ABSTRACT
This study examined marketing libraries services for sustainable
development of academic libraries in Edo State Nigeria using University of
Benin (UNIBEN) and Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma (AAU) as a case study. The
field survey research design was used in this study. The instrument used for
data collection was questionnaire. The population of this study consist of all
undergraduate library and information science students of University of Benin
(UNIBEN) and Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma (AAU). A sample size of two hundred
(200) undergraduate students in library and information science in two
universities in Edo State. A total of one hundred and fifty one 151 copies of
the questionnaire were retrieved and analyzed with simple table percentage,
mean and standard deviation. It was found that there is need for marketing
library services according to academic librarians to achieve the objectives of
the library and to enlighten the users on the relevance of library use; several
services were available for marketing; several techniques are been employed in
marketing library services. It was also evidenced from the findings that the
major problems militating against effective marketing of library services
include: inadequate fund and lack of effective communication between
librarians. The study revealed several strategies in enhancing of marketing
library services, these strategies are trainings, seminars and organizing
workshop to educate librarians on marketing library services. The study
recommended that: More funds should be allocated to develop of libraries by
parent organizations and Library management should expose librarians to
marketing library services through trainings, conferences.
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background to the Study
Libraries are the knowledge and
information foundation of any nation. A library collects, organizes and makes
information resources accessible to all kinds of users regardless of their
ages, background and interests. Islam (2004) defined library as a learned
institution equipped with treasures of knowledge, maintained, organized and
managed by trained personnel to educate the children, men and women
continuously and assist in their self improvement through an effective and
prompt dissemination of information. There are different kinds of libraries and
each performs different kinds of functions to meet the determined purpose and
needs of the people they serve (Ode and Omokaro 2007). T/hese libraries
include: academic libraries, public libraries, special libraries, school
libraries, and private libraries.
Uwaifo (2010) stated that academic
libraries are the ones established and maintained by higher institutions of
learning such as universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, schools of
nursing, petroleum training institutes and schools of health technology. He
also noted that the essence of establishing an academic library is to enable it
support the curriculum of the tertiary institution which established it.
Academic libraries are essential part of the learning community. Being the
information nerve centres of their parent bodies. Aina (2004) stated that the
main purpose of academic library is to support the objectives of an academic
environment in the areas of learning, teaching and research service. Jubb and
Green (2007) observed that academic libraries have for centuries played
critically important roles in supporting research in all subjects and
disciplines within their host universities and colleges. The following are the
services provided by an academic library: Circulation of materials, shelf
management, user education programmes, provision of information services, and
operation of the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC), exhibitions and
displays, reader’s enquiry services, Selective Dissemination of Information
(SDI), trainings and internet services, bibliographic services, Indexing
services, abstracting services, access to electronic resources and document
delivery services.
The effectiveness and efficiency of
services provided by an academic library are mainly determined by library
users. Aina (2004) recognizes this fact when he stated that the user is very
critical in the practice of librarianship. No library can exist without the
patrons. The entire human and material resources in a library are put in place
at considerable expensefor the overall purpose of providing effective services
to the library users. On its part the library has a responsibility to ensure
that its resources and services are used (Edoka, 2000). The user is regarded as
the most logical source to determine whether the library is playing its role
satisfactorily or not. The mission statement of any academic library should be
the provision of excellent service to its users. In higher institution
libraries there are various categories of library patrons. They are
undergraduates, postgraduates, lecturers, researchers, external users from all
walks of life and many professions.
However, Academic libraries are
faced with the need to market their services to users. This is because
libraries are no longer the only information providers. They now have to
compete for customers with the internet, bookshops, online book dealers and
demand for more efficient services and needs of users. Academic libraries must
understand clients needs, plan service provision, promote the available
services and deliver them efficiently and effectively. Marketing have various
definitions. Sharma and Bhardwaj (2009) define marketing as a total system of
interacting business activities to plan, promote and distribute want satisfying
products and services to present and potential customers. Kolter (1994)
described marketing as a social and managerial process by which individual
groups obtain what they need and want through creating, offering and exchanging
products and services. A library without users is useless. To succeed, there is
need to let the users be aware of the benefits of the library provision of
information resources and services. Marketing is about keeping the clients in
touch and informed about resources and services that match their interests. The
success of academic library marketing lies mainly on convincing the clients that
the tools or databases are worthwhile, they must understand what the services
are, and be enthusiastic about how they will be helpful (Noel & Waugh,
2002). Librarians need to market their services and resources for students and
potential users to create awareness of the academic library's value. Major
sectors of the potential market for the library’s services are probably not
aware of all the services available or have no understanding at all of what is
offered.
