Marketing intangibles: the case of library services in higher education institutions

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the adoption of marketing techniques in academic libraries in Ghana, and how they are applied in the promotion of their services to patrons. Design/methodology/approach Adopting the qualitative research approach, a total of 21 professional and para-professional library staff from three private universities participated in the study. The main data collection instrument was the use of semi-structured interviews. Data gathered was analysed, discussed and presented thematically. Findings The findings revealed that the study's participants are fully aware of the benefits of inculcating marketing activities into their daily routines and were making efforts at making their users aware of their products and services with the use of various strategies including the deployment of social media tools. Some of the challenges that were discovered to hinder the success of marketing in the libraries were lack of funds, lack of knowledge of marketing techniques by staff and a lack of marketing policy to guide marketing in the libraries. Research limitations/implications The findings of this study imply that, even though carried on a few academic libraries, the same can apply to most academic libraries as the characteristics are generally the same. Practical implications To boost marketing initiatives in the selected university libraries, the following recommendations informed by the findings of the study are made: creation of marketing policies, increase use of social networking sites for marketing, organization of seminars and workshops on marketing, diversifying sources of funding for libraries and conducting user surveys. Social implications The implementation of the recommendations has the potential to increase the level of interactions between academic libraries and their patrons as well as impact positively on the information-seeking behaviour of library patrons. Originality/value Apart from the application of works of other scholars, which have been duly cited and acknowledged, the entirety of this study or research output is the result of the handiworks of the researchers. Again, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this work has not been a production of existing research nor is earlier published in any journal.

Marketing of library resources and its impact on the library usage of distance-learning students

“…The finding of the present study is consistent with that of Edewor et al (2016, p. 298), carried out in the African context, who found that libraries rarely adopted social-networking technologies and did not use online marketing strategies to create awareness to their users. In addition, the finding supports the finding of Ofori et al (2020, p. 16) that library orientation is the most common library marketing approach to students in Ghana. Furthermore, in the present study, the quantitative data showed that 52.1% of the distance learners indicated to a very large extent that library marketing facilitated the use of library services and resources.…”

“…The study identified the most frequently adopted marketing strategies in academic libraries in those libraries as flyers, handbills, leaflets, bulletins, newsletters and orientation programmes. In Ghana, research suggests that students define library orientation as the most frequently used tool for library marketing (Ofori et al , 2020, p. 16). Though these strategies are well known in the library arena, the selection and level of application of these tools are used differently for various purposes by individual institutions.…”

Framework for improving usage of library services and resources in the private higher education in South Africa

“…The twenty-first-century information provision function is no longer a monopoly of libraries. Notwithstanding their huge collections, twenty-first-century libraries across the global divide, (including academic libraries), are competing with other information service providers, such as big publishing houses, online book dealers, academic database vendors and the internet in enhancing easy access to information (Ofori et al , 2020). Despite the huge investments and collection development efforts made by academic libraries, research has established that these library collections are often underused, resulting in a waste of time, space and money (Manda, 2005; Kinengyere, 2007; Ndinoshiho, 2010; Baro et al , 2011; Habanabakize, 2018).…”