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Preparing for the millennium: the case for using marketing strategies - Marketing of Library and Information Services
Library Trends, Wntr, 1995 by Darlene E. Weingand
ABSTRACT
The new millennium is approcahing and libraries must develop creative problem-solving strategies if they are not only to survive but also to thrive. Societal change, technological development, and economic retrenchment all pose significant challenges for libraries. This article proposes that the former positive and comfortable attitude toward libraries no longer holds, and that marketing must be added to the managerial toolbox so that libraries can become client-centered and client-focused institutions. As an overview to this Library Trends theme issue on marketing, this article presents marketing components in the context of a customer orientation.
INTRODUCTION
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How can the use of marketing principles improve the management of libraries? How can marketing help library staff to serve their clients more effectively? Is marketing a trend in a long series of trends that may be popular today but fade into history tomorrow? What is the point of expending staff time and energy on yet another learning endeavor? These are serious questions - questions that will be addressed by this article and by those that follow in this issue of Library Trends.
When considering a group of questions, the underlying question is always the one that begins with why. In this case, why marketing? This is the philosophical underpinning that must be answered if other questions are to have meaning. It is important that this question be asked, particularly in the light of current writing in the popular press. Verity (1994) states that "the Information Revolution is reaching critical mass. At its core is the accelerating shift from material information media - including paper, photographic film, videotape, and modeling clay - to computer-based simulations of those media. By no means are paper or books or libraries going to disappear completely. But their traditional presence and significance in our culture, and the degree to which they've informed our concepts of self, identity, and consciousness, seem poised to fade as seemingly cheaper, less polluting, more flexible, and more attention-grabbing digital media come to the fore" (p. 12). If the library is not only to survive but thrive as the twenty-first century dawns, the "why" question is of paramount importance.
Why Marketing?
Historically, the library - whether public, academic, school, or special - has been regarded as a "good thing." From the early days of subscription libraries, when people joined into collaborative groups that could afford in common what individuals could not, libraries have enjoyed a positive and comfortable relationship with users. However, such a relaxed interaction is difficult to sustain in a time of economic retrenchment, social change, and technological innovation. When these forces are tugging at financial stability and the social fabric, funders learn quickly to analyze where monies are being spent and what types of expenditures will provide the most perceived benefit. Yesterday's library support falters in the cold light of today's fiscal pragmatism. How can today's library successfully rethink its position and adapt its operations to function effectively in this new environment? The answer lies in effective use of marketing strategies.
Marketing can be viewed as a process of exchange and a way to foster the partnership between the library and its community. Kotler (1988) states that, "[f]or exchange to take place, [there are] five conditions [that] must be satisfied:
1. There are at least two parties.
2. Each party has something that might be of value to the other party.
3. Each party is capable of communication and delivery.
4. Each party is free to accept or reject the offer.
5. Each party believes it is appropriate or desirable to deal with the other party. (p. 6)
If a partnership is to be successful, both partners must believe that the relationship has balance and equity. Therefore, if the library and its community are to be partners, both need to perceive that they are deriving a benefit from the exchange of goods and services. Crompton and Lamb (1986) assert that: "Citizens don't buy programs or services; they buy the expectation of benefits" (p. 10). This perception of mutual benefit is essential to sustaining the partnership for the long term. If it is absent, or the balance is regarded as unequal, then the partnership is in jeopardy. The consequences can range anywhere from declining support to outright termination of the relationship.
In order to nurture the partnership between the library and its community, marketing strategies can be an effective tool. Marketing comprises a series of activities that begin with identifying the needs of the community (those individuals and groups that form the library's service area) and end with communication back to the community about the library's response to those needs. In between, a spectrum of planning and marketing efforts carries the entire process forward.
However, Kotler and Andreasen (1987) contend that: "A first requirement for effective, successful marketing in any organization is that the organization have a clear, deeply ingrained appreciation for what marketing is and what it can do for the organization" (p. 35). In the following discussion, the spectrum of efforts will be introduced in an effort to foster that sense of appreciation. Other articles in this issue will explore them in more detail.
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