That’s why marketing is vital to the
success and existence of the academic library. The main focus of every library
should be a good customer service. Good service can equal a good marketing
campaign, which is another reason why marketing is important for libraries.
Effective marketing provides the means by which users are made aware of the
services of the library and their value. Marketing in a library setting has
been viewed from different perspective for instance Ravichandran and Babu
(2008) views marketing of library services as the process of planning, pricing,
promoting and distributing library products to create exchanges that satisfy
the library and the clientele. Nwegbu (2005)defines marketing in library
setting as designing and presenting the library books and non book- materials
in terms of the needs and desires of the users of the library and using
effective techniques to motivate, inform and service the library clientele both
present and potential. Weigard (1995) views marketing in library as a process
of exchange and a way to foster the partnership between the library and the
community.
Marketing of
library and information services includes user priorities, expectations,
individuality, responsiveness, relationship, quality of services, professional
skills, competencies and value added services etc. Basanta & Sanjah (2008)
stated that the ultimate aim of marketing is to provide the right information
to the right user at the right time. A user ascertains the effectiveness and
efficiency of a library is not based on how large the library is or the number
of staff and information materials available, but on the services provided.
Libraries and information centres have realized that marketing of information
services is essential. This is because information has now become a very
valuable resource. Libraries and information centre should inculcate marketing
principles in the management of libraries. The libraries and the librarians
must therefore shift their focus from the information provider to the
information user (Iwhiwho, 2008). In doing this, they will be able to achieve
their mission and serve their users better in the provision of quality
services.
Librarians must now act like
business men by providing quality services and promoting their services at the
right time and place to their users. The emerging technological challenges and
societal changes pose a threat to libraries as worthy information providers. As
a result of these challenges, it is now
time for librarians to prove that they are invaluable to the continued survival and sustenance of their
organizations. This can best be achieved by actively marketing their services.
In order to successfully market library services, the marketing mix must be
applied. The marketing mix is the combination of elements which are used to market
a product or service. The marketing mix includes the following:
product, price,
place and promotion. Product in library content is defined as services offered to
users to satisfy their information needs. The main products provided by
information professionals are: giving user assistance, serving as middle men
between the users and the resources of the library which include information
skills programs, selective dissemination of information, user education
services, photocopy services, bibliographical services, cataloguing services,
reference services, photocopying services, current awareness services and
internet/computer services.
The success of the library depends
on the quality of services and products rendered to users Bushing (1995)
supported this statement when she stated that the success of the library
depends on the quality and excellence of its products. She continues that
products include all the resources and services available in the library. The
price is the cost of producing the product. The time it takes a user to obtain
a product is referred to as price. Libraries are not profit making
organization. Libraries users pay indirectly for the services they use. They
pay through their school fees, taxes, grants and donations. These are enough reasons
to satisfy the information needs of users. Typically, the development of
information communication technology has proven that the place is very
important factor in a library setting. The internet makes it possible for any
library to offer services to users at any part of the world and at any time of
the day. Every academic library must make provision for internet connectivity
in their libraries. The library environment and staff must be user friendly.
Promotion simply means informing users about the benefits they will derive in
using library resources and services. The five elements of promotion includes:
Advertising, public relation, incentive and environment.
Nolan (1998)
advised librarians to become entrepreneurs. Librarians must not wait for people
who have no idea on how libraries are managed and who do not care about their
work to change their situation for them. She advises that libraries must run
like commercial firms and professional librarians must be managers. However, in
other to achieve these librarians and information professionals need to be very
competent in marketing of library services. This is because, in every work of
life competency is the key that is used to face the developmental challenges in
the corporate world. (Chandra, 2011). The success of a library largely depends
on the level of competence that exists among the librarians in the library.
Mailese, (1995) quoted Amaral and stated that many librarians lack professional
understanding of the marketing concept and its applicability to their field.
This could be as a result of lack of adequate training and education on
marketing to librarians in library schools. It is now very necessary for
marketing to be introduced in library school’s curriculum. Also frequent
seminars, trainings and workshops on marketing and information and
communication technology should be organized for librarians.
Marketing of library and information
services have not being given much attention in most academic libraries because
of funding. The problem of poor funding is compounded by the fact that academic
library administration does not always have a timely and consistent budget for
management of library not to talk of allocating a budget for marketing of
library services. There is also unreliable and inadequate access to internet.
Also, most library management do not really understand the concept of marketing
they view marketing as just applicable to profit organization and not
applicable to libraries. In view of these challenges academic libraries need to
apply some techniques in marketing library services. Such techniques include:
creating a library web page, sending e-mails to users, exhibitions and display
of new arrivals, use of leaflets and posters, organizing user education,
provision of electronic access to information and organizing library week. Also
funds should be allocated for marketing of library services.
