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Marketing and Promotion of Academic Library Services in India: Catching the

Missed Bus

Conference Paper · September 2006

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 Marketing and Promotion of Academic Library Services in India: Catching
the missed bus
Have we missed the bus?

Much has been written about "information as the commodity" and "Economics of information"
and other related concepts. There is also no dearth of literature about "marketing for not-for-
profit" organizations and organizations falling within the purview of "service organizations". It's
exciting and quite meaningful to apply the concepts of latest marketing principles, processes
and methods to academic libraries and evaluate their significance, probability and scope of
profitable customization and adoption. It is perhaps more important to set our basics right i.e
to strengthen ourselves in what we deal in. At the very outset let us revise some myths
(though not so prevalent) :

● Marketing is sales,
● Marketing is promotion, and
● Academic library services and products are mot marketable.

This notion that services of academic libraries cannot be marketed is the biggest block in
acceptance and adoption of marketing activities by university libraries of India. It's never too
late and the bus is always there. Its just about fastening our belt and board the bus for a long
and fruitful ride.

Marketing:

Michael J Baker (1987) suggests that real marketing has four essential features. It:

1. Starts with the customer

2. [takes] a long run perspective
3. [make] full use of all the company's resources
4. is innovative

The Chartered Institute of Marketing defines marketing as: ... the management process
responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer needs profitability.

Academic Libraries(ALs) in the university setup of Indian higher education system:

Information is special as it is so easy to spread, but so hard to control

Information is special as It is easy to create, but hard to trust.

An academic library is an integral part of an academic institution such as a university or

college. An academic library supports the curriculum and research needs of its students,
faculty, and staff. Academic libraries are considered to be the nerve centres of academic
institutions and must support teaching, research, and other academic programmes. The
situation in academic libraries of India is the same as that of academic libraries the world over;
however, Indian libraries must provide maximum information with limited resources.(taken
from your paper). The most crucial role to be played by ALs is to support the academics in the
best possible way by working continuously in the direction of fulfilling information needs of the
clientele by providing optimum information solution with the available resources. The
expectations are high from the users' end, they want everything in their respective area of
interest in a well-organised manner. They want everything available to them right now in their
subject area, everything that will be available to them in future and also everything that's
available to others and not to them so that they can find ways and means to procure those
resources.

ALs provide comprehensive information solutions or rather they try to provide complete
information solution and so they are termed as "nerve centres" or "backbone" of any
academic institutions. Promotion shows a way to ALs to simplify their tasks by offering timely
library services- right time, right place, right people, the right way. ALs in India have not
adopted Promotional Methods very strongly nor they have visualized promotion as a
component of marketing. They lack heavily the concept of "Integrated Marketing
Communications".

No doubt, there are issues to be faced by them, they are facing the problem of limited
infrastructure and human resources available to them but they will have to have gone for
marketing and promotion (M&P) processes. They will have to understand that M&P can itself
solve they're many of problems in many ways.

Subsequent sections of this paper will address the ways and means for ALs to adopt M&P,
how to plan it and how to execute it. We will also be discussing the holistic theory of M&P and
its implications for academic libraries of Indian academic libraries which are very much
applicable to any other academic library willing to go for M&P.

The goal of M&P may vary for academic libraries, special libraries and public libraries. Panjab
University Library is an academic library and considering it to be a typical representative of
ALs of India and other developing countries where the potential of M&P is still not harnessed,
we will focus on an academic library.

Where we stand: The Ratings

In India, the university libraries have different degrees and level of M&P process. The rating
may be done as follows:
Good: There are few Special libraries are which are presently marketing their services.
There may be one or two libraries having rating "good" with regard to marketing
and promotion activities.
Average: In this case, one can find M&P activities slowly picking up. But a coordinated
and systematic effort is absent. The library may be lacking in formulating M&P plans
in certain areas or services. There may be lack of futuristic approach and well-
defined vision. They may be practising M&P with a very narrow scope.
Poor: No M&P activities and plans whatsoever.

Marketing Barriers for University libraries of India

The first and foremost barrier for marketing to begin is the lack of vision, planning and
initiative, undefined responsibility and accountability. Traditional library setup does not provide
much scope for undertaking marketing and promotion initiatives especially when we talk of job
responsibility of the professionals working in the academic libraries if India. Libraries have to
concentrate on finding ways and means of making the library fit and capable of the
promotional campaign. The whole library setup needs to be looked fresh. The human
resource of the library is working in the age-old traditional library setup doing only traditional
activities of classification and cataloguing thus leaving very limited scope for taking new
initiatives and innovations. Staff are not encouraged to think beyond their traditional 9 to 5 job,
even if they have got some innovative idea they are put in the cold box. The strength of staff
is also not adequate to carry out the whole promotional activities in a very planned manner.

The professionals also lack marketing and promotional skills which is essential to attain the
goal. Fear of taking up a new task and fear of failure also proves to be an obstacle. Libraries
also fail to arrange budget, howsoever small, for M&P.
Zauha, Samson, and Christin have suggested the following marketing barriers:

1. Old models - many librarians work on the old model of existence by mandate or
"should(s)"
 Students should use library databases to locate quality information for their
papers.
 Faculty should send their students to librarians for assistance.
 Children should be brought to the library to learn about books.
 Middle managers should tap into the corporate library for information.

