the university’s radio station (WREK 91.1FM Atlanta) as a creative marketing opportunity requiring

196 Charlie Bennett and Ameet Doshi little to no financial commitment from the library since we can utilize the radio station’s existing physical and digital infrastructure. We are also able to gain support for marketing and operating the radio programme from the WREK student staff. In this paper we aim to communicate to readers that the “Lost in the Stacks” radio project is an example of an innovation for marketing libraries. The programme educates users locally and globally and acts as a forum to communicate research and ideas about libraries to an audience ranging from students on campus in Georgia, to online listeners around the globe. Furthermore, we outline web-based, social media strategies to leverage Facebook and Twitter as tools for marketing the radio project and build a global audience. By publishing in this Marketing Library and Information Services: A Global Outlook publication, we hope to inspire other librarians to scan their existing physical and digital infrastructures and seek out innovative, low-cost opportunities to market their libraries to a local and global audience.

Library on the radio Every Friday at noon, the authors host “Lost in the Stacks” on WREK Atlanta, a show we affectionately refer to as “the one-and-only research-library rock’n’roll radio show”. For an hour, we mix music and library talk with interviews, featurettes, deadpan library humour, and the occasional passionate outburst. The show has been running continuously since early 2010 and as of this writing has 714 fans on Facebook, 302 Twitter followers, and the full support of our bosses and the staff of the radio station. It is our favourite outreach project and the most fun we are allowed to have at work.

The idea and the method In this paper, we seek to share with the reader our approach at leveraging existing media infrastructure to heighten the visibility of the library across campus, in the community, and even internationally. Our goal is to describe the conditions which led to this successful partnership, and, ideally, inspire other library workers to critically scan their environment for opportunities to market the library in new and unexpected ways. The Georgia Tech Library has made a significant investment in proactively engaging the user community. Specifically, the Library actively partners with a number of student organizations including the student literary arts journal, the undergraduate research journal, and WREK Atlanta, the campus radio station. The Library also maintains relationships and communications with the student newspaper, student government association, and Let’s Try This! (The Georgia Tech Improve Group). In addition, members of the Library connect with indi-

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vidual students using both formal and informal means, such as undergraduate and graduate student advisory boards, Facebook, and other social media forums. Thus, the Library has laid the groundwork for successful collaborations with student organizations around campus. So when we met the WREK student staff and pitched our idea for collaboration between the student radio station and the Library, the students were only slightly surprised that the Library would approach them to discuss the possibility of working together. The Library’s internal culture also helped make the radio programme a reality. The Library has an entrepreneurial culture that allows individuals to pitch ideas and receive support and funding when appropriate. Although there was some initial hesitation about how the administration would respond to a “rock’n’ roll radio show”, we were relieved to find that we received encouragement and support from all around the library and campus. The show was even featured in the Georgia Tech faculty newsletter. The internal and external conditions were, in some sense, optimal for this type of collaboration. However, we recognize that may not be the case at every institution or Library. In this re-telling of our approach, it may make sense to select the aspects of our project which could fit into your specific culture or workflow. For example, the fact that we are utilizing existing infrastructure and, initially, did much of the production work during “off hours” may be useful approaches for those initially apprehensive at pitching this idea to their library administration. Additionally, the assessment approach and reach of our project that we describe in this paper could be helpful ways to justify the time and resources being devoted to the project.

Literature review How does one perform a literature review for radio? With Google, of course! It is important to point out that, in our review, we could find no other “research library rock’n’roll show” broadcasting on campus or public radio. It was important to us from the outset that this was a singular, unique collaboration, and our review seems to confirm this. There are, however, a few radio shows involving librarians playing music while, periodically, highlighting library collections. But no other radio programme offers the mix of theme-related music and in-depth interviews and discussion about libraries and librarianship. Furthermore, a search performed in the Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts database results in very few articles about libraries collaborating with media outlets for marketing and outreach purposes, and no references to academic libraries partnering with campus radio. A heavily cited book about academic library collaborations, Libraries within their Institutions: Creative Collaborations, outlines collaborations with writing/communication centres and discusses methods for working with university faculty to embed

198 Charlie Bennett and Ameet Doshi information literacy concepts into the classroom. The book also covers collaborative digitization projects (Miller and Pellen 2005). Another, more recently published article, mentions this “Lost in the Stacks” radio project as well as other unique collaborations at Georgia Tech (Fox, Carpenter and Doshi 2011). Finally, operational details about ‘Lost in the Stacks’ were published in a book titled Student Engagement and the Academic Library (Snavely 2012). Both formal database searches as well as searching online via Google for similar projects confirmed our suspicions that “Lost in the Stacks” is a unique library outreach project, and that the general concept of libraries leveraging existing media infrastructure for marketing and outreach purposes remains largely untapped by the wider library community.

The pilot It was easy to have the idea for a library radio show but getting to the first broadcast took almost five months. The first conversation with Ben Moser, WREK’s General Manager in 2009, involved a casual commitment to a working relationship between the radio station and the Library. The collaboration “feels” correct but is not easily defined: are the two organizations connected because they are both collections (record and book)? Or because they are both in the information business? How is a radio station like a library? The seed for the radio show idea came from the first, simple proposal for collaboration: the Library should create public-service announcements (PSAs) to be broadcast on the student radio station: as simple as an ad campaign, as straightforward as an instruction session. In our discussion of these PSAs, however, the idea expanded into cheerful wish-fulfilment as we remembered our dedication to college radio in our undergraduate careers. We would love to be on the radio, playing music and doing our best Wolfman Jack impressions. Soon after, we were writing show proposals instead of PSAs. To create a library radio show, we relied on our own taste in talk and music radio to guide us to a format and style. A set of national radio programmes were our models: “Sound Opinions”, “RadioLab”, “Car Talk”, and “This American Life”. “Sound Opinions” is a talk show, featuring interviews, reviews, and opinion pieces about rock music. “RadioLab” is an educational show, communicating science and technology news and concepts through a mix of investigative reporting, skits between the hosts, and sound collages. “Car Talk” is a talk show about cars that features a back-and-forth dynamic between the goofy-butknowledgeable hosts. “This American Life” is radio journalism featuring sets of stories by multiple reporters based on a different organizing theme each week. By pulling apart all four radio shows and choosing our favourite aspects of each, we came up with an format for a library rock’n’roll radio show: each week we would mix together songs and interviews connected by a common

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theme that related to college research libraries. We would deliver news about our own library by the way of interviews with librarians and administrators and about the college by the way of interviews with students and faculty. And, to avoid boring or overwhelming our audience, we would intersperse songs about our show topics from bands we loved. As the lyric from Mary Poppins suggested, we would use the music to be our spoonful of sugar to help our listeners swallow the medicine of library talk.

The community WREK 91.1 FM is a student-run radio station in the truest sense. All funding for the station is allocated on an annual basis by the Georgia Tech Student Government Association (SGA), and SGA is also responsible for funding major renovations and other capital expenses. For example, in 2011, WREK purchased and installed a new radio tower which expanded the station’s listening radius by an estimated 50% (we have taken this estimate from WREK’s Chief Engineer at the time who oversaw the project, Daniel Smith). In addition to being a studentowned station, WREK leadership is comprised of undergraduate and graduate students. This creates a sense of ownership among the students and also makes it imperative that non-students who are seeking to connect with the station have some appreciation for the important role of this resource on campus and an understanding of the student-centred mission of WREK. It is useful to note that in the academic world, student media typically has a long and storied history. Some student newspapers, for example, were founded in the early 20th and even late 19th century. Similarly, campus radio stations have decades of history resulting in a sometimes subtle but ever-present cultural force on campus. Our experience with these politics, attitudes, and alliances made it clear that one should always have a solid understanding and appreciation for student media and related campus organizations before pitching a potential collaboration. Although the students who manage WREK are very committed to running the station well, they are also swamped by the rigour of coursework at Georgia Tech and other academic responsibilities (not to mention their occasional nonacademic social activities). This can result in inefficiency and workflow problems particularly during peak times during the semester, such as final exams. Recognizing this potential problem, we attempted to recruit a large enough group of students to prepare for contingencies from the outset. This is especially critical for “Lost in the Stacks” since each episode broadcasts live on Fridays at noon. Although collaborating with students results in a more dynamic, creative project, it can also be fraught with logistical problems. Those planning for a collaboration with student media would do well by our example of recruiting a “deep bench” from which to draw upon when unforeseen conflicts and circumstances arise.

200 Charlie Bennett and Ameet Doshi One of the great joys of collaborating with students is knowing that, if they have a positive experience in college, they will likely remember it as adult alumni. Shortly after beginning the radio programme, we found Georgia Tech alumni who were commenting on our Facebook page and loyal listeners to the programme. Two alumni in particular, both former WREK staff, have been guests on the show discussing how they used the library during their time on campus as students. One of the alums happens to be a local intellectual property attorney and has generously donated pro-bono copyright advice, as well as paying for the trademarking of one of the show’s signature phrases. We work with many students to put the show on the air and I imagine some or all of them will fondly recall their time collaborating with the library on that “research library rock’n’roll radio show”. Perhaps they may even become donors to the library someday. Indeed, as fundraising professionals in both academic and public libraries are well aware, it is these unique, very personal connections, which can build a foundation for charitable giving to support library needs.

The word One of the most common questions we field about the radio programme is, “How many people listen?” This is a very difficult metric to obtain because of the high cost of audience demographic analysis typically conducted by larger radio and TV outlets (for example, a Nielsen study). Since WREK operates both over the airwaves, as well as streaming online, we are able to track the number of people listening over the online stream. This provides a baseline number from which we can conjecture how many additional listeners may be tuned-in via their car radios or other analogue means. Another way we attempt to triangulate numbers of listeners is by tracking Facebook “likes” and Twitter followers. Although we cannot assume that every person who “likes” the “Lost in the Stacks on WREK Radio” Facebook page is a regular listener, it is possible that a high percentage have at least heard the programme. This discussion about tracking audience is important since assessment and evaluation is increasingly directly linked to the project management cycle within libraries. In an era with scarce resources and many priorities, there is an increasing reliance on determining impact of outreach efforts and public programming (often via onedimensional metrics such as number of attenders). Creating an active and agressive marketing campaign via social media can be a useful way both to spread the word and, to some degree, measure impact. We began by brainstorming possible names for the show. We considered a few but “Lost in the Stacks” seemed to match the informal, playful attitude of the programme. We then set up a Facebook page and also a separate URL (http://lostinthestacks.org) which points to the facebook page. We “seeded” the Lost in the Stacks page by asking our friends to “like” it and also invested

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about $100 into Facebook ads which had some measurable impact initially. Later, we set up a Twitter account for the show (http://twitter.com/Library Radio) and live-tweet during most episodes. Both the Facebook and Twitter followers continue to increase and we occasionally see “bumps” in traffic on Fridays when the show broadcasts live. Because the programme is a Library outreach initiative, the Library’s social media sometime re-tweets or shares Facebook posts for the show. This significantly expands the marketing reach of the show on campus since the Library social media effort connects with more than 2000 people, many of whom are affiliated with Georgia Tech. Future plans for marketing the radio show include t-shirts, bumper stickers, and other giveaway items. Ideally, there would be some thematic connection between rock music and libraries with these items. For example, one idea that we floated early on was a compilation of music by independent rock bands singing songs about libraries. If there is a thematic thread that weaves through all of the marketing efforts it is a sense of connecting libraries with something intensely fun, mysterious and engaging: rock’n’roll.

The theory After two years of writing, producing, and hosting a weekly research-library rock’n’roll radio show, we ask ourselves “How did this succeed? Why did this whimsical project persist and garner a following composed not only of students and faculty of multiple schools but (if we trust our Facebook demographics) of listeners from all over the world?” There is no accounting for taste, of course, but we have a theory as to why listeners enjoy our show and why we are still supported by our bosses after two years of ducking out of work on Fridays to amuse ourselves on the radio. Our theory is this: we were incredibly lucky to connect our personal enthusiasms with a viable outreach project. The organizational infrastructure existed to allow us the chance to propose and attempt a student media collaboration; our school radio station was a successful, established organization. This freedom and these resources gave us an opportunity to apply self-taught, hobbyist skills to a labour of love, if you’ll excuse the cliché. Our outreach project is full of compelling, unfakeable joy because we are doing something connected to what we love (music and radio) instead of a plan created by committee and codified in a strategic planning document. Whatever outreach project you plan and pursue, we believe it will be far more fulfilling and successful if it is based on a genuine, personal enthusiasm for the medium or the process, and we believe that your patrons and community will recognize that enthusiasm and join you. We believe this because we have a library radio show; how else could that have happened?

202 Charlie Bennett and Ameet Doshi

References Fox, R., C. Carpenter and A. Doshi. 2011. “Cool collaborations: designing a better library experience.” College and undergraduate libraries 18: 213-227. Miller, W. and R. Pellen. 2005. Libraries within their institutions: creative collaborations. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Information Press. Snavely, L. (2012). Student engagement and the academic library. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

SECTION 3 MARKETING IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AND LIBRARIES

Marketing in Algerian Libraries: an Overview Messaouda Boutaba Lecturer, Department of Library Science, University of Algiers 2, Algeria and

Nadia Temmar Head of the Library, Higher School of Banking, Algiers, Algeria

Abstract This paper offers an overview of the plausibility of marketing as a new strategic choice for Algerian libraries. The current culture for marketing in Algerian libraries as well as the perceptions of marketing by Algerian librarians are assessed. This paper illustrates a marketing approach tested at the Library of the Higher School of Banking in Algeria, to increase use amongst former customers.

Introduction Is marketing as a management philosophy, a unique way of thinking which can generate a new dynamic amongst libraries and users in Algeria? Can it serve as a strategic conduit for renewed library development? Perhaps we can successfully argue the adage that marketing is a “necessary evil” for libraries to have positive answers to these two questions. The controversy between proponents and opponents of marketing in the library is as great in Algeria (as other environs) as marketing is misunderstood to mean “selling and advertising”. So we too debate and discuss, can marketing be accepted in the current Algerian culture? We propose that it is needed. Currently, Algerian libraries are only one choice amongst burgeoning channels of information transmission. The volume of possibilities for library customers dictates that library and information centres develop new strategies and performance goals in order to reposition themselves as winners in the “great chessboard” of exchange and information flow. Worldwide, libraries are no longer the unique dispensers of knowledge and information. All libraries will continue to evolve within an information environment, in which several partners channel and direct the flow of information. Yet libraries as non-profit organizations are dictated by funders document to their contribution to the economic and social development in the country. This is a challenge and opportunity for Algerian information services.

206 Messaouda Boutaba and Nadia Temmar

The situation today The importance of marketing has meaning only if the librarians are motivated by the performance of their organization. Marketing is based on the principle of the exchange or the transaction. Users look for the best way of satisfying their information needs. In response the institution (to be effective) must want to satisfy users. The Algerian situation is complex. There is a sense that the stakeholders in this exchange do not understand each other’s mission and goals, or discuss ways to resolve misunderstandings and differences. The situation is alarming to library professionals who desire to satisfy customers, and satisfaction is tied to performance goals. Algerian libraries are marginalized by the public authorities, and ignored by some users who have increasingly other information choices. Some librarians consider users responsible for the lack of effectiveness of services, and conversely users criticize librarians for lack of professionalism and efficiency. Public authorities limit intervention to the construction and necessary equipping of library facilities, the recruitment of staff, and the granting of subsidies (which also is decreasing year by year for the public libraries). It is necessary to analyse the situation and environments of the libraries to identify and ultimately solve these complex problems. For example, on one hand the authorities seemingly ignore that the library is a dynamic, evolutionary and competitive organization which works according to international standards of organization and management. As stated, libraries operate in a competitive environment so they are subject to need for profitability and control and evaluation. Also many Algerian libraries function in a mediocre manner without proactively scanning the external environment. The libraries then evolve outside the real needs and the expectations of the community for which they are intended. Therefore, the user is not at the centre of library planning. Finally, the situation results in a lack of communication of the mission and role of the library amongst users, and the authorities. This diminishes the visibility of Algerian libraries in the intellectual and cultural life of their publics. Strategic decision making is not implemented, nor present. If it were in practice, all partners of libraries including students, teachers, researchers, public authorities and other publics, might better share and communicate, their vested interests. We are convinced that the adequacy of the resources available and the services needed could be better achieved by a marketing approach. A non-profit organization such as a library cannot be simply administered but must be managed by borrowing tools of analysis from the management practices of companies. Any action bringing together libraries and users must be based on the “marketing approach”. The library should be built upon the knowledge of the needs of different audiences. To satisfy these needs, the library will need to adopt a proactive marketing approach. From the marketing approach we believe Algerian libraries can better build and develop all kinds of libraries, from the National Library to the local library.

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Functions of marketing “Marketing is all the means available to companies to create, maintain and develop their markets” (Salaün 1990, 347). This definition focuses on the relationship between an organization and its clients and is well beyond the mere pursuit of profit. Kotler, a leader in the marketing discipline, has made this a real philosophy of management with great success. According to him marketing is “a means of determining the needs and values of a target market and to adapt the organization to meet those needs more fully and more effectively than competitors” (Kotler 2006, 15). Réjean Savard, the first French speaker to popularize marketing to libraries, wrote “The pragmatism of the Anglo-Saxon authors leads us to adopt the discipline, and apply it to the libraries” (cited in Salaün 1990, 347). For their revitalization, the Algerian libraries must rely on management tools, in this case marketing. The marketing approach allows them to: – – – – –

adapt their establishment’s offer to today’s challenges; integrate current social changes; evolve a culture for changes in attitude; develop a creative and dynamic approach in staff; and provide visibility to libraries especially in times of financial recession.

Development of personalized services directed to the user Today the main activity of libraries is recognized as a service activity. We paraphrase the words of Michael Gorman that “the transition from the era of collections to the era of service is not yet complete” (cited in Cavaleri 2003, 24). User participation is necessary to complete the transition. User participation in service development is almost completely absent in our libraries. Our libraries are still in the mindset of creating products that are offered to users despite identified need. In the current environment, the traditional design of the library is no longer enough. “Knowledge production”, even at a high level of performance, can no longer solve all problems. Many librarians have learned at the cost of loss of users. These knowledge specialists (i.e. librarians) are often protected by a nearby market with few choices for a long time. They are now facing competition from other professions, alongside globalization of information. They are looking for a new working methodology that would allow them to position the library better within the new information order. In Algeria, the organizational and managerial changes that can enable libraries to develop services are still very limited. In the best case scenario, the effectiveness of libraries has been improved by the computerization of traditional functions, and only a few libraries were able to adopt an interactive organiza-

208 Messaouda Boutaba and Nadia Temmar tion centred on the user (such as the library of the Higher School of Banking of Algiers, subject of this article). Information technology and communication are facilitating new services and products that meet the expectations of their users. The mere presence of libraries on the network via the online catalogue is not enough if it is not accompanied by local services such as booking documents remotely, sending electronic copies of articles, advice and the search assistance. The implementation of personalized online services is a necessary option as otherwise these could be reduced to a conservation function or that of simply a service provider of online bibliographic information. Changes in the media and communications venues are encouraging our libraries to adopt a marketing approach and to rethink fundamentally the interaction with users. In addition to technical services staff, they must hire staff for online services to users and develop strategies for listening, guidance, training and reception. In the opinion of many librarians, the number of subscribers and reference requests in libraries continues to decrease as users turn to the internet for information. The users prefer fast access and variety even if the quality of these services is not great. Their success is the provision of direct responses to customer inquiries. It is important that Algerian libraries are aware of the threat by the internet for their core business, which is reference assistance to Algerian users. Our libraries are in direct competition not only with the services of e-commerce information but also with foreign libraries that offer their services online. All these sites concentrate their strength on the weak point of the less developed libraries: marketing. The positioning of libraries on networks places them in a more powerful position within the world economy. They are thus more visible and have opportunity to be more competitive.

Algerian librarians’ attitude towards marketing A recent study conducted by two students in the preparation of their dissertation on “attitude of library professionals to marketing” indicates that Algerian librarians support the introduction of marketing practices to manage the library better (Zemouche and Maazouz 2008, 90). The major concern expressed was related to the skills and expertise which may be needed for this new approach. In the absence of specific applications (models) and training, Algerian professionals remain skeptical. They would like to adopt this approach, but they do not know when or how and with what resources. Algerian librarians see in marketing the privileged tool that will enable: – better knowing the organization and their potential users; – improving services; – increasing user numbers;

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– improving the level of customer satisfaction; – improving knowledge of user needs. The study indicates that librarians tend to focus on using marketing techniques to “recover their former readers and attract new ones”. They are limited to the operational level and not able to envision the strategic level which marketing may achieve, due to lack of training. Yet the philosophy of librarians seems close to the mindset of marketing, as they are committed to the exchange and the sharing of information. The case study to follow exhibits a marketing mindset in action.

A model of marketing approach at the library of the higher school of banking in algiers The Library of the Higher School of Banking in Algiers (http://www.esb.edu. dz/biblio) was forced to consider new ways of working, as they increasingly faced a competitive digital environment. Indeed, to strengthen the brand image of the library and win back the users who spent increased time on the internet, the library initiated a participative approach. They made the decision to collaborate with users, and appear on their social networking sites. The library developed traditional services by using the interactive on-line tools allowed by web 2.0.

Application of web 2.0 tools To define this concept we have chosen the definition from the French edition of Wikipedia, the collaborative encyclopedia which itself is considered as an application of web 2.0. The source (Web 2.0 2013) said “L’expression ‘Web 2.0’ désigne l’ensemble des techniques, des fonctionnalités et des usages du World Wide Web qui ont suivi la forme originelle du web, en particulier les interfaces permettant aux internautes ayant peu de connaissances techniques de s’approprier les nouvelles fonctionnalités du web” [“The term web 2.0 refers to certain technologies functions and uses of the world wide web that followed the initial shape of the web, especially interfaces that allow users with little technical knowledge to appropriate the new features of the web and so simple to interact with both the content and structure of pages and also with each other, creating the social web”]. Unlike the web 1.0 where the pages are static and the user is a passive consumer of information, web 2.0 is a set of new practices that encourage participation and sharing among the internet users. Sites are dynamic and the user becomes active. From the tools that represent the web 2 .0 we quote Wikipedia,

210 Messaouda Boutaba and Nadia Temmar blogs, flicker, YouTube, RSS feeds, Twitter, Dailymotion, Facebook, MySpace etc. These tools are called social media. To apply client-oriented marketing strategy and reclaim real users and attract potential users, the library went to meet them on the web via its site for: – – – – – – –

providing its expertise; offering new services; interacting and sharing with them; expressing the need to keep in touch with them; proving the importance of their comments or proposals; creating demand; working in a social forum (central place for the community).

The library should develop a relationship of trust based on the knowledge of the other, respect and listening with its users. According to Pascal Krajewski (Krajewski 2007), web 2.0 libraries focus on the user, they provide multimedia materials and are socially rich because they use their community to innovate.

The tools implemented in the strategy Among the tools of web 2.0, the library of the School of Banking opted for Facebook, Netvibes and Twitter. The library created awareness of the users to the new methods with a poster campaign. The information campaign has had a positive impact on students who have started to inquire about the new services of the library.

The Facebook social network Several considerations were made for the selection of this tool in the marketing approach of the library. The Facebook social network is among the most popular sites in the world in terms of time spent. The users of the library possess accounts, according to the answers to a questionnaire launched by the library. Finally the network generates a lot of information and creates enhanced dynamism. Profiles and possible exchanges are produced by the library at http:// www.facebook.com/esb.bibliotheque (Figure 14.1). The library publishes new acquisitions, articles, courses, conferences, and videos. It identifies other sites, selected blogs and related information about the financial world and the bank.

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Figure 14.1. Screenshot of Facebook page of the Library

The results of the action Facebook has enabled increased participation in the library on the part of the students of the school, staff and teachers. In 2010, we published the number of 270 friends (Temmar 2010, slide 20). We count 1480 friends with whom the communication is very fruitful. Their comments and suggestions are taken into account by the head of the library. Some users seek through Facebook the help of the library on research themes. Another advantage of the presence of the library on Facebook is that it has renewed contact with former students of the school. This would have been difficult to achieve given the physical distance to school in large urban areas. Former students who are abroad have also, through our Facebook page, not only renewed contact with the library but with students who are still in school. We can see this through their many comments on the page, about their profession, their training, and even discussions on the economic and financial situation of the world, life at the School, etc.

212 Messaouda Boutaba and Nadia Temmar The experiment is ongoing. Better communication between librarians and users is clearly visible and appears in increased service requests to the library. We continue to be visible on the network even if this requires a daily presence and a commitment on the part of library staff.

Twitter Twitter is a micro-blogging service that allows users to communicate with each other through short messages or “tweets” not exceeding 140 characters. Published statistics in 2011 reveal that Twitter users posted more than 95 million tweets per day in 2010 (Bonnel 2011), over 25 billion per year and 793 per second in 2010 (Lubrano 2011). And the growth is exponential. There are 500 million users in February 2012. By creating its account http://twitter.com/esb_biblio, the library wanted to publish and disseminate its information, monitoring effectively to all professional users and school students by providing them with an instant and updated information service. The library of the Higher School of Banking uses Twitter to: – – – –

provide a referral service online and collect feedback; announce library events; notify users of literature news; inform them about the availability of reserved books.

But also to: – keep in touch with information professionals; – have access to the latest information about our profession; – stay on top of technology.

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Figure 14.2. Screenshot of Twitter

Netvibes The library has opted for Netvibes in order to focus on the world of finance. This is a web portal with a single access private or public. By using Netvibes, the users can quickly be aware of news and updates from different sites and blogs which are specialized in this field. The library has created a Netvibes site which can be visited at the following address: http://www.netvibes.com/biblioesb. The purpose of the public page is to post and group internet links for our students, and others wishing to learn about finance. The library Netvibes page has an internal configuration, with access to the catalogue and to library infor-

214 Messaouda Boutaba and Nadia Temmar mation. The external configuration has wider information on financial issues, news, research, everyday life, press; etc. The page is divided into thematic tabs such as the news of the library, news of banks, financial markets, news, sports, music and other entertainment. The objective of this work is to offer to the users a way to find all the information they want on only one page, on the universe Netvibes library. In June 2012, there were a total of 3,132 visitors.

Figure 14.3. Screenshot of Netvibes

Impact of these tools on the attendance rate of the library After three years (2009-2012) of using social media, it remains difficult to measure the effectiveness of using these tools. Nevertheless, we can infer according to library staff that can assess the impact of these tools on the behaviour of users that this experience has enabled: – increased visibility : the number of visits per day on the social media sites and in the library is the indicator; – a clear increase in the rate of the use of the library physically or virtually; – an increase in the number of requests from users from national or outside the country; – feedback from the users: the needs, the suggestions or the comments obtained.

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It remains clear that to disseminate the library better on the web and redirect users to its main site, the link www.esb.edu.dz / library must be on the homepage of all social media sites used. It is from this link that users can search the catalogues and the databases of the library. Social media are important tools for the promotion of the library. In the case of the library of the Higher School of Banking, Facebook remains among all the social media used the most common social network and the one in which the exchanges between the library and the users are the most prolific. The enthusiasm is due in part to the target population, which is a young population, i.e. students. Indeed, Facebook is the largest community network in the world and the most popular social network amongst young people (Chevreul 2011). In summary the rate of library use has increased since the use of Facebook in the library. The users actively participate and provide input into improving services. We believe that the other tools are less popular with users but for unknown reasons. Training on all tools can be useful and could place the library in the heart of technological change as a key partner in the complete mastery of these tools.

Conclusion We believe that social media can help to provide a dynamic and modern image of the library and make it competitive amongst burgeoning information resources. Using the tools of web 2.0, libraries regardless of their status will improve their collections, promote their image, provide new services based on user expectations, practise information monitoring. This places libraries at the forefront of innovative products and services, and to alert to changes in users behaviour and attitudes. Far from being a competitor, the internet is the perfect ally of the library of the 21st century. It provides the accessible tools that will allow it to reposition itself in the global context information establishing customer-centredness. Other Algerian libraries may look to our experience and be encouraged to adopt new methods of management based on knowledge of their audiences, subsequent markets and new attitudes generated. Marketing is not an end in itself. The satisfaction of the user’s needs is based upon identification and delivery of high quality services in a competitive market

References Bonnel, J. 2011. “Les chiffres clés de Twitter à Janvier 2011”. Blog: Marketing et Technologies. Accessed on 4 March 2013. http://www.jbonnel.com/article-les-chiffres-cles-detwitter-a-janvier-2011-65515126.html.

216 Messaouda Boutaba and Nadia Temmar Cavaleri, P. 2003. “Les bibliothèques et les services personnalisés en ligne.” BBF 48(4): 2432. Chevreul, T.P.E. 2011. “L’usage de Facebook des jeunes”. Accessed on 4 March 2013. Http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=196086800408868. Lubrano, L. 2011. “Twitter évolutions et usages en 2010 du réseau social phénomène.” Karalys. Accessed on 4 March 2013. http://www.slideshare.net/Laurencelubrano/twittervolutions-et-usages-en-2010-du-rseau-social-phnomne. Krajewski, Pascal. 2007. “Le web 2.0 et les bibliothèques”. Accessed on 13 March 2013. http://www.slideshare.net/bibliotheque20/des-bibliothques-20. Salaün, J.M. 1990. “Marketing des bibliothèques et des centres de documentation.” BBF 35(3): 346-355. Temmar, N. 2010. “The participatory aspect of Web 2.0: a marketing asset for the Algiers School of Banking library?” Accessed on 4 March 2013. http://www.slideshare.net/ nadiaesb/temmar-nadia “Web 2.0.” 2013. Accessed 4 March 2013. http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0. Zemouche, N. and N. Maazouz. 2008. Le marketing dans les bibliothèques : vision des bibliothécaires algériens sur quelques bibliothèques algériennes : étude de cas. Alger. Mémoire : Licence : Département de bibliothéconomie : Université d’Alger : 2008. (In Arabic)

Teaching Marketing for Better Cultural Projects’ Management: the Book Trade, Information and Communications Department Expertise Lamia Badra Lecturer, The University Clermont 2, France

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to give both an overview and a clarification about the actual and future challenges that have been changing the French university offer. This offer is marketing and management training devoted to students earning master’s degrees. The following questions are asked: Why are cultural professionals becoming more attentive to training in marketing and management given at university? What new skills do they expect? How do students actually perceive marketing and management? And how can university training improve work outcomes and solve the problems faced by today’s cultural organizations? Through the illustrative example of the Book Trade, Information and Communications Department of the University of Clermont-Ferrand, the current constraints of the cultural sector, and the emerging skills required in management and marketing are identified. We examine how the training offer can be adapted to carry out marketing and management training efficiently and better meet the needs of the target “markets”.

Introduction In the last ten years, marketing and management skills have become a central concern within French cultural organizations. They are seeking to ensure their development and existence within a difficult context of state budget cuts and removal of business taxes. The result is the greatly reduced capacity of local authorities to invest (Moulinier 2010, 21). Two main factors further explain increased attention to training in management and marketing, in higher education curriculum. These are the decline in public attendance of cultural manifestations (Inkei, 2001), and the stagnation of public funds which concern the cultural sector (Benhamou 2012, 37). On the one hand, citizens are spending less in entertainment and hobbies (Deloche 2004, 152; Donnat and Octobre 2001). On the other hand, the state and

218 Lamia Badra local governments have other priorities to deal with, mainly the struggle against unemployment and the economic growth of territories (Huteau 2002, 27). As a consequence, culture is set into second place by circumstance. Thus, cultural organizations are working hard to continue providing quality services and products despite the rising costs of materials essential to promotion and the current changes they face. The next section provides a brief overview of these changes.

Cultural organizations: changes and challenges Cultural professionals are discussing the following topics with academic staff. They want to know how they can meet consumers’ needs and continue to attract them without disavowing the organization’s mission and roles. They expect their future employees based upon their education, to be able to handle different events (political, economic, social…) that continually change during the cultural organization’s development. The cultural sector is affected by the economic crisis encountered by France and generalized in Europe. We observe three major scenarios: 1. Local authorities that mobilized the resources available for the remediation in the banking sector saw a decrease of their resources and increase in their expenses, resulting in higher government debt; 2. Consumers who are anxious about the future tend to spend less, even on leisure which previously showed a rapid progression. For richer households, the crisis led to the withdrawal of savings. For others, it may mean a loss of employment, housing or credit and many difficulties in daily life. The first cyclical impact of this crisis is budgetary; and 3. The subsidies of cultural structures are being reduced. In this period of crisis and uncertainty, the patronage that is often considered as an alternative for cultural associations and private companies that provide tax deductions, grows very slightly (Wallon 2010). The fact is that the cultural sector in France relies heavily on the financial and logistical support of local authorities since the decentralization law in 1987. Meanwhile, state grants to local authorities have stagnated while mandatory spending is growing drastically. Successive reforms that concern these authorities and their territorial organizations are behind this disturbing fact.

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The reforms matter! The general principle of decentralization is that the state provides grants to local governments and it is up to them to determine afterwards how to split the money between the local structures. At the beginning, the first act of the reform was to transfer the responsibilities from the state to the counties and regions. This law must ensure better management of local expertise. Then, it started the territorial reform that had to preserve the benefits of decentralization, reinforce local liberties and release the energy of territories. However, it aimed to master local public expenditure. With the reform of local taxation in 2009 (Wallon 2010), the Department does not receive any longer business tax, residence tax, or the tax on undeveloped land. The departmental shares of residence tax and tax on undeveloped land are transferred to inter-communalities. We should explain here that France is divided into three levels of local government: regions (26), departments (100) and municipalities (over 36,500). Inter-communality has more momentum than ever before and is in the process of profoundly changing the landscape of local institutions. Consequently, the shares of departmental residence tax and tax on undeveloped land are transferred to inter-communalities in which culture is part of their optional competences (Moulinier 2002, 22). With the local government reform and tax reform that preceded it, the financial margins of local authorities have been reduced. According to Dominique Lahary, Deputy Director of the public and departmental library in Val d’Oise (Lahary 2010), local authorities must carry out actions which should be clearer, more efficient and less expensive in order to avoid duplication. At present, the departments in France receive new income from indirect tax, particularly the contribution of value-added enterprises. Other changes will take place by March 2014 in terms of culture, tourism and sports, which could be shared by municipalities, districts and departments or regions, depending on the number of population in the territories (Réforme des collectivités territoriales françaises 2012). Accordingly, public reading structures, cultural spaces, crafts or tourism are the key areas of intervention of community cultural competence. These areas are leading the responsibilities transferred to inter-communalities that manage and finance them in terms of investment, functioning or materials. Besides, the amendment phase of the territorial organization of the country is not yet complete. It is expected that by 2014, the probable inter-municipal fusion might either change the competences of their former components or generalize them.

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Reforms implications on the cultural context In the current context, all cultural organizations whether profit or nonprofit must manage differently to continue to grow. This management should allow them to: – submit to local authority attainable objectives of their projects clearly and precisely from long to short term; – justify the appropriate use of the aid given to them; and – show the impact of these projects to society at the local, national and even international levels. Therefore, not only must the projects of these organizations correspond to actual missions and priorities of local authorities, but they must also adapt to the changing political context. Thus, managers in the cultural sector must be aware of the issues and also be proactive. The strategic challenge for them is to bring up the issue of cultural organizations in the territorial re-composition. Hence, they must be aware of what the university offers in relation to cultural sector training.

The book trade, information and communications department offer: a brief description The universities in France offer students in Information Science very few course hours to learn marketing (Torres 2002). These hours are generally integrated into the teaching module for the management of information services and documentation (known as SID in French). However, there are more advanced courses in marketing from the baccalaureate level 4, basically because marketing is seen as a management discipline that is practised mainly by managers’ officials and documentation services. This is the case of the Book Trade, Information and Communications Department in Clermont-Ferrand (France) that prepares project managers in five-year courses. The department offers professional training at licenciate and master’s level. It is dedicated to students who want to work either in tourism or in booktrade management. This study focuses on this last field. The common course focuses on the numerous tasks involved in running an organization, in managing projects, in being a team leader, and in planning. All of these skills are essential in the different information and communications fields, which are extremely diverse. In the first year of the master’s programme, we prepare students for the following careers: school librarian, monitor, librarian, editor, bookseller, cultural events coordinator, cultural development assistant, cultural-events assistant manager, heritage officer, webmaster, multimedia product designer…

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The second year opens the way to new career opportunities with a managerial and/or strategic dimension. We can quote here the following examples: – head of resource centre; – publishing director; – head of the communications department in a publishing house or a software publishing house; – chief librarian (competitive exam); – bookstore manager or head of a book section of a department store; – development officer, cultural events director; – project manager for software publishing; – head of ICT projects.

Training Management and Marketing for Future Cultural Project Managers: an outline During the two years of master the master’s programme (M1 and M2), fundamentals in management, communications and marketing are taught to students and take the form of lectures and tutorials. Twenty-four hours a year of lectures are provided in the M1 year. While illustrating the specificity of management in cultural enterprises, the course emphasises the existing convergence and divergence between strategic management used in the private sector and public management applied in the public sector. It highlights on the role of cultural managers in both sectors, who must not only ensure the rigour of their planning approach in terms of outcomes and of impact, but also convince the other institutional stakeholders about the benefits of their cultural project. Through examples of structures and the witness of managers in book-trade fields, the course introduces to students the reality of management practices and the different needs and issues of cultural enterprises. Courses in marketing are held in parallel. Twenty-four hours of tutorials are provided in which the basic principles of marketing are presented and discussed; we draw on the works of authors who treated this topic considering the particular context of non-profit organizations and libraries (Andreasen and Kotler 2007; Brinckerhoff 2010; Savard 1988; Muet and Salaün 2001). Then, we deal with practical works using investigative techniques (questionnaire, interview and observation).This teaching, based mainly on case studies and discussing current issues, encourages students to implement the different steps of the marketing mix and maintain a successful marketing analysis and market research to improve communications strategy of cultural businesses and then better fit the demand. The M2 year focuses on the conduct of projects in the book trade and multimedia from conception to realization and offers in total 74 hours of tuition.

222 Lamia Badra At the beginning of the year, each student chooses to take part in a team that fits his professional project. He must integrate a small group to carry out tasks in the following areas: – Communication: the group should promote the event through the website of the sponsor, social networks, posters and flyers, in partnership with an illustrator or a graphic designer. Students should also communicate with the communication service of the partner’s sponsor, mainly those of public institutions (the City Council of Clermont-Ferrand and the General Council for example). – Budget: students are expected to do a lot of research to seek possible cost savings and should find new partners ready to provide financial support for the event. – The event itself: students must determine precisely the activities of the event, to prompt the partners through a cultural policy valid for three years, etc. – Publicity: with the members of the team, students have to choose and programme the publicity for the following season. For the current season, they should set up logistics (room booking, technical sound and image for conferences, but also prepare for the arrival of the authors ...). This task requires both putting up posters and negotiating the coming of a guest with his press attaché. We must note here that the contribution of stakeholders to the success of the project is essential, as they guide students working in small groups during all the academic year to achieve the goals they have proposed. This work enabled students to apply the techniques and methods given in theory. In addition, students were invited to propose an open debate on two major themes of society and have to invite prominent players in the world of books and other cultural organizations to give their views on these themes at a round table or conference. In December 2011, the students chose the following theme: “What is the role of Cultural Organizations in Clermont-Ferrand today? What are the challenges and the development outlook?” They defined the aims of the event and contacted the speakers (the Associate for Cultural Policy for Clermont-Ferrand and directors of three Clermont cultural events: the international short film festival “Sauve qui Peut Le Court Métrage”, the Route Notebooks (travelling exhibition) called “Rendez-vous du Carnet de Voyage” of the “Il Faut Aller Voir” Association, and the “Traces de Vies” documentary film festival and “Videoformes” video art and digital culture festival. Students advertised the debate, ensured a wide dissemination of this event through mass media and published the minutes from cultural professionals. Following the same process, another event was held in February 2012. The students decided to hold a conference on the future of the library profession

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that faces the changes of reading practices, mediation and cultural actions in the digital era. They invited the Director of the Public Information Library, BPI (http://www.bpi.fr/fr/index.html) located inside the Pompidou Centre in the centre of Paris. A main idea emerged from this conference that was also its running thread. The Director of the BPI noted that the digital revolution is not a technical revolution but a cultural one. Also, access to information is no more the exclusive domain of libraries. These facts led him to affirm the following thesis: libraries will no more be confined to producing more access to information but will play increasingly a cultural role. He concludes that the library has a future because of the evolution of its social function and the enrichment of knowledge field. However, a requirement for mediation is necessary for librarians, especially since the crisis of social links in France. The library can play a role in maintaining these links. In his opinion, mediation relies on a double dip in user expectations and cultural content. It is essential to innovate and create a support system so the library becomes an environment where customers and the librarians co-construct knowledge and contents. The students asked about the features of BPI’s web magazine. This new project focuses on ideas that could be offered to other libraries so that each librarian can contribute to the enhancement of knowledge. This event was appreciated by students too because they realized the evolutionary perspectives of the librarian’s role. They apprehended the advantages of applying marketing and benchmarking to acquire further dynamism in library activities.

Cultural professionals’ expectations in marketing training in the local context During the past eight years in the Book Trade, Information and Communications Department, collaborative working with partners from the Auvergne region such as librarians in public and academic libraries, curators, actors or directors of festivals of short films, documentary film or digital art, has proved very constructive. Several meetings allowed the teaching team adjusting supply to training requests for the job market by providing appropriate academic and professional learning modules in cultural project management during the “LMD” reform in 2008 (bachelor, master and doctoral degrees) specialized in information and communications. According to a survey held in 2011, 40 professionals in culture that constitute the stakeholders of the Book Trade, Information and Communications Department in Clermont-Ferrand, declared that their management experience is still empirical. Most of them had practised it alone in their job without training before. Besides, they need also to a new generation of employees who are

224 Lamia Badra competent in mix-marketing. Therefore, they rely a lot on the University training. It is essential for them that students will be quickly operational. As involved in the training, most of cultural professionals have expressed their concerns toward the current situation and their opinions about the development of their business. Despite the difference of contexts, their common demand is quite clear. They expect to have new managers strongly motivated and autonomous with great ideas, who know how to negotiate with different interlocutors, motivate their teams, chose and implement innovative, attractive and attainable projects. They explain their requirement by the severity and uncertainty characterizing the cultural sector locally and nationally. Now that the resources of local authorities are becoming scarce and municipalities are under reconstruction, it is vital for them that their cultural organizations remain in the dynamics of public policy areas; they have to stay in the game, as they said. However, every time, cultural actors defend the unchangeable values and principles which they believe fiercely, namely access to knowledge and culture for all and the enhancing the heritage of their territory. They are looking for students who share the same values and who are also aware of these issues. As jobs are increasingly limited, they recognize that mastering the techniques of communication and management of projects is also an important criterion in recruiting new employers. Certainly, they rejoice seeing that since 2007, workforce development become a major issue in higher education in France, but they consider that the objective has not yet been purchased mainly in the cultural field, because they find that students have very idealistic ideas of business, are not sufficiently prepared about the current and future issues and are not immediately operational. Therefore, Auvergne’s professionals in culture with whom we are working in Auvergne region encourage teaching of both marketing and management. They believe that these topics are complementary. Their relationship is intrinsic and necessary in order to master the principles and all the stages of the project management.

Students’ representations on marketing and management During four years in teaching marketing and management, the trend is still the same: at the beginning, students are not at ease with the concepts and have apprehension about their use. As the course proceeds their motivation increases and they begin mastering the tools and methods. While many of the students seem unaware of the benefits of economic and political environment analysis, they begin to identify the value of some of the objectives of marketing. Yet collecting demographic information, characteristics

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and attitudes and understanding how individuals think, see, consume, feel and act, remains difficult for the students to fully comprehend. At the beginning of the course, marketing was synonymous with publicity. Seventy percent of the students declared that marketing is suitable for selling products such as books or touristic destinations. However, they considered this method less interesting for the library, which has nothing to sell. The remaining 30% felt that marketing is useful because it leads to better identification of users and their demands. Meanwhile, they remained prudent about the use of consumer profile information that may lead to customer manipulation. To their mind, the excessive use of this method is pushing consumption regardless of the quality of the service or the product. Furthermore they were reticent about employing cost-effective analysis and marketing controls. They considered that advertising doesn’t “fit” cultural and non-profit organizations’ purposes. They believe that advertising and promotional tools aim to sell goods or services. They were convinced that these principles do not match with the purposes of cultural organization. They insisted that their role is to keep consumers informed about their future organization’s offer without imposing offers or changing customer habits. On the other hand, the significance of management practices is unknown for most. Many students believed that the major purpose of applying management practices is to increase efficiency, performance and control. They ignored the existing relationship with marketing. Most of them have negative ideas due to the current political and cultural context in France. Yet they suppose that “management is a commitment they must deal with”. For them, the purpose of management practices is to achieve more and more efficiency and performance. It seemed less useful to students because managers deal mainly with human resources and financial control rather than with users’ needs and developing cultural events. During the year, we perceived an evolution of their understanding about the relationship between marketing and management. Their perception changed and they desired to know more. Students wanted to learn about survey methodologies such as questionnaires and interviews because these were new skills required in libraries. They recognized that these methodologies place users in the centre of concern. Among the targets announced by most of the students, we quote the following: – make inquiries allowing them to deal fully with surveys although they don’t know about statistics; – know the practical logic and systems of representation of users to analyse better their changing demands and needs; and – show the importance of this technique for managing information services and documentation, which may explain probably the evolution of perceptions.