It has been observed by many
researchers the services that are highly available and marketed to a medium
extent are lending services and seating and study facilities in the Edo State.
Researchers have also observed that in most academic libraries in Edo State
that the most common technique used for marketing library services is
exhibition and display of new information materials. However, in other to
attract library users to make maximum use of the library, information resources
and services provided to patrons should satisfy their information needs. To
achieve these, libraries should provide users with access to electronic
resources and services and this is marketing.
In order to
successfully identify, satisfy, inform, educate and sell the true value of
library services to users, libraries must provide services that are
user-oriented. Users should be enlightened about the various services found in
the library and how it will make them life -long learners. In achieving these,
the librarians must apply the marketing mix which includes place, product,
price and promotion.
1.2
Statement of the Problem
The importance of marketing library
and information services cannot be over emphasized. Currently, it seems no
study has been carried out to determine the efficient and effective way to
market library services in Academic libraries in Edo State. Marketing is not
emphasized in most library school curriculum therefore librarians may have
problems in marketing their services. To this therefore, becomes necessary to
examine the effective and efficient ways to market library and informed
services in academic libraries.
1.3
Objective of the Study
The main objective of this study is to
investigate marketing of Academic libraries services in Edo State Nigeria.
The specific Objectives of this study are:
1. To determine
the need for marketing library services for sustainable and development of
academic libraries in Edo State.
2. To determine
available library services for marketing in Academic libraries in Edo State.
3. To examine
the extent of marketing of library services for sustainable and development in
Edo state.
4. To determine
current techniques employed by academic libraries in marketing of library
services in Edo state.
5. To determine
problems militating against marketing of library services in Edo State.
6. To examine
strategies for enhancing marketing of library services in Edo state.
1.4
Research Questions
This following
research questions guided this study:
1. What are the
needs for marketing library service for sustainable and development of academic
library in Edo State?
2. What library
services are available for marketing in academic libraries in Edo State?
3. To what
extent are library services marketed for sustainable and development of
academic libraries in Edo state?
4. What current
techniques are employed in marketing of library services in academic libraries
in Edo state?
5. What problems
are militating against marketing of library services for sustainable and
development in Edo State?
6. What are the
strategies adopted for the enhancement of marketing of library
services for
sustainable and development of in Edo State?
1.5
Scope of the Study
This study centered on marketing of
Academic libraries services in Edo State Nigeria. Terms of geographical scope,
the study will be restricted to academic libraries in Edo State. In terms of
content, it will investigate marketing library and information services in
academic libraries. It will cover the need for marketing library services,
services rendered in academic libraries, current techniques employed in
marketing of library services, problems encountered in marketing of library
services and strategies for enhancement of marketing library services. However,
the study will be limited to universities in Edo State. Other forms of tertiary
institution will be excluded in the study. University of Benin and Ambrose Alli
University will be used as a case study in this research.
1.6
Significance of the Study
The findings of this study will be
significant to the following: all academic institutions, administration,
library committees, librarians, users and researchers.
In specific
terms the findings will be significant to academic institutions administration
in the area of policy formulation by providing a road map on the information
resources and services to be provided to users in order to satisfy their
information needs. It is hoped that that it will create awareness to the
library committee as regards the strategies to enhance effective marketing of
library services to users.
This work will
also educate librarians on how to effectively and efficiently market library
products and services. It will also assist them in identifying their lapses and
hence improve on their services by attracting, satisfying, and retaining users
in the library. The findings will also be useful to users by creating awareness
on the various services available in the library. The users will get an
improvement in the services offered as a result of the recommendations of this
study. The research will also contribute to the existing body knowledge in
marketing library services and build on the knowledge of the problems in
academic libraries in Nigeria. The findings of this study will provide
background information for other researchers researching on various marketing
techniques in Nigeria libraries.
1.7 Operational
Definition of Terms
Marketing:
Anticipation and stimulation, facilitation, regulation and satisfaction of
consumer and public demand for products, services, organizations, people,
places, ideas, through the exchange process.
Academic Libraries: These are libraries
are libraries attached to tertiary institutions such as universities,
polytechnics and colleges of education, colleges of agriculture, colleges of
technology and also research institutes.
Information:
Meaningful communication symbols transferred between any two points in human
communication or machine networks. It is also a processed and organized data
for meaningful purpose, which could be in different forms or sources.
Students: A
group of people attending school such as universities, polytechnics, etc, with
a view to acquiring knowledge and skills needed to function in their immediate
environment and society at large.
Resources: Resources refers to those available
materials in the laboratory for medical which aimed at meeting the need of the
students in the library.
Tertiary
Institution: This refers to as the third stage, third
level and post secondary education in the higher learning.
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