2. Humility - Too often librarians wait for others to notice that they are doing a good job.
Librarians may be reluctant to capitalize on their strengths and knowledge, while the
general public often does not see the value that information professionals could bring
to sophisticated information challenges.

3. Myth - There is a belief that libraries do not need to be promoted in any special way
because their importance to society should be apparent to all.

4. Old expectations - Librarians and libraries are limited by their traditional image; that
libraries offer books for lending and provide programming for children, but do not
contribute to more sophisticated information needs.

5. Lack of training and education - Often librarians do not promote library services well
due to lack of training and knowledge of marketing tools and techniques. Shamel notes
that although marketing is more widely discussed and accepted professionally than in
the past, this acceptance hasn't necessarily resulted in more marketing classes in
library schools' curricula. Despite the growing literature on library marketing, there
remains a lack of familiarity with the total marketing concept among librarians.

6. Confusion - There is confusion about what the term marketing means. Much of this
has to do with the interchangeability of terms such as 'promotion', 'public relations',
'publicity', and 'marketing'. There is also confusion about marketing libraries; the
perception is that marketing is a business tool and not applicable to library settings.

7. Fear - Librarians are often reluctant to borrow from the private sector. They have a fear
of commercial publicity and see marketing as manipulative, a waste of time and
resources, and unprofessional.
 8. Passive vs. active stance - Rather than selling the library on its value and letting
people know what the library or information centre offers, librarians often wait for
customers to come to them. Rather than pushing out responses to anticipated
information needs to customers, librarians wait for customers to stop by the facility or
stumble across the library website.

9. Complex and complicated task - Marketing is a complicated problem for libraries

because of their wide range of products and services from books to Internet access,
and an extremely diverse audience that ranges from children to seniors, public officials
to business people, and students to faculty, etc.

10. Money and attitude - Lack of funds is often used as a reason or excuse not to
market. However, marketing library services is not simply a matter of spending dollars
on promotion and advertising. Marketing is also a matter of improving the customer's
experience of library services. The attitude of the library director and the staff as they
interact with customers is what shapes customers' experiences and 'markets' the
library to those customers.
Solutions:

Academic libraries not tuned to M&P can do so easily as they already have the goodwill of
everyone who has gained a love of learning. There are a number of activities libraries are
already doing which will boost promotion activities. This includes user study, assessment of
user needs, a study of information seeking behaviour, assessment of user satisfaction etc.
Librarians and professionals working in the library have to be more aware and alert regarding
the advantages of M&P. Developing a vision and flair for marketing should be the first priority.
They have to understand that promotion can not only enable them to survive but to excel by
reaping the benefits of M&P. It can boost their decreasing financial status and increase their
visibility in the university manifold. To start a promotion campaign libraries will have to

● create and develop an M&P team

● Impart training and skill required for the task
● repurposing HR instead of outsourcing
● develop cost-effective methods for M&P

Thrust Areas:

● Excellent M&P Strategies and Practices

● exploit all means and methods for M&P of all the existing library services including old
and traditional library services
● Futuristic and Continuous Approach
● Always look for new services that can be offered to the users and formulating M&P
strategies for them.
● Continuous process of discovering new and innovative ways or methods for M&P of all
the library services

The significance of Marketing and Promotion for Academic Libraries:

● Enhancing financial strength of the library

 ● Provides more visibility and value in the university setup
● It leads to the optimum usage of the library services and products thus supporting the
vision of library strongly.
● Promotion leads to comprehensive user satisfaction by full filing the user demands and
expectations in the best possible manner.
● Promotion facilitates current users to avail library services more often and in a better
way as- well as it converts potential users into actual users.

Need for the adoption of M&P for university libraries:

The Total Product Concept:

Theodore Levitt (1986) argued that products need constantly to be kept one step ahead of
customer expectations in order for products to maintain their competitiveness. This is referred
to as the total product concept.

Lack of well-organized marketing and promotional campaign will have following

consequences:

● Many library services will remain unused or underused. Library looses the opportunity
to attract potential users and current users may stop availing the library services. The
library may witness "sad demise" or "death of a service" due to no takers of those
services.
● Low satisfaction level among library clienteles.
● The wrong message is conveyed to the users and higher authorities thereby tarnishing
the image of the library which may lead to budget cut.
● Negligence and ignorance of the library by the stakeholders

Moreover, there is need and compulsions for universities to generate revenue for self-
sustaining their existence and services. University libraries as an integral part of the university
system cannot be isolated or remain un-effected from this scenario for a long time.

Sass, Rivkah K., Shamel, Cynthia L, Zauha, Jan, Sue Samson, and Cindy Christin have given the
following reasons of marketing:

1. Competition for customers - Libraries is part of a highly competitive service industry.

Competition comes from mega-bookstores, online book dealers, consultants, the
Internet community, and individual customers who feel they can go it alone. Libraries
are no longer the only information show in town. Free web access to information is
here to stay and non-library and fee access information providers won't hesitate to
market to library customers.

2. Competition for resources - Libraries of all types have to compete with other
organizations or departments for funds. Public libraries have to vie for public monies
that provide for their existence. Special libraries find their funding is frequently targeted
during parent organization budget cuts. Marketing library services benefit the bottom
line.
 3. Maintain your relevance - As noted by Zauha, Samson, and Christin, libraries need to
market themselves to remain connected with their communities and have some
bearing on real-world issues and present-day events.