226 Lamia Badra At the beginning, we excluded publications in English because we found it much harder for them understand the jargon and the technical terms. We found that this could discourage them to appropriate the concepts. When we saw the increased number of students who wanted to know more about best practices in marketing, we began offering references of cases studies and books in English. During four years of teaching marketing, students dealt with the recent news that affected or concerned the cultural environment in France and/or on the world. Basing on general topics, such as “Is the e-book the end of publishers?”, “Digital library for librarians: a threat or an opportunity?”, “What is the outcome of the coming territorial reform in March 2014 on culture?” and “How does the customer perceive culture today?” Students were supposed to define precisely the issue as well as the target public and the method chosen. Then they had carry out the survey, interpret the results of analysis and suggest possible resolutions. This exercise was useful and appreciated by students because they acted freely during the process. They chose the subject to deal with, as well as the geographic zone and the name of the organization, according to their professional project. It was an opportunity for them to recognize the actual preoccupations of cultural actors and appreciate the importance of management. It was also constructive for them as they examined the current market of cultural organizations and saw how cultural managers could adjust their offer to the evolution of demand. They applied the benchmarking technique to propose examples of best practices that seemed suitable for their case studies. Students also saw how to launch a communication and action plan valuable to the cultural context. It appears from the results of the interviews with students that knowing the different steps of this plan is much needed in publishing houses. At the end of the year and mainly after the twelve weeks of internship in M1, they admitted that they needed to master management guidelines, methods and tools to gain insight into customer satisfaction and their views of product quality and services. In the M2 level they were eager to learn more about these topics.

Conclusion and work in progress Our experience and case study reveal that students in the Department are not motivated to use marketing and management in the future. This is due in part to the misperception and belief that marketing is primarily publicity. It seems cultural professionals are more cognizant of the value of marketing’s other activities, such as customer research and segmentation. It is agreed by university staff and professionals that these are not implemented (as these perhaps require more training than is currently offered.)

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Students also assert that their position within public service must remain a non-profit mindset, while cultural professionals acknowledge the competitive cultural environment requires a proactive approach. Cultural professionals know they must find sponsors and new strategies for promotion. After years of practice they know they must improve and retain visibility in the marketplace and offer attractive products and services as the markets demand. The latter requires marketing expertise. We observe that students remain profoundly idealistic even though they state they want to master the main tools of marketing. Students are also convinced they must defend the basic values of culture. Cultural professionals believe they must ultimately document the social and economic benefits of their enterprise to stakeholders and funders. These findings demonstrate there is a long road ahead to find middle ground. To our mind, the perspectives on marketing and management need further concerted reflection by academics (faculty and students) in partnership with cultural professionals to improve relevancy. Effective collaboration between students and professionals on cultural projects can contribute to this. As explained in the paper, our experience demonstrates that the leitmotiv of developing knowledge of marketing and management resides in the participation of students on concrete projects during their training. This approach reveals very attractive and constructive outcomes. It seems useful and efficient to cultural professionals as well. Knowing how to provide relevant comprehension of marketing and management within a complex cultural context, and assuring that comprehension is built upon collective intelligence, is the current challenge of training in France.

References Andreasen, A. R. and P. Kotler. 2007. Strategic marketing for nonprofit organizations. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Benhamou, F. 2012. Economie du patrimoine culturel. Paris: La Découverte. Brinckerhoff, P. 2010. Mission-based marketing: positioning your not-for-profit in an increasingly competitive world. 3rd ed. Paris, Lavoisier S.A.S. Deloche, B. 2004. La nouvelle culture: la mutation des pratiques sociales ordinaires et l’avenir des institutions culturelles. Paris: l’Harmattan. Donnat, O. and S. Octobre. 2001. “Les publics des équipements culturels, Méthodes et résultats d’analyse”. Les Travaux du DEP, 154-166. Ministry of Culture. Huteau, S. 2002. Le management public territorial., Paris: Papyrus. Inkei, P. 2010. “Les effets de la crise économique sur la culture.” Conférence 2010 Culture WatchEurope. Accessed 4 March 2013. http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/cwe/ Effets_Inkei_FR.pdf. Lahary, D. 2010. “Les bibliothèques dans le millefeuille territorial, Villeurbanne.” Bulletin de Bibliothèques de France 55(2): 45-56. Moulinier, P. 2002. Politique culturelle et decentralization. Paris, l’Harmattan. Moulinier, P. 2010. Les politiques publiques de la culture en France. Paris: PUF.

228 Lamia Badra Muet, F. and Salaün, J. M. 2001. Stratégie marketing des services d’information: bibliothèques et centres de documentation. Paris: Cercle de la librairie. “Réforme des collectivités territoriales françaises (2008-2014).” 2012. Wikipédia. Accessed on 4 March 2013. http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%A9forme_des_collectivit%C3% A9s_territoriales_fran%C3%A7aises_%282008-2014%29. Savard, R. 1988. Principles directeurs pour l’enseignement du marketing dans la formation des bibliothécaires, documentalistes et archivistes. Paris: UNESCO. Torres, I. 2002. “Le marketing des services d’information et de documentation: une étude documentaire”. Documentaliste, ADBS 6: 290-297. Wallon, E. 2010. “L’empreinte de la crise économique dans le secteur culturel.” In Compterendu de La Rencontre de Pécs: Crise économique: quel devenir pour les politiques culturelles locales? Pecs: Association of European cities and regions for Culture. Accessed on 6 March 2013. http://e.wallon.free.fr/spip.php?article85.

Management and Marketing: an Insight to Developments in German Libraries Hella Klauser Head of Division, International Cooperation, German Library Association / Expertise Network for Libraries Berlin, Germany

Abstract Preparing libraries for the future is the main goal in the management and marketing field in Germany. This applies to academic as well as public libraries. Many training opportunities for library staff are available in this area. As part of a project, smaller public libraries in South Germany developed viable library concepts as fundamental management tools considering the needs of each community. A comprehensive goal- and result-oriented quality management offers opportunities for libraries to develop a combined strategy from various modernization strategies and activities, drawing on quality evaluation models not developed for libraries in particular. The European quality evaluation system “Common Assessment Framework” (CAF) provides easy access to quality management through self-evaluation. Based on CAF, the quality certificate “Excellent Library” was developed. Another aspect of quality management is client orientation, which is receiving increased attention in German libraries. Client surveys serve as tools in this context, and non-user studies are conducted to obtain information on people who do not use the library (anymore). The German benchmarking tool BIX assesses quality through performance evaluation. Library staff management needs to consider societal challenges, including diversification, aging and volunteer work. The Management Commission prepares and processes the themes and issues for a wide professional audience in Germany.

Introduction “Re-inventing the library”, “Libraries for the future – a future for libraries”, “Designing the future, finding new ways” – the future of libraries, as reflected in the titles and themes of past library conferences, has been a focus of professional discourse for quite a while. More than ever libraries and library staff seem to be subject to a variety of challenges. Globalization, technological change,

230 Hella Klauser different user behaviour, a tight financial situation are just a few examples. Therefore, it is no surprise that the management and marketing efforts of German libraries currently focus on preparing libraries for the future. It is the challenge of the moment for about 10,000 public and academic libraries in Germany. With 205 million visits a year and 680,000 visits per work day, German libraries run 320,000 events annually and lend 474 million media items out a year. 2000 libraries are professionally managed and members of the German Library Association (Deutscher Bibliotheksverband).

Library management Planning always starts with a library concept. What does the library offer in times of the internet and other providers? What is its “unique selling point”? What are its goals and what is viable despite tight financial human and financial resources? All libraries, including smaller public libraries, need to ask these questions. As fundamental management tools they are the basis for viable library concepts. A project (Bibliothekskonzeptionen 2012) to develop a library concept was carried out in Bavaria in the South of Germany, one of the 16 German Länder or Federated States (Germany is a federal state with the Länder exerting primary responsibility in educational and cultural matters, i.e. they have “cultural sovereignty”). It was based on a thorough needs and environment analysis, and was therefore aligned with the needs of the particular municipalities and communities. The result of the project was that the developed concepts not only provide the basis for the work processes and future orientation of the individual libraries; they are also useful tools to draft, declare and elaborate library positions and goals for the community, thus securing support. In addition to defining content, presenting the concepts to political and administrative decision makers was part of the project. The concept design workshop was based on three modules and personal consultation for each participant with an external advisor. Due to its great success the seminar was run a second time with different library representatives. The Consulting Centre for Public Libraries in Munich (a publicly funded advisory facility for smaller libraries), the Upper Bavarian Library Association (Bibliotheksverband Oberbayern) and the library services provider ekz.bibliotheksservice co-organized the seminar. There are numerous training opportunities for library staff to discuss the challenges for libraries and to develop solutions. In 2011 and 2012 for instance, ekz.bibliotheksservice and the three main German professional associations for libraries (the German Library Association, Berufsverband Information Bibliothek BIB and Verein deutscher Bibliothekare VdB) co-organized a seminar to prepare library representatives for the future and develop visions for a library of the future (Zehn Prozent der öffentlichen Bibliotheken bieten

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E-Books an, 2012). Do libraries and their services have a place in a digital world? What kind of influence do new media have on staff development, local politics and the relationship between libraries and publishers? These seminars discussed topics such as staff development, libraries and the e-society, e-lending, the future of non-fiction books, and current strategies and specific ideas for small libraries.

Quality management Comprehensive goal- and results-oriented quality management offers opportunities for libraries to develop a combined strategy from various modernization strategies and activities. More and more libraries rely on quality evaluation models that have not been developed for libraries in particular, but can be used to examine processes, organizational and staff structures in libraries. The “Common Assessment Framework” (CAF) product for instance, managed in Germany by Deutsches CAF-Zentrum (http://www.caf-netzwerk.de/) is a European quality evaluation system developed for all public sector areas using self-evaluation to improve the organization of public administrative units on national, regional and local levels. It is therefore suitable for libraries funded by regional or local governments. The quality model is based on the quality model EFQM (European Foundation of Quality Management), accredited internationally by private and public sectors. A common feature of EFQM and CAF is the fact that they do not focus on measures to secure and increase quality in selective areas (for example in terms of optimizing business prosesses). They rather present a comprehensive and integrated framework to manage organizations. They describe organizations based on nine thematic fields, including leadership qualities, processes, staff, and client and staff related events. Self-assessment of the organization by its own staff is essential, ensuring and enabling easy use of the system. The programme is based on the assumption that organizations achieve exceptional performance results for clients, staff, cititzens and society as a whole through quality of leadership. This tool evaluates organizations from various viewpoints. The research area “Library Management, Evaluation and Organizational Development”, led by Prof. Cornelia Vonhof at the Stuttgart Media University and the Consultation Centre for Public Libraries in Stuttgart, developed a certification process specifically adapted for libraries, based on internationally renowned quality models such as CAF. This enables participating libraries to assess themselves based on the same requirements for quality as private and public sector enterprises. The quality certificate is called “Excellent Library”. In 2008 seven libraries participated in the pilot project to work with the quality management concept “Excellent Library” (Vonhof 2010). To receive

232 Hella Klauser the certificate, the libraries analysed their environment, work processes and results, implemented management tools and promoted developing efficient work processes in a goal- and client-oriented library. The libraries’ journeys were marked by labour-intensive tasks of thorough self-assessment and efforts to implement opportunities for improvement. They were supported by thematic workshops to develop the management tools needed, such as process management and preparing of library profiles. Three out of the seven libraries successfully completed the quality project. They are located in the cities of Neckarsulm, Geislingen, and Oehringen, and received the “Excellent Library” certificate in September 2011. It is valid for three years, after which the libraries are required to provide evidence that they have continued their development to renew their certification. Since the spring of 2010 a second group of public libraries has been working towards becoming an “Excellent Library”. Whereas these two groups are public libraries with small- to medium-sized collections, a large academic universal library, the Berlin State Library-Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin-Preußischer Kulturbesitz), has been using CAF as a tool for an internal restructuring and strategy development process since February 2011. Other academic libraries followed, for example the Economics, Legal Studies and Statistics Library at the Berlin Technical University (Fachbibliothek Wirtschaft, Recht & Statistik der Fakultät Wirtschaft und Management/ Technischen Universität Berlin), which launched its quality project in the fall of 2011.

Client orientation as part of quality management Even some smaller local libraries have been increasingly focusing on the needs of the library user, i.e. they work towards being client-oriented. In the federated state of Saxony-Anhalt the project “Creating a Public Library Quality Management (QM) Network in Saxony-Anhalt” (Qualitätsmanagement-Projekt der Bibliotheken in Sachsen-Anhalt n.d.) was launched in 2008. Twenty local small- to medium-sized public libraries participate in the project to increase their clients’ satisfaction. Quality networks issue certificates to recognize library services aiming to improve client satisfaction. During the Level 1 certification process, the QM libraries have developed various measures to increase quality, particularly client satisfaction, using a range of tools. All project libraries have access to a variety of measures, which are available in a concise version to facilitate implementing the QM Network, outlining the breadth of suitable measures as well as the quality management orientation. A QM Project Working Group was formed to develop quality criteria for public libraries in Saxony-Anhalt. Representatives from project libraries and from the Saxony-Anhalt Association of Cities and Municipalities jointly defined twenty criteria from the following areas:

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staffing needs; financial needs; collection; usage; event planning/public relations, and technological requirements.

The Saxony-Anhalt Regional Branch of the German Library Association (Landesverband Sachsen-Anhalt des Deutschen Bibliotheksverbandes e.V.) organized the project, which received financial support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Another initiative in Saxony-Anhalt focuses on improving the development and increasing the appreciation of libraries in the state. A prize of 5000 Euros will be awarded every two years to honour concepts addressing current challenges for the education system integrating future developments or even influencing them, and particularly taking into account the aspects of life-long learning (Bibliothekspreis der mittleständischen Wirtschaft für das Land Sachsen-Anhalt 2013). The Chambers of Trade of the cities Halle and Magdeburg and the Chambers of Industry and Commerce Halle-Dessau and Magdeburg created the award, turning medium-sized businesses into sustainable supporters of libraries as providers of information and education for a future knowledge society. All Saxony-Anhalt libraries implementing innovative ideas are eligible to apply, regardless of their size, type or affiliation.

Client surveys Client surveys are a central quality management tool and are considered an integral part of quality management systems. Nevertheless, the fact that surveys consider only a small portion of the target groups is often criticized. Therefore, both validity and impact of survey results are equally limited. In 2011, existing survey tools for university libraries in Germany were examined in a comprehensive analysis. The results identify three weak areas. First, the quality of the library as a provider of electronic services is not systematically evaluated. Second, the library’s contribution to the success of the university as a whole is only analysed in isolated cases. Third, there is no sample basis consistently incorporating the principles of a “total survey design” and thus allowing for at least limited generalizations of results beyond the original survey participants. A survey tool for university libraries was developed based on these findings and with the intention of testing in the 2012 summer term at several university libraries. The standardized client survey will be made available to libraries throughout Germany, if it is evaluated positively.

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Non-user analysis According to a representative survey of 1,300 people between 14 and 75 years of age, almost every third person over 14 years in Germany used public library services in 2011. The study was conducted in early 2012 by the German Library Association and the Institute for Literacy and Media Research of the Literacy Foundation (Stiftung Lesen) and financially supported by the German Federal Commissioner for Culture and Media (BKM) (Ursachen und Gründe für die Nichtnutzung von Bibliotheken in Deutschland 2012). For the first time the reasons why many adolescents and adults do not use public city and municipality libraries (any more) were investigated, and what means are available to (re-)attract them. The aim of the study was to gain detailed, empirically substantiated and comprehensive knowledge of the group of non-users and their reasons for not using the library. The conclusions and recommendations can assist libraries in addressing various user groups, providing services for them and to encourage them (to come back) to visit the library. The Market Research Institute IFAK in Taunusstein conducted a computer-assisted telephone survey of users and non-users of public libraries to directly compare these two groups. Non- and ex-users demanded extended opening hours, attractive premises, and more interesting event and media programmes. An interesting result was the fact that early library experiences matter: 62% of the current library users visited the library as children with their parents; only 42% of the non- and ex-users did. The following course of action is recommended based on the study results: children who visit the library will more likely be library clients as adults. The recommendations include binding cooperation agreements between libraries and schools as well as nursery schools to enable children from a young age to experience libraries and accept them as a meeting place. The study also revealed that there is a strong potential for digital services to attract more visitors. The measures to increase the attractiveness of libraries specifically for young people include targeted investments to expand DVD, CD and digital media collections and to increase the number of available internet work stations. Extending the opening hours in the evening and considering Sunday hours, presently not possible in public libraries in Germany, are great opportunities to (re-)attract library visitors. Good lighting and bright colours at the library premises, a cafeteria, and interesting and extraordinary event and media programmes to make people curious about the library are also high on the list of suggestions. The negative perception of libraries among specific groups needs to be taken seriously. A more professional external presentation (flyers, website, posters etc.) may increase the public appreciation of library services.

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Quality through performance measurement: the German Library Index BIX Performance measurement and benchmarking are further quality management tools. Benchmarking is a method of evaluating and assessing one’s own results and performances against the overall performance, thus identifying the strengths and weaknesses of a library. Benchmarking is also a modern method to present the library’s performance externally. The German Library Index BIX (http:// www.bix-bibliotheksindex.de), launched in 2000 by the Bertelsmann Foundation and the German Library Association, is one of the longest-running library benchmarking systems worldwide. As a nationwide ranking of libraries, it has provided libraries with data for management and advocacy for the last 12 years. During this period, BIX was continuously developed further, for example “virtual visits” of the library were added as an indicator for electronic library usage. BIX was created for public libraries, and has been including academic libraries since 2004. Since then, BIX has been operating with two rankings: one for public and one for academic libraries. Each year 170 public and 80 academic libraries participate, divided into eight comparison groups. The libraries provide statistical data, which is used to calculate 17 indicators. Those are grouped in four dimensions (services, usage, efficiency and development). The ranking of the BIXparticipants is published on the BIX website and in the annual BIX-Magazine (http://www.b-i-t-online.de/daten/bix.php). In 2012, BIX changed its methodology and appearance. The new design is based on three principles: BIX will be user-friendlier, more representative and more detailed. The most fundamental change is that the ranking system has been changed into a system of performance groups, comprising libraries with similar data levels. Also, BIX does not use data from BIX participants only, but from all libraries participating in the German Library Statistics. This broadens the scope of comparison to include the whole German library system. Detailed results, “gold”-yellow highlighting of the top group and “stars” to award good performance are also well suited for external presentation. The new focus for BIX is its usability for the library management. To facilitate detailed comparison the new BIX provides a data profile, including the library’s overall position for each indicator in comparison with all libraries in Germany to identify the library’s strengths and weaknesses. Another particular focus of the new BIX is data control. Professional staff revise the data submitted by BIX participants. Through hundreds of e-mails they verify incomprehensible or implausible data. These need to be explained and, in some cases, corrected. This ensures that incomprehensible data will not be used to calculate the indices. Participating in BIX is voluntary and costs 170 Euro annually per library.

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Staff management Great social and technological changes do not only challenge the libraries in Germany but also their staff. To meet the challenges and expectations for professional staff at German libraries, library schools and training centres need to adapt their education and training content. Advanced training opportunities need to be offered and staff diversification is a topic. In 2010 15.75 million out of a total of 81.7 million people in Germany had an immigration background (immigrants and their descendants). The percentage of persons with an immigration background of the country’s total population in 2010 was 19.3 percent (2005: 17.9 percent). German citizens accounted for 15.75 million persons with an immigration background, and about 7.15 million were foreigners. These numbers show that between 2005 and 2010 the population with an immigrant background increased through immigration and birth by 750,000 people, whereas the population without an immigration background decreased by about 1.5 million (Bevölkerung mit Migrationshintergrund 2012). Libraries in Germany are working towards adapting their staff to reflect the diversity of the society. Important user groups can be reached and better served by adequate staff, and specific user-oriented services can be offered. Many libraries in a number of cities such as Frankfurt am Main, Nürnberg and Mülheim an der Ruhr employ various “diversity management” methods to manage their staff (Kursawe 2010, 40-50). Diversity management focuses on library staff with an immigration background, staff trained in unrelated fields and staff with disabilities. There are still not enough professional staff with an immigration background in the libraries and in the labour market. One of the problems in this context is the fact that not enough young people with an immigration background can be recruited to become librarians. One of the most important and most current issues in Germany is the aging of society, demographic change. According to the projections of the Federal Statistics Office, by 2060 seventeen million fewer people will be living in Germany. Due to continuously low birthrates and an increasing life expectancy every third person will be over 65 years old; every seventh person (i.e. about 10 million people) will be over 80 years old. In the decades to come the changing age structure will influence almost all aspects of life and the coexistence of people in Germany. It will also have a strong impact on the social and economic development. This demographic development will influence the services as well as the staffing policies in libraries. It is anticipated that many management positions in German libraries will become available due to retirement. Timely succession planning for these positions is therefore essential. Library staff have access to comprehensive training opportunities for librarians offered by regional organizations, library associations and the electronic training portal e-teaching.org ensuring their continued education. The

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Goethe Institute in New York, for instance, has been running a grant programme for several years to support German librarians who participate in training opportunities in libraries in New York City. The programme receives funding from BI-International (an organization promoting international professional exchange through public funding: http://www.bi-international.de). In 2012, the theme of both grants was “Future Leaders”. Technological developments are a great challenge for staff in academic libraries as well. Cataloguing and catalogue maintenance used to be essential skills for professional librarians. These are now pushed more and more into the background and replaced by complex technological processes. Whereas library catalogues used to be a directory and reflection of the library’s own collection, modern catalogues are now worldwide indices, such as the PRIMUS search portal of the Berlin Humboldt University, enabling global research through worldwide search engines (Worldcat). The option to research globally is not only a technological change; it has also changed the librarian’s “traditional” self-conception as catalogue creator and manager of the library’s own and locally accessible collection. Such fundamental change requires continuous training for librarians. Students using the library are often more aware of this change and its implications than library staff themselves. Especially library staff providing information services require intensive introduction and training in this context. The annual “Bibliothekartag” (Librarian Conference), the central training event in Germany, attracts about 4,000 German and international library staff. Three conference days are filled with a wide range of presentations, seminars, committee meetings and training opportunities. At the Bibliothekartag in Hamburg in May 2012 for instance, management issues were addressed in a block seminar on the topics of “quality management” considering examples from different types of libraries in Germany in Erlangen-Nürnberg, Berlin and Jülich. Another block event was held on the topic of knowledge management, the use of new media and governing models in libraries. Other seminars investigated financing and marketing ideas such as crowdfunding for library projects. Staff health management in libraries was introduced to the German library scene as a relatively new issue. “Active citizenship” is now replacing the term “volunteer work” which has been commonly used in Germany. The new term better describes the active component of voluntarily participating in positive social development. In many, usually smaller and public libraries in Germany volunteering, i.e. working without pay, has had a long tradition. The financial crisis and the fear that volunteers will replace professionals, thus undermining professional work and management of libraries, triggered a new discussion of the issue in professional circles. In 2011 the German Library Association issued a situational assessment “Libraries and Active Citizenship” (Bibliotheken und bürgerschaftliches Engagement 2011), which was co-drafted with the Protestant and Catholic

238 Hella Klauser library associations. Especially libraries with church affiliation are often managed and run by volunteers. The situational assessment reveals that volunteers require qualitatively and quantitatively appropriate support by full-time professional staff to make their contribution meaningful and worthwhile. They are a complementary and supportive staff component, provided they have access to continuous training. Creating and enhancing circles of friends (Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Freundeskreise, http://www.bibliotheksverband.de/fachgruppen/arbeitsgemeinschaftder-freundeskreise.html) to support libraries are another aspect of active citizenship for libraries. Based on the experiences in other countries, an interactive network of circles of friends to support libraries, especially during financial and existential crises, is currently being developed and promoted.

The management committee The professional associations in Germany coordinate and support volunteer committees on a broad range of subjects (such as the Legal Committee, Children and Youth, Information Literacy, professional qualification), consisting of library experts devoted to the professional discussion and development of professional processes. As of the beginning of the new three-year term from July 2012 there is a joint management commission of the German Library Associationand the Association of German Librarians (Verein Deutscher Bibliothekare), replacing two active management committees in Germany of the past years. The committee of six members will discuss developments of the management discourse to identify and verbalize management problems in libraries. It will prepare and process relevant management issues for the professional audience and consider general management discourse in society and the economy. One of the committee’s foci will be to communicate methods and techniques. Seminars, workshops, training events and discussions to share knowledge will be organized, and publications will be issued. The committee will also encourage the testing and application of new management methods. The committee members will give advice to the associations, and answer specific professional enquiries and provide information. They will also assist in issuing professional opinions and in referring experts. Close cooperation with other professional committees and other library bodies is desired. The German IFLA Standing Committee member for the Section Management and Marketing is in close contact with the joint management committee to ensure exchange with international committees.

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Conclusion German libraries consider performance measurement and continuous monitoring essential for their future development. In this context, they understand the importance of surveys and analysis. Using a variety of tools, many libraries, both in the public and the academic library sectors, base their approaches to their users and communities on a thorough knowledge of the specific environment in which they operate and offer services based on its analysis. Standardized processes therefore remain rare and translating key findings into followup activities and practices is difficult. The concept of management of change is in all likelihood not unique to German libraries. It is, however, a challenge all libraries face. Standards and tools to keep up with clients’ needs and wishes are being developed all over the world. International, intercultural and interprofessional exchange will not only be helpful but will be important to accelerate the speed of change. Acknowledgment Translation from German to English voluntarily by Maria Reinhard.

References “Bevölkerung mit Migrationshintergrund.” 2012. Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung. Accessed on 5 March 2013. http://www.bpb.de/nachschlagen/zahlen-und-fakten/sozialesituation-in-deutschland/61646/migrationshintergrund-i. Bibliotheken und bürgerschaftliches Engagement – eine Standortbestimmung. 2011. Deutscher Bibliotheksverband et al. Accessed on 5 March 2013. http://www.bibliotheksverband. de/fileadmin/user_upload/DBV/publikationen/B%C3%BCrgerschaftliches_Engagement_ Standort_Umfrage_Ausdruck.pdf. “Bibliothekskonzeptionen.” 2012. Öffentliche Bibliotheken in Bayern. Accessed on 5 March 2013. http://www.lfs.bsb-muenchen.de/Bibliothekskonzeptionen.1543.0.html. “Bibliothekspreis der mittleständischen Wirtschaft für das Land Sachsen-Anhalt.” 2013. Accessed on 5 March 2013. http://www.bibliotheksverband.de/landesverbaende/sachsenanhalt/auszeichnungen.html. Kursawe, D. 2010. Diversity-orientiertes Personalmanagement in Bibliotheken: Beispiele aus dem In- und Ausland / Diversity-oriented staff management in libraries: national and international examples. Stuttgart: Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart. Accessed on 3 March 2013. http://opus.bsz-bw.de/hdms/volltexte/2010/683/pdf/Diversity_orientiertes_ Personalmanagement_in_Bibliotheken_OPUS.pdf. “Qualitätsmanagement-Projekt der Bibliotheken in Sachsen-Anhalt.” n.d. Accessed on 5 March 2013. http://www.qualitaet-bibliotheken.de/. “Ursachen und Gründe für die Nichtnutzung von Bibliotheken in Deutschland.” 2012. Deutscher Bibliotheksverband e.V.; Institut für Lese- und Medienforschung der Stiftung Lesen. Accessed on 5 March 2013. http://www.bibliotheksverband.de/fileadmin/ user_upload/DBV/projekte/2012_04_26_Ursachen_und_Gründe_zur_NN_lang.pdf.

240 Hella Klauser Vonhof, C. “‘Ausgezeichnete Bibliothek’: das Qualitätsmodell der HdM”. Accessed on 5 March 2013. http://www.hdm-stuttgart.de/science/view_beitrag?science_beitrag_ID=124. “Zehn Prozent der öffentlichen Bibliotheken bieten E-Books an: Konferenz zu digitalen Bibliotheksentwicklungen”. 2012. EKZ Bibliotheksservice. Accessed on 5 March 2013. http://www.ekz.de/ekz/seminare-veranstaltungen/veranstaltungen/chancen-2012.php.

Library and Information Services Marketing in Pakistan: a Profile Kanwal Ameen Professor & Chairperson, Department of Library and Information Science, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan

Abstract The paper reviews developments in the application of LIS marketing within Pakistan during the last few years, after the previous edition of the book published in 2006. It appears that there is a growing awareness, though at a slow pace, regarding the application LIS of marketing in Pakistan. The paper covers the subject from the following perspectives: offering marketing in LIS as a full course at library schools; research writings; continuing professional development; and application in libraries.

Introduction Learning about marketing theory and practices is essential to be able to apply it. Each year a classroom survey of newcomers in LIS about their perception of the subject reveals the common misconceptions about marketing, i.e. it is just concerned with advertising or promotion or is designed for the for-profit sector. This author believes that marketing as philosophy and as management process must be introduced to the new and emerging professionals as part of an LIS academic program. Every year, the results of formal and informal end-semester surveys reveal a positive change in students’ attitude regarding customer focused approach. Thus, a telephone survey was made to get the latest information from the faculty members of all the universities to find out the status of marketing education in their programs.

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Teaching LIS marketing as a subject in regular academic programmes LIS education in the higher education sector is offered in ten universities in Pakistan. Nine of these offer master’s programmes, five MPhil and three PhD programs. Eight out of ten belong to public sector and two to private sector. One public-sector university offers distance education all over Pakistan through its main and regional campuses. The master’s programme of one private university is very unstable and weak, run by librarians as visiting faculty and is not included in the survey. Hence, nine universities have been surveyed for collecting information from their LIS faculty members. All these universities are Higher Education Commission (HEC) recognized. Each university has its own, independent LIS education programme and curriculum. Table 17.1 shows that the appreciation for LIS marketing is growing slowly as a couple more new schools have adopted the University of the Punjab (PU) curriculum and offer the course as compulsory. Besides, a few research studies have been also conducted recently as part of the degree requirement. Still, old public sector universities like the University of Karachi (KU), University of Peshawar (UoP), University of Quetta (UQ) and Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) do not offer the subject as an independent, full course. Table 17.1. Teaching Marketing in Regular LIS Education (Total = 9) Dept.

Full Course Yes/no

Level: MA/MPhil/PhD Status: Optional/ Compulsory

Theory/ Practical Assmnt.

Research produced/ Ongoing MA/MPhil theses and Published Articles

PU

Yes

MA/comp. MPhil/comp.

75:25 75:25

1 MA; 1 MPhil.; 3articles produced

U of Sindh

Yes

MA/ comp.

100:0

Islamia University Bahawalpur (IUB)

Yes

MA/ comp. MPhil/comp.

80:20

U of Sargodha

Yes

MA/comp. MPhil/comp.

75:25

Minhaj University

Yes

MPhil/comp.

75:25

KU

No

UQ

No

UoP

No

AIOU

No

1 MPhil thesis 1 Article

1 Master’s thesis

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The Table shows that five out of nine offer the subject, out of which three are at both master and MPhil level, one at master level, and one private university at MPhil level (it only offers the MPhil programme, which got started in late 2011). The table also shows the ratio of theory and practice in the assessment method. Twenty-five marks are spread across the practical assignment and quiz, and the remaining 75 are theory based, except in Sindh University.

Research literature A review of the international literature on LIS marketing shows two broad categories: (i) writings on theoretical aspects which discuss the what, why, and how of marketing applications, and (ii) case studies on the status or application of marketing in individual or groups of libraries. Gupta (2007) presented the overview of literature on LIS marketing from 1970 to 2005. By using different databases, bibliographies, reviews, books and journal articles, he came up with the findings that a substantial amount of literature on LIS marketing exists. Findings revealed that growth of LIS marketing literature has been significant over the years. Since 1990, special efforts have been carried out for publicizing LIS marketing by international, national and regional associations. This growth is also evident in Pakistan. However, only a handful of local writings have been produced. The first article was produced by this author (Ameen 2006). She reviewed the status of marketing of LIS education in Pakistan and recommended that marketing needs to be offered as a course by all library schools. Another piece of research reported students’ perceptions about the concept of and the need for marketing in library and information centres. (Ameen and Warraich 2007). They found that perception about marketing was limited to selling and advertisement and there was a dire need to clarify the concept of what marketing is. Recommendations were to hold workshops and seminars in Pakistan on marketing for the working professional, enabling them to practise marketing strategies effectively in libraries. Shafiq (2009) threw light on the use of the “Three Party Theory” of LIS marketing for creating user-focused services in the LIS departmental library at her university. Tufail (2009) conducted master’s level research to investigate the use of promotional activities in the libraries of various universities throughout Lahore city, and found out that librarians believe in the use of promotional activities but face problems in their application. Siddique (2012) studied four selected libraries of the biggest city of the country, Karachi, and found out that the libraries face problems in the application of marketing due to the negligence of the administration and lack of funds. Soroya (2012) conducted an MPhil study aiming to explore the perceptions of PU and Lahore’s librarians about LIS marketing, and to explore the status of its application in the PU departmental libraries; PU is the oldest and

244 Kanwal Ameen the largest university of Pakistan. The population consisted of 48 librarians and libraries. A survey method based mainly on questionnaire along with observation record sheet was used. Marketing applications were examined about the “six Ps” of services marketing mix. For five Ps (product, place, promotion, people, and process) a questionnaire was used to collect data, and for the sixth “P” (physical evidence) direct observation was made. The findings revealed that most of the librarians have an idea of applying marketing techniques for promotion purposes, yet that was not applied at the required level. Most of them perceived promotion as the whole of marketing. Little attention was paid towards the physical features of libraries to make them attractive and alive. Another MPhil level study by Mahe-Bushra (2012) surveyed HECrecognized universities in the cities of Punjab and the capital city. It revealed that the majority of these libraries were not implementing any marketing techniques, but the respondents agreed that marketing can be applied in libraries like any other for-profit organization. At the same time it also showed that marketing is considered equal to promotion. The review of Pakistani literature shows that the area of LIS marketing has grabbed the attention of researchers and practitioners.

Continuing professional development (CPD) An observation of the activities of various professional bodies and organizations shows that the focus of short training workshops or seminars has been mainly on learning library automation and ICT skills for a decade or so. Mainly learning about and using the technology in libraries is seen as an end in itself rather than a means towards an end, which should create user-focused services using technology. So far, there are only a few instances of basic kind of awareness-creating workshops and seminars on LIS marketing for the working professionals. The first workshop was organized and conducted by this author in her own department in 2007. Then she gave a presentation on marketing of library and information services to a larger audience from all over the country at the Pakistan Library Association’s annual conference in 2007. The associations and professional groups direly need to turn their focus on CPD activities in LIS marketing. The studies have revealed that the common misperception about using marketing in LIS still prevails amongst senior professionals. Studies in Pakistan have also shown that the majority of people look at the professional organizations and LIS departments for their grooming, and less on self-learning.

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Application in libraries Kotler and Keller (2007) state that marketing is a management and social process. Hence, an effort has been made to report the research on the application of any aspect of marketing: as philosophy; as management; as technique; as customer-focused approach, regarding the application of marketing in the light of the local studies. Lately, the author has encouraged her master’s and higher degree students to conduct research on any LIS marketing-related aspects. The university libraries in Pakistan are comparatively better in terms of human, financial and physical resources as well as in the services offered. Most of the current local research is on the university libraries. The study by Tufail (2009) was based on a survey of 23 HEC-recognized university libraries in Lahore. She collected data to determine perceptions of their librarians about promotion, status of promotional activities, effectiveness of promotional activities and problems faced in this regard. The findings revealed that a majority of the librarians believed in promoting library services to the clients. But planned, formal methods were hardly in use due to various reasons. The commonly used way was personal communication. However, a few libraries have published brochures for promotion. The barriers in promotion were lack of time, finances, infrastructure and cooperation. Siddique (2012) focused on exploring the current scenario of marketing amongst the libraries and information professionals of four libraries in Karachi. The study included academic, special, community and public libraries, and reported that all types of libraries had a positive approach to marketing, recognizing that it should be done, but had no knowledge of how to do it. It states that libraries face this problem due to the negligence from their administration and lack of funds. Soroya’s study (2012) is the only study that explores marketing application using 6Ps (viz. product, place, promotion, people, process and physical evidence) of the services marketing mix except the element of price, and also reveals librarians’ perceptions about marketing. Its findings showed the commonly prevailing trends. It revealed that the majority of the librarians were young and 50% of them had basic marketing knowledge. The respondents were somewhat motivated towards updating their knowledge through workshops and seminars. It established that the libraries which receive better funds apply marketing tactics successfully. Use of social networking websites for LIS marketing purpose has only just begun and only a couple of libraries use these for the promotion purpose. All respondent libraries have internet access, but librarians did not make web pages, library blogs or use social media to promote library resources and services. Results show that very little attention was paid towards the use of formal channels of promotion. Verbal communication was a common way of promoting library products/services. Frontline staff have an

246 Kanwal Ameen important role in the implantation of a marketing approach. The data revealed that there was a need for front liners’ training to improve their communication skills. Soroya concluded that librarians have basic knowledge of marketing approach, but they do not apply marketing tactics in a desired manner. Some of the librarians were not fully aware of their own resources. The applications of marketing as a philosophy, as a management tool and as a client-centred service approach were not up to the desired level in the libraries. The use of social media to reach clients is not common, but slowly growing. Mahe-Bushra (2012) used survey methods to collect data from HECrecognized public and private university libraries in Punjab and Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan. Findings revealed that the majority of libraries were not implementing marketing techniques, but the respondents agreed that marketing can be applied in libraries like any other for-profit organization. At the same time they showed that marketing is considered for promotion only. The majority of the respondents agreed that marketing in libraries is necessary for the survival and for maximizing the use of a library. They suggested that libraries can provide some services on a nominal cost. Libraries should conduct user surveys and organize orientation and information literacy programmes on a regular basis. New channels for information provision should be used for the timely delivery of services and products and to ensure that their value is accepted. Different media (web 2.0 and traditional media) should be used for the marketing of library services and products. These are a few studies of the selected university libraries; nevertheless, they indicate prevailing status of marketing applications in the comparatively developed type of libraries.# Besides research studies, the observation of this author is that a few university libraries in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad are quite active in using marketing tactics, particularly promotion activities through brochures, leaflets, social media and public relations. It is worth mentioning that COMSATS Institute of Information Technology Library in Islamabad won the grant on the proposal submitted for the international competition “Promotion of electronic resources by consortia and libraries” held by INASP (International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications) in 2011. On the other hand, most of the other types of libraries, i.e. public, college and school are relatively far from the application of marketing. There are many hindrances in the adoption of marketing in real terms. In this author’s opinion (based on observation and long experience) the major ones on the librarians’ part are non-acceptance of the notion, lack of marketing knowledge and skills, initiative, motivation, confidence and commitment, and introvert behaviour; while on the senior management’s part lack of financial, staff and moral support in this regard are common. It is the need of the hour that all library schools offer a course on LIS marketing so that the upcoming

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information professionals learn at least its fundamentals and strive for its application.

Conclusion Awareness and learning regarding LIS marketing is growing each year. Despite all the barriers, it seems that the situation will keep on improving. Professionals will have to use marketing to make their services client-centred and visible, as accountability by various funding agencies has begun. The culture of getting grants without question is also vanishing. There is a dearth of public money, and marketing tactics can help in surviving the challenges. Sooner rather than later, the future lies in understanding the challenges and meeting them. Marketing has an immense role to play in the emerging scenario.

References Ameen, K. 2006. “Marketing of library and information services in Pakistan: a profile.” In Marketing library and information services: international perspectives, edited by D.K. Gupta et al., 111-119. München: K. G. Saur. Ameen, K. and N.F. Warraich. 2007. “Role of marketing in the 21st century libraries in Pakistan.” Pakistan journal of library & information science 38(4): 2-14. Gupta, D. K. 2007. “Literature on LIS marketing: growth and pattern.” Annals of library and information studies 54: 32-36. Kotler, P. and K.L. Keller. 2007. Marketing management. 12th ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Mahe-Bushra. 2012. “Marketing of library and information services and products in the university libraries of Punjab & Islamabad: an appraisal.” MPhil diss., Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Shafique, F. 2009. “Marketing research as a tool for finding library users’ needs and demands: application of three party theory.” Library philosophy and practice. Accessed 5 March 2013. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/236/. Siddique, A. 2012. “Marketing of library & information services: An overview of selected libraries of Karachi.” Master’s thesis, University of Karachi, Pakistan. Soroya, S. 2012. “Application of marketing in Punjab university libraries: an exploratory study.” MPhil diss., University of the Punjab, Pakistan. Tufail, A. 2009. “Use of promotional activities by university libraries: an analysis.” Master’s thesis, University of the Punjab, Pakistan.

Relationship Marketing in Brazilian University Libraries Walqueline da Silva Araújo and Márcio Bezerra da Silva Specialist in Librarianship, Library Sector Centre of Biological Sciences and Health, Federal University of Campina Grande, Brazil and

Márcio Bezerra da Silva Master Teacher Librarianship, Department of Information Science, Federal University of Paraiba, Brazil

Abstract The present paper presents a theoretical discussion as a support for the adoption of the relationship marketing in the management of university libraries. It defines marketing and presents characteristics of relationship marketing. The paper also debates the importance of relationship marketing in the management of an information unit. Widely, it aims to study the adoption of relationship marketing in the management of university libraries. As a research tool, the paper uses a literature review from the documentary and bibliographic techniques, using sources such as electronic journal articles and books. As a research result, it demonstrates, from the eleven “Cs”, the importance of the implementation of relationship marketing as a philosophy of management in libraries, because this kind of marketing has the ability to identify the occurrence of eventual changes in the needs of customers. It concludes that, in the practice of relationship marketing, it is necessary to identify the clients, differentiate them, interact with them and customize services, as well as taking care over which clients will be attended and what strategies must be followed with them.

Introduction Due to recent technological advances, libraries have undergone big changes in the ways of providing their products and services. Following these changes, librarians need new training and/ or professional development. As a result of this process, a change of terminology can be highlighted, from interdisciplinary discussions, such as the patrons being called “clients”, while librarians

250 Walqueline da Silva Araújo and Márcio Bezerra da Silva are also called “information professionals” and libraries are named “information units”. Because of the current and growing quantity of available information, the new librarian should be able to manage the flow of information from an organized library. For this, there are many philosophies of administration which can be applied to these information units. Marketing philosophy can help to improve library activities because its aim is to identify and satisfy the needs of the clients. For many librarians, it seems strange to talk about, discuss, and adopt marketing in their information units. However, studies have shown a close approximation between management practices and marketing itself. This eliminates the false idea we have about marketing, that is, that it is only associated with business techniques. In the library context, marketing can help in the transmission of information without aiming for financial profits. In fact, marketing in libraries is primarily for the user, with the aim of satisfying his/her needs, attracting resources and clients to the organizational environment. According to Amaral (2001, 75), library marketing can be defined as “an exchange process between individuals that are interacting. Marketing permits that, in this relation, the need of the individual who searches for information is satisfied by the one who offers this information, by means of the relation established between them”. The utilization of the relations of exchange of ideas and interests, of all kinds of information, is a necessity nowadays. Therefore, librarians should know how to take full advantage of the situation aiming to improve client relations and have greater efficiency in the services offered to the community. Because of this, marketing in libraries is a reality of our time. Earlier, it was useful for business organizations, but it requires adoption of new attitudes and strategies by librarians. The information unit that makes use of marketing techniques should be turned to the way of service and relationship with its clients and always aim at its goals. Each organization can give a different importance to and conduct marketing activities in a distinct way, depending on its action philosophy. The philosophy of action of the information unit oriented to relationship marketing is directed to the attendance and interaction with customers, emphasising the exchange function, through administrative actions, aiming to organizational goals. (Amaral 2008, 62, our translation). In the perspective presented by Amaral, there is a new focus for marketing, namely relationship marketing, defined as the way organizations relate to their customers, no longer with the goal of conquering, but of loyalty, treating them with techniques and tools which enable individualization in the communication with the clients, improving our knowledge about their needs and preferences. Gordon (1999, 31) defines relationship marketing as a continuous process of identification and creation of new values with individual clients and the sharing

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of their benefits during an entire life of partnership. In turn, Nickels and Wood (1999, 74) affirm that relationship marketing is the process of establishing and maintaining long term relationships which are mutually beneficial between organizations and their clients, employees and other groups of interest. With the implementation of relationship marketing, information units need to fulfil clients’ information needs satisfactorily so that they come time and again and advocate for the service. This way, in the context of this article, the university library can offer rationalization in use of resources and efforts, which are adequately channelled, and will provide a better cost/benefit relation, i.e., a significant gain in efficiency.

