MARKETING LIBRARY AND INFORMATION RESOURCES AND SERVICES IN

A CHANGING WORLD
By
1
EGUIBE, Martina O. (CLN) 2KAJANG, Victor s. (CLN) 3EJOLA, Irene O. (CLN) and
4
ZAKI, Suzanah D. (CLN)
1
National Library of Nigeria, Kaduna Branch, Kaduna State
Email: martinaegwibe@gmail.com/07034973996
2
Library and Information Services Department, National Research Institute for Chemical
Technology, Basawa – Zaria
Email: kajhvictor73@gmail.com/08167248379
3
Library and Information Services Department, Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science
Technology, Samaru – Zaria
GSM: 07030538202
4
University Library, Kaduna State University, Kaduna State
Email: mumycube@gmail.com/08032986381

Abstract
Library and information services provide access to information, ideas, works of information
in any medium regardless of their frontiers. They serve as a gateway to knowledge, thoughts
and culture offering essential support for independent decision making, cultural
development, research and lifelong learning by both individuals and groups. Marketing
library and information resources and services is the process of creating awareness to the
library users concerning the services and activities provided by the library. This paper
explores marketing library and information and information services in a changing world.
The paper discusses understanding the basic concepts of marketing; library and information
services; marketing library and information services; services provided for marketing library
and information services in a changing world. It highlights the challenges of marketing
library and information services in a changing world and concludes that as librarians, there
is for them to understand the concept of marketing, marketing plans, and marketing
management skills to provide effective marketing library and information services, knowing
fully that by marketing we are advertising and promoting the values of library products,
activities, operations and services. And recommended that adequate funding of libraries,
management support, provision of adequate functional information and communication
technology facilities, adequate training and retraining of human resources among others will
go a long way to provide effective marketing library and information service in a changing
world.
Keywords: Marketing, Library, Information Resources, Services, World
INTRODUCTION

Libraries are the information and knowledge foundation of any nation. Library system and
services are provided to serve and support sustainability. Information resources and services
that libraries offer are to fulfil the information needs of the present and future sustainability in
a changing world. Libraries are necessities in our societies because of the unique services
they provide. Libraries as an institution provides information resources and services related
functions to its users community for ease of access and retrieval. In this regards, library
services are range of services offered by a library to the users community with the intent of
promoting the utilization of available resources and processes to facilitate effective services
delivery of teaching, learning and research ideals of individuals, groups or institutions
(Abubakar & Jafaru, 2022).

Ezenwafor (2013), stated that marketing is the process of creating awareness and securing
sustained patronage for a particular product and services. He states further that it is not
enough to know what to produce or how to produce it, when products are not sold, all the
resources producing them tantamount to wastage. That is why vigorous advertising and
business promotions are embarked upon by different business groups and institutions to
attract their customers.

Marketing implies the exchange and relationship between a service provider and services
consumers with the aim of satisfying consumers’ needs. Libraries therefore market their
resources and services by identifying the information needs of their users’ community
acquiring and packaging their resources and services in order to satisfy the information needs
of their users. Thus, the marketing concept is based on then principle of an exchange
occurring between two parties, i.e. the information professionals and the information users.
The main objectives of marketing by libraries is to create an awareness of information
resources and their access, create positive attitudes for users interaction with information
resources and services, and to reduce the burden of any costs and time for user to access the
information they need (Okike & Oyeniye, 2019).

Libraries are considered as organised collections of information resources in different

branches of knowledge for consultation and use in order to acquire knowledge and remain
current in the society. Marketing library and information services represents an integrated
way of offering library services that includes adjustments to environmental influences,
analysis of the needs and goods of current users and potential users, imaginative design of

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services, targeted communication, attractive and conveniently located facilities, and value of
services that exceeds the users of attracting their information needs (Gupta, 2006).
Expectedly, there is the need for marketing library and information services irrespective of
the type of library in a changing world because libraries acquire all types of information
resources and also provide unique services to dissemination of information resources with the
purpose of getting knowledge across to members of the society.

Understanding the Basic Concepts of Marketing:

Marketing is the business function that identifies the customers’ needs and wants, determines
which target markets that organisation can serve best, and designs appropriate product
services, and programmes to serve these markets (Armstrong and Kotler, 1996). Marketing is
communication of the value of your product by advertising, presentation, promotion and
awareness including information, entertainment, persuading, influencing, reminding,
reasoning and adding value to the product or services advertised. Beside this information, it is
also important for you to know the decision to buy your products (Kotler, 2000).

According to the UK Chartered Institute, marketing is the management process which

identifies, anticipates and supplies customers’ requirements efficiently. The essence of
marketing include finding out what the users want, and then setting out to meet those needs
(Dowling, 2006). Marketing is concerned with satisfying the genuine needs and wants
specifically that satisfy customers’ requirement. Marketing requires an able to lead and
catalyze the application of the marketing approach. Marketing is an important functional area
of management and an overall business philosophy which recognizes that the identification,
satisfaction and retention of customers is the way to prosperity. Armstrong (1992), pointed
that marketing consists of all activities aimed at identifying and satisfying customers’ needs
through beneficial exchange with target markets. From the forefront, marketing require:

 Finding out what customers need

 Developing a product or service to satisfy customers’ needs
 Position the products or services to satisfy customers’ needs
 Determining appropriate marketing mix decision to price, promotion and distribute
the products and services.