4. Stop being taken for granted - Libraries need to convey what is unique about the
access and services they provide. Both customers and librarians cannot assume that
libraries will always be available.

5. Promote an updated image - Librarians are not perceived as well-trained,

technologically savvy information experts. Most customers do not see the demanding
information management responsibilities of a librarian.

6. Visibility - Shamel believes that librarians are not on the radar screens of many
people who think of themselves as information literate. People who are in positions to
employ librarians are not reading much in their professional literature about a librarian's
value. In A Place at the Table: Participating in Community Building (ALA Editions,
2000), Kathleen de la Pena McCook found that libraries were virtually invisible to the
movers and shakers who wanted to revitalize their communities.

7. Valuable community resource - Libraries are and should be viewed as essential and
valuable community resources. Sass says that people need to be made aware of the
services and products that are provided and their comparative value. Librarians should
be the resource that the local power structure goes to for information.

8. Rising expectations - Library users expect recognition, attention, and appreciation for
their individual information needs. Customers also have ever-changing needs and want,
which makes the library market as dynamic as retail markets. Marketing helps to create
an environment in libraries that fosters customer consciousness among employees.

9. Survival - Libraries depend on the support of others for their existence. A library must
communicate and work with its customers and governing/funding entities to provide
information about what the library is doing and to enable the library to learn about the
community it serves.
10. Beneficial to library image - Effective marketing can among other things: increase
library funds, increase usage of services, educate customers and non-customers,
change perceptions, and enhance the clout and reputation of the library and its staff.

Promoting Library Services: Getting Started

Market research helps libraries in knowing the decision-making processes of user groups.
This knowledge of user group plays a key role in selecting the right promotional tool. Methods
of promotion vary from one user group to another. It also depends on the type of library
services to be promoted.

Promotion involves the description of the services requiring publicity, description of the
audience at which publicity is targeted, details of the campaign method to be employed
including the type of publicity to be used and methods of distribution, executive of the
campaign, analysis of campaign performance.
Promotion is one of the core components of marketing process but libraries have to bear in
mind that it is not the first step that has to be followed and one can not jump directly on
promotion campaign without considering the previous steps.

Aim of promotion of library services for a university library

(i) Sales (profit oriented)

(ii) Quality Service, User satisfaction, Library advocacy
(iii) Profit through: Quality Service, User satisfaction, Library advocacy

In an academic library, the aim should not only earn money but to working in a direction to
materialize the vision of the library. Keeping in view the five laws of library science
propounded by Dr. S.R. Ranganathan, the library must do the best to optimize the library
services for the complete satisfaction of readers'. When we combine (i) and (ii), what we
achieve is advocacy, sustainability and excellence.

Preconditions & Prerequisites

Since Indian libraries have to initiate the process of promotion, they will have to do all the
necessary homework so that they don't face any obstacle during the later stages of the
promotional campaign. Some basic considerations that they must adopt are:

(i) Services in bad-shape can't be marketed and promoted.

Marketing and Promotion of faulty and ineffective services will lead to losing the
readers' loyalty towards the service and it will become very difficult to regain the user's
attention or likeness towards the service. It's better if services are made effective and
full-proof and then they are considered for promotion.

(ii) Library services once promoted can't be stopped

Once any library services are identified for promotion can't be stopped for any reasons
as it gives a bad image to the library.

(iii) Multidimensional, comprehensive research work must be done before starting

marketing and promotion activities.

(iv) Creating and developing the conducive environment for service promotion and actual
delivery of services.

Getting Involved

1. Prepare the Vision statement for the library. It is not surprising that the academic
libraries of India still don't have the well-documented vision statement. The vision
should be focused and realistic. Carve out the mission to provide direction for
further planning, and establishing broad parameters for the future.
 2. Perform external analysis. An external analysis examines trends in the marketplace,
the local economic outlook, market types, available financing, and market needs. It will
also focus on the new services provided and marketed by other libraries.

3. Perform internal analysis. An internal analysis looks at your firm’s strengths and
weaknesses with respect to several components like users, library infrastructure and
the human resource available in the library.

3.1 Complete User Assessment

Before we go for the promotion of library services it is very important and essential to assess
what type of users we have? What do they want? What we have? How are we utilizing it?
What are we giving to them? How satisfied are the users? What can be done more and how?
To answer these questions it better to proceed systematically. The first step has been
discussed in detail.
(a) Areas of study:
● Existing users
● Potential users
- members of the library
- Non-members of the library who are eligible to avail library services

● Categorization of users into different target groups and creating user database so as
to develop multi-dimensional promotion program: this will facilitate in developing
diverse promotional methods for the different cross-section of the user community and
introducing new services for each of them according to their need.

● Information needs of the library users: study of users' expectations, likings, disliking,
preferences

● Information seeking behaviour: a study of information seeking behaviour will facilitate

library to streamline the services and services can be more user-driven. It will also help
the library to rectify or modify faulty or ineffective method adopted by any user group.

● Paid Vs Free: users opinion should be taken regarding the charges to be taken by the
users for any particular service. This method or step is very useful when we try to
introduce any new service and before its actual launch, we can assess the users'
attitude regarding the cost criteria. This not only allows the library to estimate and fix a
price tag for a service but also prepares the users' mindset towards paid services.