Information: element of management in library In the current scenario, it can be affirmed that people make use of information in an increasing quantity, every moment, for the most varied ends. When information is transmitted, in many ways, people absorb it, transforming it into knowledge. Information is a data property resulting from or produced by a process performed on the data. The process can be simply the data transmission (whose cases are applied to definitions and measures used in communication theory); can be the selection of data; can be the data organization; or can be the data analysis. (Hayes 1986, cited by Robredo 2003, 14, our translation). Be it a public or private institution, both constantly need information to perform their daily activities. But information management is needed for the success of the institution. According to Silva and Tomaél (2007), from the 1980s information management started a trajectory of great importance, becoming one more essential activity, as any other kind of work developed in organizations. Information management activity can be considered as a set which includes, among other things, organizing and disseminating information, aiming at the rationalization and the effectiveness of the specific system, product or service. In this discussion, Braga (1996, 2, our translation) affirms that “It is important to know how to use information, and to learn new ways of seeing the resource information for the company to work better, that is, to become more efficient. Thus, the more important is determined information for the needs of the company and the faster is the access to them, faster this company can reach its goals.” In turn, Zorrinho (1995, 146, our translation) contributes with the debate when he asserts that “Managing information is deciding what to do based on the information and deciding what to do about information. It is having the capacity to select a repository of information available to those that are relevant to a specific decision, and also construct the structure and the design of this repository.”

252 Walqueline da Silva Araújo and Márcio Bezerra da Silva Zorrinho opens the panorama of the Selective Dissemination of Information (SDI), which is considered one of the IM strands. SDI is applied in institutions that want to improve their alerting services, by means of the dissemination of current information about the library, such as the acquisition of new publications, creation of services and events promotion. Lara and Conti (2003, 26, in translation) present the following definition of SDI: “Dissemination of information is making public the knowledge generated or held by an institution. The term is commonly interpreted as equivalent to diffusion, or disclosure. It assumes various forms, targeted or not, that generate numerous products and services, depending on the focus, the priority given to the parties or to aspects of information and the means used to make it happen.” The means used as dissemination channels are supported, in most cases, by information and communication technologies (ICTs), such as a website or chat. These technologies permit a high level of efficiency and low cost for the institution, and can, through these, keep an efficient interaction with costumers. Nevertheless, whatever the practice of information management, it will reveal the importance of information as a strategic resource in the relationship with customers and even as a survival strategy of the library.

Information unit: university library Basically, the role of the university library is to support the activities developed by the institution to which it is attached. Seeking to define a university library, we interpret Silveira (1992) as defining it as a library dedicated to the provision of informational media to the higher education institutions to perform teaching, research and extension activities. The collections developed by university libraries are basically made by librarians, who, in their turn, solicit from professors of academic departments the publications considered of greatest importance in their respective knowledge areas, as well as the most used in their academic activities. These solicitations essentially reflect the subjects taught in courses and research areas of the institutions in which the library is embedded. “The university library is directly linked to higher education and is a fundamental institution to help in the learning process. Its influence is linked to teaching, research, assistance to university students and the community in general. Its function is to provide the needs of technical, scientific and literary information for teaching, research and extension.” (Silva, Conceição and Braga 2004, our translation) The library, inside the university, is the information intermediary between institutions and students, carrying out the technical processing of its collection. Moreover, it makes information accessible, preserving it. Then, information will be transformed into knowledge by every client who uses the document.

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According to Fujita (2005, 100, our translation) “university is, therefore, the place where knowledge is created and communicated”. This way, the essential matter of library is information and the management of its transference. To Fujita (2005, 100) the basic functions of university libraries are: – Storage of knowledge: development of collections, memory of scientific and technological production, preservation and conservation; – Organization of knowledge: quality of thematic and descriptive treatment which encourages the exchange of records between libraries and their retrieval; and – Access to knowledge: the exigency of information transcends the value, place and form, and requires access. Therefore, we must think not only in providing information, but make possible simultaneous access for all. These functions are fundamental for the socialization of knowledge produced by the user and developed at university, especially through new ways of information communication, which increase the number of users in the university library. In this context, the library starts to interact not only with users who are inside it, but also with users that are remotely connected via internet, for example. From this interaction, a relationship between institution and user is built, favouring the dissemination of information. Menou (2000, cited by Silva 2006, 36) considers that ICT brought new ways of working with information. Among them, it is possible to mention: – – – – –

the appearance of new types of documents; the transformation of formal publishing; proliferation of new kinds of individual publications; reconstruction of education and learning systems; the appearance of a group of independent learners, many of them living in remote places; and – the “commodification” of all kinds of information. One of the main benefits that ICT offers to institutions is the creation of many forms of access in a ever greater quantities. This factor is important to the improvement of internal processes and services provided by the institution. ICT permits us to modify the way that the products and services of the institution supply the needs of clients. Also, it permits us to modify the way in which it is presented with the help of marketing to a specific user community. Based on the different needs of users, also named clients, there are many different ways of marketing, such as sporting, personal, political, mass, social, organizational, informational and relationship-based.

254 Walqueline da Silva Araújo and Márcio Bezerra da Silva

Relationship marketing Many institutions call upon relationship marketing, from the most varied sectors, such as clothing departments, supermarkets, bookstores, etc. These entities look for improvement in the relation between client and institution. Relationship Marketing aims to make use of direct interaction and learning with the client to aggregate the value for which he/she wishes or hopes, sharing mutual benefits generated by a permanent relationship. (Ochi 2004, 30; our translation) Gordon (1999, 31-32, our translation) agrees with the present theory, defining relationship marketing this way: “[it] is the continuous identification process, creation of new values with individual clients and the sharing of their benefits during an entire life relationship. This involves comprehension, concentration and administration of a continuous collaboration between suppliers and selected clients, creating and sharing information within the organization. In a library, the acquisition of customers occurs because of many factors, such as quality customer service and the structure provided for conducting research, whether in person or through available technological resources. To provide a good service, institutions need qualified professionals, mainly in solving problems in relation to providing information requested by their customers. It is also important to emphasise that the qualification of professionals associated with the acquisition of technological tools (hardware and software) will be important in the optimization of performing services to their clients. A bad service will disappoint the client, making him/her not to look for the services of the institution. About the relation between client and institution/company, Téboul (1999, 31, our translation) affirms that “Clients have a global perception of service. Every time something works, they credit to their ‘satisfaction account’. On the other hand, every time their expectations are not met, they debit this account and, unfortunately, many credits are necessary to compensate for a debit. If the balance remains positive, clients will continue loyal and will express an overall favourable opinion, such as ‘I like shopping at this store’ or ‘I like this restaurant’.” In this discussion, everybody agrees that a good service is the paramount factor for the satisfaction of the client. However, few understand that this statement must start from the premise that the employee also receives good treatment within the institution. His/her job satisfaction will be externalized in the interaction with client. In shops or libraries, satisfied clients certainly will share good service, especially through word of mouth. That is, people talk to each other about the good services of certain companies. Each person has different criteria in evaluating a product or service, because each one has his/her own needs and, because of this, needs to be treated individually. This way, marketing used by the institution needs to be guided to the client. Interpreting Peppers and Rogers (2004), we understand that compa-

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nies directed to the market use to develop a role of standardized activities to attend a large segment, while companies directed to the client try to know the needs of each client before proposing a mix of services. Marketing that is guided to the client is relationship marketing. In turn, Stone and Woodstock (1998, 3, our translation) define relationship marketing, stating that: “[it] is the use of many techniques and processes of marketing, sales, communication”; and one of the emphasised factors in relationship marketing is the maintenance of good relations with users, by directed communication, whether in person or interactive, giving personal feedback to clients. In this sense, Hoffman and Bateson (2003, 436, our translation) present the following characteristics of relationship marketing: “[...] it emphasises the importance of retaining the client and the preoccupation with quality, which transcends departmental boundaries. It amplifies the definition of client from final user to all groups (suppliers, employees, adjacent sectors, etc.) that integrate the process of bringing the goods or service to market. Efforts to retain all these kinds of customers are the essence of the relationship marketing concept.” Relationships are very important in a service institution that aims for the loyalty of its customers, as Gianesi and Corrêa (1994, 77, our translation) assert: “The type of relationship between client and company, either from a formal link, or resulting from the process of providing service, affects the competitiveness of the service provider and should be considered in the formulation of operational strategies.” The preoccupation with the satisfaction of client must be considered a relevant factor for the institution, and be inserted into its strategic policy, making its employees engaged with this policy. Kotler (1998a, 619) affirms that “relationship marketing is based on the premise that important clients need to receive continuous attention”. Indeed, what matters- is the satisfaction and the return of client to the institution. According to Dugaich (2005, 118, our translation), in educational institutions, it can be understood that “with the maturation and the change of scenario in this sector, the preoccupation with students and their satisfaction came to dominate the strategies of institutions, which started to look for new ways of forging relationships with the public interest, aiming to establish more durable and deeper relations. With this, the effective management of the relationship of educational institutions with their audiences will be one of the main differentiation factors in the coming years in education.” The forms of relationship of the institution with its target public, through relationship marketing, have many kinds of characteristics. Interpreting Kotler (1992), these forms are: – focus on partners and clients, instead of in the company products, transferring the internal focus to an external one;

256 Walqueline da Silva Araújo and Márcio Bezerra da Silva – giving more emphasis to the retention and satisfaction of the existing clients rather than conquering of new clients; and – relying more on work teams, promoting coordinated marketing, than on isolated department activities. From the discussion presented in this section, we can realize that relationship marketing in information units such as university libraries will help in the satisfaction of the information needs of clients, adopting, for example, techniques of loyalty that are already developed in large corporate institutions.

Result of discussion: what we understand about relationship marketing in the management of information unit In the scenario we live in the search for personal satisfaction is a constant. This reality is also inserted into the educational environment, where we highlight the library. We understand that relationship marketing can be used in the educational environment in search of satisfaction of the individual objectives of its customers, as well as to achieve professional/ institutional objectives. According to Vavra (1993, 47, our translation), relationship marketing is “the emphasis on the recognition of the importance of treating each client individually and doing business in a fully tailor-made way, regardless of the size of the company”. An interesting aspect of relationship marketing, when applied to a library, is the emphasis on the interactivity of the customer with the information unit, and un obtaining a greater knowledge about the customer’s needs and preferences. Starting from the principle that the objective of information units is to satisfy the information needs of clients, it is indispensable to establish this interactivity and also keep excellent relations with them, offering them products and services of quality. Interaction with clients is a continuous process and this can be assured by listening to their questions, their suggestions, among other forms of communication, using tools such as the traditional suggestion boxes and contact area on the website of the information unit. Collecting suggestions can result in an improvement in the provision of services, in the collection, in the adopted technological tools, and physical infrastructure, among other elements. Thus, in relation to the action of an information unit, managers can measure and evaluate the achievement or not of the goals proposed by the institution, Oliveira and Pereira (2003, 14, our translation) state that: “The relationship process with clients starts with research to collect information about them, and thus develop products and services based on this information to meet their needs. Through the utilization of

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products and services, the client feeds the process with new information, thus closing this cycle.” The adoption of marketing, as emphasised in this article, varies according to the profile of institution. This variation is found in traditional marketing, formed by the “4Ps” and relationship marketing, constituted by the “11Cs” (Table 18.1). Table 18.1. Characteristics of marketing (based on Oliveira 2003)) Traditional marketing

Relationship marketing

Product

Client

Price

Categories

Place

Capacities

Promotion

Control of contact with the monetary processes Collaboration and integration Customization Calculations with the client Care with the client Chain of relationship Cost, profitability and value Communication, interaction and positioning

The 11 “Cs” can be understood in the words of Gordon, as presented in Table 18.2. Table 18.2. “11 Cs” of relationship marketing (based on Gordon 1999) Client

Definition of who will be the clients attended; and which strategies must be followed with the selected clients to obtain mutual benefits.

Categories

Definition of the scope of product and service offerings to be provided to the client.

Capacities

Establishment of the required capacities by the company that can be adapted to the expectation of the client and then work with people within the company so that these capacities are available in scale, focus and sufficient quality.

Cost

Profitability and value construction of client profitability by means of the creation of new values with clients and then sharing with them.

Control of contact with the monetary processes

Administration and control of processes associated with the account contacts through the guarantee of gathering money, assuring that the processes are performed, both in the interest of the client and of the company.

258 Walqueline da Silva Araújo and Márcio Bezerra da Silva Collaboration and Integration

It is necessary that the marketing professional guarantees access to the main decision makers, supporting continuous learning and other forms of collaboration.

Customization

The company will need to customize aspects of development of the product and the service, of production and/ or distribution and, probably, assume a fuller role in the administration of the product or service during all their lifetime.

Communication, Interaction e Positioning

Maintaining interactive communication in real time with the client, and not only sending promotions that are sent indiscriminately. Also carrying out the administration of company positioning in relation to the client.

Calculations with the client

Tracking the performance of the company in the mind of client, following the evaluations of the client as well as the progress made in engagement with him/her.

Care with the client Development and administration of processes for the provision of information in real time, as well as other services required to increase the value of the product or service in place. Chain of relationships

Including the formal links inside the company and with external participants, that is, those people who will allow that the company to create the value the clients want.

Some gaps can exist between the client expectation and the expected service by him, in general caused by an unsuccessful provision of service. In this sense, Parasuraman et al. (1985; cited by Oliveira 2003, 7) identify five gaps, which are: – Gap between the expectations of the consumer and the perception of the organization; – Gap between the perception of the organization and the specifications of the service quality; – Gap between the specifications of the service quality and their execution; – Gap between the execution of services and the external communications; – Gap between the perceived and expected service. These gaps can be fulfilled through the implementation of a relationship marketing oriented to the satisfaction of client. According to Kotler (1998b, 20), the main stages involved in the establishment of the respective marketing programme are: – identification of key clients, who deserve special attention; – designation of a relationship manager for each key-client; – development of a clear description of the tasks of the relationship marketing managers; – their objectives, responsibilities and evaluation criteria should be described;

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– indication of a general manager to supervise the relationship managers. This person should develop descriptions of tasks, evaluation criteria and support resources to increase the effectiveness of the relationship managers; – each relationship manager should develop a long-term plan and an annual plan of relationship with the client. In an information unit, the utilization of relationship marketing will create an adequacy of products and services offered to clients, meeting their needs, as stated by Figueiredo (1990, 124, our translation): “The concept of marketing reverses the order of priorities in an information system because the system creates specific products according to the needs and interests of users, instead of making users / consumers use the products they have to offer. This way, it puts effectiveness in a superior plan in relation to efficiency, without abandoning, however, the efficiency target. This approach can ensure the full utilization of products / services of the information system, the final goal to be reached by every administrator.” When interpreting again the approaches of Peppers and Rogers (2001), the process of implementation of a marketing programme can be thought as a series of four basic criteria: – – – –

Identify your clients; Differentiate your clients; Interact with the clients; Customize.

In short, from a theoretical research done on relationship marketing, it is possible to perceive that this type of marketing has the capacity to identify the occurrence of eventual changes in the needs of clients. With this, the relation between client and institution will be a two-way relationship because both will be contributing to the satisfaction of their needs. In the case of clients, these can inform their satisfaction and what can be improved by the institution. In turn, the institution, aiming to attend to their clients better and better, will assign value to the information available from them, constituting determinant factors to the improvement of its services. In the library, for example, managers can, from the speech of its users, define acquisitions for the collection, acquisition of equipments, quality service, innovation in the forms of communication, improvement of infrastructure and accessibility, etc.

260 Walqueline da Silva Araújo and Márcio Bezerra da Silva

Final considerations As observed in the literature review of relationship marketing in information units, the bibliographies which talk about this marketing present a real and conceptual panorama of its applicability in libraries. The need to know each client and treat him/her individually seeking the establishment of a long relationship is the emphasis of relationship marketing. But to make the elaboration of strategies to information units linked to educational services possible, as in this article, it is necessary that the institution has a corporate culture focused on customer relationships. The library should care about the quality of service, the satisfaction of its clients. Next, it is necessary to set goals and act accordingly. Communication between client and library is an essential factor in consolidating and sustaining the relationship. By means of communication, each client is better known, his/her needs and information desires are met in an improved manner. To establish this interaction, many communication tools can be used, such as mass communication (newspapers, radio, television, etc.), interpersonal methods (lectures, meetings, telephone, letters, direct mail, suggestion box, business publications, etc.), those about human communication (personal conversation) and by the promotion of events (contests, commemorative celebrations, sponsorship, etc.). This way, building relationships in the long term presupposes the existence of a fluent and effective communicative process. The satisfaction of clients is an essential factor in the construction of a long relationship, and one of the determinant factors is the treatment received by the client when he/she interacts with library and other information units. Satisfaction is something much diversified because it is distinct for each client. Next, it is necessary to have detailed knowledge about the information needs of clients. Therefore, information professionals should seek better under understanding of the change in behaviour of their customers. To this end, we conclude that in the practice of relationship marketing, we should identify the clients, differentiate them, interact with them and customize the services. We should care about how clients are attended and what strategies should be followed to understand and satisfy them. Thus, we believe in mutual benefit and in drawing together and strengthening the relations between client and information unit.

References Amaral, S. A. 2001. “Atividades de marketing na promoção de serviços de informação: pesquisa sobre o SONAR-INIS e o SERVIR-INIS do CIN/CNEN.” Perspectiva emcCiência da informação 6(1): 75-96. Accessed on 10 November 2011. http://portal deperiodicos.eci.ufmg.br/index.php/pci/article/view/438.

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Amaral, S. A. 2008. “Gestão da informação e do conhecimento nas organizações e a orientação de marketing.” Informação & informação 13: 52-70. Accessed on 10 December 2011. http://portaldeperiodicos.eci.ufmg.br/index.php/ pci/article/view/438. Braga, A. 1996. “A gestão da Informação.” Milleniumon.line 19 (June): 1. Accessed on 10 December 2011. http://www.ipv.pt/millenium/19_arq1.htm. Dugaich, C. 2005. “Marketing de relacionamento nas instituições de ensino.” In Marketing educacional em ação: estratégias e ferramentas, edited by S. S. Colombo et. al., 117130. Porto Alegre: Artmed / Bookman. Figueiredo, N. M. 1990. “Marketing em sistema de informação.” In Metodologias para promoção do uso da informação: técnicas aplicadasparticularmente em bibliotecas universitárias e especializadas, edited by N. M. Figueiredo, 123-137. São Paulo: Nobel; APB. Fujita, M. S. L. 2011. “Aspectos evolutivos das bibliotecas universitárias em ambiente digital na perspectiva da rede de bibliotecas da UNESP.” Informação & sociedade: estudos, João Pessoa 15(2): 97-112. Accessed on 20 November 2011. http://www.ies. ufpb.br/ojs2/index.php/ies/article/view/33/1514. Gandelman, H. 2001. De Gutemberg à internet: direitos autorais na era digital. 4th ed. Rio de Janeiro: Record. Gianesi, I. G. N. and H.L. Corrêa, H. L. 1996. Administração estratégica de serviços: operações para a satisfação do cliente. São Paulo: Atlas. Gordon, I. 1999. Marketing de relacionamento: estratégias, técnicas e tecnologias para conquistar clientes e mantê-los para sempre. São Paulo: Futura. Hoffman, D. K. and J.E.G. Bateson. 2003. Princípios de marketing de serviços: conceitos, estratégias e casos. São Paulo: Pioneira Thomson Learning. Kotler, P. 1992. Marketing de A a Z. Rio de Janeiro: Campus. Kotler, P. 1998a. Administração de marketing: análise, planejamento, implementação e controle. 4th ed. São Paulo: Atlas. Kotler, P. 1998b. Administração de marketing: análise, planejamento, implementação e controle. 5th ed. São Paulo: Atlas. Lara, M. L. G. and V.L. Conti. 2003. “Disseminação da informação e usuários.” São Paulo em perspectiva 17(3-4): 26-34. Accessed on 2 December 2011. http://www.scielo.br/ pdf/spp/v17n3-4/a04v1734.pdf. Nickels, W.G. and M.B. Wood. 1999 Marketing: relacionamentos, qualidade, valor. Rio de Janeiro: LTc. Ochi, M. S. 2004. Marketing de relacionamento. Diss. (conclusion work for post-graduate programme). Centro Universitário de Franca (Uni-Facef). Franca. Oliveira, Â. M. and E.C. Pereira. 2003. “Marketing de relacionamento para a gestão de unidades de informação.” Informação & sociedade: estudos, João Pessoa 13(2): 13-36. Accessed on 210 December 2011. http://www.ies.ufpb.br/ojs2/index.php/ies/article/ view/89/1556. Peppers, D. and M. Rogers, M. 2001. Marketing um a um, marketing individualizado na era do cliente. 2. ed. Rio de Janeiro: Campus. Robredo, J. 2003. Da ciência da informação revisitada aos sistemas humanos de informação. Brasília, DF: Thesaurus. Silva, C. C. M. 2006. O perfil do bibliotecário de referência das bibliotecas universitárias do Estado de Santa Catarina. Diss. (Conclusion work for the Post-graduate Programme in Information Science) Federal University of Santa Catarina. Florianópolis. Silva, C. C. M., M.R. Conceição and R.C. Braga. 2004. “Serviço de coleções especiais da biblioteca da Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina: estágio curricular.” Revista

262 Walqueline da Silva Araújo and Márcio Bezerra da Silva ACB: biblioteconomia em Santa Catarina 9: 134-140. Accessed on 20 November 2011. http://revista.acbsc.org.br/index.php/racb/article/viewArticle/403/505. Silva, T. E. and M.I. Tomaél. 2007. “A gestão da informação nas organizações.” Informação &iInformação 12(2): 1-2. Accessed on 15 January 2012. http://www.uel.br/revistas/ uel/index.php/informacao/article/view/1806/1540. Silveira, A. 1992. Marketing em bibliotecas universitárias. Florianopolis: Ed. da UFSC. Stone, M. and N. Woodcock. 1998. Marketing de relacionamento. São Paulo: LitteraMundi. Téboul, J. 1999. A era dos serviços: uma nova abordagem ao gerenciamento. Rio de Janeiro: Qualitymark. Vavra, T. G. 1993. Marketing de relacionamento: after marketing. São Paulo: Atlas. Zorrinho, C. 1995. Gestão da informação – condição para vencer. Lisboa: IAPMEI.

Creating Value for Users of University Libraries: Brazilian View Nivaldo Oliveira Librarian and

Ricardo de Souza Sette Professor and

Vânia Natal de Oliveira Librarian Federal University of Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract Throughout this paper, we will seek to understand fundamental aspects of the application of marketing techniques as a philosophy of management action in an information unit, as the information has an exchange value, is a benefit, with actual cost, which is useful and should be viewed as a production input. It conceptualizes and exposes a historical evolution of marketing in information units, in a scenario of increasing technological advances, which the management vision of managers requires adapting to changes and innovations in marketing. It discusses the impact of web technologies as a marketing tool for information unit. It presents a case study of strategic marketing of the Library of Federal University of Lavras.

Introduction Modernity in conjunction with its new concepts has caused changes in the behaviour of users who frequently use the library for seeking information. As a result managers, employees and partners are looking for alternatives without violating the criteria that give priority to user satisfaction with the advancement of marketing; it becomes natural with these emerging needs and expectations of value. And, in this scenario, quality focused on excellence of service proves to be a differential factor. According to Zeithaml and Bitner (2003, 32), the success of a service organization often depends on relationships with its customers and the provision of quality services.

264 Nivaldo Oliveira, Ricardo de Souza Sette and Vânia Natal de Oliveira To provide skilled care, information units must conform to the needs and desires of users and create value in the services provided, since the profile of the current market demands new forms of work by the departments of the institutions. Thus, it is necessary to know more and more about the users, addressing and exceeding their needs and aiming to create a more intrinsic relationship. The present time is marked by great changes in society. The world is still conditioned by ephemeral changes and it impacts the reality of libraries. Users search for breakthroughs, services and differentiated products; marketing is a form of management approach that arose to serve more efficiently the numerous concrete requirements of the target audience. Many of the professional writings in Brazil look favourably upon the adoption of marketing in libraries and documentation services. Among the functions included in marketing, adapted to the context of libraries, there is need to publicize the importance of information for individuals and institutions, seeking to understand the user better, achieving their satisfaction and ensuring that products and services meet different demands. Applying the concepts and marketing techniques to the area of information is mainly an effort to get more quality and professionalism in the management of libraries (Amaral 2001b, 69). The objective of this paper is to present the marketing information unit through a case study of the Library, Federal University of Lavras, emphasise its importance.

Marketing information unit Internationally, a debate on application of marketing in libraries started from the 1970s. In Brazil, a paper presented in the 9th Brazilian Congress of Librarianship and Documentation in 1977, with the title “The marketing techniques of librarianship in service” was the pioneering work of Jung. The study sought to identify, within the library, the sectors that could be addressed through marketing, indicating: purposes, market, product, distribution channels and use in planning and organization of services in information units. In 1982, there was the publication of four papers on the same theme at the 7th Day SulRio-Grandense Library and Documentation and thereafter, several other studies have been published. Currently, several studies and formats have been developed to evaluate the quality of library services, focusing mainly on feedback from users and their satisfaction.

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Concepts According to Tarapanoff (2006, 309) the most popular types of information units are libraries, documentation centres, public files, information systems and museums, and within them referral services, documentation and information. In this paper, he advocates the application of marketing to libraries whose mission is to promote access, retrieval and transfer of information throughout the community, as updated, responsive and qualified to contribute to the training of citizens and contributing to the scientific, technological and cultural development of society as a whole. In this sense, marketing information units can be understood as a philosophy of management in which all efforts converge to promote, with the greatest possible efficiency, the satisfaction of those who need and use products and information services. It is the act of exchange of goods and satisfaction of needs. The “reception by the user” should always be considered when developing services and products offered (Ottoni 1995, 1). For the Spanish authors Molina and Molina (2010, 2), marketing in information units is the set of activities that the library develops to identify the information needs of users and to meet them quickly, anticipating them as far as possible. For Kotler (1978, 24), the primary reason for an organization that doesn’t seek to profit to become interested in marketing results from the possibility for the organization to become more effective in achieving its goals. Organizations in a free society depend on voluntary exchanges so that they can accomplish their goals. Appeals must be drawn up, employees should be encouraged, and clients must be found. Moreover, there is an emphasis on the idea that marketing is modified dynamically and its focus is on the needs of user satisfaction. For Amaral (2001a, 75) marketing is a management process, emphasising the voluntary exchanges of value to ensure the survival of organizations. Being understood as a combination of techniques whose application seeks to perfect the exchange process, benefiting all elements that interact to allow this situation to change, the unmet need of one party is met by the conditions offered by the other party by a relationship established between them. Marketing techniques can be adopted by all types of organizations, including those working in the information sector by creating and delivering services to users that meet their needs. It is important that information professionals know and understand the concept of marketing. In seeking to identify the level of implementation of marketing in academic libraries in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, it was realized that information professionals working in this area attach great importance to marketing, but despite this, typical strategies were isolated and disordered. This situation can be attributed to the lack of a formalized strategic marketing plan (Dalosto 2009, 79-80).

266 Nivaldo Oliveira, Ricardo de Souza Sette and Vânia Natal de Oliveira Dalosto reports that the librarians were asked to define marketing, and gave the following responses: “they are all processes aimed at satisfying the customer / user”; “marketing is a process of planning and execution of something in order to launch a product, idea, service”; “marketing is an important tool for the dissemination of the collection and the services the library offers.” After analysing the responses, although it did not express the concept of integrated marketing, these authors are aware of changes to new information market requirements and the concept of modern marketing, which can be considered as processes that involve interactions between people, technologies, methods of procedure and material environment. Finally, marketing information unit facilitates the exchange relationship, enabling libraries to offer new services, focusing on the needs of users and thus gain greater value for the work of librarians.

Importance Adding value to products and services available to customers as a differentiation makes service or price more attractive to them, either in terms of quality, speed, or durability. Six categories of value-added activities can be identified: ease of use, reduction of unnecessary information, quality, adaptability, time saving and cost effectiveness (Taylor 1986, 24). Thus, according to Amaral (2001b, 70) marketing is relevant and justified in information units to: – optimize products and services developed by the information unit; – assist in the management of information units, the potential of coordinating institutions (supply) with the needs of users (demand); – reduce the waiting time for users to access information; – highlight what is offered in the library as content management strategy; and – add value and exploit the opportunities available to users. For Oliveira and Pereira (2008), it is engaging current customers’ loyalty through employees, developing strategies to keep them satisfied and amazed at the library besides helping to adapt and humanizing spaces.

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Case study: Library of UFLA The Library of Federal University of Lavras (UFLA) started life in the Historical Centre of the School of Agriculture of Lavras with the simple aim of supporting students of agronomy at the time. Initially, the Library ran in Pavilhão Odilon Braga. According to files and personal information, the Library began in 1958, but has no official document on its creation and / or opening. In 1961, it was a pile of books with simple organization and precarious status, called the Library. With federalization, most of these books were transferred to Institute Gammon. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the library ran, for some time, the building of the current Museum Bi Moreira. In September 1979, the central library moved to the new campus on the construction of its building, and has been there ever since. Its organizational structure comprises an advisory board, technical committee, board of directors, secretary, Division of User Services, Division of Technical Processes, Information Technology Division, Division of Training and Development Collection and eleven more sections. Currently, the Library has a collection of 2,70,000 items consisting of monographs, pamphlets, periodicals, multimedia materials, dissertations, theses, books and reference works, predominantly in agriculture, organized in 5000 m2. Users have access to full texts of more than 30,000 titles and 130 databases with abstracts of papers in all areas of knowledge, through the CAPES Journal Portal, as well as important information sources in academic areas available free on the internet. The system used for information management and technical services of the library system is Pergamum. This system integrates the functions of the catalogue and lending and it is installed in a web environment, providing the user with several benefits, such as search, reservation, renewal lending and personal history via internet. The library of UFLA aims to provide access to information and therefore, it is important and necessary to establish a relationship of exchange of between people. In this sense, the marketing of information units is one strategy for managing information resources, seeking to improve interpersonal relations between service providers and users, developing in each part, value for the exchange ratios of goods and services.

Challenges and possibilities According to the report of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the number of internet users is over the mark of 2.1 billion and will approach one third of world population (estimated at 6.9 billion people). According to

268 Nivaldo Oliveira, Ricardo de Souza Sette and Vânia Natal de Oliveira the UNO agency, in the last five years the number of internet users has doubled. In 2010 alone it is believed that 226 million were new users, and 162 million in developing countries, where the growth is higher (Lyn 2010). Brazil, the fifth most wired country, the number of people with internet access was 83.3 million by the end of 2009, well above the average of the emergent reality of establishing every one in three Brazilians with internet at home. There is no shortage of arguments about the replacement of the written word by e-books and other technological devices. The discussion also promises to yield many pages and bytes. In this context, there is a real transition in the behaviour of users to virtual classroom; upgrading of information becomes critical to meet this demand and is also characterized as a major challenge for libraries, primarily due to more specific information questions and demands from our new users who want speed and quality becoming ever more accentuated. To Cunha (2000, 75), a library that takes a step in this process of change will be reborn. The Libraries which retain some idyllic vision of the past will run great risk and stand little chance of being recognized as relevant institutions. There is no doubt that educational institutions such as universities have a growing importance in the information society. It is vital to understand that the challenge of change is not seen as a mortal threat, but an opportunity for renewal, may be a renaissance in higher education and libraries. By 2008, the Library of UFLA’s space was woefully inadequate; there were changes in the system of information management, lack of servers and increasing user demand, caused by the Support Programme for the Restructuring and Expansion of Federal Universities, Reuni (O que é o REUNI 2010). Thus, it became necessary to take action to transform the image of the Library for our actual users and to attract both potential users and also new ones which appeared with increasing enrolments. The commitment to quality has always been the mark of the Library of UFLA. Investment in servers and adoption of technologies were already adopted by this information unit, in order to increase productivity and innovation routines and scope, suggesting new approaches and pointing out shortcomings, weaknesses, threats, opportunities and existing strengths. Thus, their services were always rendered with great value, because the directors knew that they needed to offer differentiated services to stand out and keep the loyalty of their users. However, after some analysis and advice with more experienced professionals, the directors identified that, in order to expand its area of operations and monitor emerging trends in the area, caused by technological innovations, it was necessary to intensify actions aiming to increase visibility for their target audience. The solutions involve internal actions such as training and qualification of their employees as well as external actions, events and achievements,

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participation in events (courses, seminars, conferences, and technical visits), relationship marketing, communications planning and branding.

Steps undertaken Internal actions Employees of organizations are the greatest assets and quality staff offer competitive advantage over the others. Thus, the Board of the University Library (DBU), in partnership with the Directorate of Personnel Management (PGD) and Pro-rector of Graduate Studies (PRPG) invested in training and qualification of their employees, because they are who have direct contact with the users and who know exactly what they need and what satisfies them at the time of the service. The Library of UFLA promoted a course as part of a project of technical training for staff of UFLA, intended for support staff, and covering the following themes: – – – – –

promoting accessibility; care for blind and visually imapired users; social inclusion; quality in service; computers in the library.

The course aimed to train professional staff of the library, leading them to the understanding of the role, importance and dynamics of a library service. With this activity, the servers were updated, creating quality service and better interpersonal interaction with coworkers, thus making a more skilled and motivated professional in performing their functions.

External actions According to research by TNS Interscience (2008), published by the magazine Carta Capital 26 March 2008, investing in participation in events is a key marketing strategy helping organizations to become known and to strengthen their brand. Those who participate have the opportunity to acquire new knowledge and this can make a difference in the performance of activities within the information unit. Noting that premise, the Library of UFLA seeks to participate in major events in the area, to identify new services and follow the news in the area to apply their organizational structure.

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Logo With the update of the regulations of UFLA, the library staff felt the need to modify the name of the Head of the Central Library to “Director of University Library”. With this change, the logo has also been updated. It was necessary to create a brand that identified the change but without losing the university’s graphic identity. The new logo was developed by a committee of the library itself, and the resulting brand demonstrated evolution, without losing the existing identification.

Strategic management Strategic management is a way to add new elements of reflection and systematic and continued action, in order to assess the situation, prepare projects for strategic change, and monitor and manage the steps of its implementation. As the name implies, it is a way of managing an entire organization, with a focus on strategic actions in all areas (Campos 2010). The Library of UFLA took the following actions: – conduct of studies to identify and adapt products and services of interest to the most important actual and potential users; – preparation of manuals for the standardization of academic works of UFLA; – development of tutorial services offered by the library; – modernization of folders, magazines, brand pages and posters of products and services offered; – workflow routine distribution of publicity material at the beginning of every academic period; – promotion of educational campaigns about silence, collection preservation and proper use of library resources; – promotion through monthly educational cultural, scientific and technical exhibitions; – promotion through “Annual Week of the Book and Library”, an event aiming to encourage a taste for reading, for artistic and cultural events, as an instrument of social insertion and cultural heritage preservation; and – re-engineering the layout of the library.

Communication plan Information is transmitted from individual to individual, from individual to groups or vice versa, through gestures and expressions such as sitting, smiling, crying, walking, talking, ranting others. We currently use several means including:

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– closed-circuit television installed at the main entrance of the library with the dissemination of educational campaigns and services offered to library users; – development of relationship marketing through web 2.0 tools such as Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, Instagram, blog and others; – publication and dissemination of services and products on the official website of the Library; and – promotion of library services through the UFLA communication System (TV, newsletters, newspapers, e-mails, mailing lists).

Results The strategies planned and executed could only produce good results, which did not take long to appear, showing that the library was on track. The organizational climate has improved markedly. Currently, the flow of library users has increased significantly, reaching a historic high of four thousand a day. Continuous feeding of the National Collective Catalogue allowed an increase for service requests from other institutions through Comut1, thereby lowering costs with requests from our library to the libraries of other institutions. In early 2008, we served an average of twenty applications per year; in the current scenario, the library serves the same amount per month. After investments in information technology and web 2.0 tools, the library reaps the fruits of its labour. The use of online services such as renewal and reservation of library materials borrowed and others, through the library website, gives the user greater interaction with the news and facilitates direct communication and dissemination of events and other activities. Through Google Analytics, it was possible to identify the increasing number of visitors to the official website and blog of the library, further confirming the success of this strategy. In consultation with the site “Worth of the web” (2013), the value of the official website of the Library of UFLA is R$65,013. A measure that has proven effective is the use of e-mails and social networks to communicate with users; as proof, the number of followers on Twitter and Facebook has increased substantially. In research conducted by an internal committee, it was found that the acceptance of products and services reached rates of over 75% of the population 1

COMUT is one of the great services of access to information, because, through it, you can rely on various ancillary services, such as the National Collective Catalogue (CCN), the Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (BDTD) and conference proceedings. These services facilitate the acquisition of information, being intermediaries between information and the user, with a structure that aims at convenience and efficiency in obtaining the information, thus meeting the real needs of users (Santos, Oliveira and Silva 2009).

272 Nivaldo Oliveira, Ricardo de Souza Sette and Vânia Natal de Oliveira studied, demonstrating how the image of the library was of credibility, quality and respect for its users and the community. When skills are available for building real value for users, the relationship is consolidated and provides customer loyalty and satisfaction for both parties. Through these strategies, it shows that hard work, dedication and talent are key areas to any organization, with or without profit.

Conclusion Internet usage in an environment of academic libraries is a real situation. Just yesterday we communicated through screams and hieroglyphics on cave walls. We currently use highly seductive and well developed sites. These methods of communication, for the most part, were provided by technological devices, present in web 2.0. In information units, these resources have facilitated new forms of treatment, organization, dissemination and retrieval of information and especially the interaction with the user, which is every day more involved and demanding. Therefore, through this new relationship, client/company, client/customer, company/business, the opportunity arises to numerous marketing activities with the potential to alter and expand relations between the information unit and the user that will benefit from the web requiring different forms of dissemination strategies for service, and expand. The Library of the Federal University of Lavras is expected to put more marketing efforts with the technologies available in this work or to collaborate with other information units. Decisions on how to manage and position them will depend on the managers and information professionals who, through well elaborated planning, will choose the best marketing strategies to achieve the proposed goals and objectives for the information unit.

References Amaral, S.A. 2001a. “Atividades de marketing na promoção de serviços de informação: pesquisa sobre o SONAR-INIS e o SERVIR-INIS do CIN/CNEN.” Perspectiva em ciência da informação 6(1): 75-96. Amaral, S. A. 2001b. “Transferência das técnicas mercadológicas para unidades de informação.” In Promoção: o marketing visível da informação, edited by S.A. Amaral, 69147. Brasília: Brasília Jurídica. Campos, W. 2010. “O que é a gestão estratégica?” Accessd on 6 March 2013. http://www. artigonal.com/administracao-artigos/o-que-e-a-gestao-estrategica-816936.html. Cunha, M. B. 2000. “Construindo o futuro: a biblioteca universitária brasileira em 2010.” Ciência da informação 29(1):71-89. Dalosto, W. O. 2009. “Marketing em bibliotecas universitárias: as bibliotecas universitárias do Rio de Grande do Sul no contexto do final da primeira década do século XXI.” Tra-

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balho de Conclusão de Curso (Graduação em Biblioteconomia) – Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre. Kotler, P. 1978. Marketing para organizações que não visam o lucro. São Paulo: Atlas. Lyn, J. 2010. “Internet terá mais de dois bilhões de usuários este ano, diz ONU.” IG tecnologia, 2010. Accessed on 30 December 2012. http://tecnologia.ig.com.br/noticia/2010/ 10/19/internet+tera+mais+de+dois+bilhoes+de+usuarios+este+ano+diz+onu+9759104. html. Molina, J. M. A. and E.A. Molina. 2010. “Biblioteca Municipal de Valdepeñas de Jaén: biblioteca visible, experiencias de marketing para llegar al ciudadano.” In Jornada de la rede de bibliotecas municipales de Arona, 2. Ponencias... Cabo Blanco: Arona. “O que é o REUNI.” 2010. Accessed on 6 March 2013. http://reuni.mec.gov.br/index.php? option=com_content&view=article&id=25&Itemid=28. Oliveira, S. A. and S.L. Pereira. 2008. “Contribuição da gestão de conhecimento para a aprendizagem organizacional sob uma abordagem institucional: apontamentos de um estudo de caso em uma Indústria Vinícola do Rio Grande do Sul.” In Encontro nacional da ANPAD, 32. Rio de Janeiro. Anais... Rio de Janeiro: Enapad. CD-ROM. Ottoni, H. M. 1995. “Bases do marketing para unidades de informação.” Ciência da informação. 25(2): 1-11. Santos, L. R., N. Oliveira, N. and M.C. Silva. 2009. “Comutação bibliográfica e as novas tecnologias de comunicação e informação: uma convivência pacífica?” Revista ACB: biblioteconomia em Santa Catarina 14(2): 429-450. Tarapanoff, K. 2006. Inteligência, informação e conhecimento em corporações. Brasília: IBICT/UNESCO. Taylor, R. S. 1986. Value-added process in information systems. Norwood: Abley. “TNS Intercience”. 2008. Carta capital 14: 486. “Worth of the web.” 2013. Accessed on 6 March 2013. http://www.worthofweb.com/websitevalue/www.biblioteca.ufla.br. Zeithaml, V. A. and M.J. Bitner. 2003. Marketing de serviços: a empresa com foco no cliente. 2nd ed. Porto Alegre: Bookman.

Being a Library and Being Visible in the Community Today Verena Tibljas Programme manager, Department for Program and Service Coordination and Public Relations, Rijeka City Library, Rijeka, Croatia

Abstract A public library has a chance to be a heart of its local community. Libraries today, more than ever, need to struggle to bring their contents to the attention of citizens. Good marketing can strengthen the role of libraries in the local community. The visibility of the library is closely related to citizens’ needs – libraries are visible without marketing to those whose needs were met. Marketing activities are necessary to those members of the community are not yet aware of it. How to become visible to all, financiers and the rest of the community, how to subtly impose and maintain the cultural level of marketing? Rijeka City Library (Croatia), with its methods of advertising its cultural programmes for all age groups, is trying to emphasise quality, innovation and an attractive approach. By using this approach it becomes an attractive partner to other entities in the community: institutions, organizations and individuals, building a network of cultural development. The ultimate goal of the library marketing effort is to raise the level of culture in the community, drawing attention to the library as a cultural and information centre, a serious partner for the personal development of each member of the community.

Introduction To be recognized as an interesting and powerful entity, the library must respond to the needs of its own community. Developing a culture of reading and organizing cultural dimensions for the leisure time of citizens are its main roles. There are many factors that may contribute to its greater or lesser visibility in its community. This paper will address a number of factors that the library can consider in establishing a better and more prominent place in its environment. Rijeka City Library involves the community in the everyday life of the library by various forms of cooperation, and in the same way it brings the library into the life of the community. Partners are selected based on those who can

276 Verena Tibljas contribute to the betterment of library services and therefore the community as a whole: institutions, associations, individuals, other Croatian public libraries, elementary and secondary school libraries. In the constant interaction with all kinds of partners and associates, Rijeka City Library goes beyond its own micro-community and becomes a recognizable social point. Today, the library has become an attractive partner, the first choice in finding a good teammate. Most of library programmes are based on direct collaboration and interaction with the users. A strong network of “internal” volunteers is built this way and consequently library members become active participants in library programmes. After many years of the library’s efforts to introduce community into the life of the library, it now has a highly visible place in the community and has become a desired partner to other elements of society. That result was the clearest indicator of the visibility and usefulness as a product of cooperation within the community.

