Marketing and the political environment - Marketing of Library and Information Services

The second step, therefore, is the translation of this product (and of as much of its underlying information base as necessary) into common, or at least well-defined, terms so that it makes sense to those outside the cognitive universe of the library field. For instance, instead of proposing an investment in public access terminals for use with the OCLC interloan subsystem, the same concept might be explained as a way to enable a student or professor who requires a book which a university library cannot afford, to borrow that book cheaply and efficiently from another university almost anywhere in the United States or even from somewhere else in the world.

Finally, and most importantly, a product must be shown to have a positive impact, which can be either personal or societal, within the terms of the cognitive universes of the audience of decision makers. For example, some generally perceived problems in our society include overcrowded prisons, ever-expanding welfare rolls, an educational system that seems inferior in some respects to that of Japan, a decline in literacy, a falling standard of living, and the perceived need for American business to compete more effectively in a global market. Can public libraries have an impact in these areas? Do they therefore deserve a larger share of scarce resources? Absolutely. Only people who are literate can hold most jobs. People who have reasonable jobs are a great deal less likely to end up either in prison or on the welfare rolls. Literacy improves the business climate because a literate work force is far more adaptable and trainable than an illiterate one. Good business conditions mean good jobs and a higher standard of living for all. Public libraries promote literacy by strengthening the reading skills of children during summers when most of our schools (unlike those in Japan) are not in session. Public libraries usually direct anyone who wants to learn to read to professional literacy programs and supports such programs with masses of reading material which are freely available to all. Public libraries are a window of access to a wide range of private and governmental programs as well as information concerning how and where to obtain education and jobs and how and where to seek retraining when changes in the workplace leave workers behind. Public libraries provide businesses with information on almost everything (ranging from new product markets to the effects of changing governmental regulation) required to maintain a competitive edge.

This final step, which is adaptable to any kind of library and almost any type of program or request, consists of simply seeking to translate what we perceive as the good offered by our institutions and services into concepts understandable and persuasive to an audience not necessarily familiar with our cognitive universe. In short, rather than trying to convince those who control resources in the political process to change their own world views to encompass our products, we must instead try to demonstrate how our products will benefit or improve the worlds those decision makers already understand.