● User density: seasons, months, timings

This will enable library to analyse the timings when a library service attracts maximum
users
and other usage trends of library services

● Usage statistics of online library resources available on the library website.

For such type of studies, there are many methods which can be adopted like: survey method,
questionnaire, interviews, Internet polls, creating online groups of library users, chat, creating
library blog, feedback forms, suggestion box, feedback and contact mechanisms for student
representatives and volunteers.

(b) Actions to be taken

Based upon the in-depth user survey done in the previous step, several follow-ups are
required by the library to move ahead. This includes: developing plans to reshape library
services according to priorities and demands of user groups, developing promotional
strategies according to user behaviour, strategies to convert potential users into "real-users",
user education etc.

3.2 Assessing Library Infrastructure

“offering quality services with available infrastructure while advocating for adequate resources
in order to provide highly useful services to the library users ”

Once we have done with the user study its time for analyzing our library infrastructure. This
assessment should match with our requirement or rather users' requirements in an ideal
conditions, but in case if it is not, library will have to think about the ways and means to
arrange for the missing resource as without adequate infrastructure libraries will not be able to
optimize their services and marketing and promoting the same will be meaningless. Once
library knows what they have, and once they fine tune their resources in line with What is
expected by the user community, libraries can find out the methods to provide the service
smoothly and enhance their service capabilities. The study of gap existing between the
demand and availability will suggest the action to be taken to make the service as valuable as
users expectations. Such a method adopted for one service may be extended for all the
library services and the effort should be to bridge the gap between “need” and “availability”.

Promotion of library services has a strong relationship with the infrastructure that the library
has for each and every services library offers. This can be explained as follows:

Robust infrastructure facilitates quality service; Quality services lead to real "user satisfaction";
"Satisfied users" work as a catalyst for "Self – Promotion”; Promotion leads to marketing.

Self-Promotion is very significant for libraries having a lesser budget to be spent on the
promotional campaign. The library should have to have acquired the necessary infrastructure
for the broad spectrum of library services ranging from resources for ILL to access and
availability of scholarly e-journals and databases. The infrastructure will include the
components required by traditional library services and the modern IT-enabled library
services. There should also be considerations on the future requirements as the library
incorporates more and more ICT in their day to day tasks and high-end user-driven services
and the rapidly changing scenario because of the latest developments in the information
science arena in the country.

For the in-house jobs of the library, the latest technologies such as RFID is desired. This will
not only enhance the accuracy and efficiency of the day-to-day work of the library but also the
time saved thus can be utilized in offering better library services and in a better way. For the
users, the library must provide the facility for Document Delivery Services, Inter-Library Loan,
Database access, proper place and facility for access to e-journals, Web-OPAC, Digital
Repository for article search and download etc. The library portal plays a vital role in self-
promotion a library and library services. The portal with scholarly rich content will attract more
and more users and the academics will be greatly benefited by it.

The infrastructure should be such that the professionals offering the services must find it
convenient to offer it to the user and the user must be satisfied by the way it is being provided.

3.3 HUMAN RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO THE LIBRARY

The university library will have to study the available human resource of the library. In Indian
university libraries, shortage of library professionals and para-professionals is not very rare.
To run the library services smoothly libraries hires staff for a fixed tenure. Libraries will have
to see how best they can utilize their total human capital for marketing and promotion
campaign. In the university setup, cooperation and coordination with the staff working in the
departmental libraries and affiliated colleges will make the task easier. It will also widen the
network of the user community and the aim of the whole campaign will materialize. The
procedure adopted for this can be put into simple steps:

● Assessment of total strength available

● Assessment of staff available for M&P
● Feasibility study for re-purposing of staff
● Imparting necessary training for handling the marketing and promotion campaign

Consulting the University Business School (running MBA programs and the like) will be very
helpful as the focused, brief and customized training sessions can be organized for M&P
team. Appropriate time which suites both the library and the school can be fixed for the
training session. Certification will be an added advantage as more and more participants will
be encouraged to attend the program as it will also help in achieving Professional
Development Goals of the library staff. The business school can also do the job of evaluation
and categorization of library staff for undertaking the M&P project. assigning right person for
right job plays a crucial role in the success of the marketing efforts.

Categorization may reveal who are the volunteers and are self-motivated to take the
challenge, who are having innovative ideas, persons willing to work, levels of management,
assigning roles and responsibilities. Unless all the precautions are taken by the university
libraries of India and M&P devoid countries, M&P will not give the desired results. All these
initiatives will not only ensure a successful marketing and promotion case but also offer
additional benefits like the improved visibility of the library in the parent organization, self-
catalyzed library advocacy campaign and much more.
The inclusion of departmental libraries and affiliated colleges can facilitate a wide,
comprehensive and effective promotional campaign. The augmented strength of HR will not
only helpful in avoiding outsourcing but also a very meaningful re-purposing of staff will be
achieved.

4. Identifying Marketable Services

This step is very crucial as here we have to study the present services that are being offered
by the library, the recently launched services and the services which can be adopted by the
library in near future. Here the external study will also help in evaluating the services that are
being offered by other libraries and which are not currently offered to the library in question.
Once the marketable library services are being identified it will become very easy to proceed
further and make the plan of action for marketing and promotion of library services. The
results may be initially disappointing in the sense that very few services may come out to
have "marketing appeal" or value. The real task is to convert those "inactive" liabilities into
"active" and "profitable responsibilities".