Cooperation within the community In smaller communities, libraries have the opportunity to occupy a significant position because they are very often the only bearers of cultural offerings. In larger communities, where the library (like Rijeka City Library) is just one of the offerings of cultural life, it has a much more demanding role to develop programmes of quality, knowledge and moderation and to be appealing at the same time. It has to develop a stronger collaborative and partnership role with “added value”, building a greater involvement in the local community as well as connections with other cultural institutions, associations and individuals. The library motto is “cooperation, not competition”. One of the key contributors and stakeholders of the library are the actual and potential user. Everything begins with users and the contents of the cultural programming created for them. Some important programmes for building up collaborations and cooperation with the community include: Family story telling: One of the examples is a family story-telling workshop at the Children’s Department, based on collaboration with parents of preschool library members. The parent and the child both attend the workshop. Parents are engaged in preparing and telling stories and childminding activities. The library provides a professional person who coordinates everything and helps parents in preparing and performing. This way, the library provides education to parents by direct recommendations – through lists of books for creative expression, lists of quality story books and educational games that involve the whole family. In return, the library benefits from the involvement of parents in the development of their children as library users and developing a habit of reading to children at home. The possibility of high-quality joint activities is presented to parents and children, distinctive from run-of-the-mill

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family outings in shopping centres. A parent gets the ideas about education and develops family reading habits including children’s and furthermore adopts all other benefits mentioned above. The most valued are the personal benefit and satisfaction with the parent’s involvement in the activity with their own child, due to the successful implementation of activities with a group of children and a sense of belonging to the library. “Unlocked Globe”: Interesting activities involving parents were also realized through the project named the “Unlocked Globe”. These multimedia presentations of other countries and cultures at the Children Department were realized with the help of parents or family members of library users who originate from other countries and diverse cultures. The most important aspect of this programme is its educational role in promoting multiculturalism and human tolerance. It is very important to be aware of other cultures during the formative years of each child. At the same time the library itself carried out one of its important missions through this project. Internal volunteering: Cooperation with customers, resulting from “internal” active volunteering, which creates additional superstructure and library visibility in the community, is mostly significant in the international awardwinning project “Teens for Teens”, which was the IFLA WLIC Best Poster Presentation in 2004 (Tibljas 2006). Teenagers were the implementers of the programme activities for their peers. Recently, the library superstructure comes from a pyramid of book clubs. For example, the Student Book Club was established after a one-month advertising campaign. Fifty students joined the club with the intention of reading and discussing. Some of those students gradually became active volunteers involved in the management of small reading groups of their peers and conducted other library programme activities for younger children and families. This example shows the apparent library benefit due to the previous advertising efforts (resulted by the multiplied number of volunteers, mentors and programme activities). Library users, however, benefit in gaining experience and taking part in the active management of programme activities, always with professional assistance available from librarians, and in the affirmation of their role in the cultural and social life of the city, because each programme activity is announced by the media and thus exposed to the attention of the community. Feedback on services and performance: Users are also involved in the life of the library with the occasional survey and evaluation questionnaires that are used to find out the special interests of library users, as well as to give the feedback on library services and performance. The young users are actively involved in the conceptualization of programme activities and the creation of website content aimed to them. Cooperation with associations and institutions: The cooperation with other associations and institutions in the community makes the Rijeka City Library more visible to them and also to their consumers and stakeholders, including

278 Verena Tibljas those who had never used library services. Some collaborative activities occur in our library premises and some in other parts of the community, like hospitals (“Bedtime Story for the Kids” in the Oncology Department of the Children’s Hospital), kindergartens and schools (introduction of the library to the parents of preschoolers, first graders and fifth graders), and bookstores (the library’s Reading Group Discussion with the author of the book read by a reading group). Thus, the library enters directly into the lives of those community members who would not naturally look for the library and its facilities, contents and services. Special campaign: Special visibility of the library is implemented in direct interaction with people through campaigns and actions that involve all citizens. For example: “Searching for the oldest picture book in the city!”; “Searching for the most beautiful dedication!”; the “Is your child a library member?” campaign. Some targeted a particular category of citizens: parents, pensioners, creative persons, comic fans, fiction fans etc. A “Let’s Read, Rijeka!” initiative involved the community so comprehensively in its implementation that it could not pass unnoticed. Under the slogan “Involve the community, let it smell the book!” the selection of the favourite book of the citizens of Rijeka engaged citizens of all ages, including most of other cultural and educational institutions in the community, bookstores, antique bookstores, cultural associations, web portals, the media and the Municipality of Rijeka. The aim was to sensitize the public to books and reading. All the above was related to the local community. The position of the library in its narrow environment is the most important because it serves its community directly, but we should not forget its place in the wider, national and international environment. The library which succeeds in being recognized at those levels can be satisfied with its visibility. With its project “Teens for Teens”, Rijeka City Library was awarded and nominated for several important professional awards, including international, and as an outcome, the project was written and spoken about in the country and beyond, making it widely visible. One of the interesting results of that visibility was the professional visit of Swedish youth librarian Marie Johansen to Rijeka City Library. She learned about the project through the project nominations for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, after 2004 IFLA WLIC Best Poster Presentation award in Buenos Aires. Her institution, Stockholm Public Library, sent her on a study trip to participate in the project. Additional activities that bring people into the library definitely add to its visibility in the community and are conducted through programme activities.

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Programme activities Depending on the frequency, these can be continuous, periodic and occasional. Depending on the type and scope there could be programmes, events, actions and campaigns. Recurring programmes that are held once a week or once a month are conducted with a concrete plan for education and training. The most common forms of such programmes are workshops and book clubs. Workshops include a variety of interest groups. By advertising each of the new type of library workshops, the library reaches new individuals in the community thanks to their special interest (comics, fantasy literature, creative writing, mythology, language, artistic expression etc.). Thanks to those library programmes, users discover the other library contents. Book clubs are a particularly useful library activity, and Rijeka City Library is attempting to cover as many age and interest groups as possible by this activity. In addition to clubs that are held on library premises, the library has launched a special project: “Biblioklub”, a mobile library book club which was held in the mountain areas of our county covered by the Mobile Library Service. In this project, the Library cooperates with schools in local communities. A special badge was designed for children who are club members, saying “I am a member of a Biblioklub, what about you?” and together with newspaper articles in the local media drew attention to the importance of reading books and libraries in the community. Book club debates regarding the book that has been read, lasting two hours and held once a month, are the ideal way of developing and maintaining reading habits. Discussion provides interaction and exchange of views, expression of personal impressions and finding out the impressions of other club members. Reading in a book club connects the reader with those genres, authors, subjects that he/she would never have chosen. It expands the horizons and allows readers to discover new personal attitudes. The attractiveness of this activity, especially among students, is spreading the good news about the library and is constantly attracting new members. Thanks to the founding of the Student Book Club, the library has become more visible and interesting to the student population. Apart from personal recommendations that have helped to spread the news about the club after its establishment, a Facebook social network has proven to be the fastest and most useful advertising tool in the initial phase of this activity. Reader blogs are also one of the programme activities that, due to the availability of electronic media, contribute to the visibility of libraries in the wider community. Croatia’s example of collaborative reading blogs for children united several Croatian libraries, their number is growing every month, and the blog becomes more visible present in the children’s reading world. One of the interesting regular “programme activity packages” examples is “Sleepwalking”, thematic monthly blocks containing its theme motto, theme thoughts of the weeks, specific programme activities determined by the theme

280 Verena Tibljas of the month, the distinctive theme actions and all this accompanied by a special poster, theme quotations and thematic bonus book (one more book for the loan). By the implementation of temporary and part-time, thematically very diverse cultural events the library also reaches out to diverse communities and individuals and becomes significantly recognizable to a broad spectrum of people. Even stronger is the effect of specific events, actions and campaigns which draw attention to books, reading and libraries in a short and effective way; the media would rather devote their attention to library themes in such “event packages”, and citizens are then overwhelmed with information about the book from all sides at shorter intervals. Such an “event package” is a national event named “Croatian Book Month”, which includes all the libraries in the country, and has a common theme. The opening ceremony is always in a different city in the country, often in connection with the opening of new library buildings or renovated library space and with rich and diverse programmes during the month that draw attention to reading. Libraries in Croatia can generally be grateful for a good part of their visibility to this particular event that has raised citizens’ awareness of books, and is recognized as the time in which writers specifically prefer to promote their new books and present themselves to the readers. The “Book Night” event functions similarly, a national onenight manifestation which includes all kinds of subjects in the book chain: bookstores, libraries, publishers, authors and readers; or, for example, the “Week of Good Children’s Books” which is organized by the Rijeka City Library and includes kindergartens and schools from the community, when in one week our library provides information about children’s books and authors, gathers examples of excellence dedicated to good children’s books and presents writers and illustrators who have created truly high-quality works in the current year. Through the action, and later through the campaign “Is your child a member of the library?” the library gets out of its premises, reaching the parents who are not able to respond affirmatively to this question. By advertising in “parent’s places” (children’s clinics, kindergartens, schools ...), in particularly frequented places (post offices, shops, banks, streets ...) and in the media, it is trying to reach out into the finest pores of the “parent community”. For this purpose, the library offers a leaflet explaining why a child should be a member of the library and why early reading is so important, including a series of short courses for parents and broadcast bedtime stories on local TV and radio stations. Special projects are those which have a particular strength in drawing attention to the library. They require much more investment than any of the described activities, but the ultimate result is better. The next important element that contributes to the visibility, often considered as the most important is surely marketing.

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Marketing Very often different terms are used for marketing communication in libraries, such as public relations, publicity, promotion, advertising, advocacy, lobbying. Successful marketing will require an integration of these activities, no matter by what name they are called (Gupta 2006) Good public relations are essential for public libraries because they strengthen their role and position in society. They help in advertising and turning attention to the existence of an institution that is the cultural heart of the community. One of the roles of public libraries is to be the centre of leisure time. The whole community (because of the mission – open to everyone!) has access to the public library and has a right to know, through the media and all forms of notification. Regular forms of work implemented in public relations by Rijeka City Library include informing the public about the programmes, in a timely manner, with special care for the address book of recipients, creating invitations, sending invitations by e-mail or classic mail, distributing leaflets, poster advertisements, informing the media about the programme activities, writing announcements on the website of the Library and on social networks, writing event reports to the web, and completing reports for publication in the media when required. On occasions there could be direct contact of media representatives, culture editors, etc. These media-related activities include drawing special attention to particular events, presentations in cultural TV and radio programmes invited by the media or initiated by the library, giving statements to the media who come to record programmes, giving telephone statements for radio shows, giving interviews or brief statements to the news media, calling and holding press conferences to announce major events, creating posters in print and digital form, taking care of the printing and distribution, taking care of advertising places that vary depending on the content of events. Results of good practice of public libraries with well-detailed public relations can be seen and measured in various ways: increased membership, community reputation, goodwill, expanding or increased funding by the funders. The general condition of the community is very important. By deliberate efforts, the library can take a better position than the rest of the offers, for example, by choosing a specific moment for launching its new services. The times we live in may not always facilitate the mission of libraries that has been expressed in its documents, development guidelines and daily work. The society in which we live encourages superficiality, erodes moral values and encourages rapid mass consumption. Libraries may have difficulties finding their place in such a society. The library seeks to promote true values, offering a peaceful, cultural atmosphere, building and developing love for books and reading. This requires thoroughness, patience and knowledge; all these categories are in the shadow of triviality imposed by today’s everyday life. How yet to survive and provide

282 Verena Tibljas citizens, particularly young ones, with an oasis of culture and knowledge in the general chaos of a new era – that is a difficult task and a great challenge for public libraries in general. Rijeka City Library does not have a less demanding task. In line with national and international library guidelines, Rijeka City Library has defined its mission that could be summarized in the following provisions (Programska osnova za novu zgradu Gradske knjižnice Rijeka na Klobučarićevu trgu 2007, 12-13): – to create opportunities for all citizens (primarily in the local community) to read, learn, to get knowledge, to be informed, to strengthen their personal cultural, spiritual and democratic potential, to be introduced to and use the benefits of using new information technologies, to be able to spend their leisure time creatively and in quality regardless of their age, gender, social status, ethnicity, religion, race; – to support the social inclusion of marginalized groups of citizens; – to promote Croatian literature and cultural values; – to strengthen the values of a multicultural society. Libraries, with rich cultural programmes to offer, have an increased need to employ a person to be solely in charge of public relations (PR). There is also the need for thorough reflection and to create strategies of library representation in the community. Even when libraries have a monopoly in the community regarding services mentioned in the mission, they are not immune to competition from their social environment like the competition of other cultural entities and all other facilities for leisure time. Libraries have a very demanding task to make their offerings sufficiently attractive and seeable, while being unobtrusive and cultural at the same time. Marketing is a library tool that addresses the actual and potential customers, those who follow its work and those for whom the library has not been the subject of interest. Ways of marketing advertising may be different, from the contests in the most popular radio station (when questions regarding books are answered, the Library donates free membership cards), through articles in a newspaper insert designed for children, web portals aimed at the leisure time of children that regularly advertise library activities, the library’s own website, to the social networks which comprise much of the actual and potential customers, associates, partners and potential sponsors. Web 2.0, generally, with all its diversity and the benefits, is one of the extra marketing tools in daily use (Chew 2009). By listening to community needs, the library strives to respond in a timely manner, introducing services for specific groups of users or services that in some way constitutes a step forward from ordinary activities.

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Special services For many years Rijeka City Library has been developing programmes and projects aiming for the social inclusion of certain groups of citizens. This has been recognized in the local and national community. That mission and services are based on international and Croatian policies, examples of good European and Croatian library practice and innovative initiatives in line with the general principles and analysis needs of the community it serves. The library was guided by the same methodology in the preparation of a delivery books at home service: “The library at the threshold of your home”. The service is intended for the elderly and persons with disabilities residing in the city of Rijeka, who due to limited or disabled mobility cannot come to the library. With this service as well, the library wants to apply the basic principle and the role of public libraries: allowing all citizens equal access to services. Social exclusion of certain vulnerable groups of citizens should not be an obstacle to books and reading for pleasure or a desire for new knowledge. The aim of these services is to enable all citizens, especially those who are in danger of being marginalized or excluded from ordinary social processes, to feel welcome and accepted, to have access to sources of information and material for fun and entertainment, all with the ultimate goal to strengthen their self-interest and participation in social life (PULMAN-smjernice 2002, 9-10). In this way, the Library enters in the world of those who, due to physical problems, cannot reach it. Each user has a personal librarian who cares about his/her interests, reader’s tastes and needs for specific content, authors, genres, font size etc. Services for the blind and visually impaired are organized in the library with the intention of the social inclusion of people with visual disabilities, in cooperation with the Association of Blind and Visually Impaired Persons acting in the community. Services for self-study language learning provide some thirty languages in multimedia on the library premises, which has proved to be an extra motivation for many people to become library users. Through the “Ask a librarian” service, Rijeka City Library has joined the national project to provide online reference library services. The service relies on the world-wide famous library service under the same name. It serves a virtual community of library users and also strengthens its visibility in the community. By the “Library on wheels” service, that is the mobile library, library services are provided to the outermost corners of the wider local community, thus making books and library more visible there. Additionally, Rijeka City Library is advertised on a highway and local roads thanks to a great mobile library design.

284 Verena Tibljas

Special collections To serve readers better in a time overburdened with much destruction, one of the ways that librarians practise is to make their library collections more visible through setting up of special collections. Librarians use their professional knowledge to extract and separate special collections from existing collections in order to create “user-friendly” access to books for special-interest groups of users. Rijeka City Library in its community is well known as a place where anyone who investigates local history topics, authors and materials may find what he/she wants in the Local Heritage Collection. Certain interest groups will be interested in Rara – a collection of rare and valuable memorial books. Teenagers will find a book to read themselves by looking into the Teen collection, likewise parents, teachers and parent educators in the Parent collection. Music and/or film lovers know that Rijeka City Library offers a good quality selection of music tracks and movies in its separate collections. Also, if needed, usually in the Children’s Departments special collections are singled out such as the Reading for beginners, Opening Mind Stories, Quality Picture and Illustrated Books, etc. collections, which create a picture of the library as a trusted cultural institution within the community that provides expert advice and recommendations.

Recommendations leaflets and brochures Even greater library visibility is achieved through dedicated leaflets and brochures that librarians have created. The purpose of these recommendations is to highlight good quality literature that is often neglected and, furthermore, to group and present books covering certain common themes and specific content of interest to a larger group of users. In this manner, a very wide range of themes is covered: women’s writing, Rijeka city issues, fiction with recipes, family fiction, science fiction, vampire themes, humorous literature, maritime themes, short stories, photography, screened stories and the Oscar-awarded ones... An especially rich collection of recommendation leaflets addresses parents; its background is parenting and it covers most varied topics of interest to this category of population. “Why are the stories important?”; “Speech and language development of children”, “Help! Schoolboy in the house!”, “Help! A teenager in the house!”, “The miraculous food for children”, “Know-how during/after a divorce”, “Child on the internet”, “When we are worried about a child” are just some of the titles from the collection of leaflets which are, as well as in printed form, available on the library web page. By recommendation brochures (e.g. “Hush, hush ... why children need stories?”; “Hush, hush, we read!”, for beginning readers and their parents, and “Is your child is a member of the library?”) librarians deal with specific topics and

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address the parents more thoroughly. Texts rely on excellent literature references to which are listed at the back of the brochure. A range of the affirmative and surprising messages that are inserted as bookmarks in often borrowed and much circulated books or leaflets put between the books on the shelves belong to this category of communication with customers and the public (in analogy, poetry surprises are inserted for the purpose of popularization of this unjustly neglected literary category), “happy bookmarker” for new library members, literary events invitation bookmarkers, posters declaring “You have searched for it and not got it?” with humorous mistakes such as misleading titles and incorrect names of authors of books that users ask librarians to fetch. In cases where a library has registered publishing activities, this is a great opportunity to use and exploit its own interesting book production to become more pervasive in the community.

Rewards Very often rewards additionally draw attention to the winners. Besides already the mentioned reward for the “Teens for teens” project, we can add all the other rewards, and there were many. Here are highlighted only those that show a greater involvement in community life: – award for achievements in spreading book promotion among workers (1966); – recognition for efforts and achievements in protection of children (1971); – award for promoting the book and getting it close to workers (1977); – Golden Arms of the City of Rijeka for successful educational and cultural and educational activities (1980); – award of the City of Rijeka for promotion and innovation in the field of public librarianship (2001). Besides these, many awards were given to particular librarians who also directed extra attention to the library.

Permanent quality and teamwork Permanent quality in the library service offering proves that good experience encourages users to come back, contributes to a better institution’s status in the community and turns the library into the “meeting point”, a distinctive meeting place of the community.

286 Verena Tibljas The last in a series of good visibility factors, but no less important, is teamwork. It involves a coordinated team of librarians whose knowledge and skills complement each other, linked enthusiasm that is being built through the constant exchange of ideas and inspiration among the team, willingness to change and regroup constantly from the existing programme activities to new content by listening to the needs of the community. The evaluation of library presentation is reflected in the very echo of the community, “a good voice can be heard far away”. There is no such perfect relationship with the media or special marketing investment that could make a miracle, unless all the library staff are affirmative inside and outside the library. Only a satisfied atmosphere within the library can send a message to users and the general public (and the media) that the library is nice and merits special attention. The positive attitude of the librarians as stakeholders of the cultural life in the community, and their awareness of the wonderful job that many could only wish for, that can make every day special, and are the basis for any other upgrade. In addition, that can consequently result in inevitably better library visibility in its community.

Conclusion Being a library at the present time is not an easy task. Reading is a quiet, individual activity that requires concentration, time and calm, and everything that we miss so much. Thanks to new media and IT technology, new ways of living and new challenges, the library can easily become invisible. But thanks to even greater efforts and knowledge among librarians and their constant listening to community needs, the diversity of libraries from the rest of their community could be an advantage. We should use it!

References Chew, I. 2009. “Web 2.0 i knjižnične usluge za mladež: uvod za knjižničare.” In Smjernice za knjižnične usluge za mladež 41-99. Zagreb: Hrvatsko Knjižničarsko Društvo. Gupta, D. K. 2006 “Broadening the concept of LIS marketing.” In Marketing library and information services: international perspectives, edited by D. K. Gupta et al., 5-20. München: K. G. Saur. Programska osnova za novu zgradu Gradske knjižnice Rijeka na Klobučarićevu trgu: projektni zadatak za idejno rješenje, pripremili A. Silić et. al. Rijeka: Gradska knjižnica Rijeka, 2007. Accessed 28 May 2012. http://www.gkri.hr/docs/gkriHR/documents/579/ 2.1/Original.pdf PULMAN-smjernice : PULMAN digital guideline manuals. Rijeka, 2002. Accessed 28 May 2012. http://www.pulmanweb.org/dgms/DGM-Croatian-Ver-Oct02.doc. Tibljas, V. 2006. “Finally somebody wants to hear what teenagers have to say: marketing in a Croatia’s public library.” In Marketing library and information services: international perspectives, edited by D. K. Gupta et al., 141-149. München: K. G. Saur.

Marketing Library and Information Services: Exploration and Practice of the National Science Library of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Fang Shu Director Chengdu Branch of the National Science Library, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, P.R. China and

Yang Zhiping Vice-Director, Chengdu Branch of the National Science Library, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, P.R. China

Abstract The National Science Library of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NSLC) exists mainly to provide the graduate students, scientists, research and development personnel, science-and-technology policymakers of the Academy with information assurance services. This paper introduces the status of carrying out marketing service according to the demands and environments of users in subject-oriented information services. It formalizes the features of marketing service from the perspectives of personnel, users and demands. In allusion to six years’ practice of the subject-oriented information services, the paper expounds seven aspects covering service plan, project support, service needs, service product, diversification and differentiation, as well as communication.

Introduction The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) is China’s highest academic institution in science and technology, and is the integrated research and development centre for natural science and technology. It comprises more than 120 research institutes across 33 cities in China, with more than 50,000 scientists and engineers, and more than 50,000 postgraduate students. The National Science Library of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NSLC) provides a variety of services to CAS scientific researchers, policy makers, administrators, and students. These services include access to resources, subject information services, strategic information research services in natural basic science, interdiscipli-

288 Fang Shu and Yang Zhiping nary science and high technology, providing a platform for academic exchange and scientific cultural communications. The Beijing headquarters of NSLC, along with its Lanzhou, Chengdu, Wuhan branches, provides information services for the entire CAS. Most of the institutes have their own libraries, and the work of the librarians was limited to traditional library services. These services provided by most of the institutes cannot meet the needs of researchers, e.g. researchers would like librarians to help them solve complex problems by creating associated information and analysis for them, rather than the usual sense of library services. In order to change and improve the service, NSLC formulated for the institute libraries a strategic development goal, linking the library strategic development goals with user needs, and moreover, by understanding better the mission and goals of the institutes, closely associating the libraries with the goals and developments of the institutes. To achieve this goal, NSLC established a marketing plan and methods, based upon the characteristics of users, that led to good results and won approval from users.

Characteristics of service marketing Market diversification of complex objects: The users of NSLC marketing services are diverse, extensive and complex, comprising more than 120 institutes of decision-making managers, researchers and students, and the researches are covering a variety of disciplines in the natural sciences, technical sciences and technical fields. Their own information processing abilities are different. Some users are very familiar with the databases that are needed in their ongoing scientific researches, but others need training or recommendation. United by research institution librarians, the marketing services of NSLC are mainly supported by subject librarians. The marketing services should be based on users’ needs that in a timely manner define the service content and mean. Decentralization of complex service needs: In the NSLC service, there are levels of user needs and concerns of diversity and complex and fragmented demand. For example, the decision-making managers are concerned about the multidisciplinary cutting-edge development trend of information as they hope the service could provide information analysis, including bibliometric analysis and macro-disciplinary development trend reports; and for researchers, understanding of the project-specific technical solutions or technical innovation, advanced database features, information platforms for the construction of bibliometric analysis, and micro-disciplinary development trend analysis, are expected from the service; doctoral and graduate students need the service to provide them with databases and the use of document management tools. Disproportion of service demand: Users of NSLC are from different institutes, each institute has its own need for service; for instance, a high-tech institute has need of access to patent databases, patent analysis tools, and tech-

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nology trends analysis, apart from demand for quantitative analysis; however, basic science institutes are more interested in papers measurement analysis. Meanwhile, the diversification and differentiation of the service object form the different needs of each research institution, and lead to service demand imbalance. For example, an institute might heavily demand information analysis and document delivery service as well, while other institutes need only an information analysis service. High skills of service personnel: NSLC mainly serves users through its subject librarians whose knowledge, abilities and skills will directly affect the quality of service. The need of users for a variety of service requires the knowledge, abilities and skills of subject librarians. It can be seen from the above the demand for NLSC service is very large, which determines the content of service with diversification, personalization, and thus subject librarians are required to be equipped with complex qualities. At present, the NSLC recruitment of subject librarians has a basic requirement and qualification such as a master’s or doctoral degree with a science background, and new hires must undergo special training before they are put in posts. In general, the subject librarian needs to grasp the general library services (automation systems, fulltext delivery, service rules, etc.), information analysis (using TDA, intelligence methods, etc.), the construction of information platform, information literacy training and other skills.

Main personnel and content of the marketing services The NSLC marketing service is mainly supported by the subject librarians from Beijing, Lanzhou, Chengdu and Wuhan. There are 60 full-time subject librarians in NSLC, including the main library in Beijing and all three branch libraries. Table 21.1 presents the statistics on subject and degree information of subject librarians. The table shows that 12 subject librarians have obtained doctoral degrees, and 40 ones hold master’s degrees; consequently, the rate of postgraduate degree holders has reached 86.7%. Besides, the rest all hold bachelor degrees. Furthermore, as to the distribution of major subject fields, 47 subject librarians (78.3%) have a background in natural science, another 3 subject librarians have a background in social science fields (5%), and the other 10 (16.7%) are from library and information science.

290 Fang Shu and Yang Zhiping Table 21.1. Statistics on subject and degree information of subject librarians in National Science Library of CAS No. Organization

1

2

3

4

Main Library in Beijing

Lanzhou Branch

Chengdu Branch

Wuhan Branch

Distribution of Number of Ratio Subjects Subject （%） Librarians

Degree

Natural science

25

83.3

Doctor

Social science

1

3.3

Master

Library & information science

4

13.3

Bachelor

Natural science

7

63.6

Doctor

Social science

0

0

Master

Library & information science

4

36.4

Natural science

9

90

Doctor

Social science

1

10

Master

Library & information science

0

0

Bachelor

Natural science

6

66.7

Doctor

Social science

1

11.1

Master

Library & information science

2

22.2

Bachelor

47

78.3

Doctor

3

5

Master

10

16.7

Natural science 5

NSL

Social science Library & information science

Number of Number of Service Service Institutes Cities

59

11

18

9

18

8

24

6

119

24

Bachelor

Bachelor

These institutions are dispersed over 28 cities nationwide and the librarian must have a related subject background. The field distribution of the subject librarians in the central and branch libraries are as follows. It is stipulated by NSLC that the subject librarians must carry out information service publicity and promotion to each research institution at least four times each year. During the marketing service, each of them has to be with the corresponding institution-librarian to join the research group and introduces the service to the re-

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searchers face to face, especially for some new service functions, and helps them solve their problems. The content of the service covers library resources and services (NSLC, the resources purchased and opened by the institutions), information literacy education, new database functions, the knowledge base of the institution, individual knowledge management tools (like Endnote, Evernote), information utilization tools developed by NSLC (e.g. “E-Pass”), information analysis tools (e.g. TDA) as well as group platforms.

Figure 21.1. The distribution of service institutions of subject librarians

Marketing steps in NSCL As an academic type of library, the NSLC service is, because of the characteristics of its user groups, different from the public library or university library. It is facing a market with user diversification and personalization in service demand, thus, the diversified needs of users must be identified and recognized. The emergence of such needs must be of concern and the challenge must be faced. Improvement and innovation is fundamental to marketing services. In order to serve users better and adapt to changes in rapidly changing contemporary information technology, and shape the competitive advantage of the

292 Fang Shu and Yang Zhiping library, we must continuously innovate and improve our service. In the past five years, some exploratory work has been done by NSLC in this complex environment to strengthen the innovation of marketing service.

Strategy of service plan NSLC marketing is closely connected with institutes’ or users’ requirements. According to the Five-Year Development Plan and the current year plan established by the institute, subject librarians and institute librarians communicated with the decision makers and researchers of the institute, and made a five-year strategic development plan and current year service plan of library marketing. The layout or planning has to be matched with the development of the institution. Generally speaking, the layout or planning of library marketing includes object, service strategy, service mode, innovative service and construction of talents, etc. The layout or planning of library marketing service has to be approved after passing the meeting of institution level before enforcement.

Strategy of project support “Project Innovation ” was launched in 2008, and focuses on important issues of service and information service around the major projects of the institute. Subject librarians and institute librarians make a joint declaration, aiming to enhance the librarian’s ability to and at the same time carry out a number of innovative services to meet the needs of users, and allowing users to understand the new services provided by the contemporary librarian. The declaration of “Project Innovation” to promote knowledge services is made by both subject librarian and the librarian of the institute. The result of each project is implemented as service for the institute or specific project. For purposes of publicity, the results of the project will be made known to specific user groups by means of putting it on the institute’s website, e-mail notifications, posters, printed reports, etc., and feedback will be collected to improve the effectiveness of the services. Each year NSLC puts together the results of “Innovation to A Project” for the year, edits all the bulletins, and distributes them to all decision-makers and the library of the institute. By doing so, more users learn about the extended service and capabilities of the library, while attracting more institutes to provide knowledge-based services.

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Figure 21.2. Display of “Innovation to A Project” achievements

Strategy of stimulating service demand NSLC users are usually limited to electronic or printed journals to find information, and do not quite know about new services provided by the library. In addition, the user demand for services is recessive. In order for users to take full advantage of the services provided by NSLC and the institute library, subject librarians and institute librarians work together, according to the different demands of different projects, and develop new service solutions. For example, to set up information platform and information analysis services for those important national projects, librarians approach each project group, introduce the service to them and listen to their opinions and suggestions for improvement; in this way more users learn and understand our services, at the same time they, as well as other project groups, are stimulated to more demand for this service.

Strategy of developing new services The principle of NSLC service is user-friendly in all aspects: timely analysis of users’ satisfaction with the service, constant adjustment of service goals, the development of new services most in demand, maximization of customer

294 Fang Shu and Yang Zhiping satisfaction, and ultimately fostering in users a high degree of loyalty to the service. For the specific institute users, NSLC has developed an institutional repository (IR). In order for the institute to learn about IR and promote it, NSLC subject librarians and institute librarians prepared an introduction to the IR, organized lectures, and held office presentations, to explain to the institute’s decision-makers or researchers why the IR was needed, how to operate it, and its policies. Moreover, the NSLC has developed Integrated Information Portal, Subject Knowledge Environment and iLibrary platforms for the needs of information users, and offers different choices for different projects, attracting researchers to participate the development of platforms. At the same time, training is provided to those researchers and librarians.

Differentiation strategy of service marketing NSLC attaches great importance to personalized service, to breaking down the service market segments, providing customized service to each institute, reflecting the differentiation of service brand, of service modes, of service technologies, of service concepts, and of service promotions. For example, regarding service brand differentiation, subject librarians focus on knowledge-based services for those institutes with a strong library service. The Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM) has a six-member documentary team : three of them are librarians, and three information analysts. Their service marketing focuses on the use of information analysis tools and the way of patent analysis. To achieve this, NSLC specifically targeted information analysts and SIOM’s researchers in one-to-one or one-to-many training. Based on this experience, the same approach was adopted with six other optoelectronic institutes of the CAS with the same research output analysis requirements.

Diversification strategy of service marketing NSLC has developed a service mechanism of long-term visits to project groups, with as much training and feedback as possible for users; to create maximum convenience, passive and active service are combined, through multiple channels of communication: visiting users and providing planned, institutionalized and streamlined services via telephone, e-mail, instant message and home visits. Furthermore, the NSLC participates in or is invited to participate in research project seminars to learn about the scientific research problems of customers, so as to consider about the entry point of the service. For instance, the subject librarians were invited to attend the project working conference on “the technical study of advance warning of geological calamity induced by heavy-precipitation in the Southeast region”, and learnt about the service they could offer for the project. Ultimately, a solution of an embedded documentary

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information service was provided through the overall progress of the project. The subject librarians were invited to an institute strategic seminar, learnt about the trend of the institute’s subject field in time and exchanged leadingedge knowledge grasped by themselves at the meeting. In some cases, some institutions might invite subject librarians to take part in their strategic development planning for overall information support.

Brand strategy of service marketing Most of all in NSLC brand strategy is to focus on improving the quality of service that is the vitality of the library. In this regard, firstly, we attach importance to the training of subject librarians and institute librarians. Subject librarian will have different training 4-6 times a year; the institute librarian 3-4 times a year. Secondly, we do process management: each institute librarian is responsible for directing a team of subject librarians in all disciplines. Thirdly, we overcome the fragmentation of services content, and form a certain degree of concentration, so that a variety of services can be standardized or formed. Fourthly, we focus on brand innovation. Brand innovation strategy focuses on user demand, combined with the development of information technology to meet the demand of the service product and promotion. For example, in 2007, NSLC developed an “E-Pass” that enabled users to browse the web, use Word, PDF, PPT, Note, WordPad and edit documents or write e-mails applications, using the Word-Mouse program to access in real time a variety of library resources. Prior to the launching of this tool, we held a nationwide campaign to name this tool, which drew the attention of a great number of users to it; later the final winner was nominated and other libraries started to develop the same product.

Communication strategy of service marketing Effective communication strategy will satisfy the users of library services and bring a large number of loyal customer groups in the future. It is very characteristic of the NSLC services and its customers; in providing our service, we emphasise communication and shape our own profile, trying to leave the users with an impression of our distinct personality. Before each visit to research users, subject librarians and institute librarians carefully develop detailed service plans, in which the communication strategy is an important aspect: the language and behaviour should vary according to each different element of service. This is the most direct way for the effective delivery of library service values and communication. In addition, for the special needs and preferences of the users of the service, the NSLC service also focuses on creative public relations promotion, greatly promoting the use of library services at the same time, and having the image of the library better and proper presented; the

296 Fang Shu and Yang Zhiping NSLC brand penetrates into the market and users. For example, each year the NSLC makes different gifts and prepares a Guide to Library Resources and Services with the NSLC logo, and our subject librarians and institute librarians organize activities to distribute those guides and gifts to researchers and students (Figures 21.3 and 21.4).

Figure 21.3. Library Marketing Materials

Conclusion Over the six years of the marketing service carried out by subject librarians of the NSLC, they continue to adjust their service strategy or mode to meet the demands and environment of customers, leading to the improvement of the documentary information service ability of the institute library, ensuring timely information support for research. With improving satisfaction levels, they have obtained better appraisal from the research personnel. At the same time, they have achieved significant influence in the information field (library and scientific and technical information analysis field）in China. Many people come to the NSLC to exchange experience and study each year. The subject librarians will also actively engage in academic exchanges at home and abroad, and are invited to equivalent institutions for exchange. To promote the ability of the marketing service a group of subject librarians of NSLC and institute librarians attended ten university libraries of America to learn about and exchange subject librarian service information. The marketing service of NSLC subject librarians in the future needs to reinforce the analysis of the users’ environment and demand according to the complex needs of scientific research users.

Marketing Library and Information Services

Figure 21.4. Library marketing slogan and banner

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Marketing as an Access Tool for Public Archives: Guidelines for its Application in Libraries Sofia Margarida de Castro Barros Correia dos Santos Responsible for Educational Service/Cultural Extension, Regional Archive of Madeira, Portugal

Abstract In the present context, the survival of specific information systems, prompted by the needs of the information and knowledge society, will depend on the number of marketing tools continually applied as a way to add value to the wide information capital that they withhold, hence refuting the idea of libraries, information centres and archives as inaccessible places. In order to achieve this qualitative transformation it is also mandatory to invest in activities planning oriented to achieve the excellence of services and products, as a way to anticipate client’s individual needs. In this paper we suggest several proposals employing ways of marketing for librarians, based on our professional expertise as archivist in charge of the Madeira Regional Archives’ Educational Service/Cultural Extension. As an outcome of this research, we feel that we have somehow contributed to a change in the way one thinks and approaches the challenge of organizing services rendered by public libraries, involving all collaborators (internal clients), and enabling its consumers (external clients) with new forms of activity.

Introduction The emergence of the knowledge society and the rising significance of globalization stimulates information systems permanance. This has allowed access to a new type of life, inspiring a culture in which citizens are more demanding and sensitive to the quality of a given product, service or information. On the other hand, if for-profit and not-for-profit organizations want to survive in the twenty first century, they have to answer more quickly and efficiently to the needs and demands of their consumers. In this context, it is imperative that libraries, information centres and archives employ marketing tools as a way of making an impact and recovery of the information and documents that they preserve and conserve, and serve their customers in an improved way.

300 Sofia Margarida de Castro Barros Correia dos Santos In order to operate the desired qualitative transformation it is necessary to understand its meaning and functions, which have been described at various times as a “group of business activities; commercial activities; state of mind; function for implementing management and economic procedures; economic process; structure of organizations; transfer and exchange of of tangibles and intagibles goods / products / services, according to according to the law of supply and demand, among others” (Kotler 1980, 30). However, as in business centres (Kotler and Bloom 1988, 18), the use of marketing tools is not consensual for professionals of information. First of all they believe the employment of marketing techniques is only used with the purpose of selling, which is not really necessary; and second as public organizations the products survive and sell themselves. In order to end this vision, we propose some guidelines to the information managers so that they can employ marketing in information-centred work in serving their users, through our experience as an archivist responsible for the Educational Service/Cultural Extension of Madeira Regional Archive´s (ES/CE-MRA), the public archive of Madeira, Portugal.

First step – where are we? Starting a marketing project is not easy to anyone. But to know what the ES/CE-MRA wants to do; who is the target?; what are the operational and specific goals?; how to be present/ impose its brand in society, were some of the many questions posed on its creation in 2004. Encouraged by the opening of a new building of the Regional Archive, and the need of “democratize and simplify the public’s accessibility to historical records, nullifying cultural, social and geographical frontiers and establishing the values of citizenship instead” (Visão, Missão e Valores 2013), one of the first measures made by the administration was the selection of the work team among the employees of MRA: two archivists, a journalist and a web designer. Later an arts teacher was added, replaced in 2009 and 2010 by other teachers (physical education, and history). Then, the responsible persons undertook training in the new service, carried out bibliographical and web research, and visited the educational and cultural departments of museums, libraries and archives in Madeira Autonomous Regions and in mainland Portugal. The idea of serving the users well started from the inside to the outside becoming one, among others, of the strengths of our work. From this experience, to start using the marketing skills, we would propose to librarians the study of the internal and external environment in which they operate. For the internal marketing, we can identify the staff of the libraries: internal clients, which can be separated in two groups: the directors, responsible for

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the services, and technical and administrative team on the one hand (managers and executors); and the patrons, sponsors and volunteers on the other. (Although the latter are an external segment, they can pressure internally in regard to the functioning of the different organisms. In fact, we believe that given the current economic scenario, the survival and well being of such institutions must involve such internal users/consumers in partnerships). Knowing them increases the relationships and the communication in all sectors – horizontally and vertically (Campos and Gama 2007, 208) – and improves the productivity of work quantitatively and qualitatively. Meetings and continuous training also contribute to the team spirit and to a distinguished service in the market. In case of a new collaborator, his/her integration will include the presentation to all colleagues from each department as well as to the mission and values of the information units. This welcome could be completed with a reception manual that should reflect the dynamic and the spirit of the library, as for example in Table 22.1: Table 22.1. Guidelines for reception manual for libraries Introduction

Introductory note given by the administration as a welcome to new technicians

For what is this instrument

– Goals – Target

What is this instrument for

– It varies according the service

What is it made of

– Mission – Vision – Values

Services and competences Presentation of all collaborators

Internal contacts – phone and e-mail

Administrative hierarchy Legal nature Library procedures

– Working hours; – Personal legislation; – Computing skills

General information

– Building’s blueprint – Indicate if it is possible or not receive personal correspondence – Infrastructure; – Contacts – Public transportation

Other information

National and regional holidays

Another way that institutions can access internal and updated information is through an intranet. This tool implies not only a new organizational culture which promotes a better dialogue and interaction between departments, but also promotes the success and economy of the enterprise and also reduces the flow of paper.

302 Sofia Margarida de Castro Barros Correia dos Santos Another aspect to consider is the infrastructure: a suitable building with good access, comfortable furniture, good technical offices, modern equipment, etc. The external environment is constituted by the micro-environment and macroenvironment. The first group is related to suppliers, distributors, competitors and the public (Vaz and Gil 2000, 77). In our case study it can be interpreted as you can see in Table 22.2. Table 22.2. Comparison between the micro-environment of ES/CE–MRA and general libraries Microenvironment Suppliers

Distributors

Identification – ES/CE-MRA

Identification – Libraries

Suppliers of cultural goods such as documentary funds from public and private organizations

Suppliers of cultural goods such as bibliographic collections

Suppliers of goods to the proper functioning of the institution, such as technical assistance, contracts or updating of computer applications with the corresponding renewals and material needed for daily life as pens, pencils, staplers, paper, etc.

Suppliers of goods to the proper functioning of the institution, such as technical assistance, contracts or updating of computer applications with the corresponding renewals and material needed for daily life as pens, pencils, staplers, paper, etc.

The team created instruments to access to more than five centuries of history in Madeira: thematic files; publications; pedagogical kits; pedagogical games, historical tours.

Employees that create the instruments of work to help the readers have access to the documentation: catalogues, data bases, site, digital site, exhibitions, educational activities.

Social communication: press release in Social communication; Friends regional newspapers. of Libraries, patrons, sponsors and voluntaries. Competitors

Education services of the Frederico Freitas Museum, Arte Sacra Museum and Quinta das Cruzes Museum. The Municipal Library of Funchal and Public Library of Madeira.

Identifying the neighbours allows us to identify the existence of other similar institutions and give a better answer to the needs of the customers.

Public

Elementary and secondary school pupils, university students and all community.

Students, researchers, curious, general public and participants of the educational and cultural activities.

The macro-environment is related to external factors that influence an organization’s decision making, and affect its performance and strategies. These include the economic factors; demographics; legal, political, and social conditions; technological changes; and natural forces. An example is the financial and economic crisis that Portugal is having, which consequently causes financial constraint in the public administration. With a smaller budget, the MRA was

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forced to cut in 2010 from 2,500 to 500 copies of the biannual journal Aprendiz de Arquivo (Archive Apprentice), and since May 2012 it is only available on the on-line version (http://www.arquivo-madeira.org/item1.php?lang=0&id_ channel=20&id_page=230). Starting from the problem, the Education Service changed its strategic guidelines, but still contributes to the non-formal and global educational of the citizens, as we will explain.

Second step – what to do? The use of marketing in public libraries strengthens the competitive advantage by combining internal and external functions to influence individual choices of the users/clients who are vital to its survival in a growing complex market. So, in order to maintain and attract new customers, assure the long-term survival of the libraries, according to their functions and assets, the information professional needs to make a diagnosis of the strengths and weaknesses for a better and efficient answer to the demands of the environment. Over ES/CE´s case we analysed the following weaknesses: Unknown: from our experience with the public, the Regional Archive is generally perceived as a closed, dark and gloomy place unavailable to the common citizen and valuable mainly to researchers, historians, university students and some rare creatures, although the Archive has existed since 1931. The location of MRA: the new building is not in the city centre and public transportation to this area is scarce. To bring students to the MRA is sometimes difficult for several schools of Madeira Island, because they depend on the municipal council’s transportation and usually their transport duty budget is filled. Educational policies dependent on the Ministry of Education (external threat): extracurricular activities must be conducted outside the classes’ schedule. Absence of financial resources (external threat): a lack of budget separate from the financial resources of MRA, and the present economical crisis, do not allow the realization of several activities and editions.

What we do less well? The number of requested visits to the installations is greater than what is allowed: three times a year on the “Open day”, and with a minimum age limit of sixteen.. Another activity such as the commemoration of “Archivist’s Day” on 9 June, falls outside the end of the school year, which leads to the absence of a student audience. Activities requested by evening classes are not satisfied because our work schedule doesn’t coincide with them.

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How can we turn a weakness into an opportunity? To the Educational Service, in its beginning, in order to distinguish from the other services and impose its image in Madeira, some information products were created – bookmarks, flyers and a logo (“Archive Apprentice”). Conceiving products / activities according to the needs of the target is another example of what marks the name of this service and cultural organization. For example, if the students cannot visit the archive, we must reach them through activities like the pedagogical kits “Os eus escondidos”(“The hidden selves”) and “O meu concelho…” (“My county”); for the youngest clients who visit the document and reader’s circuit of MRA we created “Vamos conhecer o Arquivo Regional da Madeira …” (“Find out about the MRA”), and for technical visits our doors open six times per year. The workshop “Educational Service of MRA: looking for a new public” was made for teachers to learn more about the functions and documents held by the Regional Archive, and how to establish partnerships and associate their actions with school curriculum. Without money, the solution for the Educational and Cultural Service is to develop partnerships and alliances between the MRA and school communities by sharing information and experiences in a constantly changing educational reality. This was the case for the art contest “Box Parade” developed with the Department of Arts of University of Madeira in 2006/2007, and a dramatization of “Auto de Santa Maria do Calhau” by the third-year students of Performing Arts and Interpretation of the School of Arts and Music Luiz Peter Clode. The strengths include:

How is the service organized? In December of 2007 the Regional Archive was considered as an enterprise with the Quality Management System (ISO 9001/2002) and in 2011, received the “EFQM – Committed to Excellence”. In this context, the ES/CE defines its general procedures as: – operational goals linked with precise measuring indicators; – detailing and planning the product/service conception; and – development, identifying goals (inputs and outputs) and needed resources. Everything is made for the public: the satisfaction inquiry and its treatment, the monthly meetings, the evaluation of the works done by the students and the direct contact with the public. It is important to identify the most positive or negative aspects of our work and subsequently, improve our response to their expectations (Santos 2012).

