MARKETING OF LIBRARY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES AND ITS CHALLENGES TO PROFESSIONALS

MARKETING OF LIBRARY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES AND ITS CHALLENGES TO PROFESSIONALS

Background of the study

Academic libraries are transforming in the new information age as a result of quickly changing media technologies, increased user tastes and expectations, competition from other information sources such as the internet, and shrinking library funding. This necessitates library and information science professionals proactively reorienting themselves and libraries as information superhighways that individuals cannot live without.

Marketing is seen as an important element of the competences required by library and information science workers. Before library professionals can adequately and effectively market library services and information, Igbokwe (2019). emphasise that librarians should be competent in all aspects of librarianship, including basic foundational knowledge in librarianship, readers' services, information and communication technologies (ICTs) handling and use, reference services, and so on. Librarians must be informed, skilled, and have positive characteristics or dispositions in these key components of librarianship. Marketing is fundamental and is seen as critical in the management process for marketing information products and services. Marketing expertise may help libraries gain a competitive advantage over rivals, and they can do this and better please users by developing new services or making modifications to current ones. In other words, marketing competency may increase organisational standing and librarian image, resulting in improved library performance.

Unfortunately, several studies have revealed librarians' professional misunderstanding of the marketing idea and its relevance to librarianship. Marketing, according to most library executives, is only appropriate and relevant to for-profit enterprises. Chandra (2019) assert that  due to a lack of training and awareness of marketing tools and strategies, as well as a fear of commercial exposure, most librarians do not properly advertise library resources, services, and products. Marketing is viewed as deceptive, unprofessional, and a waste of time and money by some librarians.

Similarly, Adeyoyin (2015) identified a lack of business skills among academic librarians, as well as a lack of interest in the notion and idea of marketing mix among librarians and library top management, as a difficulty in product marketing. These circumstances can be traced to shortcomings in the library school curriculum's marketing concepts and principles. These issues also contribute to limited patronage of library information resources, goods, and services. As information specialists, librarians require appropriate knowledge, abilities, and qualities of marketing concepts, as well as a clear understanding and appreciation of marketing's relation to librarianship. Librarians must engage in marketing and employ marketing ideas and tactics to persuade and attract people to the library's resources and services. Academic libraries have a vital obligation to offer timely access to information resources, both print and non-print, that satisfy the curriculum and programme demands of students and teaching staff.

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