5. Optimization of library services

After going through all the steps and stages discussed above the library is now in a position to
move ahead. Now the library has the database of what library has, what users want and how
it can be offered to the users. The question is how to accomplish these goals in the best
possible manner.

The library will have to think upon certain issues at this stage like: Are the users satisfied with
what we are providing? Are they satisfied with the way we are offering? Is there something
more that can be done in this regard? What new things can be added?

The professionals will have to understand the basic philosophy and vision of the service.
Unless the library service is at its best, promotion can't increase the demand for the service.
It's the service quality which will ultimately enhance the service usage. The objectives of the
service should be very much clear to the person involved. This will help in the understanding
the user need and time delays can be avoided.

Predefined service policy:

● Service eligibility criteria according to the different categories of user groups.

● Service timings: expanded service hours and timely services.
● Scope and coverage: well-defined, what can be had and what not.
● Simplified procedure for user convenience.
● Conveniently located and easily reachable.
● Pricing model to be adopted: affordable and cost-effective.
● HR deployed.
● Alternatives.
● Suitable promotion policy.

User-driven services will become the strongest tool of promotion of library services. Efforts
must be there for value addition to the services so that the user avails the service again and
again. The library must sort out the USP – Unique Selling Proposition of every service
which can be the carrier for the promotion of that particular service. The USP can be utilized
for Branding of the library service. The strength and weakness of a particular service may be
assessed through SWOT analysis.
The USP of a service makes it different than any other. It's the one reason marketers think
consumers will buy the product even though it may seem no different from many others just
like it. It gives users the reason why they should avail the service and not from anywhere else.
It holds the unique benefits that your products or services offer library users. The library
service will be known by its USP. Let the USP of the service promote the service itself.

The library website and the library guide must contain all the above information specially the
service policy and other useful details. This will minimize the wastage of time and user will be
prepared to avail the service without any confusion and inconvenience. Such measures will
ensure right service to the right person at the right time by a right person in a right way at a
right price.

Applying Six Sigma for removing defects in library services for service optimizing will be an
expert but complex phenomenon. Six Sigma approach is not limited to manufacturing sector
but for the service sector also thus allowing libraries to be assessed and judged through Six
Sigma model.

Six Sigma:

Six Sigma is a data-driven approach that helps an organization in bring down inefficiencies
and save time and money by reducing "quality variations". In medical terms, we can say that

six sigma does not treat the symptoms and provide quick fixes but it gets to the grass roots of
the problem and deals with it at the very fundamental level. It expedites and optimises the
organizational processes. Some Six Sigma features:

● Strong customer -oriented approach that relies on data to create more efficient
processes or refine existing processes

● Under the prescribed specifications, there cannot be more than 3.4 defects (defined as
anything that doesn't add value to the end customer), per million opportunities

● You can apply it to anything, from making a movie to manufacturing truck tyres!!!

● It needs the unstinted support of organizational leaders and emphasises teamwork and
lifelong evolution of practices and processes

Methodology

Six Sigma has two key methodologies – DMAIC and DMADV. DMAIC is used to improve an
existing business process. DMADV is used to create new product designs or process designs
in such a way that it results in a more predictable, mature and defect free performance.
Sometimes a DMAIC project may turn into a DFSS project because the process in question
requires a complete redesign to bring about the desired degree of improvement.

DMAIC
* Define formally define the process improvement goals that are consistent with customer
demands and enterprise strategy.
* Measure to define baseline measurements on current process for future comparison. Map
and measure process in question and collect required process data.
* Analyze to verify relationship and causality of factors. What is the relationship? Are there
other factors that have not been considered?
* Improve optimize the process based upon the analysis using techniques like Design of
Experiments.
* Control setup pilot runs to establish process capability, the transition to production and
thereafter continuously measure the process and institute control mechanisms to
ensure that variances are corrected before they result in defects.
* Report implement reports communicating the variances to the process over time to the
proper stakeholders. The report steps go along with control in many cases and may
not appear on all implementations.

DMADV
* Define formally define the goals of the design activity that are consistent with customer
demands and enterprise strategy.
* Measure identify CTQs, product capabilities, production process capability, risk
assessment, etc.
* Analyze develop and design alternatives, create high-level design and evaluate design
capability to select the best design.
* Design develop detail design, optimize design, and plan for design verification. This
phase may require simulations.
* Verify design, set up pilot runs, implement production process and handover to process
owners.

Six Sigma can be applied to all the processes and tasks discussed above including service
optimization. It is applicable in user assessment, library infrastructure assessment, human
resource assessment, identification and categorization of library services etc. If followed
honestly it can exert immense leverage and synergy.

6. Promoting Library Services

Promotion is all about informing your users what you do and what you can do. Promotion is
the visible part of marketing. The 4th "P" of the marketing mix is promotion the other being
product, place and price. Promotion lets users know what the library has to offer. The
marketing process has many steps like marketing audit, market research, plan of action,
setting up of goals and objectives, developing strategies and implementing them. Promotion
doesn't happen until these steps are completed. Understanding library strengths and
weakness and knowing the readers are assets in successful promotion strategies.