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What are the products? Developing pedagogical and culture initiatives with the purpose of creating a modern, dynamic and useful image of MRA and its professionals; encouraging research habits; contributing to a more solid formation of individuals as participating citizens and captivating new audiences.

How to distinguish from others’ services? All products have an image and content that reflects the level and the age of the public. Likewise because the team work is fixed it enables a continuous improvement of work and loyalty to the clients. So buzzmarketing – passing information from person to person – is one way to promote our service.

Who is the target? The external clients of educational department are pupils of the elementary and secondary schools, students of university and the general population, because similar institutions do not work with these segments and it is important to attract people to social sciences. With the given examples, the librarians should know this is not a closed instrument, it is always changing and all projects should reflect the mission, vision and values of the organization. Thus, if they want to survive in a global and economic society, planning the marketing mix is also crucial to distinguish their services from the others.

Third step – the marketing mix In order to achieve a marketing plan, the information professional should be able to identify the marketing mix: product, price, promotion and distribution.

Product: which products do the libraries have to offer?  Considering their functions, among the main products are monographs, periodical titles, cartographies, iconographies and CDs;  The best way to complete the work of information units and to provide a better public service is through publication: library catalogues, indexes, technical books; catalogues exhibitions and pedagogical files or books;  The website is another service that libraries should provide to the world. Its absence nowadays is synonymous with invisibility. So the survival of these organisms is also dependent on the investment in their own

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

  

 

websites with a dynamic, innovative and modern image with updated information and user-friendly (not to be too crowded/confused, be practical, fast) and which conforms to the management philosophy of public libraries. Its use is advantageous, particularly as a vehicle for communication, allowing client-individual cyber-customer identity. Only then, through the analysis of incoming mail, chat rooms and rate products on sale, if you can meet your expectations, desires for goods, services and information; The use of a digital website, such as MRA has in http://armdigital. arquivo-madeira.org/armdigital/ is another product in which libraries can be distinguished. In other words, xternal clients can complement their investigations, accessing documents without having to move in physical space; Exhibitions are also a product to consider since they can keep, maintain and attract new readers; create habits of regular visits to libraries and research; The educational services offer other kinds of information, as shown in Table 22.3, Products of ES/CS; Workshops: providing training is an excellent channel for different users of products/services of these enterprises. It facilitates contact between society /libraries which is essential to improve the image of libraries and integration into their surroundings. For its execution a study of the real needs of the market should be made using either surveys and / or suggestions book and complaints book. Using Web 2.0 (Facebook, Twitter) brings in real time all kinds of useful information; and Other products that may be offered to the society are the restoration of documents and the rental of spaces such as auditoria and training rooms.

The products of ES/CE-MRA are provided in Table 22.3.

Place: where do users/clients search for its product/service? According to EIlen Sáez good distribution is related to the services’ accessibility: good location of the building, phones, telefaxes, internet and with the time of operation appropriate to the needs of all customers. Libraries should reach everywhere, even by mobile services (Sáez 2002, 60-67). The same is said about the bibliobus (Salaün 1992, 114). Following these ideas, we could also include web 2.0; digital site; blogs and the automated loan service of books that operate 24 hours a day, seven days per week.

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Price: how much time was spent in the preparation of the services? According to Sáez (2002, 67) the price in information systems can be described as time spent in material and human resources. On the other hand, the combination of these features is what makes the image of the institution and, as we already know, a satisfied customer always returns. The monetary value can be seen as the payment of, for example, the loan between libraries. To the ES/CE there are the qualitative and quantitative prices. Qualitative price:  time spent in the market study in order to know the material needed as well as to obtain information on educational and cultural aspects;  time spent researching bibliographic and documentary data;  time spent preparing the educational activities and its execution;  time spent getting in touch with schools and other similar establishments as well as in executing the educational/cultural activities;  time spent in the products’ creation and validation;  human resources used in: archive treatment; conservation and restoration, educational/cultural services and reference services;  time to update the ARM site and facebook page;  time spent writing press releases;  time between the period a press note is written and the time it reaches the mass media; and  Time preparing the conference room. Quantitative price:  Price of the conference room’s fee; and  Price paid to workshops addressed to the external audience/public and also to the internal public (Santos 2012, 9)

Regular activities aimed to introduce the MRA and our work

Table 22.3. Products of ES/CS-MRA Activities

Target

First year

Let us know the Madeira Regional Archives …

Primary and elementary schools

2005

Users’ teaching

Elementary and secondary schools

2005

Technical visits

Elementary and secondary 2006 schools and administrators

Summer studio “The Archive Apprentice”

Between 10 and 15 years old

2008

Is Madeira Regional Archives a data base?

Secondary school –

2008

Target

First year

Regular activities aimed to explore the archives and enrich the knowledge of regional//local history

My council …

Elementary and secondary schools

2005

Genealogy and family history

Primary school

2006

Teaching activities

Teachers

2007

Subject files for the site

School communities and all interested

2011

Open to the Community Day

From 16 years old, secondary schools and community

2006

Exhibition Luiz Peter Clode and Secondary school and the collection presented to the general population RAM

2005

The archive apprentice, newspaper

School community and general public

2006

Sculpture contest Box Parade

Art and Design students from Madeira University

2006

Exhibition: “Land of newspapers: the press in Ponta Sol (1909–1923)”

Secondary school and general public

2007

Other functions

Occasional activities: exhibitions, contests, workshops, conferences and guided tours to specific groups

Activities

Activities and projects aimed for different addresses

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The Transport Documentation Elementary, Secondary at the ARM: 1912–1976 schools and general public

2009

Exhibition: Legacy to history: an appreciation. Donations to the Regional Archive from 2005 until 2008

Elementary, Secondary schools and general public

2010

Exhibition Madeira Tourism Delegation 1936-1979. 4 decades serving Madeira’s tourism”

Elementary, Secondary 2011 schools and general public

Shop and conference room management

General public

2005

Site managment www.arquivo- General public madeira.org

1999

Management Intranet – Wisi

General public

2007

Reception for new workers and helpers

Internal clients

2008

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Promotion (communication): how do the libraries markets its products? Promotion is the most used item for the librarians. According to Amaral (2008, 31), usually marketing concepts are limited to promotional aspects such as posters, brochures or markers. It is necessary to use the communications to “attract new consumers, sell ideas and strengthen new brands” according to five baselines to promote (Weingand 2007, 34-35): – to broadcast the organization and its products and services to future users; – to make the organization and its products and services to future users more attractive; – to teach/show present users how to use the products and services; – to highlight the benefits of the given products and services; – to inform the users at all times about the organization and its products and services. In other words for planning communication the librarian should cut with “no communication” as a way to: – prevent others from taking control over the disclosure of documentary heritage, or else “alguien lo hará por nosostros, y no siempre en la dirección o el modo que deseamos? quizá la competencia?” (“someone will do it, and not always in the direction or how we want? competition perhaps?)” (Mateos Russillo 2008, 35); – ensure that consumers know of the existence of products/services and the real characteristics of information systems – a function of persuasion; – at the moment of taking decisions, despite the competition, using the services of the libraries. This means that you have in your subconscious taken over their image and brand – function memory; and – creating new perspectives for the use of sources in formal and informal educational contexts – educational function. Considering the market oriented organizations, the communication of libraries includes: – Logo: the visual representation should be original, unique, understandable, memorable and have appropriate language, to identify the institution and promote the sale of its products and services. To use this symbol correctly and uniquely is advisable to register its patent (Figure 22.1).

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Figure 22.1. The logo of Educational Service: Aprendiz de Arquivo

 Graphic image: assuming that there is a psychological mechanism that draws the individual to the beautiful, for the good set for a given set of colours that match, we must invest in the physical aspect of the products: cover page, paper quality, number of pages, weight, finishing, font size, spacing of text, printing and size; and in the information content always associate a good title and subtitle (Torres 2009), writing adapted to the target audience (Figure 22.2).

Figure 22.2. Some publications of the Educational and Cultural Department

– Merchandising: is used “as a way to promote and communicate the products of the archives; and it´s also a possibilities for having access to a new kind of economics resources” (Alberch 2001, 35).  Newsletters: sending them proves to be effective, and economical and environmentally friendly, because it reaches a wide spectrum of people in a short space of time, requires little human resources, and existing information is concise and direct.  Post and letters: from the protocol list, that should be always be updated, there is selected a group of persons / organizations / services / institutions

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who want the libraries to send the invitations/ information or offer their products. They can be accompanied by personalized letters, depending the group or person.  Press release and press bulletin: referring only to a single subject answering who, when; where, in what way and for what, should be sent to the media – television, newspapers and radio – because they have a large audience, providing free advertising for activities that libraries want to promote.  Shopping articles: selling their products in library shops or in places that are allowed. As for the products of MRA, there is a small range of offerings. In addition to publications, the store offers for sale, since 2007, a kit of blocks, wooden pencils and erasers, with a design similar to the institutional site and with the logo of MRA (Figure 22.3).

Figure 22.3. Merchandising of MRA

 Institutional website and digital records: all relevant information should be available online, such as virtual exhibitions, bibliographic research and educational activities.  Use of videos, posters and street furniture, such as billboards and bus stops: cultural agendas, blogs and social networks also help sell a positive or negative image of the same, resulting in comments here that users exchange with each other.  Qualified employees: a place is made by the people and for the people. So, the staff need to know how to pass the right message to the outside to have certain attitudes, such as humour, to contribute to the development of personal and emotional dimension, time and quality of response provided, and how they answer a call and time of service, for example. When this support is done remotely, such as the internet, this does not invalidate the importance of the work performed by information professionals.  Support initiatives for scientific and cultural nature, such as workshops, seminars, roundtables, debates, publications and articles in specialized journals in the field of information science.

312 Sofia Margarida de Castro Barros Correia dos Santos – Sponsorship and / or patronage : considered the “primeira forma de associação entre capital e cultura” (“primary form of association between capital and culutre”) (Reis 2003, 4) this provides ways to increase, once again, the brand and increase customer loyalty to products / services of this cultural space. A guideline for the presentation of a business sponsorship and patronage is shown in Table 22.4. Table 22.4. Guidelines for a business file to sponsor libraries Guidelines for presentation of a business sponsorship and patronage The historical of the institution, mission, vision and values

This is a strong point for libraries to demonstrate their social value while preserving / conservative documentary heritage – social responsibility

Presentation of the project

The purpose, general aims and objectives and advantages of this initiative are included. It should also demonstrate what is “sold”, the expected return on investment and the comparative advantages of investment compared to other communication tools (advertising, promotions) – increased brand loyalty, change of or enhanced image and creating visibility for the enterprises

To identify the team

That is part of the event, or indicates “who’s who” and their functions. If, for example, they are organizing an exhibition, inviting a well-known Scientific Commissioner, will enhance the work performed

Submit a detailed list of products needed to acquire, together with their costs and suppliers Outline the economic, financial and social problems that may arise from these partnerships with cultural organizations

 Friends of the libraries is another way to obtain publicity and raise funds. From the analysis of their functions at Municipal Archive of Penafiel, Distrital Archive of Oporto and Torre do Tombo, in Portugal, the works that have been developed are on the areas of preservation of the documents; publishing catalogues, products, brochures, newspapers and documentary description of instruments; holding of congresses, conferences, roundtables and workshops; encouragement of educational activities and cultural extension and access to databases (Associação dos Amigos do Arquivo 2009). Restoration is a way to promote that attracts a vast number of diverse audiences which in other circumstances would neither visit such organizations nor know their functions. Given the description of promotional activities above, we agree that communication tools can be divided into four parts: advertising, sales promotion, public

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relations and direct marketing (Kotler and Neil 2008). Table 22.5 summarizes what has been said. Table 22.5. Tools of communication for libraries Advertising Logos Information products Bookmarks Posters Flyers Editions Institutional videos Internet Social communication (radio, TV, newspapers) Networks billboards TV and radio spots Merchandising

Sales promotion

Public relations

Direct marketing

Exhibitions Discounts on products Awards for participation in activities

Team qualified Educational and cultural activities Meetings Activity reports Briefings and press activities Patronage Association of Friends of the Libraries

Buzz marketing (passing information by person to person who are already loyal) Individual contacts (face to face) Invitation to all listed entities Telephone Fax Newsletter E-mail

Fourth step – how to evaluate the projects? Giving what has been mentioned, all collaborators should study the products and services available, considering what should be continued, changed and or eliminated; new productions, new segments and ways to make a market impact (Kotler and Neil 2008, 125-129). Based on our experience, the analysis of satisfaction surveys, monthly meetings, evaluation of the worksheets sent by students, direct contact with the external clients, suggestion box, complaints book, books of honour are indicators of the services and products to improve, develop or implement. Also, monitoring the implementation of performance indicators defined for each objective is crucial to identifying the lack of compliance with the implementation of planned actions as set forth in the matrix of objectives. So that if a designated team does not complete a project on schedule, the organization must be able to identify why this deviation occurred and the corrections that have to be made.

Conclusion Working with marketing orientation on Educational Service / Cultural Extensional of Madeira Regional Archive gives us the opportunity to define the principal guidelines of our work: serve the client´s needs with excellence. Even with the obstacles that often arise, this becomes an opportunity to answer more efficiently and effectively the demands of each segment. This experience

314 Sofia Margarida de Castro Barros Correia dos Santos allows us to propose guidelines for the libraries to act as an enterprise that plan and execute in accordance with a competency and goals matrix for every service/ sector that distinguishes their products, services and information in the marketplace in order to satisfy the internal and external environment.

References Alberch, I. F. and I. Ramon. 2001. “Imagen, marketing y comunicación.” In Archivos y cultura: manual de dinamización, 27-44. Gijón: Ediciones Trea . Amaral, S. A. 2008. “Marketing da Informação: entre a promoção e a comunicação integrada de marketing.” Informação & sociedade 18(1): 31-44. Accessed on 8 March 2013. http://www.okara.ufpb.br/ojs2/index.php/ies/article/view/1636/1637 “Associação dos Amigos do Arquivo.” 2009. Accessed on 8 March 2013. http://www.aatt. org/site/index.php;http://arquivovivo-aaadp.blogspot.pt/2009/03/associacao-de-amigosdo-arquivo.html; Baptista, S.G. 2007. “Técnicas de marketing para gestores de unidades de informação.” In Marketing na ciência da informação, edited by S.A. Amaral, 81-95. Brasília: Editor UNB. Campos, S.E.A. et al. 2007. “Gestão da comunicação da informação para clientes de organizações hospitalares.” In Marketing na ciência da informação, edited by S.A. Amaral, 207-224. Brasília: Editor UNB. Kotler, P. 1980. Marketing. Edição Compacta. São Paulo: Atlas. Kotler, P. and P.N. Bloom. 1988. Marketing para serviços profissionais. São Paulo: Editora Atlas. Kotler, P. and P.N. Bloom. 2007. Marketing para serviços profissionais. São Paulo: Editora Atlas. Kotler, P. and K. Neil. 2008. Estrategias y marketing de museos. Barcelona: Editorial Ariel. Mateos Russillo, S.M. 2008. “Hacia una comunicación global del património cultural, o como potenciar su uso fomentando supersevación.” In La comunicación global del património cultural, 19-52. Gijón: EdicionesTrea. Reis, A.C.F. 2003. Marketing cultural e financiamento da Cultura. São Paulo: Thomson Pioneira. Sáez, E.E. 2002. Marketing concepts for librarians and information services. London: Facet Publishing. Salaün, J.M. 1992. Marketing des bibliothèques et des centres de documentation. Paris: Édiciones du Cercle de La Libraire. Santos, S.M.C.B.C. 2012. “Marketing as an access tool for public archives: a case study”. Madeira Regional Archives’ Educational Service/Cultural Extension. Accessed on 8 March 2013. http://www2.archivists.org/sites/all/files/SofiaSantos-SAA-ResearchReport2011.pdf. Torres, E.C. 2009. “Este livro tem um verbo.” In Público. Suplemento P2. Lisboa. 31 October: 12. Vaz, G.N. and n. Gil. 2000. Marketing institucional: O mercado de ideias e imagens. São Paulo: Editora Pioneira. Weingang, D.E. 2007. “Serviços aos clientes: um imperativo de marketing.” In Marketing na ciência da informação, edited by S.A. Amaral, 33-45. Brasília: Editor UNB. “Visão, Missão e Valores.” 2013. Arquivo Regional da Madeira. Accessed on 8 March 2013. http://www.arquivo-madeira.org.

Reaching the Islands in the Community: Marketing Practices in Madeira Regional Public Library, Portugal Ana Figueira Librarian, Culture and Education Service and

Andreia Sousa Librarian, Culture and Education Service and

Carla Nunes Assistant Librarian, Culture and Education Service, Madeira Regional Public Library, Portugal

Abstract Libraries are facing new demands and Madeira Regional Public Library (MRPL) in Portugal, is no exception. In 2005 it changed its location and since then a Culture and Education Service (CES) was formed and a new level of marketing initiatives took place. At first, services and products were promoted only for visitors, but step by step CES focused its work on children. Gradually, adults have been considered a priority and then senior citizens were targeted. Some years later, CES took the next step to meet non-users. Short-term promotional campaigns were developed and long-term programmes were created for the ones who could not come to the library. The library has come out from behind closed doors. This paper presents an overview of several practices of library marketing developed by Madeira Regional Public Library in order to truly reach the community.

Introduction The Autonomous Region of Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago which includes the inhabited islands of Madeira and Porto Santo, with more than 267,000 inhabitants (EURES 2013). About three-quarters of the population lives in the south coast of Madeira island, particularly in Funchal, the capital. It is mainly in this area that tourism, the leading economic activity and source of income, takes place.

316 Ana Figueira, Andreia Sousa and Carla Nunes Madeira Regional Public Library (MRPL) on Madeira island is a thirtytwo-year-old institution originally created to support university students. Gradually and with the benefit of legal deposit in 1982 and the relocation to a modern building in 2005, it became a reference resource to the community. In the new home a Culture and Education Service (CES) was formed, along with a new approach on marketing. Nowadays, MRPL has about 221,000 documents (17,197 of which are available for loan) and more than 13,000 card holders. With a team of only 26 professionals, collection management and marketing were established as top priorities. As far as marketing is concerned, MRPL’s dimension and typology determines a very wide target audience, a major marketing challenge. Therefore, CES has organized several activities for different audiences and has reached 16,459 participants, so far as shown in Figure 23.1.

Figure 23.1. Evolution of participants in CES’s activities

Initially, CES developed programmes exclusively for patrons but gradually focused its work on specific target audiences, primarily on children with school visits, storytelling, workshops and by opening on Saturdays. The focus has been broadened and a series of exhibitions on interesting topics has been held for adults. Senior citizens were also involved in activities such as internet workshops, cinema cycles and meetings between generations. “The services of the public library are provided on the basis of equality of access for all, regardless of age, race, sex, religion, nationality, language or social status. Specific services and materials must be provided for those users who cannot, for whatever reason, use the regular services and materials, for example linguistic minorities, people with disabilities or people in hospital or prison.”(IFLA/Unesco Public Library Manifesto 1994). Taking into account the IFLA/UNESCO Manifesto, as well as the number of potential MRPLs users, CES establishes a new marketing strategy (maintaining the programmes for patrons) to connect with non-users in two fronts. On the

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one hand, it develops promotional tools and campaigns for the population unaware of what MRPL has to offer; on the other hand it establishes a series of strategic partnerships to reach those unable to make conventional use of the library.

Short-term promotional tools and campaigns After the change of MRPL’s location in 2005 to the outskirts of the city, feedback indicated that patrons were not aware of the existence of a new building. Moreover, non-users usually have a very traditional view of what a public library is and therefore it is important to promote the full range of free services and areas available at MRPL. To respond to this challenge, CES has been creating a series of specific promotion tools and campaigns which will be described below. In 2007, the programme “Library Downtown” (Biblioteca na Cidade) took place in the Funchal centre with a tent installed for a week. This place worked as an extension to MRPL and therefore as an area that attracted new public led by curiosity or information search. With the same goal and in an effort to reach the teenagers in the community, CES also organized activities in poor neighbourhoods of the city, to promote MRPL’s services to that audience and show the appealing side of the institution. The celebration of MRPL’s 30th anniversary, in 2009, motivated the creation of different marketing tools to be freely distributed to every school in the region. An institutional video and two booklets (one for adults and the other for school-age children) contributed for an overview of each space, rules and proceedings (Figure 23.2). One year later, MRPL created a temporary exhibition, “Christmas in Portuguese Literature” (O Natal na literatura portuguesa) which was displayed in a large shopping centre. The choice of time (December) and place of this campaign was dictated by the number of people attending this type of spaces for Christmas shopping. Together with the exhibition, activities for children and a lucky draw of books were performed, as well as the distribution of promotional material. In 2011, a bus-door campaign was developed to promote MRPL’s strong features (legal deposit, book loan, cultural and educational activities, talking book and braille service, and multimedia) and also reach new readers and more library card applications. The target audience was the population that lived, worked or studied in downtown Funchal and the surrounding neighborhoods. During a month, five different ads with the same main slogan (More than a world of books / Mais do que um mundo de livros) but distinct phrases and images were placed at the back of fifty buses of a local bus company (Figure

318 Ana Figueira, Andreia Sousa and Carla Nunes 23.3). The strategy was to use message repetition to make the memorized elements more accessible to evaluation, consequently generating an attitude change towards MRPL.

Figure 23.2. Marketing tools

Figure 23.3. Bus-door campaign

Long-term projects Taking into account the target audience which has some sort of limitation to attend a library, MRPL embraced the social responsibility of presenting a part of its services and areas through different programmes, particularly to children in the hospital, prison inmates and the physically and mentally disabled. For each target area a long-term project was developed in collaboration with local institutions, which will be outlined below.

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Reading with … Holy Family Psychopedagogical Rehabilitation Centre (ler com… Centro de Reabilitação Psicopedagógica da Sagrada Família) The Holy Family Psychopedagogical Rehabilitation Centre (HFPRC) is a healthcare institution for intellectually disabled children and adolescents. HFPRC holds an in-patient unit for bedridden patients and those incapable of carrying out normal daily activities, and also a special needs school with proper curriculum. It welcomes students of both sexes, from 3 to 18 years old, mostly with Downs syndrome, intellectual disabilities and language disorders. In 2008, the HFPRC’s educational supervisor asked for support while reorganizing their own library and, apart from the assistance given by the Public Library, it became possible to arrange regular visits to MRPL. Both institutions are within walking distance and the students are able to be accompanied weekly to the Public Library by their teacher and the school librarian. Therefore, collaboration between the two institutions has been established and the project “Reading with…” was created. Having into account the difficulties of a conventional use of libraries, its materials and services, this partnership aims to provide equal opportunities for all library users, regardless their cognitive abilities. Each week one of the classes visits the library to explore the children’s section, its books, magazines and movies. A specific activity is prepared in advance, meeting the group’s needs and preferences, whether it is movie watching, arts and craft, games, exhibitions or storytelling. Through books and the simple stories chosen it is possible to explore some abstract concepts like friendship, love or fear using specific examples from characters and their adventures. The narrative structure of books provides the comprehension of the concepts of time, space, and cause and effect. Just like any other toddler or small child, this specific target audience enjoys books that use word repetition and predictable stories. Therefore, while preparing the storytelling session, it is a concern to choose books for beginning readers with colourful pictures and simple words. As the group has a very short attention span and is easily distracted, the stories have to be amusing and appealing. Clumsy characters, funny mysteries or everyday situations are their favourite ones. Stories like Who’s in the bathroom? by Jeanne Willis, I want a hug by John A. Rowe, Elephants never jump by Violet Easton or The crunching, munching caterpillar book by Sheridan Cai, help promote imagination, good manners and right conduct, exposing children to varied experiences and increasing their interest in other books and materials at the MRPL. Each story read is complemented with an easy-to-make craft as an extension of the book itself. By creating the characters, building the scenario or making a simple symbol, a part of the book becomes clearer to each child and it is easily remembered at school.

320 Ana Figueira, Andreia Sousa and Carla Nunes Since 2008 there were more than 460 participants in a total of 66 sessions, and teachers give strong feedback about the persistence of the project. By helping the visiting groups to initiate their researches and expand knowledge through the use of MRPL, it is a common concern to eliminate feelings of helplessness and dependency, with the realization that, disabilities aside, they can have a meaningful life and be an active part of society.

Figure 23.4. CRPSF having fun

Figure 23.5. Crafts at MRPL

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Reading for healing (Ler faz bem) The project “Reading for healing” takes place at the Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça, in the Pediatrics Department, Taking into account that books and reading can foster or help in the rehabilitation of ill children. In the summer of 2010, MRPL supported the ongoing training of the hospital’s head librarian. At the time, MRPL became aware of the Pediatrics Department´s needs for books, ludic materials and activities that could somehow distract, amuse and uplift its patients. “Where care rather than healing is the goal, the library at the very least offers the therapy of new and inspiring outlooks. It can also help eliminate feelings of helplessness and dependency and can teach or otherwise inform.” (Panella 2000, 13) Conscious that books, reading, and library materials could have a positive effect on the recovery of children, CES planned fortnightly activities such as storytelling, workshops, games or crafts. A treasure case filled with books, activities and games, usually explored at MRPL, is taken to the hospital for the Pediatrics’ patients. Each session lasts approximately one hour and a half, and the participants include all the patients in the Pediatrics Department who are well enough to be at the recreation room. Equipped with toys, colourful decoration, computers and games, the recreation room is where young patients can watch TV, play a game or search the internet and it is also where CES activities take place. As there is no way to predict how many children there will be, neither their ages nor interests, the activities held are mostly for school-age children and then adapted to each child, so everyone can participate. Whether the activities pertain to a book about friendship or a workshop for Christmas decorations, the main goal is always to entertain and distract from illness and the seriousness of hospital healthcare. Since 2010 CES has developed more than 40 sessions for about 222 participants, attempting to provide children with tools for strength and empowerment through books and reading.

Figure 23.6. “Reading for healing” activity

322 Ana Figueira, Andreia Sousa and Carla Nunes

Figure 23.7. Treasure case

MRPL goes to school (BPR vai à escola) Although Madeira is a small island, most schools have difficulty arranging transport for students to come to MRPL as often as they would like. At the beginning of 2010-2011 school year, teachers of the Escola Horácio Bento Gouveia (a public school for students from fifth to ninth school year) asked if there was any possibility of our making a presentation of MRPL’s services at their own school. Challenged to create a different activity, CES created the project “MRPL goes to school” combining the presentation of services, spaces and collection with a storytelling session and a small activity related to the book. During the entire school year, MRPL went to each class of fifth and sixth grade (in a total of 23 sessions). The activity was held in the classroom, for one hour and a half, with the final purpose of encouraging the class to a future visit to MRPL. In a first moment, the library, its documents, services, projects, and location were presented. Not only the public sections were shown but also the working areas where books are registered, magnetized or classified, according to each subject. This backstage work at the library, that patrons are not aware of, was particularly stimulating for the students. While explaining thoroughly each section of the library and services, the questions of the several classes were mostly concerned about the schedule, activities and rules or regulations for book loan. In order to demonstrate clearly the different types of documents from MRPL’s collection, some examples (carefully selected according to their age and interests), were shown in class. In a second part of the session a story was read aloud and details were discussed, such as the author, the funny episodes and other books of the same type. Following the discussion and extending the comprehension of books, different activities like crossword puzzles, alphabet soups or simple riddles were proposed to ease the session and promote interactivity with CES.

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As a result of “MRPL goes to school” some of the children who attended the sessions registered as patrons and used the library services, accompanied by their parents or even on their own. This outcome as well as the interest of other teachers in the project led to requests for participation from more schools all over the island.

Figure 23.8. “MRPL goes to school” activity

Figure 23. 9. Activity proposed for the book Uma vaca de estimação by Luísa Ducla Soares

324 Ana Figueira, Andreia Sousa and Carla Nunes

Reading 2gether (Ler a 2) At the fully equipped children’s section of MRPL, staff became aware (after some years of observation) that the act of reading was limited only to the child, while parents were usually engaged in their own readings, researches or leisure activities. While admitting the role of libraries in the development of reading and education, MRPL established children and parents as a joint target audience in a project named “Reading 2gether”. Created in 2008, this project aimed to promote the reading habits as a family, involving the parents and leading to new practices at the library. For this project CES designed an pertinent logo with two frogs (a big and a small one) reading together, symbolizing the intimate moment between parents and children. We also made a journal for each child to register the books read and leave the comments about the stories. For those children who couldn’t write yet, parents were advised to help them and participate in the observations on the books. Over more than one year the project took place at the children’s section but parents frequently asked if they could take the journal home to list their family readings. In response, in 2010, CES redrafted the project so parents could take home not only a reading journal but also a Reading Box (Caixa de Leitura) filled with books, activities and tips for reading aloud with their children. Widely recognized as an important activity, reading aloud leads directly to literacy acquisition and the participation of parents is essential for strengthening family ties, as well as developing reading habits. Four Reading Boxes were created (two for children from 4 to 7 years old and two from 8 to 12 years old) each one with five books and also a challenge related to the corresponding characters, theme or adventure. There were plenty of demands for the Reading Boxes and parents repeatedly asked for some suitable to babies and toddlers. In late 2011 and according to the MRPL’s budget, it was possible to acquire different books for small children. More Reading Boxes were created, different books were chosen and additional activities were proposed, so parents could stimulate language development even before a child could walk, talk or write. Now, with eleven Reading Boxes fully functioning (five from 0 to 3 years old, four from 4 to 7 years old and two from 8 to 12 years old), it is one of MRPL’s goals to turn the presence of books and reading into something natural within the household. Evaluation will be carried out in two ways: qualitatively through parents’ feedback when returning the Boxes and quantitatively by analysing loan statistics and the journal registers.

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Figure 23.10. Reading 2gether logo

Figure 23.11. Display of Reading Boxes

Freedom to read (Liberdade de ler) The cooperation with Funchal Prison started with a request from an inmate to expand the collection of the satellite library from his housing unit. The inmate appeal was the first step to motivate the development of a project starting in July 2011, “Freedom to Read”. Funchal Prison is the only prison in Madeira, with a population of about 300 inmates of which 12 are females. As far as the project is concerned it started with a specific housing unit, the target user group, Sector K, the one with the most serious offenders condemned for crimes like sexual assault, child molestation, murder and drug trafficking. Sector K had then 36 male prisoners

326 Ana Figueira, Andreia Sousa and Carla Nunes with ages between 18 and 55 years old, a high level of illiteracy, high rate of mental illness and emotional instability. Having into account the size and security level of the institution, the highly volatile environment and the incarcerated population profile, MRPL staff’s profile was considered and the librarian responsible for CES was nominated as a representative of the project. The first step was to remodel the physical space occupied by the satellite library and organize its documents. The Public Library offered some furniture, a computer with access to MRPL’s catalogue and about 140 books to add to the existing collection of about 100 books. The closed shelves were transformed into open ones without doors. Appealing posters were placed in the walls and the area became more pleasant. The inmates started to call the satellite library and its patrons Club K (Clube K) and a growing enthusiasm demanded a new step, to organize and support cultural activities, meeting the philosophy of the Guidelines for library services to prisoners: “The prison library should provide the offenders with the opportunity to develop literacy skills, pursue personal and cultural interests, as well as life-long learning.” (Lehmann and Locke 2005) MRPL established several partnerships in order to accomplish the referred mission, namely with a museum, an archive and a sport club, supervising several programmes that provided the inmates with the opportunity for the creative use of time. It is crucial to refer the existence of a volunteer for storytelling, the first activity organized within “Freedom to Read”, which was a surprising success. Other examples include a bookbinding course, soccer games between inmates and professional players, several talks about museum objects, writers’ visits and book discussions. The project caught the attention of the regional and national press in the beginning of 2012 and several articles were written about Club K and the work of MRPL, which publication attracted more partnerships. Feedback from the prison staff and the supervising psychologist (also responsible for the inmates’ rehabilitation programme) indicates that the reading interests of the patrons have increased and their level of aggressiveness has decreased. Library patrons are also less likely to cause problems and disturbances because they have fewer idle moments and a more constructive use of time. This outcome led to the signing of an official protocol between the Directorate-General of Prison Services and the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs on 20 March 2012, highlighting the educational, rehabilitative and recreational functions of the prison library. This level of involvement of a public library in the activity of a prison is groundbreaking in Portugal, and it continues to grow. One of the latest activities joins an arts class from a local high school and Club K. Students and teachers are examining the background and profile of

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Sector K’s inmates in order to undertake a study to paint some of the satellite library’s access areas. The final work will be accomplished by students, teachers, prison staff, public library staff and prisoners. All the programmes previously described did not require significant financial investment due to several costless collaborations and also volunteering. Since April 2012 “Freedom to Read” has been extended to the whole prison and its main library, starting with the remodeling of that library’s space and collection management. The target audience has been expanded and the challenge of promoting activities for a wider population is demanding. Medium and long-term assessment will be further made.

Figure 23.12. Bookbinding course

Figure 23.13. Storytelling session

328 Ana Figueira, Andreia Sousa and Carla Nunes

Figure 23.14. Space remodelling in Sector K

Travelling exhibitions Since 2009, MRPL has been creating temporary exhibitions shown at the entrance hall of the building and at the main reading room. Each exhibition is composed of eight to twelve large-format posters, on a wide range of subjects such as local flora, design, famous writers or children’s books and authors. The research, writing and design are developed by CES, as well as printing (using MRPL’s printer). CES usually offers monitored visits to the exhibitions, scheduled in advance, to many school classes and other groups. These visits include a guided tour through the exhibition and also the access to a dynamic area with riddles, oversized games and multimedia challenges. The interest in the content created by MRPL has increased and in 2011 CES started to receive inquiries on the possibility of providing travelling exhibitions. Those inquiries are also due to the difficulties that schools and other institutions have in arranging transportation for visits. In an attempt to promote MRPL and also to provide the service requested, a strategy to carry out with the project was established. MRPL doesn’t have proper equipment for travelling exhibitions yet, like roll-up panels, for example. However, some of the posters are lent to other

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libraries and schools, at no charge. With an offer of about nine exhibitions, MRPL has received fifteen requests up to May 2012. In order to improve the travelling exhibitions, at the moment CES is preparing for each one a full kit which includes the posters, downloadable flyers, interactive games, additional information and an evaluation survey to measure customer satisfaction and the number of participants. The complete information will be provided on the website and on the next MRPL’s newsletter. The procedure for an exhibition loan includes filling out a planning board, the verification of each poster’s condition, its packaging and delivery. The only costs to MRPL involved in this programme consist of paper and ink cartridges for the reprint of any poster returned with some sort of damage. However, this is far more affordable than using a printing company. For the future the strategy is to acquire roll-ups and print the most requested exhibitions in a long-lasting material. The final goal is to meet the needs of this market segment of potential customers, bridging the gap between MRPL and the community.

Figure 23.15. Design exhibit

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Figure 23.16. Story Lab at Literature Masterpieces exhibit

Closing remarks Taking into account all the projects developed and above described it is important to realize that there is still a lot to accomplish in order to establish the Madeira Regional Public Library as a focal point in the community. New market segments have to be identified and assessed and also more local collaborations should be established. However, Madeira Regional Public Library has already reached some of those community “islands” inside Madeira island and that was an important first step of the many to come.

References Anderson, W. 1991. “The evolution of library and information services for special groups: the role of performance review and the user.” IFLA Journal 17(2): 135-141. “EURES: The European Job Mobility Portal: LMI of PT3. 2013.” Accessed on 8 March 2013. http://ec.europa.eu/eures/main.jsp?lang=en&acro=error&catId=438&countryId= PT®ionId=PT3. “IFLA/UNESCO Public Library Manifesto.” 1994. Accessed 8 March 2013. http://www. ifla.org/VII/s8/unesco/eng.htm.

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Lehmann, V. and J. Locke, J. 2005. Guidelines for library services to prisoners. IFLA Professional Report 92. Munich: K. G. Saur. Panella, N. M. 2000. Guidelines for libraries serving hospital patients and the elderly and disabled in long-term care facilities. IFLA Professional Report 61. Munich: K. G. Saur. Pinto, M.L.C.S. 2007. O marketing nas bibliotecas públicas portuguesas. [S.l.] : Colibri : CIDEHUS/UE.

SECTION 4 E-MARKETING

E-Marketing for Libraries Viviana Fernández Marcial Associate Professor, Department of Humanities, University of Coruña, Spain

Abstract These days advertorials, micro sites, social networks, blogging and viral videos are just some manifestations of promoting libraries. E-marketing brings opportunities for libraries to connect with their target groups. Different publications show how library users are essentially digital citizens and with e-marketing, it is possible to connect with the users in their own natural habitat. It also allows spreading a message with a lower cost than other strategies. It is easier for users to recognize the library’s message when they are already well versed in the digital environment. Linking library promotion and technology 2.0 is not a magic formula which can work by itself. It is effective only if the library is able to integrate the newer media into a marketing strategy.

Introduction During last two decades libraries have been vividly and positively affected by technological advancement. Technological change is fast and its real benefits rest with the successful use of technologies for the benefits of the larger community. More so, technologies have become a showcase for every business enterprise these days, and everything can be marketed with the support of information and web technologies. Even the place of product and services has been supplemented and complemented by these technologies. Libraries and information centres have employed technologies for in-house operations, digitization and networking throughout the world in a larger context. Library promotion and marketing with 2.0 technologies have brought new expectations and new approaches into LIS context. Actions taking place in the digital context are going to be placed under the umbrella concept of e-marketing.

336 Viviana Fernández Marcial

E-marketing and some related concepts E-marketing is a wider concept in practice but social media marketing has eclipsed it. All kinds of 2.0 technology, blogs, viral video, wikis, social net, have concentrated the attention of library and information managers on library promotion and marketing. Ayu and Abriza (2011) pointed out an increase of documents about Facebook uses in library promotion from 2006. E-marketing is understood as the process that regulates the transfer of goods and services between an organization and consumers using electronic resources and communication tools. This classification includes the use of the telephone, radio, television, and other electronic means. With the internet advances a new concept appeared in the literature as internet marketing or online marketing. Ngai (2009, 27) mentions that the year 1996 demonstrated an increasing number of articles about internet marketing in the marketing literature. Internet marketing is the process of creation and development of the relation with the consumers across activities online that facilitate the exchange of ideas, products and services that satisfy parties, company and consumers (Imber and Toffler 2000 cited by Ngai, 24). Deighton (1996) introduced the term “interactive marketing” at the end of the nineties. The essence of interactive marketing took root with the change of the channels from passing massive and unidirectional mass media, to the use of technologies that allow us to compose in a dialogue and to exchange information between the corporation and consumer. The interactive marketing concept is constructed on a pillar of interactive technology, which is the quintessence of the web 2.0, and with it the ability to have more trustworthy information about the consumer with the aim of creating effective marketing strategies. We might therefore, suggest a differentiation amongst the concepts above mentioned. While internet marketing refers to internet use, interactive media use also relates to internet media but in particular to those means that are going to allow interactions between users and media. E-marketing is a wider concept that includes interactive marketing. In the last decade the term “e-marketing” has been use exchangeably with “interactive marketing”. In general e-marketing involves all those activities of marketing that are going to take the online environment.

E-marketing techniques E-marketing includes a mix of tools that comprehend conventional media such as the web, up to social media.

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Online advertising This term covers the whole set of means that we can define as traditional webbased advertising in this field. Gómez Vietes (2006, 107) maintains that it was in the year 1994 when a corporate group used the banner as a way of promotion in an electronic magazine. In the following years some important steps took place in this direction: in 1995 Infoseek and Netscape launched the first tariffication CPM (cost for thousand impacts); in 1996 Yahoo put into practice the pay-per-click model proposed for Procter & Gamble measuring, in this case, the number of clicks that were realized on a banner. Equally in the same year the first animated banner was created. Online advertising includes: Banners: squares or rectangles of small size (though they can have a variable size) that can contain images, texts and sound and that by means of a link lead us to the web page of a product or brand. Normally they are placed at the top of the screen but they can appear in wings (habitually the left-hand side) or in the centre of the screen. Microsite: specific websites, created for a product or service, that have their own identity and target. The microsite has an URL independent of the organization. In this kind of advertising the aim is to differ and to signify a brand service or product inside an organization achieving a high differentiation of the offer and a high segmentation. Microsites represent an enormous potential that are still waiting to develop. It is necessary to work with strategies of differentiation. It is important to reject the idea that “we” must “sell” the library as a whole, because it is an amorphous concept that works against the essence of marketing. It is recommended that activities have their own targets and aims – why not an autonomous life on the web? A typical case is to create a microsite for a specific exhibition of the library, with a different URL and design, and with a unique connecting element linking the web page of the library to the microsite and vice versa. Product Placement: buttons and / or text of products and services inside the library web pages. This promotion can slip by unnoticed as such since it appears as part of the design or of the text. For this reason this tool reduces negative perceptions about advertising. Product placement is a formula that has increased in the last few years. Pop-up windows: emergent windows that are activated once a web site is visited that must be closed if the user does not want to visit them. Pop-under windows: windows of advertising that are activated but that unlike the previous ones in that they are perceived when the first web page is closed. Advertorials: messages of texts that move spontaneously or at the will of the user inside a box on the web page. Layers: images or logos that move with the screen and that are a link to the web page of the advertiser.

338 Viviana Fernández Marcial Superstitials: independent windows that are opened when we accede to a web, as animations. They have a major level of interactivity and are more effective in the space occupied than a banner. Interstitial pages: pages of advertising that are inserted when we go on from one page to another page on a web site.

Direct-answer advertising and inverse-answer advertising The advertising of direct response or direct-answer advertising is a type of promotion that looks for a rapid and direct response to users; it uses such means as e-mail or the mobile messages (SMS, MMS). The cost of this type of promotion is very low and presupposes that there is sufficient quantity of information about the user to achieve a high segmentation. The flexibility of digital formats allows advertisers to offer different means to facilitate the immediate response that goes from a simple click that turns into a purchase to the diffusion of a discount that expands across the social networks. On the other hand, inverse-answer advertising refers to the use of search engines and its importance is crucial because they are the first step to the highest percentage of internet searchers. Inside inverse-answer advertising we can find two technologies: – Search-engine optimization improves the visibility of a web page in a natural way and it is not necessary to spend money for that. Nevertheless, to achieve a better visibility is necessary to work on some elements, such as the title and metadata. It allows major key words that appear in blogs, networks, forums, etc. to be recovered easily. – In contrast with this, the search-engine marketing includes the use of sponsored links that can appear in the direct bar, top shaded part, reservations of domain, creation of blogs, web pages etc. They are all variants that improve the visibility to searchers by means of payment. However, neither system is being fully implemented in libraries while the degree of information in OPACs still remains under the mantle of the deep web. It can be more feasible to use search-engine optimization in the libraries than that of the search-engine marketing, as in many cases budgets for marketing and promotion are limited and it would be necessary to calculate the value for money of this type of action.

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Customer relationship management Customer relationship management (CRM) is a management philosophy that is based on the use of the information technology and of special software that processes data about users and allows to manage more at the different stages of service. CRMs therefore, presuppose knowing the users and generating longterm relations for which software that allows the data processing is needed: databases, metadata, data warehouse, e-mails, SMS, telephone. In general, CRM is a tool that allows us to know completely the behaviour of every customer thanks to it being possible to predict, model and take decisions adapted for every client or types of client. Kevork and Vrechopoulos (2009, 48) suggest that a CRM is multidisciplinary and implies some understanding of relational marketing, consumer behaviour and information systems. Benhaouya (2011: 94) guesses that the use of CRM, in particular a CRM 2.0 (i.e. one taking advantage of web 2.0 for the management of the relations with the user), is rarely interest for libraries. Unfortunately it is a tool with a low implementation in the library context. CRM is a technique that needs a high level of segmentation of the users in order to be more effective, it being necessary to managing a great volume of information. Such data must be continuously updated; it is necessary to have adequate technology. The level of treatment of information is going to be laborious, and if the concept of segmentation has not already been accepted in the libraries, the CRM does not have an operative frame for effective functioning. But, in a hypothetical scenario with adequate conditions, i.e. enough human and economical resources, it is a very effective technique for managing library promotion. Geomarketing is a discipline that represents one of the trends in the CRM; it consists of the analysis of reality across the study of geographical variables, using cartographic tools and spatial statistics.