Marketing is not just about developing and promoting new services, but about bringing
awareness to customers of existing products and services and determining their

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appropriateness (Kotler, 2022). Marketing could then be said to include products design,
marketing research, promotion, and other as enumerated in the functions of getting the right
goals, to the right customers, at the right price and at the price is marketing (Kotler and
Armstrong, 2001).

Duniya (2020), ascertained that marketing is the management, founded which organizes and
directs all those business activities involved in assessing and converting customers to
customers’ purchasing power into effective demand for a specific product or service to the
customers or users as to achieve the profit target or other objectives set by the company. In
summary, marketing is concerned with the identification of needs, analysis of these needs,
creating awareness, exchange and post-exchange activities.

Library and Information Services

Libraries are necessities in our societies because of the unique information resources and
services they provide. Mnzava and Katabalwa (2017), ascertained that Libraries have been
noted to support community development in various areas such as education, economic,
research and health. Experiences show that libraries act as a bridge of information from
information providers such as government, organisations and institutions to the people.
Libraries are considered as organised collection of information resources in different
branches of knowledge for consultation and use in order to acquire knowledge and remain
current and relevant in the society (Adebisi, 2013). Libraries, irrespective of type, academic,
national, public, private, special or school, all acquire and disseminate information resources
and services with the purpose of getting knowledge across to members of the society.

Mohammed (2017) asserted that regardless of which type of library and the environment it is
designed to serve, the basic mission and objectives of information services provision should
be to support and promote natural and social justice, equity, fair play and democratization of
information access and utilisation. He states further that library and information services
agenda should make provision for freedom to seek, identify, retrieve, receive, access, import
and utilise information and ideas of all kinds, and quantum on equal basis by all categories of
customers, regardless of their physical and physiological features and challenges, for their
information, enjoyment, education, research, entertainment, etc. through varied
communication media most suitable to them and their choice.

Library and information services encompasses all series of coordinated activities, functions
and operations that are been carried out in libraries and information centres. These library and

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information services include but not limited to the following: promotion of access to
information and knowledge; connection of people and ideas; commitment to the promotion of
library and information literacy; creating a well conducive learning environment;
procurement of relevant information resources and services; deployment of relevant
information and communication technologies, reference information services; community
engagement, etc (Umar, 2018).With the advancement of information and communication
technologies (ICTs), it is certain that libraries and information centres will continually evolve
and expand the horizons of their information infrastructures and services through marketing
library and information services in order to meet the information needs of their customers in a
changing world.

Marketing Library and Information Services

Marketing in case of libraries in a changing world is necessary to offer benefits to users’

wants, reduce barriers to use and access, persuade and inform the users, and carefully plans to
satisfy users information needs effectively. Marketing library and information resources and
services is so basic that it cannot be considered as a separate function within the library.
Marketing is a central dimension of the entire library operations and services, because it
attracts clients, generates and raises users, awareness of available information resources and
services, which the libraries need as a way of promoting information resources and services
to clients as effectively as possible. Kotler (1999) stated that marketing typically seen as the
tasks of creating, promoting and delivering goods and services to customers and businesses.
He stated further that in marketing, people are involved in marketing 10 types of entities,
which are: goods, services, experiences, events, persons, places, properties, organisations,
information, and ideas. These are all basic operations and functions of library and
information services.

According to Raul (2017), library marketing is the ongoing process of creating awareness to
the library users concerning the services and activities provided by the library. Marketing
library and information services includes users priorities, expectations, individually,
responsiveness, relationship, quality of services, professional skills, competences and value
added services, etc. (Kumbar, 2007). Aggerbeck (2017), states that “the best marketing may
be doing your normal activities but doing them extra-ordinarily well; in other words,
marketing through the ordinary consist of extra-ordinary library services offered by the
librarian and other library staff with the intention of attracting the users with the way the

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library resources and services are offered. Therefore, marketing of Library and information
resources in a changing world should include the provision of effective services to meet and
satisfy the library users’ information needs.

Services Provided for Marketing Library and Information Services in a Changing

World

Marketing library and information resources and services in a changing world entails an
understanding of the objectives of the library, researching the needs of the target market, as
well as the library and its services to meet these needs. It also entails promoting the library
and its services to attract users (Aderibigbe, 2015). Libraries as an institution provides
information resources and services related functions to its users community for ease of access
and retrieval. Abubakar (2019) described the concept of library services as the activities
adopted in any library to deliver information in theory or practical that are valuable to the
users community. Conventionally, library and information services include Bibliography
Compilation, Selective Dissemination of Information, Current Awareness Services, Indexing
and Abstracting, Reference and Information Services, etc. which make it possible for users to
access required information without delay from information resources.