Promotion is most successful when the selected product, the target market, and the
marketing plan goals are based on research.

Market research helps libraries in knowing the decision-making processes of user groups.
This knowledge of user group plays a key role in selecting the right promotional tool. Methods
of promotion vary from one user group to another. It also depends on the type of library
services to be promoted.

Promotion involves the description of the services requiring publicity, description of the
audience at which publicity is targeted, details of the campaign method to be employed
including the type of publicity to be used and methods of distribution, executive of the
campaign, analysis of campaign performance.

Promotion is one of the core components of marketing process but libraries have to bear in
mind that it is not the first step that has to be followed and one can not jump directly on
promotion campaign without considering the previous steps.

Aim of promotion of library services for a university library

● Sales (profit oriented)

● Quality Service, User satisfaction, Library advocacy
● Profit through: Quality Service, User satisfaction, Library advocacy

In an academic library, the aim should not only earn money but to working in a
direction to materialize the vision of the library. Keeping in view the five laws of library
science propounded by Dr. S.R. Ranganathan, the library must do the best to optimize
the library services for the complete satisfaction of readers'. When we combine (i) and
(ii), what we achieve is advocacy, sustainability and excellence.

7. DEVELOPING A TARGETED & FEASIBLE M&P PLAN

Academic libraries of India should follow the "Integrated Marketing Communication"(IMC)

approach for promoting the services offered by the library. Integrated Marketing
Communication is a management concept that is designed to make all aspects of marketing
communication such as advertising, sales, promotion, public relations, and direct marketing
work together in a cohesive and coherent manner as a unified force, rather than permitting
each to work in isolation. It is an aggressive marketing plan that captures and uses an
extensive amount of customer information in setting and tracking marketing strategy.
Academic libraries by following IMC approach can achieve a great success in their marketing
and promotion efforts. A marketing communication plan has the following elements:

1.The pretext of the promotional campaign:

What is the context of the communication activity? This section briefly outlines challenges
barriers, opportunities, relevant research, and other key factors.

2.Goal

The library must determine and define goals of the promotional campaign. Questions to be
answered include: why do you want to do media or advocacy outreach? Goals are big picture
outcomes, example converting potential library users into actual users or the library must
generate this much revenue in the current year by offering library services to the users.

3.Objectives

The library has to determine the objectives derived out of the broader goals. Objectives
answer the question "What will be accomplished?" Objectives are specific and quantifiable.
One goal may have several objectives.

Example: Website visitors will double during the coming year.

4. Positioning Statement

The positioning statement answers the question "How do you want the library to be
perceived"? It focuses on the image of the library to be built up among the target audience.
The positioning statement must be drafted and visualized very carefully as the library image
building relies on it.

5. Shaping the key message

The key message contains the most important message the library wishes to deliver. The key
message should be simple, meaningful, repeated, in line with the library mission, appropriate
for particular events that are hosting or programs library is sponsoring. The key message(s)
should be boiled down to a tagline like

your library => your learning partner

Get involved- get a library card
@ my library
research@library
knowledge@desktop

6. Designing and Outlining Strategies & Tactics

This is one of the most crucial and comprehensive steps in the whole process of promotion
task. In this step, the library is supposed to draft strategies and tactics to be deployed in
promoting the various library services. While formulating strategies following points must be
kept under consideration:

1. same strategies may not work for different category of the target audience
2. same strategies may not work for different library services
3. same strategies may not work for different types of documents like print and electronic
4. promotional strategies must be carried out depending upon the best time suitable for
the strategy when it can find the maximum audience.
5. The ultimate focus should be to maximize the outreach to the community.

8. METHODS AND TOOLS FOR THE PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN

There a number of methods applicable for the promotion of library services. The present
section will focus on the methodologies which are apt for academic libraries where the
concept of marketing and promotion is new and also the libraries find it difficult to pump huge
fund for promotional activities. The basic terminologies remaining the same, the following
methods can be adopted by the library:

● Public and Media Relations

● Advertising

1. Public Relations (PR)

Public relations includes ongoing activities to ensure the company has a strong public image.
Public relations activities include helping the public to understand the company and its
products. Often, public relations are conducted through the media, that is, newspapers,
television, magazines, etc. As noted above, public relations is often considered as one of the
primary activities included in promotions.
Public Relations (PR) may be used by the libraries for communicating, influencing, building
relationships within the members of the parent organization i.e. The university and outside the
organization with other clients who can be the users of the library services customized for
them thus offering universities good financial support. PR helps libraries and its clientele
adopt mutually to each other. PR is the art and science of building relationships between the
library and the library users. PR concentrates more on selling the library products as a whole,
developing a corporate identity or image, and disseminating a clear message to the
community about library mission and goals.
Larger libraries may have separate PR departments and budgets exclusively allocated for the
purpose. PR and publicity are not synonyms. Publicity is the spreading of information to gain
public awareness for a product, service, candidate etc. It's just one technique of PR.

IFLA definition of PR

Glossary of Marketing Definitions from IFLA defines PR as

“the form of communication management that seeks to make use of publicity and other use of
publicity and other non-paid forms of promotion and information to influence feelings, opinions
or beliefs about the agency/library and its offerings. This a traditional form of communication
for library management, as paid advertising media is rarely used.