Viral marketing When a message relies on a few certain characteristics that turn out to be interesting to an individual, he/she will remain “infected” with the message and will be prepared to continue infecting other sensitive users who in turn will transmit the virus exponentially. Therefore, virality from the point of view of marketing and advertising is conceived as a way of transmitting information which can be shared, syndicated and redistributed easily. According to Rusticus (2011, 47-48) the efficiency of word of mouth is based on few pillars:

340 Viviana Fernández Marcial  only 14 % of people believe in conventional advertising. The fact that a person and not one of the media communicates a message makes it more credible;  WOM is by all appearances honest and genuine;  ideas propagate because they are transmitted in means shared by nearby persons. The virality or spread of a message is not obtained by the publication of content on the web or by simple distribution across e-mails or videos. A message turns viral when it possesses a few certain characteristics adequate to transform it into viral. This concept of viral marketing connects to a great extent with more traditional methods – word of mouth that started to be used in the marketing world already in 1960s but that is scaling up for use in technologies 2.0. For viral marketing it is necessary to add that this concept includes as many offline strategies as online. In essence, viral marketing relies on personal contacts for the transmission of a message with the use of the web 2.0 and mobile technology. Combination of both systems comes to meet in the term buzz marketing where offline and online strategies of communication are combined. Kirby and Marsden (2006) coined the term connected marketing to give content to these three concepts, based on the principles of six degrees of Stanley Milgram’s who expressed that the most effective way are the connections though word of mouth that any person can have in any market, to a distance of six links. Inside viral marketing there are some ramifications. For example, blog marketing is no more than the use of the blogs to promote a brand, a service, an idea. Blogs are characterized by their potential of high viral place, since it is possible to register posts picked up in other blogs and to spread contents. Mobile marketing, according to the Mobile Marketing Association “is a set of practices that enables organizations to communicate and engage with their audience in an interactive and relevant manner through any mobile device or network” (MMA glossary 2013). A good example of library viral marketing was “Why I love my library”, a viral campaign developed by the New Jersey State Library. With sponsorship from Infolink (the Eastern New Regional Jersey Library Cooperative) it carried out a promotion of the campaign by offline means as there was only a small budget: for example, it marked pages and posters placed in the train stations, in buses, etc. Online, iWeb, Blogger and YouTube were used to create a presence on the web. This campaign turns out to be indexed in WOMMA (Word of Mouth Marketing Association), and is a magnificent example of the use of this type of tools so (then, since) though only they presented 40 offers, there was generated a high participation quantified in 17,000 votes (Non-Profit Word of Mouth Marketing 2008).

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But in e-marketing the focus of attention is concentrated on social media marketing, in particular in social networks with special emphasis on Facebook. But according to some authors it is time to reflect whether it is really effective or not.

Some reflections Social media have opened a field of possibilities both in the provision of services and in the marketing and promotion of libraries. The advantages and possibilities and applications of such media in libraries have been motivated by some reasons as suggested by Casella (2010): – need to promote the library; – place to arrange information, photos, advertisement of activities, schedules; – possibility of offering an alternative channel to the services of reference; and – support for institutional presence on the web. Also the author indicated that networks permit libraries to connect with widespread users. But on one hand the libraries are signing up progressively to the use of these applications; on the other the impact that they have on the user is possibly less than expected. Casella also reports a study conducted in 2007 on 6,000 users of North America, Japan and Europe for the Online Computer Libraries Center (OCLC). The study demonstrates that users do not perceive the active role of the libraries in the social networks. The motives of this difference can be for several reasons. Xia (2009) and Ayu and Abrizah (2011) have described different studies about Facebook use and students perception of it as a promotion channel. Some problems in Facebook for promoting are the contents. Normally a library offers information about the library itself, links to OPAC, and publishes photos or videos. This kind of content doesn’t result in attracting users. They don’t come back. Underlying viral marketing is the idea that it is necessary to have an interesting message to generate a relationship with users. But that is missing for a users when connecting with social networks. Social networks are a space of interpersonal relations. It is true that one important marketing idea is to be in the place where user is, but in this case we have a contradiction. A library may use an informal channel but this fact doesn’t make the library an informal source. One only has to check the scheme of communication of Shannon and Weaver (1981, 47-49) to understand these differences.

342 Viviana Fernández Marcial Another important element to know is that while libraries are focused On Facebook, current market research in neuromarketing area reflects that print advertising is still important. Some studies conducted by THE Siegfried Vögele Insitute (SVI) in Germany show us that: “The advertising sent in print format, as mailings, catalogues or leaflets; they activate more areas of the brain that that of the information on a screen, remaining in addition better concentrated on our memory (report). The subjects of test were more capable of learning and classifying slogans or logos reading printed product”. (Los envíos publicitarios… 2012).

Conclusion This information reminds us that the important thing is not marketing 2.0. The important thing is to manage promotion with a systematic and integrated vision, to operate under the principles of marketing 360º. Even more, it is necessary to leave the reductionist approach to library marketing that concentrates interest in individual actions of promotion. This attitude will be condemned as less effective and limited in time. It is necessary therefore, to advance the path of the holistic approach that understands promotion as part of a wider concept – marketing.

References Ayu, A.R.R. and A. Abrizah. 2011). “Do you Facebook? Usage and applications of Facebook page among academic libraries in Malaysia.” International information & library review 43(4): 239-249. Benhaouya, Y. 2011. “The impact of CRM 2.0 in the library.” In Marketing libraries in a web 2.0 world, edited by D. K. Gupta and R. Savard, 87-94. Munich: De Gruyter. Casella, M. 2010. “Comunicare con gli utenti: Facebook nella biblioteca accademica.” Biblioteche oggi (luglio-agosto): 3-12. Deighton, J. 1996. “The future of interactive marketing.” Harvard business review 74(6): 151-160. Gómez Vietes, A. 2006. Marketing relacional, directo e interactivo. Madrid: RA-MA. Imber, J. and B.-A. Toffler 2000. Dictionary of marketing terms. 3rd ed. New York: Barrons Business Dictionaries, Hauppauge. Kevork, E. K. and A.P. Vrechopoulos. 2009. “CRM literature: conceptual and functional insights by keyword analysis.” Marketing intelligence & planning 27(1): 48-85. Kirby, J. and P. Marsden. 2006. Connected marketing: the viral, buzz and word of mouth revolution. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. “MMA glossary.” 2013. Accessed on 14 March 2013. http://www.mmaglobal.com/wiki/ mma-glossary. Ngai, E.W.T 2009. “Internet marketing research (1987-2000): a literature review and classification.” European journal of marketing 37(1/2): 24-49.

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“Non-Profit Word of Mouth Marketing.” 2008. WOMMA. Accessed on 8 March 2013. http://www.marketingpower.com/ResourceLibrary/Documents/Content%20Partner%20 Documents/WOMMA/Non-Profit_WOM.pdf. Rusticus, S. 2006. “Creating brand advocates.” In Connected marketing: the viral, buzz and word-of-mouth revolution, edited by J. Kirby and P. Marsden, 47-58. London: Elsevier. Shannon, C. E. and W. Weaver. 1981. Teoría matemática de la comunicación. Madrid : Forja. Xia, Z. D. 2009. “Marketing library services through Facebooks groups.” Library management 30(6/7): 469-478 “Los envíos publicitarios en papel activan más áreas del cerebro que las informaciones en una pantalla. ” 2012. Neuromarketing. Web Marketing Directo. Accessed on 8 March 2013. http://www.marketingdirecto.com/especiales/neuromarketing/los-envios-publicita rios-en-papel-activan-mas-areas-del-cerebro-que-las-informaciones-en-una-pantalla/.

Digital Marketing Tools Applied to the IE Library A. Marcos Blázquez Head Librarian, IE Library, IE Business School, Madrid and IE University, Segovia, Spain and

J. C. Marcos Recio Section Director of Library and Information Department of the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain

Abstract It is important to combine new approaches to marketing with the formats and methods which have proved effective over the years. Indeed, the joint use of online and offline tools in a single marketing campaign creates a more lasting impression of brand values, although the internet is an indispensable means of communication, which gives a very good return on investment, it would be a mistake to depend exclusively on it for all the IE Library’s marketing, communication and publicity. There is no doubt that leading university libraries face an increasing number of new challenges. Users are no longer passive consumers of publicity messages, but are increasingly interested in receiving more information via a medium which allows them to interact. Internet marketing currently has the best Return on Investment (ROI) of all forms of commercial promotion, but to make it effective it is essential not to lose sight of general marketing strategy and to develop digital marketing projects which tie in perfectly with other, more traditional forms of marketing. The study aims to extend the information we have already compiled about digital marketing tools in the IE Library by considering digital marketing tools as applied to the 4Ps in the traditional and service marketing mix.

Introduction New marketing options are constantly appearing, including widgets and tweets. Their use, together with conventional publicity, is of great interest when targeting the young and not-so-young users of the IE Library1, as they allow us to 1

The IE Library works to support research, teaching and learning, providing access to the necessary information resources, besides facilitating their conservation and diffusion. There

346 A. Marcos Blázquez and J. C. Marcos Recio show publicity and “use or sell” products and services in the library more quickly, economically and intuitively, while monitoring their effectiveness. Digital marketing2 is not a new type of marketing but refers to conventional marketing implemented via new tools based on information technology. The key lies in finding a combination of formats, which may be referred to as “blended marketing”. To achieve this it is vital to be totally familiar with the online publicity ecosystem and all the types of publicity available on the internet and, above all, to assess and optimize internet marketing campaigns to obtain the best return. A digital marketing plan should not be developed in isolation but from its very conception be designed to combine fully with the IE Library’s traditional marketing plan, so that it helps us to achieve the overall objectives set. It is worth pointing out that some tools are more suitable than others for effective marketing in different areas (for example, an advergame may be used for promotion and publicity as well as its primary use as a branding tool). Not all of them are suitable for all the services and products available from the IE Library; because of the nature of the market some are more appropriate than others for the target public using a particular product or service.

Digital tools and the marketing mix product To optimize the marketing mix consideration must be given to the suitability of the digital marketing tools, depending on the target groups for which they are intended, the type of organization, and the market or sectors in which they will be applied. 1. Personalization refers to designing products and services specifically tailored to meet the needs of users or customers. It is based on listening to consumers, giving them the chance to choose, valuing their participation. 2. Participation (or permission marketing) requires customers to become involved in the marketing mix. Consumers are the central protagonists thanks to the power they are granted by technology. The IE Library exploits this and invites the user to be another member of the library project, sharing their experiences with other potential customers and acting as ambassadors for the university library’s brand. The key is the devel-

2

are two centres: IE Business School Foundation, located in Madrid, and IE University, located in Segovia, through which all its services are offered. http://library.ie.edu. Accessed on 5 January 2012. In the course of this study the terms “digital marketing”, “online marketing”, “2.0 marketing” and “e-marketing” will be used interchangeably.

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opment of appropriate settings, creating communities and rewarding participation. 3. Peer-to-peer publicity refers to opinions and recommendations passed from one user to another. It involves socializing marketing messages, building confidence, making it easier to share information. 4. Predictions using contextual modelling allow us to analyse the online behaviour of clients and other interested parties. The information compiled automatically is analysed so that a marketing strategy which is relevant to their behaviour can be developed. This feature has a direct influence on the way decisions are made and managed in the IE Library. Digital marketing applied to the IE Library allows us to learn from clients and accept consumer preferences, while respecting their privacy. Amazon and Google provide successful models of digital marketing from which university libraries should learn. This study deals with digital marketing tools used in the following areas related to the IE Library: product and brand, price, distribution and sales, publicity, promotion and communication. It also considers digital tools which provide information about the market in which we are competing and the target users on whom the marketing plan focuses to generate leads which can bring new clients. In connection with the product we find viral marketing, electronic models for product definition, online product testing, electronic catalogues, search engine marketing (SEM), evaluation sites, product positioning on comparative websites, website product configuration, e-portfolios and e-learning marketing. Online product configuration uses special software embedded in a website, allowing potential users to personalize products according to the options available. Product verification is a similar system but is not geared to choosing options so much as to showing the product from all possible points of view, so that users can have an experience that comes as close as possible to physical contact with the product. This tool is especially useful in the case of products like the library’s catalogue, allowing users to view covers, contents pages, some chapters of work published in journals to which we subscribe, separately or as part of a package. If the material is a physical object, one can see quickly whether it is preferable to borrow it or to consult it on the library premises.

348 A. Marcos Blázquez and J. C. Marcos Recio Table 25.1. Digital product tools Tools

Other areas of application and related tools

Traditional tools with it can be combined

Traditional tools it replaces at a reduced cost

Online tools it replaces at a reduced cost

Online tools with a similar purpose

Viral marketing

Brand, communicati on and publicity

All product launch tools

TV commercials and, especially, radio ads

Interactive websites and e-mail marketing

Micro-spots and e-videos, rich media ads

Search engine marketing

Brand, communication and publicity

All those used in publicity campaigns for products in which it is a necessary part of the mix

Advertiseme nts for products aimed at the target groups in the previous section

Promotion al microsites, ecommerce portals and interactive websites

Direct search engine marketing and contextual marketing

Electronic product configuration and verification

Promotion and sales

Sample catalogues

Catalogues, especially very large catalogues with numerous options and components

Promotion al microsites, ecommerce portals and interactive websites

Online product testing and electronic catalogues

Product e-marketing tools

E-Marketing tools for E-Branding The following digital tools are available for brand generation: electronic sponsorship; interactive 2.0 websites; e-alliances/bartering; digital corporate image; IPTV Corporate Channel; domain management; e-presentations (slideshare branded channel3), blogs, online games marketing (e-games and m-games), thematic Wikipedia, search engine optimization. When e-marketing first made its appearance just over ten years ago, the leading institutions in the field developed virtual calling cards which were their introduction to customers in cyberspace. Technology has led to changes in the concept and it is now an e-branding tool. It is not always necessary or desirable to sell via the internet; sometimes it is more effective to persuade the customer to make a purchase by other means. And what could be better than 3

SlideShare provides the opportunity to have one’s own customised brand channel in social networks. As well as attracting users from the business world the system exploits high quality services to obtain profits from the platform. It is a tool that organizations can use to share documents and presentations to support their marketing. Users include the Manchester Business School Library. Accessed on 9 March 2013. http://www.slideshare.net/channels.

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allowing the IE Library’s client to engage via an interactive website which is well designed from the social viewpoint so that the users themselves could add to its content and even play a leading role in its development? The starting point would be an interactive website geared to the distinctive features of clients and potential clients. It is relatively unimportant whether the technological development of the website uses our own IT resources or is subcontracted but professional help is essential for its design, both in graphics and content, and its usability, applying the same demanding standards as for the production of a corporate leaflet intended to have the maximum impact on customers. A website is amortized over two years, at which point it should be completely revised. However, if corporations update their leaflets each year, why not do this with the IE Library website? Table 25.2. Digital branding tools

E-marketing tools to generate brands: e-branding

Tools

Other areas of application and related tools

Traditional tools with it can be combined

2.0 websites

Publicity and communication

Leaflets

Corporate blogs

Products and communicati on

All those related to brand and public relations

Traditional tools it replaces at a reduced cost

Online tools it replaces at a reduced cost

Corporate Screen savers, presen- wallpaper and tation animated cursors, e-cards, online games marketing, forums, e-quizzes, online sales support

Online tools with a similar purpose

Domain management, blogs

Product RSS marketing, Forums, e-public pre-testing, direct search relations periodic engine bulletins, marketing, press interactive releases websites

Online game Products, All those for TV Promotional marketing: e- promotion creating commercial micro-sites, games, m- and publicity brands but interactive games especially websites, advertisee-mail ments on marketing paper with the url of the advergame or the number to call to download the game onto a mobile phone

Viral marketing, rich media ads

350 A. Marcos Blázquez and J. C. Marcos Recio

Digital tools for pricing (E-Pricing) Systems for pricing include 24x7 open estimates, online loyalty schemes (points), online geo-pricing, e-skimming, electronic pricing models and e-auctions. Direct or conventional auctions are auctions in which in which someone offers certain products or services and others bid for them. Bids may progressively increase (English auction) or decrease (Dutch auction); normally the highest bidder wins. In the case of the IE Library, sponsored products and services related to its activities are auctioned, including iPads, luxury stationery items, tickets for cultural events, cultural trips, etc. However, what is really of interest for institutions is not this type of auction but reverse e-auctions, and these are not used by the IE Library. Table 25.3. Digital pricing tools

Pricing

Tools

Other areas of application and related tools

E-auctions

Sales

Digital price setting by period

Sales and brand

Traditional tools with it can be combined

Traditional tools it replaces at a reduced cost

Online tools it replaces at a reduced cost

Online tools with a similar purpose

All types of Research pricing models into (SAP and competitor BAAN modules s’ prices in Excel spreadsheets), both marketbased and cost structure analysis based, and all tools for analysing competition

Electronic management of surpluses of perishable goods, seasonal adjustment of prices and marketplaces

Off-line electronic pricing models

E-auctions, marketplaces

Online price personalisation, online price setting by location

Traditional large media publicity to reinforce brand’s low cost

Sales force dedicated to sell off products/ services near the end of their life cycle

There are various stages: in the first four the main protagonist is the purchasing organization, which prepares lots, preselects participants, sends them details of the conditions, and asks them for information and prices; in the auction itself suppliers access the IE Library’s electronic platform (used by the user or buyer) and make their bids; in the last stage the order is allocated to one of those bidding.

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There are various auction formats, not all of which involve accepting the lowest bid. The auction can be open or blind (not revealing the bids of competitors) and bids may be single or multiple, decreasing progressively. These activities attract users’ attention as they do not expect to encounter this kind of event and it makes them remember the library in a different way. International students and staff may offer second-hand items for an online auction when they finish their stay in this country and prefer not to take the books and other items they have bought during the year home with them. In the IE Library these activities are managed through the Student Office and the IE Shop to make them visible internally and externally.

Digital tools for distribution In the area of distribution the following tools are available: e-tracking, centralized purchasing, electronic stock management, e-franchising, e-merchandising, affiliate marketing, infomediaries (electronic re-intermediation, cybermediation), e-automation, online integration of all channels, integrated services for intermediaries/customers. Affiliate marketing is a form of distribution via the internet based on commission, in which one organization (the advertiser) rewards another (the publisher) financially for passing on business generated through a series of links on its website. In our case this would be the IE Library’s website and the different channels it uses. The links can be designed for direct sales of a product or may direct the user to the website of the selling organization, as with Amazon, Ecobook, etc. Affiliation agreements between advertisers and publishers are based on affiliation programmes, which are of two types: – Pay per click: Each time a visitor to the publisher’s website clicks on the link to the advertiser’s website (e.g. Amazon) a certain amount of money is paid to the owners of the publishing website (in this case the IE Library). – Pay per sale: In this case the owner of the publishing website (in our case the IE Library) receives commission or a percentage for each sale made by the advertiser or each use of its service attributable to the link on the publisher’s website. An intermediate form of payment between pay per sale and pay per click is pay per lead. This is a type of payment by advertisers to the owners of the website hosting an advertisement such as a banner (e.g. BMW, Audi, adventure tourism, NGOs, restaurants, environment, tickets for car racing, motorcycling, sailing, etc.). In this case the advertiser pays for each visitor who clicks on the banner and, having reached the advertiser’s website, at least fills in a form giving their details.

352 A. Marcos Blázquez and J. C. Marcos Recio The most important point is to design the right strategy for each case and implement it correctly. There are two ways to do this:  Own development: the institution designs its own affiliation programme and commissions a software developer to write the program. While this is being done the institution can locate affiliates that want to participate and make arrangements with its administration department to manage their monthly payments.  External service: a reliable supplier with proven experience is identified, the most favourable conditions possible are negotiated and strategic planning is carried out jointly. The supplier will provide the technology and the affiliates and will be responsible for administration and the payment of commission, while the institution needs to deal with only one invoice each month for results. Table 25.4. Digital distribution tools Tools

Distribution and e-marketing tools: trade e-marketing

Other Traditional areas of tools with application it can be and related combined tools

Traditional tools it replaces at a reduced cost

Online tools it replaces at a reduced cost

Online tools with a similar purpose

Affiliate marketing

Publicity

Management of commission and sales representatives

Word of mouth

Interactive websites and banners

Sponsored search engine marketing

Infomediaries and cybermediation

Sales and market research

All those for push management of the channel

Printed sector directories

Interactive websites, ecommerce portals and marketplaces

Direct search engine marketing, cybermediation, B2B sales centres

Sales and E-marketing tools: E-Commerce Digital tools for sales include: e-commerce portals, internet market places, cybermalls/virtual retailing, user chat, real time sales, e-client management, semantic search engines, e-customer service, online user support and after-sales service, e-phone marketing/internet call-back, video-conferencing, electronic models for formulating offers, digital management of the sales force. User chat and real time sales are used in the IE Library. The arrival of technology which allows librarians to offer the university library’s products and services immediately brings it much closer to its clients and potential clients. This tool can be of great use to the librarian in online training for indi-

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viduals and groups, providing immediate responses with substantial time advantages for the user. The same applies to e-customer service, online after-use support, and video-conferencing for personalized individual training. A marketplace (also referred to as a digital market or community) is a meeting point for institutions selling and buying products and services. Marketplaces come into existence as a result of the institutions’ common interest in finding more flexible and economical models for sales operations. Marketplaces fall into two large groups: vertical marketplaces specialize in offering services for a particular sector, while horizontal marketplaces deal with cross-sector products and services, such as technological and financial services, supplies, etc. Apart from a series of general benefits such as cooperation, standardization, automation and transparency, marketplaces provide institutions with a range of content and services which help them to improve the quality and results of their sales processes. The content often includes directories for institutions, product catalogues and general marketing information (in the case of vertical marketplaces). The services available are mainly related to finance, logistics, negotiating and online sales or use, apart from the services for the sector we find in vertical marketplaces. From the technical viewpoint, a specialized marketplace is no more than a B2B e-commerce portal with a technological infrastructure specially designed to be neutral (between buyers and sellers), safe (both regarding monetary transactions and the information provided for users or purchasers) and reliable (stability has to be guaranteed and failures prevented by redundant systems). With some possible exceptions it is not desirable or likely that the institution will decide to develop its own marketplace and it need not concern itself with all these topics but should focus on those that offer it the best business opportunities in line with its position in the market. Table 25.5. Digital sales tools Tools

Other areas of application and related tools

Traditional tools with it can be combined

Marketplace

Distribution and price

All salesrelated

Sales and e-marketing E-commerce tools: portals e-commerce

Brand All salespromotion related, from and own shops to distribution large stores (distribution)

Traditional tools it replaces at a reduced cost

Online tools Online tools it replaces at with a similar a reduced purpose cost

Sales Interactive cooperatives websites and e-auctions

Catalogue sales

E-commerce portals and cybermalls/ virtual retailing

Promotional Marketplaces micro-sites, and cyberinteractive malls/virtual websites and retailing e-customer service

354 A. Marcos Blázquez and J. C. Marcos Recio

Digital tools for promotion, publicity and communication Digital tools for promotion include: electronic management of the point of use or point of sale, digital point of purchase advertising, electronic models for promoting products, landing pages, promotional micro-sites, e-quizzes and electronic competitions, electronic coupons (e-coupons and m-coupons), screensavers, wallpaper and animated cursors, e-cards and podcasts. The entire above are appropriate for use in the IE Library. Electronic management of the point of use or point of sale is a new concept of intelligent use or sale that minimizes the time spent by the user or purchaser, increasing their satisfaction by guiding them to products that may be of interest, using customized promotion according to their record of use or previous purchases. The key to the system is the use of smart RFID tags which are attached to products, allowing them to be identified by radio, without the need for any contact. As well as benefits such as logistical streamlining, facilitating inventory management and protection from piracy and theft, the basic marketing application is to personalize and automate the relationship with the customer at any point of use. However, for purposes of distribution, wireless connections can be made to any other device equipped with this technology. At present cost limits access to this technology, which can only be adopted by large libraries. As well as the tags themselves, complex equipment is needed at the point of use or sale to take full advantage of the system: intelligent display shelves, customer ID cards, transmitting devices fitted into tablets, ipads, card operated trolleys, tactile LCD screens, intelligent information points, label printers, anti-theft detectors, supply chain trackers, intelligent label removers, etc. In the IE Library the deactivation of the RFID chip when users leave the premises is an important issue, if we wish to avoid problems with users who see this technology as an invasion of their privacy.

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Table 25.6. Digital promotion tools Tools

Other areas of application and related tools

Electronic point of sale management

Distribution and sales

Promotional microsites

Brand and product

All traditional promotion such as discount coupons, sampling, gifts at point of sale, etc.

Promotional leaflets

Promotional micro-sites, ecommerce, interactive websites and e-CRM

Podcasting and electronic coupons

Product

CRM to add figures for e-coupons to rest of promotion and carry out integrated comparative monitoring. Points programs (customer loyalty).

Paper coupons (much lower cost and greater reach)

Promotional micro-sites, e-commerce portals, interactive websites, e-CRM

E-mail marketing and SMS marketing

All areas of promotion, inside and outside the point of sale. From the brand and communication viewpoint, traditional advertisements

Loyalty publications

Radio ads and (much less often) TV commercials

Blogs and interactive websites

Promotional microsites, screen savers, wallpaper and animated cursors

E-marketing Electronic coupons: and ee-promotion coupons, tools mcoupons

Podcasting

Traditional tools with it can be combined

Traditional tools it replaces at a reduced cost

Promotion Product and testing at monitoring the point of using sale, which barcodes depend on the human factor and empathy

Online tools it replaces at a reduced cost

Online tools with a similar purpose

Interactive webElectronic sites, models for e-commerce promotion portals, banners, direct search engine marketing, e-quizzes, e-cards and screen savers, wallpaper and animated cursors

356 A. Marcos Blázquez and J. C. Marcos Recio

E-Marketing publicity tools: E-Advertising Among digital tools used for publicity we find: banners and skyscrapers, interstitials, layers and flyers, pop-ups/pop-unders, microspots and m-videos, advertorials, contextual marketing (content network), text messages, e-mail marketing, electronic transactions, rich media ads, media hub/off- and online marketing, proximity marketing. Contextual publicity refers to incorporating advertisers’ publicity links with an appropriate text in website pages with specific content segmented by theme. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a very similar technique, using search engines as a vehicle for inserting publicity related to the terms of the user’s search. Instead of search engines, contextual marketing makes direct use of websites hosting advertisements related to their content, or general portals or digital media displaying contextual advertising based on key words appearing in the texts they include. The idea is clear: intermediaries put websites of a certain standard with an acceptable volume of traffic, who want to rent publicity space on their pages, in touch with advertisers who want to use this space to publicize their products and services. The best known of these intermediaries is E-spotting (subsequently MIVA), which was so successful that it gave its name to this type of advertising. Today the search engines have also entered this area of business, the two largest suppliers being Yahoo! with Overture and Google with Adsense. To establish the relationship between what the user is reading and the products and services offered there are two methods: by topic and using keywords, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. The first method never fails on a general level but on a more specific level the connection may not be very close (sports equipment is advertised in the sports section but it may offer tennis racquets to someone who is reading about Formula 1 racing). The second method offers much closer connections but the semantic aspects require very careful attention (otherwise an advertisement for floor polish may appear on a page about Polish-language courses).

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Table 25.7. Digital publicity tools Tools

Contextua l publicity

Other areas Traditional of tools with application it can be and related combined tools

Traditional tools it replaces at a reduced cost

Online tools it replaces at a reduced cost

Online tools with a similar purpose

Brand, product, promotion, sales

There is no exact offline equivalent but similar to radio ads and small ad sections in print

Interactive websites, e-commerce portals

Sponsored search engine marketing and promotional micro-sites

Sampling

Screensavers and wallpaper, m-coupons

Text messages: SMS marketing

Can be combined with all kinds of advertisement in a mixed campaign

BluePromotion, Hoardings casting: sales and other proximity static marketing external elements Rich media ads

Communication, sales, brand and product

All the tools in the media mix for a publicity campaign

TV commercial s aimed at young people

Interactive websites, e-commerce portals and promotional micro-sites

Banners/ skyscrapers, interstitials/layers/ fliers, popups/pop-unders, micro-spots, m-videos

Avatar marketing (Second Life and other metaverses)

Market research, brand, product and sales

All publicity tools

TV product placement, focus groups for market research

Forums, chats, blogs and online focus groups

E-games, microspots, rich media ads

E-mail CommuniAll the Direct marketing cation, tools in the marketing sales media tools, and mix for a especially distribution publicity mailshots campaign (lower cost and greater reach)

Multimedia electronic documents, interactive websites, e-commerce portals, microspots

Newsletters, distribution lists, SMS marketing, electronic transaction marketing

E-marketing publicity tools: eadvertising

Communication and digital marketing tools: E-Communications All of these help the IE Library to raise its internal and external profile quickly and simply and they are indispensable in its day-to-day activities. Digital marketing tools applied to communication include stakeholders sites, internal communication for employees (intranets), shareholders (internet) and distributors (extranets), SMO (Facebook app), e-public relations (using professional networks such as Xing, Plaxo and LinkedIn), business virtual communi-

358 A. Marcos Blázquez and J. C. Marcos Recio ties, newsgroups and newsletters, widgets, distribution lists/RSS marketing, chats with personalities, e-launch (launching new products, firms and divisions online), net events (e-events), electronic press releases, news clippings, and e-press rooms. Stakeholder sites aimed at the organization’s stakeholders: professors, shareholders, senior management, chancellor, vice-chancellor, etc. via specific micro-sites on the internet inside the library’s corporate website or portal, at staff via the intranet (an internet site which is only accessible with a user name and password and which is the channel for all internal communication), and at distributors by means of semi-private websites where they can check information about orders, etc. Table 25.8. Digital communication tools

Communication and e-marketing tools: e-communication

Stakeholder sites

Distribution and brand

Corporate report, staff conventions

Staff handbook. hundreds of calls and faxes to liaise with distributors

Interactive websites

Newsgroups and electronic stock management

Electronic contact networks

Brand and publicity

Off-line campaigns by public relations agencies

Commission for leads to contacts

Search engine optimization

Nonprofessional social networks, e-public relations

Business virtual communities

Market research, brand, promotion, publicity and sales

Internal corporate publications, public relations activity for external communication. Product and market tests, promotion at points of sale.

Old user clubs (company or product) with an offline structure that is expensive to maintain and much smaller benefits (as seen by members) and less loyalty as a result

E-commerce portals, interactive website, electronic coupons, forums, distribution lists and chat

Electronic contact networks and e-events

RSS marketing vs. distribution lists

Brand and publicity

Conferences and press releases

Printed newsletters

Interactive websites, corporate blogs, e-mail marketing

Newsletters, news groups, forums and e-pressrooms

A corporate intranet is a private institutional local area network which provides internet tools whose main function is to implement business logic in applica-

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tions for data input, reports, queries, etc. with a view to facilitating the work of staff; it is also an important means of internal communication for work groups. An extranet (extended intranet) is a private virtual network formed by interconnecting two or more intranets, using the internet to pass information between their nodes. The micro-sites for shareholders are designed to provide them with all the information they need to manage their investments. Other applications include e-press rooms. An e-press room is a space on the internet via which an entity contacts individuals, professionals or institutions who are interested in its corporate information. Both intranets and extranets can be configured easily using a wide range of out-of-the-box options which normally form part of integrated ERP management systems. The technical difficulty lies in the programming needed to make lateral adjustments so that existing client-server utilities work well in the network environment. In both cases the most important requirement is to define the information we want to appear, how it should be shown and how users will access it. A final point to bear in mind is security, so that there is no risk of critical information being stolen.

Conclusion Behaviours present trends, customer expectations and situations really new, and innovative information professionals and academic libraries are in a position to face them with enthusiasm using digital marketing and techniques and technologies of information and communication to be at the vanguard. To remain relevant and central to the academic mission, teacher and entrepreneur in the current and future academic librarians need to be able to demonstrate the value that the library provides to the campus community, using proven methods for measuring and dissemination of all its products and services, both traditional and digital, which allows librarians to determine where efforts should be concentrated and how funds should be allocated economically.

Effective Use of Social Media Marketing for Customer Engagement in Information Organizations Rajesh Singh Assistant Professor, School of Library & Information Management, Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas, United States

Abstract The rise of social media has provided ample opportunities to cultivate meaningful relationships with consumers, yet some information organizations still may find it difficult to engage the community effectively by employing social media tools. This paper briefly reviews the changing landscape of services marketing theory and social media marketing interface. In particular, the concept of POST (People, Objectives, Strategy and Technology) developed by Li and Bernoff (2008) is discussed for fostering and sustaining customer engagement in the evolving experience culture. The approaches and strategies for designing enjoyable and memorable experiences are highlighted. Furthermore, a three-stage process for cultivating engagement in virtual communities – (1) understanding customer needs and motivations, (2) promoting participation in social media networks, and (3)motivating cooperation and collaboration– is proposed and discussed in-depth. The paper concludes that it is vital to integrate “high-tech” and “high-touch” experiences in order to sustain customer engagement in information organizations.

Introduction The acceleration of development in social media technologies has provided opportunities for people to connect in totally new and different ways. As a consequence, we now have a vastly interconnected web of personal and professional connections that was recently termed the “social graph”. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and a vast range of other online networks are constantly populating this ever-growing social graph (Smith 2011). This scenario provides opportunities as well as challenges for libraries and information organizations to cultivate meaningful relationships with their customers via social media. As service providers, libraries and information organizations need to adopt a balanced approach of providing “high tech” and “high touch” experi-

362 Rajesh Singh ences in order to build relationships with their community. This paper begins by reviewing the changing landscape of services marketing followed by the discussion on the concept of POST (People, Objectives, Strategy and Technology) developed by Li and Bernoff (2008). Furthermore, this paper also discusses a framework for sustaining customer engagement in libraries and information organizations.

Changing landscape of services marketing Relationship marketing is a term first coined by Berry (1983), who defined it as attracting, maintaining, and enhancing customer relationships. It was an important contribution to the services marketing literature. Services marketing theorists became enchanted with the traditional marketing approach (4Ps – Product, Place, Price and Promotion), which did not cater to customer’s specific needs and wishes (Shostack 1977). Bitner (1992) extended the marketing mix beyond 4Ps (adding three additional Ps – People, Physical Evidence and Process) to analyse the servicescape. However, Grönroos and Gummesson in particular chose to redefine marketing in an entirely new way, introducing a whole new framework and approach to marketing within a service context (Grönroos 1989; 1997) and later asserting that relationship marketing represented an entirely new paradigm (Gummesson 1987; 1997). Along these lines, the implications of various marketing conceptualizations and theories were also discussed in the library and information science (LIS) literature and library information organizations have been adapting their services in response to the call of the contemporary experience culture. This shift was noticeable with the emphasis increasingly being placed upon ambience and an array of unconventional services provided by libraries and information organizations in their targeted pursuit to engage customers. Services marketing theorists have placed emphasis on the interaction between the service provider and service receiver. This interaction, however, has not been investigated much beyond the acknowledgment of its existence (Beetles and Harris 2010). The proliferation and explosion of online social networking tools has led people to experience a fundamental shift in how people interact with one another. As a consequence of this, relationships are being considered to be the new currency both in physical and virtual space. Library information organizations operate within a myriad of relationships with their customers, the friends of library, their collaborators and other stakeholders. The relationship issue is becoming more relevant for information organizations because our information-savvy consumers are more open to sharing their opinions, viewpoints and perspectives related to their experiences of the services that we provide to them. The range of experiences include things such as their interaction at a reference or circulation counter, interlibrary loan, laptop or eBook

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reader checkout, virtual reference chat or even a telephonic encounter. What this means for information organizations from the marketing perspective is that they need to become experts in relationship marketing by honing their employees’ skills in two primary areas: – technical skills needed to properly utilize the vast array of online social networking tools, and – soft skills needed to build solid relationships effectively through these online social networking tools. At its core, new relationship marketing means genuinely caring about your community through building solid reciprocal relationships with your customers.

New relationship marketing approach Marketing has become increasingly more complex. With the proliferation of social media, information organizations have many more service interfaces with customers to contend with, some of which are very high tech. Yet marketing is still as straightforward and simple as it always has been. It is important for information organizations to maintain the human touch as they try to build solid relationships with their customers, collaborators and competitors. At the core, most people feel rewarded when they perceive that their voices, expectations and wishes are heard and considered. The role of the information provider remains the same, i.e. interacting with people and providing solutions to their information problems. The concept of POST (People, Objectives, Strategy and Technology) developed by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff (2008) could be useful for fostering and sustaining customer engagement in the evolving experience culture (Smith 2011).

People Where are your people (e.g., customers)? Are they mostly on Facebook? Are they on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Google+? How often do they come to the library? How have their preferences changed during the last few years? Information organizations should do some research to find out if their target market uses a particular online social network more than any others. At the same time, it is also important to identify the target market. To determine target markets, marketing professionals have long used psychographics, an analysis that determines behaviours, trends, cultures, and ways of thinking among certain populations. With such a surge in online engagement, it could also be useful for information organizations to consider assessing their target market based on technographics, a concept coined by Li and Bernoff (2008).

364 Rajesh Singh Technographics is a methodology that can be utilized to categorize your target market based on their use of technologies-in particular, their use of information, communication and social media technologies. It is important to do the legwork required to understand the target market before an information organization spends time or resources creating its social media profile.

Objective It is important to know the overarching objective of a social media marketing initiative before an information organization moves further in its pursuit to engage its customers. What do you wish to accomplish through the use of online social networking tools? Do you want to create community awareness of your programming or a particular new service you plan to offer? Or are you just looking to improve the brand recognition of your library? Do you want to persuade your customers to check out more items from your library, or are you more interested in encouraging them to use a particular product or service? The end result you are seeking with social media marketing should be clear.

Strategy Strategy is considered the most important step in the world of social and relationship marketing. Yet, most service providers immediately begin to work with tools and tactics and overlook strategy. In reality, many information organizations have adopted social media tools in their service operations as a result of peer, media and community pressure. As a consequence, they jump on board – often blindly – because they’ve heard about Facebook and Twitter on the news every day and have seen other information organizations using Facebook as their primary landing page. However, they often don’t have any clear objectives in mind, and haven’t verified that their target market is engaged on those platforms. In short, they don’t have a strategy. They just create a page and profile in haste and hope that somehow, something magical will happen. As a service provider, it is important for an information organization to plan out strategy and ensure that it’s in alignment with the organization’s primary objectives. For instance, when you set out to create your Facebook fan page, ask yourself how you will engage your community. Will you run a contest to drive people there? Will you send out a broadcast message to your current e-mail list in order to persuade customers to come over and join you? Will you let them know about a special offer or any other incentive that’s available only to fans? It is critical for information organizations to create a strategy to grow their number of followers and contacts instead of just creating a profile with no clear objective.

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Technology It is tempting for many organizations to pursue the steps in the POST system in reverse order. In other words, they begin their efforts with the technology by joining sites such as Facebook and Twitter in their pursuit to create an online social presence. However, many organizations do not do their homework to figure out if their target markets are even actively present on these sites. The fact is, they are often somewhat rewarded by this approach, as it’s almost guaranteed that a good chunk of our target customers will be hanging somewhere in Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. That doesn’t negate the fact that it would be more beneficial to find out the distribution of their target market using various online social media platforms in order to make more effective use of those technologies to market their services. This knowledge will help in formulating objectives and strategies in order to help build fan, followers and advocates in their library community.

Social media marketing framework for libraries Given the changing landscape of social media, a conceptual marketing framework adapted from Palmer and Koenig-Lewis (2009) could be developed to guide libraries and information organizations in the social media context.

Figure 26.1. Social media marketing framework for libraries and information organizations

366 Rajesh Singh By enriching their service activities and operations using social media, libraries and information organizations can design robust, enjoyable and memorable experiences for their community. In Figure 26.1, three elements of the social media network are displayed – the service provider (library), the service receiver (customer) and the community. The traditional marketing interface is shown between the library (service provider) and the customer (service receiver). Due to the proliferation of social media and the introduction of a community element in the virtual environment, the customer interacts with self-selected communities, which may be beyond the library’s influence if not managed well. The challenge for libraries and information organizations is how to achieve the position at the centre of Figure 26.1 that combines the service provider, the service receiver and the community. It is argued that the “experience” of using a social network site is an integrative framework for addressing the information needs and expectations of customers. Through interaction, the customer can be engaged in the dynamic creation of new content, which can lead to reciprocal value creation between service provider and service receiver. Whereas a more traditional marketing interface is primarily based on one-way communication in which consumers are exposed advertising or other forms of marketing communications, in virtual worlds customers can actively interact with the library. Customers can, for instance, interact with the library’s services, programmes, or with the library’s virtual community managers. However, in order to provide a reason to interact with the library, the interaction has to be reciprocal and deliver value for both parties or customers will swiftly discontinue such efforts. Therefore, libraries and information organizations should consider having virtual community managers to facilitate relevant, concrete, interesting, enjoyable and enriching service experiences (Singh 2011).

Customer engagement in information organizations In order to achieve this social media marketing framework, information organizations can take specific steps in order to engage their customers. In this section, a three-stage process (Figure 26.2) is presented that library and information managers can follow in order to increase customer engagement in information organizations (Porter et al. 2011):

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Figure 26.2. Customer engagement process in library and information organizations

Stage 1: understanding customer needs and motivations Understanding customers’ needs is at the heart of the marketing concept. The proliferation of social media use among customers provides library and information organization managers an opportunity to shift their relationships with their customers from dialogue to “trialogue” – in which customers engage in meaningful relationships with one another and with the organization (Hlavinka and Sullivan, 2011). Engagement could be considered more an intrinsic and emotional behaviour that reflects community members’ demonstrated willingness to participate and cooperate with others in a way that creates value for everyone involved, including the information organization (Porter et al. 2011). Therefore, customers engage in a variety of social media platforms in order to fulfil their social and psychological needs and desires for information seeking and sharing. The motivations behind joining various social media platform will not be restricted to information seeking and sharing. Rather, customers’ motivations will vary: some members join social media for fun or enjoyment, some join to seek information from other members on a variety of topics, many may join to build productive relationships through interacting with others, and others may join because of their urge to feel a sense of belonging or simply to vent about their service experience. In a survey, 59% of active internet users said they had used social media to “vent” about a customer-care experience. In another study, it was found that 81% of active internet users believed social

368 Rajesh Singh media could give consumers a greater voice regarding customer care (Musico, 2009).Therefore, it seems like a good idea to understand customers’ needs and motivations for participating in social media before an information organization embarks upon social media marketing initiatives.

Stage 2: promoting participation in social media environments Although motivators based upon intrinsic needs may encourage many members to join various online social media platforms, what extrinsic motivators might promote participation? This question is of utmost importance, particularly when an information organization is thinking of investing in social media marketing in order to connect with its community. The provision of additional motivators could help engage the community in social media platforms and could set the stage for customers to reciprocate. Therefore, this stage focuses on the role of information organizations in promoting participation in a virtual community as an extrinsic motivator for customer participation (Porter et al. 2011). Encouraging quality content creation: Proactively encouraging members to contribute quality content is essential for a virtual community to thrive. However, stimulating such contributions is often difficult. How can an information organization overcome this challenge? First and foremost, the information managers must determine the extent to which sharing valuable information with others meets the intrinsic needs of their members and motivates them to participate in the community. After identifying information-based needs that intrinsically motivate members in Stage 1, information managers should focus on encouraging members to contribute information that is accurate, timely, and relevant to the community (Porter et al. 2011). For example, as an informationproviding organization, you can establish a process in which members can rank or tag favoured content and make this content easy to locate. You can also initiate discussion-based events on topics that are relevant to members’ interests (e.g., webinars) or invite members to join or lead such discussions by encouraging and enabling member-driven blogs. Some such activities could be an author’s talk, organization of relevant courses and programmes of topical interest to the community. It is also important to track, measure and monitor feedback and metrics while also observing the topics that seem to be of most interest to your community. Too often, the primary tactic used by organizations is to “push” content and quotes to their community, which just creates more noise that people tend to tune out. It’s preferable to be mindful and thoughtful about what information you’re sharing and how it is encouraging reciprocal quality content creation on the part of your community at large. Designing memorable experiences: In the prevailing experience culture, it is critical that libraries and information organizations create and design con-

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crete and enjoyable service experiences whenever they have the opportunity to engage with their customers. The information seeking and sharing done by virtual community members may be beyond the influence of libraries, but such conversations could be carefully guided in order to understand the community’s evolving information expectations. It is possible to convert even a mundane virtual reference query into a personable and memorable encounter. There exists an opportunity as well as a challenge for transforming that interaction into an enriching experience, whether it begins between customers or is a direct query from customer to service provider. In order to design memorable experiences, the library and information organizations might consider introducing positive cues to their community, such as demonstrating quick response time, providing relevant and timely solutions to customers’ information problems, guiding users in virtual information service environments, and timely maintenance of the library’s website and social network sites. It is also important that these cues are in alignment with the physical library service experience; certainly, none should be inconsistent with it. The virtual community managers might consider assuming the role of tourist guide whose job is to help the virtual guests (customers) connect a wide array of information relevant to their life. Ensuring the integrity of experience requires more than stacking up the positive cues. It is equally important that service providers also put effort into eliminating any negative cues, for example, poor website design and layout or meaningless and trivial messages on their social media sites (Pine II and Gilmore 2011). Setting up a promotional calendar: It is important that information organizations provide a promotional calendar to encourage customers’ active participation. Such a promotional calendar could be used to promote new arrivals, programming, services and relevant news items on a periodic basis. This calendar will help the community to see a clear distinction between your social media activities (e.g., blog and twitter posts) and your promotional activities. When you take such a systematic approach to promoting your information organization’s resources, members of your community are more likely to respond positively. The promotional calendar can create a buzz that will encourage your community’s participation in your social media network in order to have more comprehensive and engaging experience with you. However, this shift in behaviour won’t happen overnight simply by providing a promotional calendar. Rather, the promotional calendar should complement the core of consistent and quality services you provide to add value to the community without constant pitching of marketing messages (Smith 2011).