Umar (2018), stated that every type of library is supposedly expected to align its products and
services to meet or exceed the information needs of its customers. In practice, strategic
alignment calls for redesigning, remodeling and rebranding of library and information
services taking into consideration the ever-growing demand for information and the ever-
changing information needs and behaviour of the citizenry. This development, will in no
doubt, make library and information services very attractive, and satisfying in such a way that
citizens will patronize the appropriate item, support them and above all, adore them. Based
on this development, the following services are required in marketing library and information
service in a changing world.

1. Advertisement and Promotion:

For effective marketing of library information resources and services in a changing world,
libraries need to promote their information resources and services through various forms
of advertisement of Current Awareness Services (CAS), Selective Dissemination of
Information (SDI), Indexing and Abstracting Services, etc. so that the library users can be
aware of the information resources and services being offered by these libraries.
2. Consultancy and Advisory Services:

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 Libraries need to provide consultancy and advisory services in marketing library and
information services as a way of raising the image and value of library potentials to the
customers and innovating ideas for them to gain relevance in meeting their information
needs.
3. Packaging of Information:
Libraries need to provide personalised services to meeting the information needs of their
users in a changing world. This requires literature search on specific information that are
relevant and related to respond to the request of the library users. Such literature search
could be done through compilation of bibliographies, online and offline literature search.
Packaging of information is tailored towards specific information needs as a means of
providing personalised services to users. Thus, this personalised service is value-added
service rendered to users.
4. Hyperlinks with Special Information Services:
Hyperlink in marketing library information resources and services will go a long way in a
changing world. This is a specialised information service to specialised user groups and
institutions. This service is provided to maintain a database of users profile for users that
have registered with library under this programme. The database will include information
about their specific subject interests. Librarians in their libraries will make a regular
search of relevant and related information resources on current bases to make available
for the users to meet their specific subject interest.
5. Professional Reference Services:
The need for Professional Reference Services is very much required in marketing library
and information resources and services in a changing world. The professional references
services is for information analysis and research purpose to provide information and
knowledge to library users. This service include helping the individuals, industries,
commercial corporations, scientific and research institutions with their specialised
questions, and helping government organisations in their policy-making decisions in
achieving their aims and objectives.
6. Incubator and Secretarial Services:
Incubator and secretarial service is a special services given to researcher, small-scale
entrepreneurs or publishers that do not have information and communication technologies
facilities. They can make use of the library ICTs facilities to produce their project papers,
advertise their new products in the internet available in the library. Through this service,
the libraries can also provide computer spaces for small business firms to create database
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 or homepages for sometimes until they own their own computer system. These services
can be a form of revenue generation for libraries.
7. Institutional Repositories:
These are series of intellectual products created by facilities, research staff, and students
of an institution to be made accessible to users, this could be journal articles as well as
digital versions of theses and dissertations.
8. Provision of Web Access to OPAC:
The Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) makes it easier for library users to access
and utilize information resources. OPAC is the computer form catalogue that is used to
access information resources electronically.

Challenges of Marketing Library Information Resources and Services in a Changing

World

The major challenge associated with marketing library and information resources and
services delivery by libraries in a changing world are inadequate funding of libraries to
acquire the required relevant facilities to provide information resources and services to
support marketing in library operations, which includes: inadequate management support of
parent institutions, lack of marketing management skills and strategies, lack of understanding
the concept of marketing, lack of adequate information and communication technology
facilities, lack of training and retraining of librarians and library staff in areas relating to
marketing to have relevant current knowledge and skills in marketing to improve in their
services in meeting the information needs of the users to achieve their organisational aims
and objectives for sustainability in a changing world.

Conclusion

It is understood that marketing library and information services in very paramount for
libraries, because it includes finding out what the users want then setting out the services to
meet those needs, by providing the right information to the right users at the right time for the
right purpose, which is typically seen in marketing as a task of creating, promoting and
delivering goods and services to customers and businesses. Therefore, as librarians, there is
the need for us to understand the concept of marketing, marketing plan and marketing
management skills to provide effective marketing of library and information services,
knowing fully that by marketing, we are advertising and promoting the value of library
products, activities, operations and services in a way that library users will know and

7
understand that the libraries are there to meet their information need to achieve their
individual and organisational goals and objectives for sustainability in a changing world.

Way Forward

1. Adequate Funding of Libraries:

There should be adequate funding of libraries by their parent institutions considering the
budget allocation to them to enable them acquire the required information resources and
facilities to provide effective library and information services.
2. Management Support:
There should be adequate management support by the parent institutional management of
libraries to support the library and provide the require enabling environment to allow the
library play their roles in provision of library and information services.
3. Understanding the Concept of Marketing:
There is need for librarians and library staff to have the understanding of marketing,
marketing plan and management skills to enable them market their products and services.
4. There should be provision of adequate functional information and communication
technology facilities and internet connectivity to enable users have access to information
resources around the globe.
5. Adequate Training and Retraining Human Resources:
The management of libraries should engage the management of their parent institutions
on value of regular training and retraining of human resources to acquire the required
skills of marketing of library and information services in a changing world.
6. Users Education:
There is need to educate users to be aware of current information resources, facilities and
usage to enable them have the knowledge of these facilities to meet their information
needs.

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