The best part about PR is "more often than not it is free" As PR forms one of the core
components of marketing, the libraries should consider PR as a significant tool for promoting
the various library services. In a university setup, academic libraries can work in coordination
with the public relations officer of the university.

The PR office (PRO) of the university can contribute to promoting the library in the following
ways:

1. The PRO delivers each and every event that takes place in the library.
2. It can deliver any news related with the library.
3. Announcements for forthcoming events and activities may be done by the PRO.
4. News regarding any new resources (any electronic database or any scholarly e-
resource) acquired by the library may be passed on to the community.
(ii) Media Relations:

According to the American Library Association's “A communications Handbook for libraries”

Media Attention/Publicity Can:

1. increase public awareness of the programs, professionals and library services.

2. enhance participation of public and private partners.
3. create, change, build, or enhance the image of the library.
4. encourage contribution of money, resources (infrastructure), services, and time.
5. Work for library advocacy by impressing the authorities of the university, local city
authorities, state government thus winning their support.
6. It facilitates reaching the unreached or never reached audiences.
7. Clarify misunderstandings about what libraries do and how they are financed.
8. Mobilize representatives of different sections o the society to become active supporters
of the library efforts.
9. Helps networking with local, regional, national and international libraries and other
important organizations.

According to the “Association of Research Libraries and SPARC” document “Media Map:
Charting a media relations strategy” the benefits of good press can be extraordinarily
rewarding:

It can bring recognition to employees whose hard work would otherwise go unnoticed. In
other cases, it can place your institution in a position of influence and power. In addition, it
can support fundraising appeals or help a library director or employee become a solid source
for future stories on related issues. Whether press is intended or unintended, positive or
negative, depends greatly on the way you communicate with the media. To know them may
not be to love them Ð but understanding what makes them tick goes a long way.
Alison Buckholtz in his Media Map: Charting a media relations strategy in this document
mentions the Dos' and Donts' for the public and media relations activities:
 2. Advertising:

Advertising demands fund: more the fund available with the library, more elaborate and
widespread are the advertising campaign undertaken by it. In a scenario where separate
allocations from the limited budget are not possible for advertising, the library has to try
innovative means and methods for presenting the products and services to the library users.
The best thing for libraries is that the users do visit the library unlike the case of any
commercial company where users buy their products available in the market. In the case of
libraries, we are supposed to promote and publicize our very own library products and
services in our very own library premises. Which means must expenditure can be saved by
localizing the advertising campaign in the library.
Having said that, the library will have to bear in mind that if it is determined to undertake
marketing and promotion in a big way and want to attract the specialized clusters of persons
(like professionals of a local pharmaceutical company, or of an automobile company) it would
have to have made its campaign outreach them. Unless they are told that a particular service
or product is available (having a nominal price tag), they will not be in a position to avail the
service. This must be done and this is quite possible for the university libraries running
industry oriented courses like Pharmaceutics, Engineering, Chemical Engineering,
Biotechnology, Biochemistry and the like. The library acquires many scholarly e-journal
packages, databases and other academic resources pertaining to them for the departments
and the usage can be managed to market the services to companies. In such a scenario the
library along with departments can frame an advertising campaign to maximize the returns
both in terms of quality and profit.

The best way to go for advertising the library resources is to use the library website and the
website of the department. The cost factor almost becomes nil as the website is hosted on the
university main server and the websites are already in existence. The only thing is to increase
the usability of the sites and make them more user-driven. All the details regarding the library
services and products must be made available on the library website. The information must
incorporate the Service Policy and the terms and conditions of the services to be availed.

Advantages of e-advertising:

There are many limitations of the library (building) in terms of advertising. If the library decides
to advertise only inside the library premises, the outreach will be limited to those who
physically visit the library and the impact will be less. Also not all the sections libraries may
not be open 24*7.

● The cost factor may be drastically reduced as not much printed promotional materials
have to be published.
● The website can be accessed "24x7x365", thus the probability of ads being read and
follow-up action by the user. The greater outreach may help libraries achieve their
promotional goal as the access to sales is "24x7x365".
● The necessary skill of designing and updating the website the no more a very
complicated issue and can be done by any of the skilled library professional.
● The service rules and other policies of the library may be given on the library website
very conveniently.
● Re-usability of library website which can be repeatedly used for advertising.
 ● Frequent updating of website possible.
● The website may hold graphics and multimedia-rich advertising content which is likely
to have greater and long-lasting impact in library website visitors.
● Physical and Geographical barriers can be overcome, access and availability can be
augmented. Library services and products may find customers from anywhere in the
world.

The advantages of Internet advertising far exceed that of traditional print publication through
costs, availability, wider consumer markets, and the potential for increased profit margins.
This is very much true for a library also. Considering that traditional printed materials like
pamphlets, glossy sheets, coloured booklets describing the library services and products are
extensively used, the ICT innovations curtsy Internet score more at many aspects of the
marketing process. In traditional print publications, the library has to bear the expenditure of
tasks like ad design for each campaign or promotion, printing fees, and storage facilities to
store the "hardware", Distribution cost, Labour cost, Transportation cost, Postage charges,
Error rectification (if any) charges. If television, cable, radio and other mass media options opt
then the cost increases multifold which academic libraries cant afford.

The core advantages of Internet advertising exceed that of its traditional print predecessor, as
reflected in the lessened costs, the ‘24x7x365' availability, the expanded consumer markets,
and predominantly in the overall profit margin per each consumer.