Stage 3: motivating cooperation and collaboration The third stage of the community engagement process focuses on the role of the information organization in motivating cooperation from its community

370 Rajesh Singh members (see Figure 26.2), which enables members not only to meet their own specific needs (e.g., status, influence), but also to co-create value with the information organization. To clarify, in the first two stages of the framework, intrinsic and extrinsic factors motivate consumers to participate in virtual communities to meet their own needs. In Stage 3, information organizations can extrinsically motivate consumers to meet their information needs and, at the same time, intertwine these needs with their desire to create value for themselves and for the community at large (Porter 2011). To increase cooperation and collaboration, it is critical that information organizations recognize members’ contributions and assure members that their voices have been heard and appreciated (Jeppesen and Frederiksen 2006). The information-providing organizations might consider organizing brainstorming sessions by inviting community members to share their ideas about the potential services and programmes offerings similar to what Starbucks has done with “MyStarbucksIdea.com” and Dell’s “IdeaStorm: Dream It. Share It. Make an Impact” programmes. It is vital that as community managers, we empower our community to share ideas with our organization. At the same time, it is equally important to acknowledge people’s ideas, as it could be counterproductive when no effort is put into appreciation of the ideas offered. Members could begin to feel ignored, angry, and disempowered. Rather than add value through advocacy of the information organization, they often become a “Madvocate” – a consumer who engages in negative word of mouth about an organization with which he or she previously had a strong and loyal relationship (Hlavinka and Sullivan 2011). Having a system that will rank and appreciate the most promising ideas will show your respect for your community. These are the types of strategies and processes that will go a long way in highlighting your information organization’s reputation, brand, and services.

Conclusion Despite the rapid transformation of the way people communicate in virtual environments, it is important that as information service providers, we don’t allow our focus to be completely overtaken by technology to the detriment of inperson, face-to-face contact. Rather, we should try to find a balanced approach offering both “high-tech” and “high-touch” conduits to address the information needs, wishes, and desires of our community. Technology will continue to evolve, and so should our strategies to connect people with information. At the core, most people want to know that their input makes a difference and that their voices will be heard. At the end of the day, marketing is still about interacting with people and providing solutions to their information problems in a timely manner.

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References Beetles, A.C. and L.C. Harris. 2010. “The role of relationships in service relationships: an exploration.” Journal of services marketing 24(5): 347-358. Berry, L.L. 1983. “Relationship marketing.” In Perspectives on Services Marketing, edited by L. L., Berry, G.L. Shostack and G.D. Upah, 25-28. Chicago, IL: American Marketing Association. Bitner, M.J. 1992. “Servicescapes: the impact of physical surroundings on customers and employees.” Journal of marketing 56(2): 57-71. Grönroos, C. 1989. “Defining marketing: a market-oriented approach.” European journal of marketing 23(1): 52-60. Grönroos, C. 1997. “From marketing mix to relationship marketing – towards a paradigm shift in marketing.” Management decision 35(4): 322-339. Gummesson, E. 1987. “The new marketing – developing long-term interactive relationships.” Long range planning 20(4): 10-20. Gummesson, E. 1997. “Relationship marketing as a paradigm shift: some conclusions from the 30R approach.” Management decision. 35(4): 267-272. Hlavinka, K. and J. Sullivan. 2011. “Urban legends: word-of-mouth myths, madvocates and champions.” Colloquy March: 1-14. Jeppesen, L. B. and L. Frederiksen. 2006.”Why do users contribute to firm-hosted user communities? The case of computer-controlled music instruments.” Organization Science 17(1): 45-63. Li, C. and J. Bernoff. 2008. Groundswell: winning in a world transformed by social technologies. Boston: Harvard Business Press. Musico, C. 2009. “Service and social media: you’re not social enough.” Customer relationship management June: 39-43. Palmer, A. and N. Koenig-Lewis. 2009. “An experiential, social-network based approach to direct marketing.” Direct marketing 3(3): 162-176. Pine II, J.B. and J.H. Gilmore, J.H. 2011. The experience economy. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press. Porter, C. E. et al. 2011. “How to foster and sustain engagement in virtual communities.” California management review 53(4): 80-110. Shostack, G. L. 1977. “Breaking free from product marketing.” Journal of marketing April: 73-80. Singh, R. 2011. “How tangible your library is in the digital environment? Implications of social media marketing in reinventing communities’ library experiences.” In Marketing libraries in a web 2.0 world, edited by D. K. Gupta and R. Savard, 97-108. Munich: De Gruyter. Smith, M. 2011. The new relationship marketing: how to build a large, loyal, profitable network using the social web. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Marketing Strategy to Monitor Library Websites’ Functional Performance Sueli Angelica do Amaral Associate Professor, Information Science Faculty, University of Brasília, Brazil

Abstract It has been recognized that a website is a powerful marketing tool for a library to achieve the potentiality of the web to access and disseminate information. This study presents a framework to monitor library websites functions considering that websites can play several functional roles: informational, promotional, instructional, reference, search and communicational. It explains how to use such a framework as a marketing strategy to plan and manage library websites to establish relationships with the clients and their frequent visits to the library in order to prepare libraries for effective access and dissemination of information and to cope up with future challenges. It also highlights the results of several studies undertaken in Brazil.

Introduction After the technological progress and increased use of the internet as a facilitator to access and disseminate information, the number of libraries that are creating websites is growing. Traditionally, buildings and physical facilities represented the library, but representation through a website not only as an information access and dissemination tool but a marketing tool is a newer task for libraries. So, it is not so easy for libraries to deal with the challenge to plan and to manage their websites. Technological advances occur at a very fast pace, but librarians have to understand and learn how the new technology works while creating and managing library websites. Taking into consideration of this challenge, Amaral and Guimarães (2002a) developed a framework to monitor the library website’s “functional performance” as a marketing strategy to plan and to manage these websites. We shall discuss how this framework can help to enhance relations with the library’s clientele and their continuing visits to both libraries and websites.

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Library websites as marketing tools The Information society in Brazil green book defines a website as a “collection of pages of the referring web to a subject, institution, company, person etc.” (Sociedade da Informação no Brasil 2000, 175). Hortinha (2001, 144-145) classified websites as first-, second- and thirdgeneration websites. Websites of the first generation are static, and they use communication from one to many. Websites belonging to the second generation are interactive, simple and they can provide information products, services and prices, although their communication process continues to be from one to many and they do not gather information from their users. Websites of the third generation are totally interactive and dynamic, with sales, services to their customers and personalization or customizing tools for direct marketing. Based on such classification, library websites should belong to the third generation not only to provide appropriate access to information products and services but also to build a viable relationship between libraries and their users, using all the technological and communicational potential offered by the web. According to Cunha (2000) the paradigm of the digital library is different from that of the traditional library since the digital library does not need to have a physical location, as digital libraries are simply a group of electronic mechanisms that facilitates meeting information demand linking resources and users. In fact the universe of libraries includes digital libraries, traditional libraries without their own website, and libraries working in buildings that also have their websites. Clyde (2000, 106) comments about website maintenance, suggesting that among other aspects, the evaluation of website should consider its use; how it assists in finding the information needs of the users; updating and inclusion of its content; verification and maintenance of links and navigation structure; updating in the search mechanisms; answering e-mails; maintaining the software and hardware; training the users and staff; promoting and the website and its planning for the future. Coombs (1999) affirms that website evaluation involves to verify (a) its potential audience; (b) the website purpose; (c) information hierarchy and organization of content; (d) style, tone and mood of website; (e) navigational system, (f) linkages and devices such as the use of frames. The author affirms that a well-designed and well-conceived library’s website is capable of serving as powerful way of advertising and disseminating information. So, in other words, the website is considered as a powerful tool for marketing practice. A library website’s functional performance framework can help to monitor whether the planned functions are being accomplished. It can also help managers to plan a website as a marketing strategic tool by using the potential power of communication in a changing environment toward an enhanced relationship with and the enhanced attention of the library clientele. The use of a framework

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can prepare library managers to be able to plan and to manage their websites to cope with future challenges that libraries will face, in a changing environment.

Library website’s functional performance framework Amaral (2007) conducted marketing research with the financial support of Brazil’s National Council of Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) to understand the functional performance of library websites as a strategic marketing tool by theoretical fundamentals based in literature. She verified that library websites are capable of carrying out several functions, such as providing institutional information; information about the library and its information resources; instructions on how to use information products and services available; and that they can serve as a portal for other information sources of interest to their public and can serve as a search source; and that besides that websites can be used as promotional tools and they can be a communication channel with several segments of the public. Although library websites can play several functions, authors use different terminology to classify them. The purposes of academic library websites as classified by Cohen and Still (1999) are: 1. Informational tool: to disseminate information about the library such as physical address, staff directory, description of services, departments and policies, and announcements of library news and events; 2. Reference tool: presence of links to reference sources, such as biographical information, dictionaries and encyclopedias, links to search engines or to library’s OPAC; 3. Research tool: included in this category are subject bibliographies of internet resources in academic disciplines or links to free journals and periodicals on the web etc.; 4. Instructional tool: to disseminate instructional materials as tutorials, instructions on how to use an index, a guide to database search strategies, how to write a bibliography, how to locate articles, elements of the research process etc. Library websites’ functional performance was classified by Brinkley (1999) as: – Promotional tool: library supplies a positive vision of itself as an excellent service; – Information about information services offered by the library: schedule of operation, loan norms, etc.; – Guides: to aid users in using the internet, and information services and products offered at the library, etc.;

376 Sueli Angelica do Amaral – Portal for information sources: to supply links for free information sources of internet and database subscriptions by the library. Xiao, Pixey and Cornish (1997) classified library websites of the Texas A&M University in five categories of tools as: 1. Public relations tool: to use the web as an avenue of one-way communication to reach a large segment of the community in a timely manner; 2. Instructional tool: to support the instructional programme of the library; 3. Search platform: use of the website for organizing access to remotely accessible databases; 4. Communication tool: using the website to establish interactive services between library users and the library staff and to provide customer feedback on library services; 5. museum / virtual library: its multimedia-capable features make the web an ideal environment for displaying manuscripts, photos, and data in other special formats. Similarities and differences among these classifications were observed by Amaral (2008) as below:  although there was not unanimity in using terms to nominate functions, the terms were used by authors to nominate roles and purposes that could be interpreted with the same meaning of functions;  most of the categories of classifications presented were described with the designation of tools, except for the categories “aid guides”; “portal for sources of information”; “search platform” and “Museum/ virtual library”. Despite the differences in names, the meaning could be represented by a standard nomination to each category, that could facilitate the understanding of another proposed framework;  different classifications presented are complementary. Different authors had used common approaches but they did not mention classifications considered by their pairs. Another proposed framework can aggregate all of them including all approaches in a new one. The comparative study of classifications that were presented by other authors resulted in a framework for understanding the functions performed by library websites in six categories: informational, promotional, educational, search, reference and communicational.

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Table 27.1. Library website’s functional performance framework Functional Categories Informational

Functional Descriptions

Functional Performance Indicators

Proposed Categories by Others Authors

To provide information on library itself

Information about the library and its information resources

Informational tool (Cohen and Still 1999) Information on the offered services (Brinkley 1999)

Promotional

Use of promotional To use the tools of the internet potential of the internet to promote the library and its website

Instructional

To supply instructions of use

Instructions to use Tool instructional (Xiao, the library and its Pixey and Cornish 1997) information (Cohen and Still 1999) resources Guides of aid (Brinkley 1999)

Reference

To enlarge access beyond the collection of the library

Links to other reference sources

Search

To make available all the information services and products

Communicational

To use the technological potential of the Web to establish relationships

Promotional tool (Brinkley 1999) Public relations tool (Xiao, Pixey and Cornish 1997)

Reference tool (Cohen and Still 1999) Portal for information sources (Brinkley 1999) Search platform (Xiao, Pixey and Cornish1997)

Information services Research tool (Cohen and products and Still 1999) available online Museum/ Virtual library (Xiao, Pixey and Cornish 1997) Use of mechanisms to establish relationship communication

Communicational tool (Xiao, Pixey and Cornish 1997)

An exploratory investigation was conducted by Amaral and Guimarães (2002a), as a pilot project, choosing initially a deliberate sample of library websites of higher education institutions in Brasilia to be observed by a checklist elaborated to test the proposed framework. The checklist items were elaborated considering each function’s category. The tools for promotion of library websites were described by Araújo (1999/2000). The indicators related to each function’s category were decisive in verifying functional performance. It was observed: Informational function: information about the library and its information resources in website (library’s name, institution’s name, sections of the library, staff, news and innovations on the library, events accomplished by or in the

378 Sueli Angelica do Amaral library, library’s mission, general and sectional e-mail address, general and sectional phone and fax number, physical address, historical, schedule of operations, norms and regulations, information about physical facilities, statistics, photos and/or library’s images, list of information products and services offered. Promotional function: use of promotional tools of the internet in website: stamp with institution’s and library’s logo, pop up with information about the library, library’s banner, web casting, animations, hot site. Instructional function: instructions to use the physical facilities and/or library’s website: FAQs, tutorials on how to use information services and products available in the website and/or in the building where the library work. Reference function: links to other reference sources in website: access to databases; links to search engines, to other library websites, to reference materials (dictionaries, encyclopedias), to electronic newspapers, and to institutional websites. Search function: information services and products available online in website: library online catalogue, lists of the newspapers subscriptions by the library, loan service online, availability of bibliographical material online, reservation service online, reference services online. Communicational function: use of mechanisms to establish relationship communication: form to register users, to collect data and opinions about information services, to collect suggestions and critiques, to suggest books or other items to buy, to evaluate the website, and information services and products; links to contact the library. For each question of the checklist there was an alternate answer, including an item named “other”, allowing adding and registering occurrences not considered among alternate answers. This was for improving the checklist in other future researches, by aggregation of new indicators about library websites functional performance according the use of new information and communication technologies advances mentioned on answers. Besides that, this kind of answer can be useful to discover new creative initiatives on library websites that were observed. It was not possible to present the results of this exploratory and qualitative research conducted in a generally widespread way. However, academic library websites that were observed in Brasilia carried out in a relatively satisfactory way the performance of informational, instructional and reference functions. But the performance of promotional, communicational and search functions was less explored at that time. Besides, as with all classificatory systems, the proposed framework presents the possibility that a function’s performance indicator can be classified in more than one category. But this cannot invalidate the proposed framework as a marketing tool for strategic planning and management of library websites, nor to monitor the functions performed by these websites.

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Promotional function, for instance, was considered a specific category. On the other hand, it was observed that when providing information about the library, or instruction on how to use library services and products or offering online services, websites are also promoting the library. Guimarães (1999/2000) suggests that library websites are promotion instruments. They can help the library to improve its image within the community and within the respective organization that the library belongs to. It can help publishing or informing the users on the readiness and benefits of the information services and products in order to stimulate use. In the context of search and reference function’s performance, Carpenter (1998) affirms that websites can build the image of the library within the community and opens avenues to offer services for the users beyond the four walls of the library. According to the author, the library can offer training on everything from the online catalogue to the CD-ROM databases. It is possible to prepare a calendar of future events, access to special collections, directories from the internet related to community’s information interests and needs, and so on. According to Wolfe (1997, 144-145), a website can be another way for libraries to extend access to information that does not belong to their collections. The performance of a communicational function reflects the relationship between library and its public. Detailed study of forms and links available in the website with this purpose can show the library philosophy. When the performance indicators for this communicational function are observed, they can reveal whether it is being used or not, the responsiveness of the library to the critiques, complaints, suggestions and opinions of their different publics. The relationship between the library and their different publics must be established in a two-way communication. On one side the library collects information on its users, and on the other side, the public are stimulated to communicate with library through its website. With reference to the advantages of the internet from the point of view of library communication with its publics, Aschcroft and Hoey (2001) highlight: – speed: giving almost immediate information services and products; – interactivity, in other words, this is a two way process that allows users and service provider to communicate with each other; – possibility of service provider knowing customers and their information needs, giving the opportunity to prepare information offer in agreement with those needs; and – an ideal forum for communication and interaction is presented, through discussion groups, videoconferences, e-mail lists, among others, without requiring the physical presence and without restrictions of time.

380 Sueli Angelica do Amaral So librarians should consider the performance of all functions at the moment of the creation and planning of library websites, although they may decide about those function(s) that they want to pay more attention to so that website’s performance is improved. However, when all functions are performed by library websites it will be possible to enhance the usage of the technological and communicational potential of the web to provide information access and its availability. They must use these mechanisms to address of their community’s information needs in a better way. The performance indicators must be observed, as a sign of functions that were performed by the website. They can reveal how the functions are being performed according the proposed framework. This can help managers to evaluate a website as a marketing strategic tool by monitoring the contribution of each function in relation to all functional categories. This could be verified by comparing the obtained results of each function performed and objectives and goals that each function want to reach as considered in the library strategic plan. This will help the library to improve the use of technological, financial and human resources that will be necessary to be a better information provider for the library users, preparing the library to cope future challenges. It is recommended that a professional with the requisite skills should be designated to monitor the website and that he or she work together with other professionals involved with planning and management of the website. Users’ complaints, questions, suggestions, and criticisms cannot be neglected because that kind of information is important for the improvement of the website. Quantitative and qualitative evaluations should also be considered in order to gather users’ opinions – whether they are satisfied – and also to verify if the proposed objectives and goals are being reached in an effective way.

Studies conducted based on the framework In order to verify functions performed by 141 websites of Brazilian academic libraries, research was conducted by Amaral and Guimarães (2002b). It demonstrated less use of the technological and communicational potential of library websites for the visibility of Brazilian academic libraries, that were still presented timidly to their public and society in general. Promotional and instructional functions performed were not explored sufficiently. The communicational function was rarely carried out and reference and search functions were explored poorly. Even as regards the performance of the informational function of websites, which the frequency index showed was the commonest occurrence, it was considered that it could still be exploited more by the libraries. In Brazilian academic libraries, more detailed research on promotional and communicational functions was conducted by Guimarães (2003). She studied 65 Brazilian academic library websites to verify how they were performing the

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promotional function. She observed that the relationship between libraries and their several publics was conducted in an asymmetrical way, and they were not exploring the whole potential of the website for a bi-directional communication. The proposed framework to monitor functions performed by library websites was adapted for judicial libraries by Amaral and Souza (2008) in order to study 47 websites of Brazilian government judicial libraries (Federal Senate, Camera of Deputies, Legislative Assemblies, Public Prosecution Services and Courts). Libraries of private advocacy offices were not included in the study, because of the difficulty in identifying them. The results of research evidenced different levels of functions performed by websites. They also confirmed the low communicational function performed. Once again it was observed that the library communication process with their public through its website, maintained a tendency to disseminate information in an asymmetric way, additionally low exploration of the technological potential of the web as a communicational channel was observed. Another investigation was conducted by Amaral and Barbosa (2004) to monitor the functions performed by 51 websites of libraries located in Brasília, being 35 specialized, 12 academic, 3 public and one school library. The results of this research showed that the communicational function was poorly performed by websites. There was little evidence of the technological potential of using the website as a marketing tool. Consequently, the public did not benefit from information dissemination through the web as well as they could be considering the technological potential of a website. The informational function was performed better. The promotional function was carried out timidly: the technological potential of promotion on the web was evidenced in only two websites that possessed web casting, and in one of them, web casting with the images of the library was available in the website of the institution that the library belonged to. The communicational function performed was indicated with larger frequency, because websites had provided electronic addresses for contact with the library to write messages by e-mail (n=35). The use of forms to send suggestions and criticisms, suggestions about material to be acquired, users’ opinions on services and the website had a very low occurrence, because each form type was used at the most in six websites. In fact the study also confirmed the tendency of little use of the technological potential of the web and it indicated the tendency of information dissemination through the website with few possibilities of dialogue among libraries and their several publics. The communicational function was accomplished in an asymmetric way, because websites were not using a balanced communication. Beffa and Napoleone (2005), Kuester et al. (2004), Nogueira et al. (2005), Santos et al. (2004) had proposed the framework in their studies about websites as virtual space environment to information organization in libraries. They used the framework to highlight its excellence to monitor the functions performed by library websites to improve information access in academic libraries.

382 Sueli Angelica do Amaral Ohira et al. (2003) emphasised the use of the framework to classify functions performed by websites and to study criteria for evaluating public archives contents in Brazil. They noted that the framework was included among the guidelines elaborated by CONARQ, the National Archives Council (Diretrizes gerais… 2000) to create websites of archival institutions.

Final considerations The accomplishment of several studies of functions performed by library websites through the observation by a checklist to monitor these websites as marketing strategic tools in agreement with the framework proposed by Amaral and Guimarães (2002a) could contribute to understand the validity of the proposed framework in spite of its limitations. Of course, the library politics of attendance is not totally captured by the observation of indicators of functions performed by its website. Besides, the information products and services offered by the libraries can be available in the library building and/or on the internet, and/or in the intranet, and/or on both. Possible and different procedures relative to their availability to internal and external users and/or to external users’ attendance were not observed because most of the websites studied were checked as how they were available on the internet at that time. Despite these restrictions, the conclusions of the studies have not invalidated the use of the checklist of the proposed framework. It can be used by each library interested to monitor its website as a marketing strategic tool. The use of the proposed framework to monitor library websites as marketing strategic tools could be more effective when the study is conducted by a specific case in one library to monitor its indicators of functions performed by its website. As a tool of marketing management practice, library websites stand out in importance, because users who access these websites are accessing the library of the future. Probably, they hope to find and use information services and products of interest in websites that are accessed by them. Certainly, and consequently, these users expect websites to be accessible and prepared to make available all kinds of products and services information sought by them. The relationship maintained by the library with its public will be reflected in the communicational function performed by the website because the library’s website always must represent the identity of the library as a provider of information services on the web. It would be interesting to apply this methodology to monitor the functions performed by the websites of libraries in other countries to test the use of the proposed framework in different cultural contexts. It is suggested that similar studies in other countries are conducted using the proposed structure to deter-

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mine similarities and differences in functions performed by the websites of their libraries. Such comparative researches could be useful for libraries, helping them to identify new practices and procedures to plan and manage their websites, contributing also to be prepared to deal with future challenges. Finally, it remains to alert librarians that it is time to take care and attend to the functions performed by library websites as strategic marketing tools to ensure the survival of libraries on the internet, as entities responsible for the dissemination and use of information and knowledge and to contribute for society evolution.

References Amaral, S.A. 2007. “Gestão da oferta de produtos e serviços em unidades de informação de Brasília: tipologia e disponibilidade no ambiente tradicional e no ciberespaço.” Research Project developed with financial support of National Council of Scientific and Technological Development. (Unpublished). Amaral, S.A. 2008. “Desempenho das funções dos websites de unidades de informação como ferramenta de marketing para o planejamento e gestão.” In A dimensão epistemológica da Ciência da Informação e suas interfaces técnicas, políticas e institucionais nos processos de produção, acesso e disseminação da informação, edited by M.S.L. Fujita et al., 135-154. São Paulo, Marília: Cultura Acadêmica Editora, FUNDEPE Editora. Amaral, S.A. and H. Barbosa. 2004. “Funções desempenhadas pelos sites das unidades de informação do Distrito Federal.” Brasília. (Unpublished). Amaral, S.A. and T.P. Guimarães. 2002a. “Funções desempenhadas pelos sites das bibliotecas universitárias do Distrito Federal.” In Congresso Brasileiro de biblioteconomia, documentação e ciência da informação, Fortaleza, 2002: anais. Fortaleza: UFC. (CDROM.) Amaral, S.A. and T.P. Guimarães. 2002b. “Sites das bibliotecas universitárias brasileiras: estudo das funções desempenhadas.” In Seminário nacional de bibliotecas Universitárias, 12, Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil, 2002: anais. Recife: UFPE. (CD-ROM.) Amaral, S.A. and K.M.L. Souza. 2008. “Funções desempenhadas pelos sites das bibliotecas jurídicas governamentais brasileiras.” Investigación bibliotecológica: archivonomia, bibliotecología e información 22(46): 165-186. Araújo, W. J. 1999/2000. “Ferramentas para a promoção em websites de unidades de informação.” Revista de biblioteconomia de Brasília 23/24: 89-108. Ashcroft, L. and c. Hoey. 2001. “PR, marketing and the internet: implications for information professionals.” Library management 22(1/2): 68-74. Beffa, M.L. and L.M. Napoleone. 2005. “Estruturando a informação para um sistema virtual centrado no usuário: a avaliação do website do Serviço de Biblioteca e Documentação da Faculdade de Direito da USP, Brasil.” In The virtual customer: a new paradigm for improving customer relations in libraries and information services, edited by S.M. Ferreira and R. Savard, 49-71 .München: K.G.Saur. Brinkley, M. 1999. “The library website in 1999: A virtual trip to the library.” In Internet librarian & Libtech international: proceedings… London, 1999, 8-15. Medford, New Jersey: Information Today. Carpenter, B. 1998. “Your attention, please! Marketing today´s libraries.” Computers in libraries. September: 62-66.

384 Sueli Angelica do Amaral Clyde, L.A. 2000. “A strategic planning approach to website management.” The Electronic library 18(2): 97-108. Cohen, L.B. and J.M. Still. 1999. “A comparison of research university and two-year college library websites: content, functionality, and form.” College and research libraries 60(3): 275-289. Coombs, M. 1999. “Website design for public libraries: a marketing tool for the new millennium.” The Australian journal 42(2): 117-127. Cunha, M.B. 2000. “Construindo o futuro: a biblioteca universitária brasileira em 2010.” Ciência da informação 29(1): 71-89. Diretrizes gerais para a construção de websites de instituições arquivísticas. 2000. Rio de Janeiro: Conselho Nacional de Arquivos. Accessed on 10 March 2013. http://www.arqui vonacional.gov.br/pub/virtual/diretrizes.htm Guimarães, T.P. 2003. “Gerenciamento do site web das bibliotecas universitárias brasileiras como instrumento de relações públicas.” In Encontro nacional de pesquisa em ciência da informação, 5, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil: anais. Belo Horizonte: UFMG. (CD-ROM.) Guimarães, T.P. (1999/2000). “Uso promocional do site de biblioteca: o caso da Biblioteca Central da Universidade de Brasília.” Revista de biblioteconomia de Brasília 23/24: 109-118. Hortinha, J. 2001. E-marketing. Lisboa: Edições Sílabo. Kuester, H.M. et al. 2004. “O papel da biblioteca no marketing institucional: clipping digital UNERJ.” In Seminário nacional de bibliotecas universitárias, Natal: Anais. (CD-ROM.) Nogueira, A.H. et al. 2005. “Facilidades para acesso a periódicos eletrônicos: ações do SIBi/USP para o desenvolvimento de um tutorial.” In The virtual customer: a new paradigm for improving customer relations in libraries and information services, edited by S.M. Ferreira and R. Savard, 214-227. München: K.G.Saur. Ohira, M.L.B. et al. 2003. “Critérios para avaliação de conteúdo dos sites dos arquivos públicos estaduais do Brasil.” In Ciberética, 2: Encontro nacional de informação e documentação jurídica, 8, Florianópolis: Anais. (CD-ROM.) Santos, M.C.L. et al. 2004. “Websites: o espaço virtual para a organização da informação nas bibliotecas.” In Seminário nacional de bibliotecas universitárias, 13, Natal: anais. (CD-ROM.) Sociedade da informação no Brasil: livro verde. 2000. Brasília: Ministério da ciência e tecnologia. Wolfe, L.A. 1997. Library public relations, promotions, and communications: a how to do it manual. New York: Neal-Schuman. Xiao, D., A.M. Pixey and A. Cornish. 1997. “Library services through the world wide web.” The public-access computer systems review 8(4): 1-7.

SECTION 5 LIS MARKETING LITERATURE: A GLOBAL OUTLOOK

Literature on Marketing of Library and Information Services: an Analysis Based on Google Scholar G. Mahesh Head, E-Resources Services Division, CSIR National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (CSIR-NISCAIR) New Delhi, India and

Dinesh K. Gupta Associate Professor,Department of Library and Information Science, Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University, Kota, India

Abstract LIS literature is abstracted in many abstracting databases such as LISA, LISTA and others. However, coverage of LIS literature in citation-indexing databases such as Social Science Index or Scopus is limited as compared to abstracting databases. While abstracting databases can give the quantitative output of literature, the citation-indexing databases give a qualitative indicator of articles indexed in the citation databases. In this paper, we look at papers on LIS marketing indexed in Google Scholar for the period 2000–2011. It is found that 457 journal articles have been published during this period at an average of 38 articles per year. It is also found that apart for prominent journals such as Library management, Library review, Information outlook and Library journal, three journals from China, (Sci-tech information development & economy, Journal of library and information sciences in agriculture and The Journal of library science in Jiangxi) are among the leading journals that publish LIS marketing literature. Articles that have received ten or more citations and books/book chapters that have received five or more citations are listed. While Google Scholar has limitations such as a download limit up to 1,000 records, uneven and incomplete data, it still can be used to assess the research output and citations in specific areas such as LIS marketing.

Introduction The concepts of marketing and the application of information and communication technologies were introduced in libraries at about the same time. Owing to

388 G. Mahesh and Dinesh K. Gupta the pervasiveness of ICT in information activities, it came to be widely applied to LIS activities. Marketing library and information services, though also important to libraries, has been discussed in fits and starts and only a small number of libraries seem to have consciously adopted marketing approaches and practices. Advocacy efforts of organisations such as IFLA, CILIP and many others seem to have influenced libraries in many parts of the world to take up marketing efforts in libraries. The area of marketing of library and information services continues to be active with regular research contributions and activities emanating from LIS schools and institutions such as IFLA and others. Studies on LIS literature based on databases such as LISA and LISTA have been carried out (LaBorie et al., 1985; Patra and Chand, 2006). As for LIS marketing literature, Gupta found that during the period 1970-2005, 346 articles on LIS marketing were indexed in the abstracting databases LISA and LISTA, and also that literature on marketing has been growing (Gupta 2007). In another study by Gupta and Jain, 125 Indian works in the area of library marketing during the period 1980-2008 were studied. Gupta (2008) carried out a detailed study on various bibliographies available on LIS marketing including webliographies, reviews, annotated bibliographies. Koontz, Gupta and Webber (2006) highlighted key publications on marketing of library and information services based on their experience as researchers and teachers. All these and other studies have a quantitative approach to the LIS marketing literature. The number of citations received is a good indicator of the impact of scholarly works and it can be to some extent used to assess the quality of research papers. Two prominent citation-indexing databases are the Web of Knowledge that includes the Social Science Citation Index, and the Scopus database of Elsevier. However, as mentioned earlier these two databases cover LIS literature sparsely. Google Scholar, the free database is much more comprehensive in its coverage of resources. The present study uses Google Scholar to assess literature on LIS marketing based on the citations received.

Methodology Google Scholar was used to download the data. The keywords “marketing” and “library” occurring in the titles of records were searched for the period 2000-2011. The records were downloaded into MS Excel using the Publish-orPerish software (Harzing 2007). As Google Scholar downloads incomplete records, the URLs of the records were visited and the complete author names, journal names and other details were noted down from the original sources. Duplicate records were removed and using the appropriate MS Excel functions, the resultant data was analysed. Citation indexing, made famous by Eugene Garfield, is an important tool for identifying prominent works, ranking authors, institutions etc. The pioneering

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389

ISI’s Science Citation Index (now part of Thomson Reuter’s Web of Science) and Elsevier’s more recent Scopus databases, being paid databases, do not extensively cover social sciences literature and being toll-databases are not easily accessible to everyone. Google Scholar is emerging as an alternative to these two commercial citation indexing databases. It is not only a free database, but it also provides wider coverage as it indexes internet sources more widely. Jacso (2005, 2008) has discussed the pros and cons of Google Scholar in detail. Harzing and Wal (2008) presented Google Scholar as an alternative source of data to assess journal impact. They reported that because of Google Scholar’s broader range of data sources, it generally resulted in more comprehensive citation coverage in the areas of management and international business. They also highlighted that “the use of Google Scholar particularly benefits academics publishing in sources that are not (well) covered in Web of Science”. Noruzi (2005) compared citation counts provided by Google Scholar with that provided by Web of Science in the field of “webometrics”. The article concluded that Google Scholar provided a free alternative or complement to other citation indexes. Google Scholar has been used to study a few areas as discussed in the foregoing but it has not been used research output in the area of LIS marketing. This study attempts to study the same.

Analysis In all 843 records were retrieved through Google Scholar. Each record was studied and repetitive and irrelevant records were removed. This left 741 records in various categories as shown in Table 28.1. It can be seen from Table 28.1 that journal articles constitute the largest number of records, followed by books or book chapters, conference papers, reports, theses and so on. There are 457 journal articles on LIS marketing published during the study period and out of these 244 articles have received 1186 citations. There are also about 126 books and book chapters on LIS marketing which is an indicator of scholarly interest in the area of LIS marketing.

390 G. Mahesh and Dinesh K. Gupta Table 28.1. Distribution of articles on LIS marketing indexed in Google Scholar Category

Records

No. of records with citations

Total citations

Journal

457

244

1186

Book/ Book Chapter

126

53

346

Conference paper

82

31

90

Report

18

5

14

Thesis

16

4

10

Website

9

5

9

Book Review

8

2

6

Workshop

3

3

6

Bibliography

2

1

5

Presentation

9

3

4

Mediagraphy

1

1

1

Webliography

1

1

1

Institutional repository

8

0

0

Poster

1

0

0

741

353

1678

Total

Year-wise output of LIS marketing papers appeared in journals Journals are the major source of research outputs. The 457 papers appeared in various journals were further analysed. The year-wise output of the papers is shown in Figure 28.1.

Figure 28.1. Year-wise output of research papers

From the above table it can be seen that on an average about 38 articles were published each year during the period 2000-2011, with the highest number of 56 articles being published during 2010. Despite the changing face of libraries and information centres, marketing of library services continues to attract researchers.

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Journals output The literature published on the subject is widely spread over in large number of journals. It was seen that articles on LIS marketing were published in 228 journals. Out of these the list of journals that have published five or more articles is given in table 28.2. Table 28.2. Most productive journals (5 or more articles) Journal

No. of articles

Country of the journal

Sci-tech information development & economy

21

China

Library management

14

United Kingdom

Information outlook

11

United States

Journal of library and information sciences in agriculture

11

China

Library journal

11

United Kingdom

Library review

8

United Kingdom

Incite

7

Australia

Library

6

United Kingdom

New library world

6

United Kingdom

Recherche

6

France

Bulletin of the Japan Special Libraries Association

5

Japan

Colorado libraries

5

United States

Evidence based library and information practice

5

Canada

Journal of modern information

5

United States

Researches In library science

5

China

SCONUL focus

5

United Kingdom

The Acquisitions librarian

5

United States

The Journal of the library science in Jiangxi

5

China

The journal Sci-tech information development & economy has published the largest number of 21 articles followed by Library management (14 articles), Information outlook (11 articles), Journal of library and information sciences in agriculture (11 articles), Library journal (11 articles), Library review (8 articles) and so on. Despite several LIS journals being available in open-access form now, none of the most productive journals belongs to the category of open-access journals while checking through the DOAJ.

392 G. Mahesh and Dinesh K. Gupta It can be seen from Table 28.2 that out of the 18 journals, 6 are from the UK, 4 from the USA, 4 from China, and one each from Japan, Australia, France and Canada. The indexing of the journals in Library, information science & technology abstracts (LISTA), the free abstracting database of EBSCO Publishing, was searched for the coverage of the 18 journals. It was found that the seven journals Sci-tech information development & economy, Journal of library and information sciences in agriculture, Recherche, Journal of modern information, Researches In library science and The Journal of the library science in Jiangxi were not covered in LISTA.

Articles with higher citations Articles with more citations are considered more qualitative on such foundations. A lit of articles that have received 10 or more citations is given in Table 28.3. Table 28.3. Highly cited articles Sl. No.

Authors

Article Title

Year

Source

Citations

1

L.X. Besant, D. Sharp

Upsize this! Libraries need relationship marketing.

2000

Information outlook

41

2

M.L. Shontz, J.C. Parker, R. Parker

What do librarians think about marketing? A survey of public librarians’ attitudes toward the marketing of library services

2004

The Library quarterly

36

3

J. Mi, F. Nesta

Marketing library services to the net generation

2006

Library management

34

4

P.J. Harrison, R.N. Shaw

Intra-organisational marketing culture and market orientation: a case study of the implementation of the marketing concept in a public library

2004

Library management

30

5

J.M. Welch

The electronic welcome mat: the academic library website as a marketing and public relations tool

2005

The Journal of academic librarianship

25

6

S.O. Adeyoyin

Strategic planning for marketing library services

2005

Library management

25

7

J.M. Kavulya

Marketing of library services: a case study of selected university libraries in Kenya

2004

Library mManagement

21

8

M. Wakeham

Marketing and health libraries

2004

Health information & libraries journal

21

9

H.H. Spalding, J. Wang

The challenges and opportunities of marketing academic libraries in the USA: experiences of US academic libraries with global application

2006

Library management

19

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393

Sl. No.

Authors

Article Title

Year

Source

Citations

10

Z.D. Xia

Marketing library services through Facebook groups

2009

Library management

19

11

D.K. Gupta, A. Jambhekar

What is marketing in libraries? Concepts, orientations, and practices

2002

Information outlook

18

12

A. Brewerton

Inspired! Award-winning library marketing

2003

New library world

16

13

K. Henderson

Marketing strategies for digital library services: digital directions

2005

Library review

16

14

D. Lee

IPod, you-pod, we-pod: podcasting and marketing library services

2006

Library leadership and management

15

15

R.K. Sass

Marketing the worth of your library

2002

Library journal

15

16

C. Neuhaus, K. Snowden

Public relations for a university library: a marketing programme is born

2003

Library management

14

17

C.A. Alire

Word-of-mouth marketing: abandoning the academic library ivory tower

2007

New library world

14

18

K.D. Dworkin

Library marketing: eight ways to get unconventionally creative

2001

Online

14

19

R. Singh

Branding in library and information context: the role of marketing culture

2004

Information services & use

14

20

C. Mu

Marketing academic library resources and information services to international students from Asia

2007

Reference services review

13

21

I. Owens

Marketing in library and information science: a selected review of related literature

2002

The Acquisitions librarian

13

22

K.E. Adams, M. Kassner

Marketing library resources and services to distance faculty

2001

Journal of library administration

12

23

S. Kanaujia

Marketing of information products and services in Indian R&D library and information centres

2004

Library management

12

24

J.S. Stover

Making marketing work for your library blog

2007

Internet reference services quarterly

11

25

K. Brodsky

If you build it will they come? Using a new library building to establish a culture of marketing

2004

The Reference librarian

11

26

L.M. Duke, J.B. MacDonald, C.S. Trimble

Collaboration between marketing students and the library: an experiential learning project to promote reference services

2009

College & research libraries

11

27

M. Block

The secret of library marketing: make yourself indispensable.

2001

American libraries

11

28

M. Winston, G.E. Hazlin

Leadership competencies in library and information science: marketing as a component of LIS curricula

2003

Journal of education for library and information science

11

394 G. Mahesh and Dinesh K. Gupta Sl. No.

Authors

Article Title

Year

Source

Citations

29

A. Kassel

Marketing: realistic tips for planning and implementation in special libraries

2002

Information outlook

10

30

E.Y. Li, J.J. Jiang, G. Klein

The impact of organizational coordination and climate on marketing executives’ satisfaction with information systems services

2003

Journal of the Association for information …

10

31

S. Webber

Marketing library and information services

2001

Free Pint

10

The above table depicts that 31 (6.7%) out of the 457 papers have received 10 or more citations. These 31 papers have been published in 21 journals. It can be seen that the article on relationship marketing by Besant and Sharp has received the maximum citations so far. The highly cited articles have been published in prominent LIS journals such as Information outlook, The Library quarterly, Library management and others. It is interesting to note that the journal Sci-tech information development & economy, although the most productive article in terms of the number of articles published, has not been a source that has published articles that could gather high citations so far.

Leading cited vs productive journals To find out the journals that lead both in terms of productivity and citedness, the lists of journals in Tables 28.2 and 28.3 were compared. Table 28.4 gives a comparative list which shows that six journals appear in both cited and productive journals. Table 28.4. Leading cited vs productive journals. (Number within brackets gives the number of articles.) Sl. No.

Leading cited journals

Leading productive journals

1

Library management (8)

Library management (14)

2

Information outlook (3)

Information outlook (11)

3

New library world (2)

New library world (6)

4

Library review (1)

Library review (7)

5

Library journal (1)

Library journal (11)

6

The Acquisitions librarian (1)

The Acquisitions librarian (5)

7

American libraries

Bulletin of the Japan Special Libraries Association

8

College & research libraries

Colorado libraries

Free pint

Evidence based library and information practice

9

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395

Sl. No.

Leading cited journals

10

Health information & libraries journal

Incite

Information services & use

Journal of library and information sciences in agriculture

12

Internet reference services quarterly

Journal of modern information

13

Journal of Education for Library and Information Science

Library

14

Journal of Library Administration

Recherche

15

Journal of the Association for Information …

Researches In library science

16

Library leadership and management

Sci-tech information development & economy

17

Online

SCONUL Focus

18

Reference services review

The Journal of the library science in Jiangxi

11

19

The Journal of academic librarianship

20

The Library quarterly

21

The Reference Librarian

Leading productive journals

It can be seen that Library management has emerged as the leading journal: not only has it published the greatest number of 14 articles on LIS marketing, but 8 of the 14 articles having received 10 or more citations. This is followed by Information outlook, New library world, Library review, Library journal and The Acquisitions librarian. The journal Sci-tech information development & economy, though the most productive journal, has not been able to receive higher citations.

Notable books/book chapters Google Scholar has indexed book and book chapters. Due to indexing inconsistencies of Google Scholar it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between a book and a book chapter; so each of the titles that had received five or more citations was searched in Google Books. It was found that there are 3 book chapters and the rest are books. In table 28.5, the books/book chapters that have received 5 or more citations have been listed.

396 G. Mahesh and Dinesh K. Gupta Table 28.5. Highly cited book or book chapters Sl. No. 1

Authors E. Elliott de Saez

Book/Book Chapter

Year Citations

Marketing concepts for libraries and information services

2002

113

2

S. Walters

Library marketing that works!

2004

23

3

B.S. Mathews

Marketing today’s academic library: a bold new approach to communicating with students

2009

16

4

P.H. Fisher, M.M. Pride

Blueprint for your library marketing plan: A guide to help you survive and thrive

2006

16

5

D.K. Gupta

Marketing library and information services: 2006 international perspectives

12

6

A.K. Jain

Marketing information products and services: A primer for librarians and information professionals

2000

11

7

L.K. Wallace

Libraries, mission & marketing: writing mission statements that work

2004

10

8

R. Singh

Marketing culture of Finnish research libraries: an analysis of marketing attitude, knowledge and behaviour

2005

10

9

J. Schmidt

Marketing library and information services in Australian academic libraries (Book Chapter)

2004

8

10

A.R. Lindsay

Marketing and public relations practices in college libraries

2004

7

11

I. Owens

Strategic marketing in library and information science

2003

7

12

T. Summey

If you build it will they come? Creating a 2004 marketing plan for distance learning library services (Book Chapter)

7

13

D.K. Gupta, A. Jambhekar

An integrated approach to services 2003 marketing: a book of readings on marketing of library and information services

5

14

F. Bouthillier

The teaching of marketing and quality management in schools of library and information studies: the case of North America (Book Chapter)

2002

5

15

P. Barber, L. Wallace

Building a buzz: libraries & word-of-mouth marketing

2010

5

The above table depicts that there were only five books/ book chapters getting more than five cotations. It is interesting to note that only two works have been included in this list which were published during last five years (2007–2011).