9. Performance Evaluation:

Performance evaluation is an essential part of any successful project. It includes :

● Evaluating the output of the whole marketing and promotion campaign.

● Researching and refining strategies.
● Creating and refining promotional and sales tactics.
● Re-Implementing the plan.

Some Marketing Ideas and Tips :

Fink, Deborah and Bonnie McCune have suggested the following marketing ideas and
tips:
● A wallet-sized library/business calling card printed with the name, logo, hours,
telephone number and website address of-of the library should be printed and
circulated.

● Colorful, tall, portable and freestanding panels that should be placed strategically in the
library. Each panel can be devoted to a particular message, such as introducing new
computer equipment and advertising resources and services.

● To counter the misperception that using the library's physical resources and services is
an inconvenience now that remote-site access to online resources is available, libraries
should develop additional reasons for users to visit the library by hosting a variety of
 exhibits, receptions, and lectures.
● Make marketing program a team effort by holding the weekly informal meeting with
the staff, writing articles for the weekly staff bulletin and the parent bulletin, and
participating in a "quilters" group of media specialists from other schools.

Sass, Rivkah K. describes things libraries can do to market their worth:

● Have a real budget for marketing.

● Develop creative public service announcements

● Develop catchy placards for the inside and outside of buses that highlight the value of
the staff at the library. Use some of the more unusual questions librarians have
answered next to pictures of local staff members. These posters can also be used in
the library and other locations such as grocery stores and schools.

● Work with database vendors to develop strategies to market electronic resources.

Product-specific marketing materials about these resources would be beneficial to
users and give librarians a chance to highlight the cost of providing these resources.

Marketing Ideas and Tips to Attract Diverse Populations

Fink, Deborah and Bonnie McCune have suggested :

1. A dedicated phone line.

2. Multilingual library assistance for accommodating English, Hindi and the regional language
of the region the library is located.

3. Organize cultural on-site and off-site events to showcase the library's resources and build
alliances with other local diversity-related organizations which can be the potential customer
of library services.

Marketing Ideas and Tips for Virtual Reference Services (VRS)

Linda Wallace and Peggy Barber have suggested the following ways for marketing VRS:

1. Treat your online services like a branch library - Support them with appropriate budget and
staffing for both developing and marketing "the product".

2. Have a communications plan - This plan should complement and extend your library's
overall marketing plan. The look, tone and voice should be consistent with the image of your
library. Assign a coordinator to manage and carry out the plan.

3. Don't forget your most important audience - The most important audience when launching
any new service is staff. All frontline staff needs to be up to speed, know the URL and be able
to answer questions. They should understand both the message and why it's important to the
library.

4. Remember you are only new once - The launch of a new virtual reference service is
newsworthy because it is new and unique to libraries. Be sure to take advantage of it, get out
those news releases and all those radio and TV stations.

5. Focus on what is unique - Online reference services provide an opportunity to focus on

what people say they like best about libraries - the expert, personalized service that librarians
provide.

6. Have a clear and consistent message - Use one message over and over again in all
publicity materials. Make sure your "sales force" (the whole staff, Board, Friends, etc.)
understands the message and is prepared to answer questions. Remember simpler is better.

7. Harness the power of word-of-mouth marketing - Prepare and encourage all frontline staff
to put in a plug for VRS at every opportunity.

8. Track positive feedback - Provide an interactive form for VRS customers to give feedback.
Collect testimonials to use in your next wave of publicity. (Use names only with permission.)
Remind your "sales force" to forward any positive comments they hear to the publicity
coordinator.

9. Work the Web - Seek links with other Web sites of schools, government, and other
organizations to bookmark or link from their homepages. Offer an e-mail newsletter to keep
customers informed of developments.

10. Evaluate - Evaluation is critical to any marketing effort. Track your publicity. Watch and
see what works and what doesn't. Aim to do it better next time.

References:

A Communication Handbook for Libraries. American Library Association. 2004. Available at:
http://www.ala.org/ala/pio/mediarelationsa/availablepiomat/commhandbook.htm

Toolkit for Academic and Research Libraries. The Campaign for America's Libraries.
American Library Association. 2003. Available at:
http://www.ala.org/ala/pio/campaign/academicresearch/academicresearch.htm

Nicholas, Julie. Marketing and Promotion of Library Services : Library and Information
Services in Astronomy III, ASP Conference Series, Vol. 153, 1998

Extreme Makeover: OCLC NextSpace, Issue No.1

Marketing the Library Web-based Training for Public Libraries: Ohio Library Council: 2005

Marketing Treasure (Online Newsletter), Vol 15, no.1 Jan 2006, Promotion Resources.
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Kassel, Amelia. Practical Tips to Help You Prove Your Value. Vol. 16 No.1 Marketing Library
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Fichter, Darlene. Why and How to Use Blogs to Promote Your Library's Services. Vol. 17 No.
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Glossary of Marketing Definitions: Section on Management and Marketing. Available at:

http://www.ifla.org/VII/s34/pubs/glossary.htm

Holt, Glen. Communications Partnerships: Getting Media Pros to Tell the Library Story. 13
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Rava, Hilkka. "Marketing is an Attitude of Mind." 63rd IFLA General Conference - Conference
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