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Conclusion Marketing of library and information services as an area of study continues to attract the attention of scholars and researchers. A comprehensive study carried out by Gupta (2007) for the period 1970-2005 found only 346 papers that were abstracted in LISA & LISTA. The present study based on Google Scholar for the period 2000-2011 found 457 articles which proves that coverage of Google Scholar is much more comprehensive than the prominent abstracting databases. Based on Google Scholar citations, the study has been able to list leading journal and monograph works. It may be useful to extend the study and compare the results obtained from this study with that of results from Web of Knowledge and Scopus to actually assess the efficacy of using Google Scholar for specialized and rather narrow areas such as marketing of library and information services.

References Gupta, D.K. 2007. “Literature on LIS marketing: growth and pattern. Annals of library and information studies. 54(1), 32-26. Gupta, D.K. 2008. “Bibliographic literature on LIS marketing: a review. Annals of library and information studies. 55(4): 308-316. Gupta, D.K. and A.K. Jain. 2009. “Marketing library and information services: a study of periodical literature.” Annals of library and information studies 56(4): 217-226. Harzing, A.W. 2007. “Publish or Perish.” Accessed on 11 March 2013. http://www.harzing. com/pop.htm. Harzing, A.W. and R.V.D. Wal. 2008. “Google Scholar: the democratization of citation analysis.” Ethics in science and environmental politics 8(1): 61-73. Jacsó, P. 2005. “Google Scholar: the pros and the cons.” Online information review 29(2): 208–214. Jacsó, P. 2008. “Google Scholar revisited.” Online information review 32(1): 102–114. Koontz, C., D. Gupta and S. Webber. 2006. “Key publications in library marketing: a review.” IFLA journal 32(3): 224-231. LaBorie, T. et al. 1985. “Library and information science abstracting and indexing services: coverage, overlap, and context.” Library and information science research 7(2): 183-195. Noruzi, A. 2005. “Google Scholar: the new generation of citation indexes.” LIBRI 55(4): 170-180. Patra, S. K. and P. Chand. 2006. “Library and information science research in India: a bibliometric study.” Annals of library and information studies 53(4): 219-223.

Marketing Library and Information Services: a Bibliometric Study of IFLA Publications cDinesh K. Gupta Associate Professor, Department of Library and Information Science, Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University, Kota, India and

G. Mahesh Head, E-Resources Services Division, CSIR National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (CSIR-NISCAIR) New Delhi, India and

Sarwesh Pareek Ph.D. Scholar, Department of Library and Information Science, Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University, Kota, India

Abstract The IFLA Management and Marketing Section established in 1997 has significantly contributed to popularizing marketing concepts in libraries and information centres throughout the world. IFLA has brought out many publications by way of publishing papers presenting the proceedings of the congresses (pre- and main congress) and sponsoring specific publications in the area. The present paper deals with the bibliometric study of such publications of the Management and Marketing Section and presents results in regard to geographical representation of authors, collaborative patterns, highly contributing authors, citation patterns, etc.

Introduction The activities of the IFLA Management and Marketing Section are quite significant for the better management and marketing of library services throughout the world. It is estimated that during last 15 years, about 10,000 library professionals have associated in some way or another with the activities of the section. This has not only created positivism in the minds of library and information professionals towards marketing concepts, but also has demonstrated that there are innumerable ways of making marketing happen in librar-

400 Dinesh K. Gupta, G. Mahesh and Sarwesh Pareek ies, which was certainly not the case when the section started functioning in 1997. The section offers a global platform to library and information professionals to understand marketing concepts; makes efforts to popularize marketing concepts in libraries and information services through its various programmes and projects; and provides ample opportunities to establish networking, participate in the discussions on the relevant and newer issues and in the larger library community. The IFLA International Marketing Award is an important activity of the section, which has attracted more than 250 applications from 55 countries in last 10 years. The Management and Marketing Section brings out a half-yearly newsletter and publishes leaflets from time to time. It has an attractive web page to keep the members and other interested library and information professionals updated about the newer activities of the section, items of professional interest, and newer developments in the field.

Programmes and proceedings The different sections are offered time slots for programmes during the IFLA Congress. IFLA sections collaborate with each other to decide areas for mutual interest and to have wider audiences and more time for discussion on the selected theme. Full-text papers/ abstracts of the papers likely to be presented during open sessions are generally put on the conference website on before commencement of the congress so that people attending the congress and sessions are well versed with the papers to be deliberated and discussed during the sessions. It allows quality discussions in the open session programmes. The papers on library marketing presented in the 1997 IFLA Conference at Copenhagen were published in a book by K.G.Saur, IFLA’s official publisher at the time. In later years, IFLA decided that one of the papers presented in each open session could be selected and recommended by the Section Committee for publication in IFLA Journal. A satellite pre-conference held each year by the section in a city / country closer to the venue of the World Library and Information Congress is a major activity of the section. Brief details of such satellite pre-conferences are given in Table 29.1.

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401

Table 29.1. Pre-conference satellite meetings of IFLA M&M Section Year

Main Conference venue

Pre-conference venue

Theme of the Pre-conference Satellite Meetings

No. of participants

2006

Seoul

Shanghai

Library management and marketing in a multicultural world

42

2007

Durban

Dakar

Managing technologies and library automated systems in developing countries: open source VS commercial options

100

2008

Quebec City

Montreal

Navigating with youth: in this technological era, how can public libraries attract and keep their young clientele?

165

2009

Milan

Turin

Libraries as space and place

195

Athens

Service strategies for libraries

198

2010

Gothenburg

Stockholm

Marketing libraries in a 2.0 world

75

2012

Helsinki

Turku

Library’s efficiency, impact and outcomes: statistical evaluation and other methods as tools for management and decisionmaking

85

If thematic analysis of pre-conferences is done, it brings out many facets of library marketing which are useful in different kinds of libraries and information centres, as is quite clear from the collaborations made with other sections of the IFLA in organizing the above pre-conference satellite meetings. The sections which collaborated for organizing pre-conferences include Statistics and Evaluation, Academic and Research Libraries, Public Libraries, Library Theory and Research, Library Buildings and Equipment, Management of Library Associations, Public Libraries with Libraries for Children and Young Adults, Information Tecnology, Africa Section, etc. The pre-conferences have attracted large numbers of library and information professionals from around the world. As such about one thousand library and information professionals have attended the IFLA satellite pre-conferences of the section, ranging from minimum of 42 in 2006 to maximum of 198 in the 2009 Athens pre-conference. Complete information on the pre-conference activities is made available on the pre-conference website linked with the main IFLA Conference. Many of the conference proceedings have been published in the IFLA Punblications

402 Dinesh K. Gupta, G. Mahesh and Sarwesh Pareek series. The conference proceedings of the 2009 pre-conference held at Athens could not be published in the IFLA series but because of the large number of Greek papers it was published by the Greek Ministry. The volume of the preconference of 2012 held at Turku is yet to be published. There are papers about IFLA’s role in the marketing of library and information services, concentrating on the activities of its Management and Marketing Section. But a bibliometric study will give an insight into the contributions made by authors in the IFLA publications mainly brought out by the section.

Objectives of the study The objectives of the study include: – to highlight the contribution of the IFLA Management and Marketing Section; – to present results in regard to geographical representation of authors, collaborative patterns, highly contributing authors, citation patterns, etc.

Scope of the study The scope of the present study is publications brought out by the IFLA as the proceedings of the main conference, pre-conference and other edited publications sponsored by the IFLA. However, articles appearing in the IFLA Journal and papers available on IFLA conference websites (but not published in the conference volumes) are out of scope of this paper.

Methodology The IFLA Section on Management and Marketing has published many proceedings but only publications related to marketing of library and information services have been included in the study (Daisy 2005; Ferreira and Savard 2005; Flaten 2006; Gupta and Savard 2011; Gupta et a. 2006; Kefallineou 2010; Mullins 2007; Savard 2000). Apart from proceedings, an edited volume Marketing library and information services: international perspectives (Gupta et al. 2006) sponsored by the section has also been included in the study. The present title (Marketing library and information services II: a global outlook) is the second volume sponsored by the section. The books included in this study have been included in the list of references. To analyse the contributions, an MS Excel spreadsheet (fields such as: author(s), title of the paper, country, authorship, number of referecnes) was cre-

Marketing Library and Information Services

403

ated covering each of the documents published in the above mentioned publications. Apart from these, each paper has been categorized into: case study, view point, survey, review and others, in order understand the nature of the papers covered in the study. Google Scholar was used to find the number of citations received by the papers in the English language.

Discussion Geographical representation IFLA is an international voice of libary and information professionals and it is quite evident from the data in regard to geographical representation in the volumes brought out by the Management and Marketing Section. In all 204 papers were identified and the contributing authors belonged to 42 countries as given in Table 29.2. It is seen from the table that USA has contributed the large number articles followed by France, Canada, Greece, India and so on. Table 29.2. Geographical representation of contributors Country USA

No. of articles No. of authors 25

33

France

17

19

Canada

16

17

Greece

14

32

India

13

24

Australia

12

16

China

14

17

Spain

12

17

Brazil

11

30

UK

10

11

Germany

4

5

Norway

4

4

Switzerland

4

5

Cuba

3

3

Estonia

3

3

Finland

3

3

Tunisia

3

3

Senegal

3

3

Algeria

2

2

Croatia

2

2

Kenya

2

2

404 Dinesh K. Gupta, G. Mahesh and Sarwesh Pareek Country

No. of articles No. of authors

Lithuania

2

2

Portugal

2

4

South Africa

2

2

Netherlands

2

2

Pakistan

2

4

Taiwan

2

3

Belgium

1

2

Chile

1

1

Dakar

1

1

Ghana

1

2

Hong Kong

1

3

Sweden

2

2

Romania

1

2

Tanzania

1

1

Singapore

1

1

New Zealand

1

1

Russia

1

1

Slovenia

1

2

Togo

1

1

Zimbabwe

1

1

204

290

Mexico Total

1

Type of publications The numbers of references were also looked at and it was found that out of the 204 papers, 55 papers do not have any references. There were 17 papers having more than 30 references and one paper had as many as 55 references. Each paper was assigned to a type of article, namely case study, view point, survey, review and others. The number of papers according to each of these categories is presented in Figure 29.1. The most number of article types was viewpoints (86) which comprised 86% percent of the total papers followed by 35% case studies and 20% surveys. Reviews constituted just 8% of the total articles.

Marketing Library and Information Services

405

Figure 29.1. Category of publications according to nature of presentation

Type of publication As seen from Table 29.3, librarians were the largest contributors, followed by teachers. When the authorship pattern was examined, it was found that 142 articles (68%) were single authored whereas 49 were double authored. Only 13 articles were authored by three or more authors. Table 30.3. Authorship of papers Status of the author

As first author

Total no. of authors

Librarians

116

164

Teachers

66

90

Association office bearers

8

11

Consultants and others

6

6

Researchers Total

8

10

204

281

In regard to prominent authors, there were 24 authors who contributed two or more papers in the publications under study. The authors according to number of papers are presented in Table 30.4. Christie Koontz of USA has contributed the greatest number of papers while Dinesh K. Gupta of India remains the second largest contributor in the publications under study.

406 Dinesh K. Gupta, G. Mahesh and Sarwesh Pareek Table 29.4. Authors with two or more publications No of papers contributed

Authors

7

Koontz, Christie

5

Gupta, Dinesh K.

4

Savard, Rejean; Massisimo, Angels; Arahova, Antonia; Miribel, Marielle D. de

3

Kapidakis, Sarantos; Ferreira, Sueila Mara Soares; Webber, Sheila

2

Ahmed, Ksibi; Diarra, Mamadon; Diop, Amadou; Pinto; Glosiene, Audrone; Lepik, Aira; Mittermeyer, Diane; Muet, Florence; Nilsen, Sissel; Ochoa, Paula; Pinto, Leonor Gaspar; Poissenot, Claude; Schmidt, Janine; Sen, Bharati; Singh, Rajesh; Wilson, Myoung C.

Citation of papers There is no perfect measurement tool which offers information about the citation of papers published in conference volumes or edited volumes. However, Google Scholar offers the facility to some extent. When the citation of the papers was examined, it was found that out of 204 papers only 55 papers had been covered in Google Scholar. The number of citations of these papers is presented in Table 29.5, which reveals that there were only 11 papers having more than six citations. Papers that were cited four or more times are listed in Table 29.6. Table 29.5. Number of citations with number of papers No. of citations No. of papers

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

12

17

22

51

12

15

7

9

1

3

2

2

1

1

1

1

Table 29.6. Papers cited more than four times Title of paper

No. of citations

Name of authors

The marketing and management of electronic journals in academic libraries: a need for change

51

Ashcroft, Linda

The use of electronic information services and information literacy: a Glasgow Caledonian University study

22

Crawford, John

Marketing is an attitude of mind

17

Orava, Hilkka

Broadening the concept of LIS Marketing

12

Gupta, Dinesh K.

Managing outside the box: marketing and quality management as key to library effectiveness

8

Weingand, Darelene

Quality indicators and marketing: the convergence between the providers and the customers point of view in Brazilian university libraries

8

Vergueiro, Waldomiro

Marketing Library and Information Services Title of paper Marketing library and information services in Australian academic libraries

No. of citations 7

407

Name of authors Schmidt, Janine

La perception du marketing chez les bibliothécaires

7

Savard, Réjean

The teaching of marketing and quality management in schools of library and information science: the case of North America

6

Bouthillier, France

La “Valeur-consommateur” de chapters a l’epreuve de la typologie de holbrook

6

Badot, Olivier

Creating and sustaining competitive advantage in libraries: Wales, case study

6

Broady-Preston, Judith

Libraries building communities: the vital contribution of Victoria’s public librarie, a report on a major research project of the Library Board of Victoria Public Library Network

5

Rosenfeldt, Debra

A framework for market orientation in libraries

4

Ewers, Barbara

Teaching marketing and quality management in schools of library and information science in the U.K.: a review and report of findings

4

Webber, Sheila

Unlocking the library: marketing library services, a case study approach

4

Schimidt, Janine

Implementing ISO 9000 standards in a university library: the quality system in Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona library service

4

Balagué, Nuria

On the link between marketing and quality

4

Gupta, Dinesh K.

Developing a culture of evidence based practice within the library ad information profession: the impact of library science education

4

Hallam, Gillian

Hacia una perspectiva humana y humanista de la relación virtual biblioteca-usuario

4

Paula, Israel A Nuñez

Developing e-learning prototype for library management: a case study

4

Ghosh, S.B.

Marketing and Swedish libraries: about the situation today and importance of visible librarians

4

Tovote, Christiana

Conclusion Two hundred and four scholarly works on LIS marketing have been contributed through the publications brought out by IFLA’s Management and Marketing Section. It is notable that these publications have originated from as many as 42 countries, which shows that the section has been able to attract authors from far and wide. However, there is a need for having the section’s publications covered in prominent indexing services, as it is found that the papers are not covered in the popular citation indexing tool, Google Scholar.

408 Dinesh K. Gupta, G. Mahesh and Sarwesh Pareek

References Daisy, M., ed. 2005. E-learning for management and marketing in libraries, Munich: K.G. Saur. Ferreira, S. M. and R. Savard, eds. 2005. The virtual customer: a new paradigm for improving customer relations in libraries and information services. Munich: K.G.Saur Flaten, T., ed. 2006. Management, marketing and promotion of library services based on statistics, analyses and evaluation. Munich: K.G. Saur. Gupta, D.K. and R. Savard, eds. 2011. Marketing libraries in a web 2.0 world. Munich: De Gruyter. Gupta et al., eds. 2006. Marketing library and information services: international perspectives. Munich: K G Saur. Kefallineou, E., ed. 2010. Service strategies for libraries. Athens: Ministry of Education, Lifelong Learning and Religious Affairs of Greece; General Council of Libraries, General State Archives and Educational Radiotelevision. Mullins, J. L., ed. 2007. Library management and marketing in a multicultural world. Munich: K.G. Saur Savard, R., ed. 2000. Adapting marketing to libraries in a changing and world-wide environment. Munich: K.G. Saur. Savard, R., ed. 2001. Education and research for marketing and quality management in libraries. Munich: K.G. Saur.

Towards the Global Library – Applying Agenda 21 to Library Marketing Joachim Schöpfel Head, Department of Library and Information Sc., Charles de Gaulle University Lille 3, France

Abstract Agenda 21 (2011) is the United Nations’ action plan for the 21st century in favour of sustainable development. Launched at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, its 40 chapters include social, economic and ecological actions to be implemented by local authorities, governments, but also by corporate companies and services. Twenty years after the Earth Summit, our proposal is to apply Agenda 21 to library marketing and management and to move on to the global or sustainable library. Based on the marketing concepts of global performance and corporate social responsibility, we describe five main dimensions, i.e. social, societal, ecological, commercial and economic performance, and encourage a conceptual framework for the evaluation, management and development of libraries and information services. Beyond marketing, our manifesto is also designed to provide a new outline and clear structure for education, research and publication in library and information sciences.

Agenda 21 for libraries, a proposal “Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Report of the World Commission… 1987) – does sustainable development matter to library marketing? Libraries are “that societal institution that propagates democracy and growth and development” (Tise 2011). As citizens, librarians may be personally committed to biodiversity, carbon footprint and climate change. Yet the literature about the future of the library most often deals with new technologies, business models, value chain and society while marketing focus on users’ needs, added value and the net generation. Of course, ecology turned out to be a question of interest, and the green library is on the agenda of library meetings and conferences. Yet, when it is on the agenda, ecology is generally considered a special issue, a hot topic, more

410 Joachim Schöpfel or less isolated from usual topics such as quality, service or job development or societal impact. Our proposal is different. Our proposal is to put the concept of sustainable development at the heart of library marketing. Our proposal is to adopt the international action plan called Agenda 21 as a framework for library design and development and to explore its potential for library marketing. But what exactly is Agenda 21, and where does it come from? Twenty years ago, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, produced some important documents on biological diversity, climate change and sustainable development. This conference, also known as the Earth Summit, furthermore agreed on an outline for action on local, national and global level by governments, administrations and individuals. The challenge was to define a global policy that brings together ecology, economics, culture and society. The governments rose to this challenge with the “United Nations Programme of Action from Rio” called Agenda 21 (1992). Adopted by more than 178 governments, the document contains 40 chapters with several paragraphs, divided in four sections on social and economic dimensions, on conservation and management of resources for development, on strengthening the role of major groups and on means of implementation. The action plan does not prioritize environmental concerns over social or cultural policy. Poverty, human health conditions and settlement development are part of Agenda 21, together with deforestation, biotechnology and freshwater resources. Also, the action plan is not limited to international organizations, national governments and local authorities but involves all social and economic stakeholders – business and industry, trade unions or scientific communities in a double top-down and bottom-up strategy. Relevant for our purpose are two aspects: – As a reference paper, Agenda 21 is the source of further papers, declarations and agreements, such as the Agenda 21 for culture (2004). Its philosophy is not static. It is a global framework for local action. Local authorities especially implement the action plan on the level of townships, boroughs or regions, with specific programmes for their fellow citizens and countrymen. – Industry and business started to develop their own blueprints for sustainable development in organizations. Corporate social responsibility or CSR, the commitment “to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life” (the definition of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, see http:// mhcinternational.com/articles/definition-of-csr), has become a key concept of strategic management and marketing.

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So, what about libraries? A recent monograph on the future of libraries (Baker and Evans 2011) describes in detail the “library in 2050” but does not mention environment or sustainability. This seems problematic in the early 21st century with growing concern and awareness surrounding ecological issues. Our proposal is to (re)set the library at the heart of societal debate, and to suggest a global strategy for libraries based on Agenda 21. Librarians are used to seeing the letter “e” in e-journals, e-books, e-ISSN or e-infrastructure – so why not add e-cology, e-conomics and e-nvironment? Several public libraries are funded by local authorities already committed to this kind of political action planning. All libraries are part of the service industry. They are not on the side of the road, even if they may be a little bit late, perhaps too busy with new technology to take in sustainable development. But one day their patrons will ask “how does my library contribute to our quality of life, now and in the future?” And local authorities and other stakeholders will ask the same question. Academic libraries are in the same situation. More and more universities are committed to sustainable development. How does the library contribute to the action plan? Does it? Our proposal is to catch up with the mainstream and to develop a library marketing based on Agenda 21, for at least three good reasons: the new marketing approach will (re)connect libraries with global and local policy, it will also (re)connect them with public concern, and it allows for a global evaluation and planning of their performance insofar as it integrates social, societal, ecological, commercial and financial aspects. Our paper is a draft, a manifesto, more than a scientific analysis. Our intention is to explain the general idea and to outline some perspectives on how Agenda 21 could change library marketing. There is a growing body of literature on the different levels of global performance related to library management. Yet we preferred to skip most references in order to keep the draft or manifesto-like quality of the text. It is a work in progress, based on years of professional experience, teaching and research in library sciences.

Global performance – think global, act local Neither evaluations nor marketing are foreign to the library. Performance, as in the evaluated activity to accomplish tasks and mandates, is part of usual library management, and library managers know, too, that efficient library marketing is vital for the development of usage and funding. “Global” makes the difference. There are many interpretations of what global means, in particular in the context of the UN’s “think global, act local” motto. For library management and marketing, “global” implies first of all to add other, external criteria when making decisions and setting goals. Agenda 21

412 Joachim Schöpfel helps to define these criteria. Local decisions, local goals, should contribute to sustainable development of local and global environments, i.e. natural but also social and economic environments. But “global” also entails a holistic approach to the evaluation and marketing that does not prioritize one aspect over others. In fact, the holistic concept of global performance takes up the conviction of Drucker’s landmark book (Drucker 1954, 39) on marketing that “marketing (...) encompasses the entire business. (...) Concern and responsibility for marketing must (...) permeate all areas of the enterprise”. Agenda 21 helps to understand that “all areas of the enterprise” should include commercial, financial, social, societal and ecological concerns. In other words, the global perspective does not exclude the traditional analysis of marketing and financial management but incorporates the investigation of work conditions and human resource management, the relationship with community and society, and the contribution to the protection of the natural environment. Global performance could thus be interpreted as a kind of modern framework for Drucker’s idea of marketing and management. Nevertheless, there is a fundamental difference. Drucker (1954, 39) insists that marketing is “the whole business seen from the point of view of its final result, that is, from the customer’s point of view”. The goal of marketing is to create new customers. Or as Robinson (2012, 5) puts it, “it is the customer who decides what he or she values.” Other goals may be important but remain subdued in relation to the creation of customers. The concept of global performance based on the Agenda 21 action plan defines a different objective. Rephrasing Drucker, we could affirm that with Agenda 21, the goal of marketing and management is to create conditions for sustainable development. This is the most important goal, more important than the number of customers or revenues. Whereas Drucker would have said “without customers, no development”, we reply “without sustainable development, no customers at length”. Another difference is that this objective is not limited to a company or service. “Act local but think global” also means that the concept of sustainable development goes beyond organizational boundaries. Just like local authorities, individual citizens or national governments, companies and services have to contribute to the society’s sustainable development. Their action must transcend the traditional limits of business. In the time of climate change and resource depletion, social responsibility is not a bonus but a necessity. Agenda 21 requests that the strategic planning of institutions should take this into account. With regards to marketing, this means that it is not enough to ask “what is our business?”, “who is the customer?”, “what is value to the customer?”, “what will our business be?” and “what should it be?” (Drucker 1954) but to those we should add a sixth question, “How does our business contribute to sustainable development?”. Global performance is a multi-level concept. Management and marketing should take into account at least five different levels:

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– Social performance: the organization’s activities that impact employees, partners, subcontractors, suppliers, stakeholders and so on. For instance: work conditions, human resource management, training opportunities for employees, business ethics... – Societal performance: the organization’s activities that impact the communities, local authorities, and all other members of the public sphere. For instance: sponsorships, cultural actions, lobbying, relationship with politicians, cooperation with schools and higher education... – Ecological performance: the organization’s activities that impacts the natural environment. For instance: green marketing, eco labels, waste reduction, recycling, eco-friendly products and services, energy-efficient production... – Commercial performance: the organization’s activities that impact business, market and customers. For instance: quality management, customer satisfaction survey, benchmarking... – Financial performance: the organization’s activities that impact economic indicators. For instance: pricing, rationalization, investment, purchasing management... Often, social, societal and ecological performance levels are put together under the term of corporate social responsibility (CSR). For analytical and practical reasons, we prefer to distinguish these aspects and keep them apart. This distinction simplifies the presentation of the five performance levels and of related standards, checklists, best practices and so on. Some examples may be sufficient to point out their connection and interrelation. The concept of corporate social responsibility is well established in industry and business. The International Organization for Standardization launched guidelines (in 2010) for socially responsible behaviour (ISO 26000:2010). Even if this international standard cannot be used for audits or certification, it draws our attention to the importance of social accounting, i.e. reporting on strategies and actions with impacts on business ethics, society and environment. Accountability, transparency, communication, conforming to standards, certification, labelling, best practice – they are part of marketing insofar that they help to improve the relationship with customers and to develop new markets. For libraries, the challenge is double: they need to adapt their existing toolkit of evaluation and reporting methodology to the concept of Agenda 21, and they need to adopt the established and confirmed methods and tools of other business and service sectors, wherever necessary and possible. For libraries, the concept of global performance is not only helpful to mark out their specific contribution to sustainable development but it is also a powerful argument for customers (patrons), local authorities, government, sponsors, university management and so on.

414 Joachim Schöpfel Below, we will describe the five aspects of global performance. Some are not really new for the library, but others are. Yet what is new is the interconnection between the different levels of global performance, and the acceptance of sustainable development as an external criterion for management and marketing decisions.

Social responsibility This paper is not about management. Our intention is not to provide new ideas on how to improve library management. Instead, we try to put forward arguments that may enhance library marketing. In the context of Agenda 21, social responsibility is one of those arguments. One of the best known definitions of social responsibility is given by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (Holme and Watts 2000, 8): “Corporate social responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as the local community and society at large.” This new concept of management has been applied to service industry, and it also provides a new framework for library management. We can identify four aspects.

Ethical behaviour Libraries should be committed to behave ethically, e.g. to edit and apply deontological rules. After long debates on ethical librarianship and in the light of Agenda 21, these rules may include ethical neutrality, refusal of censorship, and respect of the reader’s convictions, beliefs and interests. Staying neutral is not easy, especially when “political, religious, or financial interference in (...) decision-making and (...) service provision is becoming increasingly common” (McMenemy 2007, 181). Another ethical challenge is the rising attraction of new technologies. Respect of individuality, human dignity, intellectual property and privacy become crucial concepts in modern librarianship. Librarians are involved in creating guidelines, policies and “netiquettes” at local, national and international levels (Sturges 2002). Ethics are important to create a trustful and confident relationship with users, and are therefore a central argument for marketing. Winston (2005) highlights the role of education for future ethical leadership in library and information science. Let us also add the growing importance of committing to sustainable development as part of an overall ethical behaviour.

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Contribution to economic development We suggest a generic interpretation in the way that libraries should value creation in their specific sector, may it be culture, education, R&D or sciences. Librarians are generally conscious of their contribution and potential for their community and society. What is needed is an awareness of the ecological aspect of libraries, as well as aspects of accountability and transparency. Of course, commitment to value creation also implies that the return on investment and financial worth must be evaluated. But value goes beyond that, also including human capital, relational capital and so on (see below). Simply stated, libraries should not act in a vacuum but accept their role and responsibility in culture and society. The library’s contributions in transmitting information, disseminating research results, raising awareness and providing education in media literacy all seem to play a role in culture and society.

The workforce and their families The library committed to social responsibility should care for its employees. This part of global performance is often called social performance, a concept that covers initiatives in favour of working conditions, training, human resource management, wages and so on. The underlying idea is that any managerial effort to improve the quality of life of the workforce and their families not only contributes to the (local) development of the (global) community but also enhances the quality of service, through higher professional and social competencies, reduced absences and turnover, enhanced empathy and greater loyalty to the employer.

The local community and society at large The last facet of social responsibility is societal performance, i.e. the level of commitment to improve the quality of life of the local community and society at large : the role of libraries in their communities, as part of local and cultural policy. Several books and articles have been written on the library’s political dimension, and librarians are educated to be aware of their social and political responsibility. Agenda 21 marketing adds three aspects: it draws attention to the development of adequate services for the disadvantaged sections of society (poverty, exclusion, digital divide, ageing, immigrants). It includes the relationship with suppliers, contractors, and other business partners. And again, it does not endorse the social performance as an important yet somehow standalone initiative, but puts it in the context of commercial performance, ecology, financial management and so on. Social responsibility is meant to improve the global service offer. On the whole and from a marketing viewpoint, these types of initiatives are not a part

416 Joachim Schöpfel of the usual library’s core service offer. Still, these initiatives contribute to the development of new and innovative peripheral and complementary services, such as learning centres, idea stores or community offices. By the way, this last example – the community office – is of particular interest, since it seems to be the first project that clearly adopted the Agenda 21 action plan as a framework for library development (Price 1997). The objective: “(...) provide people with access to knowledge, education and training in one building, (and act) as a single access point to all public services, to encourage social cohesion, the acceptance and diffusion of innovation and the development of local communities, with the objective of empowering individuals (...)” (Community office 2009). Yet, there cannot be one single model for the socially responsible library, nor only one way to improve social and societal performance. It all depends on commitment, knowledge and competency, and on the specific environment. A successful model may fail under different circumstances. Here more than elsewhere, sustainability is a challenge for public libraries, especially to maintain projects and outreach activities once external funding runs out (Baker and Evans 2011).

The green library Library services are relatively clean, compared to power plants, chemical industry or road transport. Their carbon footprint is smaller than a coal plant or a blast furnace. Yet libraries consume energy and water, buy chemicals and produce waste. As any other service, they are affected by questions of environment and pollution, and should be concerned about these topics. With regards to Agenda 21, the question is not whether they are involved in the environmental cycle but how they perform. There is a growing body of articles, reports, websites and books about the green library, and the ecological performance of libraries has been the object of several meetings and conferences.More specifically, we can distinguish at least four different action levels: Awareness: The first action line is to raise awareness, and alert the staff and stakeholders about issues related to ecology and the environment. But if the local authority has already voted an Agenda 21 action plan, the library does not need to raise awareness, but should implement the action plan. Evaluation: A second level consists in checking the library carbon footprint and its ecological impact. The evaluation of ecological performance can make use of an increasing number of checklists, standards, guidelines or recommendations for best practices which are published on the web or elsewhere (McBane Mulford and Himmel 2010), and provide a more or less detailed and reliable ecological profile with “hot spots” (priority problems) and a baseline when measuring improvements.

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Action: There is (almost) no limit for action in favour of waste reduction, recycling, saving energy and so on. Some of these actions may require a high level of effort, others less; then there will be differences in the magnitude of impact and return on investment. Some actions are linked to new buildings or important renovations (green roof); others can be implemented at any time (use of energy-efficient light bulbs, recycling of paper). Our objective is not to offer another list of tasks but to insist that, in the context of Agenda 21, this kind of environmental action should not be undertaken as a series of isolated acts but in connection with the other performance levels. Education: Education in ecological literacy is another option, no doubt more in line with the library’s traditional role and mandate. The idea is to provide information on ecology-related issues to the library’s public. This may consist of several different actions: re-defining acquisition policy, building the collection, indexing and classifying, creating a specific website, hosting events, exhibitions, workshops... this would probably also imply networking with the community, with non-profits, NGOs and so on. At the same time, these actions would also increase the library’s societal performance. More and more libraries all over the world are committed to ecological performance and can serve as models or benchmarks, such as the Fayetteville Public Library (AR), the National Library in Singapore, the Crowfoot Library in Calgary (Canada) or the Cooroy Library in Sunshine Coast, Australia. Agenda 21 library marketing can build on these examples in order to promote ecological action and create a positive image. But more importantly, marketing will link ecological action with other performance levels, especially with respect to service quality and the user’s needs. Ecological performance will often operate in synergy with social, financial or commercial performance, better working conditions, reduced expenditures and indoor pollution, creating a positive image and strengthening the community’s commitment to the library. Also, new (ecological) procedures and constraints (zero paper) may foster innovation and new services.

Service quality and user satisfaction Commercial (or business) performance characterizes the efficiency of a service provider in terms of previously set goals. A marketing strategy based on the Agenda 21 action plan appraises commercial performance – e.g. increasing number of customers, evolution of sales, market share, customer satisfaction… – as important and necessary for the development of a service. Agenda 21 does not oppose financial and commercial performance but rejects the idea that those are the only strategic goals and the only evaluation and auditing criteria. Sustainable development needs financial governance and business development, but that also includes environmental action and social responsibility.

418 Joachim Schöpfel Now, does it make sense to speak about commercial performance for a library? Most libraries are not meant to make business or increase sales. Still, a library is a service like any other, with users and usage, projects and objectives, and its performance can be evaluated in terms of quality, efficiency and satisfaction – the same criteria that define commercial performance. So let us take a step back and consider how the concept of commercial performance can contribute to the understanding and marketing of library services, as part of global performance and linked to sustainable development. 1. “If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it.” Lord Kelvin’s famous quote about measurement illustrates our first point. The concept of commercial performance introduces the issues of previously set goals, effectiveness and efficiency. Does a service set clear goals? Does it attain these goals (effectiveness)? And if so, does it save or waste its resources (efficiency)? These issues can be measured. They can be presented using performance indicators, and they can be the very heart of service marketing. 2. Even with clearly set goals, measuring effectiveness is not simple. A library usually surveys its users’ satisfaction through interviews, questionnaires or direct observation, and satisfaction is taken as an indicator for effective service delivery. Yet service marketing is aware that satisfaction depends on several factors. The quality of the service is one of them – not as an objective factual statement, but as a subjective experience, a unique encounter between the customer and the service provider. Other variables influence the experience of quality and satisfaction, such as expectations, attitudes, learned habits, values, brand (service) image, information literacy and so on. Satisfaction involves personal, social and cultural aspects. Of course, a satisfied user will (probably) come back. Yet, marketing wants to know why he was satisfied, and how to repeat and improve his experience. Some methods attempt to create more objective, valid and comparable satisfaction evaluations. LibQual+® is one of them – established and recognized but not sufficient for an in-depth understanding of the user’s reaction. Measuring satisfaction as a multivariate experience remains a challenge. 3. Another way of evaluating effectiveness and efficiency is through quality management. As a kind of in-house counterpart to user satisfaction, quality management strives towards consistent objectives and procedures, assured quality with defined and accepted quality levels for service transactions and products, and continuous concern and improvement. Public and academic libraries are more or less familiar with quality management. Crucial to our argument is not the standardized and resourceintensive ISO 9000 management but its underlying philosophy – the focus on measurable goals and features, on monitoring, corrective action and improvement of service quality and process.

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4. Yet these marketing concepts should not mask the real challenge for the library, which is to be a user and community-centred service. This may appear trivial but it isn’t. Saying that the library must have excellent knowledge of its users is trivial, and a lot has been written about this. But – who are the library’s users? An abstract citizen in need of information literacy and culture? Individuals registered as patrons? The local community or the campus? Different communities? The Google generation looking for information, not books? To decide who the users are is already making a strategic decision. And what about the non-users? Marketing is also about exploring new markets with different needs and other profiles. 5. Sometimes, stakeholders (the local authority, the library board…) are seen as a kind of barrier, a difficulty or constraint for serving the community. Yet why not consider them as just another kind of customer, with special needs and demands, for instance with an Agenda 21 policy? For marketing purposes, this mental game may be helpful to avoid unproductive opposition between the user’s needs and the library’s set missions and goals. 6. Good marketing demands communication, feedback and reporting. More and more, customers want to be taken seriously, treated as partners, and so do library users. Are they objects or subjects of the library? Since an increasing part of communication, interaction and service transaction is online, how does the library organize and manage its web community? In the corporate sector, social networks have started to modify innovation, information, communication and even human resource management in depth. Library 2.0 is definitively on the agenda. Yet, so far, the library struggles to adapt the 2.0 tools to a traditional library framework, instead of changing its framework. Applying Agenda 21 may facilitate the acceptance of new technologies which can improve the contact with the community and society. 7. The people make the place. Relationships and interactions are important for the quality of service and the experience of satisfaction. Again, this may seem trivial. Empathy, friendliness, reactivity, competence, respect and understanding should characterize the relationship between librarian and patron; although, beyond the usual librarian-patron tandem, there are now interactions with other users, with groups, friends, classes and so on. The library is moving from the individual reading sphere to an open space of learning, information, working, communication. Academic libraries become “learning centres”, and this is not only a linguistic change, but impacts the library’s standards and norms. Interaction with others, formerly often prohibited or limited, is now encouraged. The library becomes a living space, open to the academic or community environment.

420 Joachim Schöpfel Let us summarize. The library is (most often) not a commercial service. Yet, the concept of commercial performance is helpful to highlight some specific aspects related to service quality and user satisfaction in the library environment. A service cannot and will not develop if it does not improve quality and meet its users’ expectations. The contribution of Agenda 21 is to highlight the library’s responsibility for community and society and to add that quality and satisfaction are not the only criteria for marketing and evaluation.

Financial performance Library managers are generally used to some form of financial governance and to reporting their financial performance. In other words, they report their activities and projects in monetary terms. This may take the form of a table with revenues and expenditures, a balance sheet or a dashboard with some significant indicators. Good financial performance is one condition for service efficiency, and the evaluation of financial performance is necessary to decide on acquisition policies and the development of the library’s collection, on investments in hardware and software, in furniture or buildings, in recruitment, training and so on. Also, the financial results are most often reported to the funding body (local government, university, research organization...) and/or to the library board. What does the Agenda 21 framework add to this usual library practice? Agenda 21 does not reinvent the wheel. Its strength is not to tell people what they already know but to place the financial performance in the context of global performance and sustainability, together with social responsibility, ecology and marketing. What does this mean? 1. First of all, this does not necessarily mean another way of accounting but another use and interpretation of the results. Applying the principles of Agenda 21 to the library leads to developing a philosophy of accounting, accountability and transparency on the long term. Libraries are generally able to establish whether their current performance is better or worse than before. But are they also able to assess whether they are performing better or worse than others, or to compare their performance against a standard or benchmark? 2. Communication is essential. Accountability and transparency are important for the image and the credibility of the library, which in turn impact its funding, sponsoring and support. For this reason, the library should not limit the appraisal of financial performance to the funding body and/or the board, but include other groups, such as patrons, community, media, corporate partners, lobbies and so on. All of these stakeholders are interested in the library’s performance albeit not for the same rea-

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sons, and they don’t need the same information. Hence, the library management should track some key accounting ratios, i.e. indicators of financial performance shaped for different target groups and organized into a financial dashboard. If these ratios are valid, reliable and understandable, they will improve and support the library’s communication policy. 3. Third, applying the philosophy of Agenda 21 to marketing will help the library’s management avoid two risks. Financial results will not be over-emphasised, and they will be presented in the context of social responsibility, environment and service quality. Of course, funding bodies and local authorities are genuinely interested in getting feedback on governance and efficient use of allocated resources. But this feedback will be weighed in with other results; it will be seen as one but not as the only contributor to the sustainable development of the library and community. 4. Fourth, Agenda 21 marketing may prompt the library to evaluate the financial impact of its action in favour of sustainable development. In other words, the accountability could include more than traditional library statistics. So far, financial ratios focus on acquisition and collection development, inscriptions and usage. With regards to Agenda 21, other financial ratios could be added, derived from recycling, energy consumption and efficiency, lifelong learning and training, work conditions, cultural action and so on. Also, library management could develop a robust risk management that would include these aspects. 5. Finally, developing a strategy in favour of sustainable development will facilitate the adoption of new modes of financial accounting, in particular for the evaluation of added value and return on investment. Because of the non-market nature of library services and resources, it is difficult to estimate their value and to provide data on return on investment and funding. It has been a couple of years since some libraries have started to apply the contingent valuation method (CVM) and other stated preference techniques, which are based on surveys and were initially developed for environmental resources (air, water…). It may be too early to determine the benefits of these techniques for library management. Nevertheless, they provide some interesting perspectives for the assessment of library performance and to measure the economic value of library services. Also, CVM appears useful for marketing and communication, as a kind of intuitive indicator and argument.

422 Joachim Schöpfel

Towards the global library Sustainable development, as we wrote above, is on mankind’s agenda. The United Nations action plan Agenda 21 is clear on one point. The solution can not be found on the local level; though without local action, there will be no global solution. Local level, this is our conviction, includes the library. The library is a service like any other. At the same time, it is part of a local community, or a local academic campus, and is as such a stakeholder in their local policy in favour of sustainable development. Twenty years after the Rio Earth summit, the library’s mandate should no longer be confined to traditional concerns about collection preservation or helpdesk assistance, but should also include a contribution to sustainable development. Thus, our proposal is to apply the Agenda 21 to library marketing and management, as a conceptual framework to evaluate, set goals and make decisions in libraries and information services. Not so much to reinvent the library, but to rethink its way of working, its projects and objectives, in terms of sustainable development – this is the next challenge for marketing and management. Of course, the five performance levels described above – social, societal, ecological, commercial and economic – can be in conflict or even incompatible. A zero-paper project may not necessarily enhance the work conditions or satisfy the patrons, and financial performance may limit the development of service quality. But management is the art of getting things done through people, and this requires realism, arguments, priorities and compromises. Marketing will help to set goals and decide on strategies, while keeping the global and overall goal in mind – sustainable development. The library is a cultural institution, supporting education and research, but it is more than that – it is also part of the local community and, like any other service, is a potential contributor to the sustainable development of society and mankind, and should be evaluated within this framework. Beyond marketing, our manifesto is also meant to offer a new outline and structure for education and research in library and information sciences. The Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development 2012, twenty years after the first Earth Summit, reminds us that “sustainable development emphasizes a holistic, equitable and far-sighted approach to decision-making at all levels. (...) It rests on integration and a balanced consideration of social, economic and environmental goals and objectives in both public and private decision-making.” Libraries are but a small piece on the global game field. Yet they are part of the game, and society needs their specific contribution for sustainable development. Applying the Agenda 21 to library marketing is one way to get there.

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References Agenda 21. 1992. United Nations Environment Programme. Accessed on 13 March 2013. http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/Agenda21.pdf. Agenda 21 for culture. 2008. Barcelona : United Cities and Local Governments Committee on culture. Accessed on 11 March 2013. http://www.agenda21culture.net/index.php? option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=212&Itemid=&lang=en. Baker, D. and W. Evans, eds. (2011). Libraries and society : role, responsibility and future in an age of change. Oxford: Chandos Publishers. “Community Office: Development of Information & Communication Tech.” Accessed on 13 March 2013. http://www.epractice.eu/en/cases/codict. Drucker, P.F. (1954). The Practice of Management. New York: Harper Collins. Holme, R. and P. Watts. 2000. Corporate social responsibility: making good business sense. Conches-Geneva: World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Accessed on 11 March 2013. http://www.wbcsd.org/web/publications/csr2000.pdf. ISO 26000:2010 Guidance on social responsibility. 2010. Geneva: ISO. McBane Mulford, S. and N.A. Himmel. 2010. How green is my library? Libraries Unlimited, Santa Barbara, Calif. McMenemy, D. 2007. “Librarians and ethical neutrality: revisiting the creed of a librarian.” Library review 56(3): 177-181. Price, M. 1997. “The community office: a logical extension of the electronic library.” The Electronic library 15(6): 463-468. Report of the World commission on environment and development: our Common Future. General Assembly Resolution 42/187, 11 December 1987. New York: United Nations. Accessed on 11 March 2013. http://www.un-documents.net/our-common-future.pdf. “Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development 2012.” Accessed on 11 March 2013. http://www.uncsd2012.org/index.php?menu=62. Robinson, C.K. 2012. “Peter Drucker on marketing: application & implications for libraries.” The bottom line: managing library finances 25(1): 4-12. Sturges, P. 2002. “Remember the human: the first rule of netiquette, librarians and the internet.” Online information review 26(3): 209-216. Tise, E. R. 2011. “Foreword.” In Libraries and society : role, responsibility and future in an age of change, edited by D. Baker and W. Evans, xvii-xx. Oxford : Chandos Publishers Winston, M. 2005. “Ethical leadership: professional challenges and the role of LIS education.” New library world 106(5/6): 234-243.