2. Marketing concept
What is marketing and why market?
- Making known of an e-resource with an aim of
increasing access and use of a resource, to
support quality teaching and research output.
3. How to market e-
resources/marketing tools
TRAINING- Effective training and most
valuable promotional tools of an e-collection.
Helps to limit anxiety associated with
electronic searching.
Effective approaches:
• Top- down training-
• Training as part of library Programme/project
• One-on-one training- to individual users.
• Training as part of information literacy
Programme(also known as freshman’s kitty”).
4. Tips on effective training:
• Esthetic value
• Keep it simple and to the point
• Timely- when required- not during CATS and exam
period
• Right audience- use appropriate databases as
examples
• Acquire promotional tools from the
publisher/consortium/parent institution - makes it
more authentic
• Demonstrate search and access of e-resources at
events initiated by the institution
5. Other marketing tools
Brochures
Share user names
and passwords-
the issue of
usernames
Alerts: thematic e-
resources of the
month;
share Uniform
Resource Locator’s
(URLs); share links
Branding: pens,
writing materials,
flask disks and T-
shirts.
E-resource online
guides favorites,
bookmarks,
6. Marketing tools...
Pins: these are
buttons with a
marketing slogans
e,g Data junkie,
data queen, I love
marketing data.
Word of mouth:
formal or informal
gatherings
Screen severs- E-
resource
Social Media:
facebook, LinkedIn
and twitter
Participate in
promotional
awards
Library newsletter-
Web page alert- An
announcement of
anew e-resource,
posted on the
library Web page
7. E-resources
Why e-resources:
Increase in availability of resources in electronic
format
Improved infrastructure
Reduced costs of computers and related
hardware
CHALLENGE: in-effective marketing of
resources
8. Selection criteria
e-resource MUST contribute to the Library's
mission of providing support for instruction and
research for its primary clientele
Demand driven
Authentic and reputable source
Accurate
Within library budget
9. Technical requirements
Hardware & software – standard
Product must be net-workable
- What is the means of accessing data (e.g.,
are passwords required)?
- Is the resource available at all times (e.g.
Internet resources)?
- Are there special security requirements
beyond what the library usually provides?
- Is the resource stable (i.e., is the software
"buggy")?
10. Technical ...
User friendliness
Searching functionality
• Is the data current? How often updated?
Does the content include abstracts? Full text?
Does the vendor have a good reputation and
provide good service?
Does the vendor provide support materials?
11. Electronic resources available to
institutions:
Electronic resources have a direct or indirect
cost.
Options:
Paid for- scholarly reputable databases – as
direct payment and access by individual
institutions or through consortium’s Access to
resources through consortium’s - 2 ways:
1. negotiating for discounted access and usage
of e-resources with publishers on behalf of the
client.
2. negotiating for discounted through pulled
payments
12.
“Free” – available through programmes
such as Research4life programme.
Free- open source in the Internet. In most
cases NOT authentic.
13. “Free” – available through programmes such as
Research4life programme. Such programmes
negotiate for e-resources with the publishers on
behalf of clients. In this model, cost of access to
resources is pegged on country GDP.
Free- open source in the Internet. In most cases
not authentic.
14. Challenges
1. Some users may harbor a distrust of all
electronic formats, while other users may not be
aware of newly available resources that would
meet their needs
2.The cost of e-resource (initial cost and the ever
increasing annual subscriptions). Initial costs for
infrastructure (hardware, networking) and staff
training.
15. Recommendation
• Simply attempt to get the attention of our patrons – be
courteous, approachable and friendly
• Improve the acceptance of the new service- basic
training on search and navigation
• Enhance awareness of what is available and its value
to users- basic marketing strategy; pins, poster, library
hour, library screen savers,
• Guide clients to the appropriate resources- carry out a
basic needs assessment to understand your user
needs and to guide them to the appropriate e-content.
• Develop a feedback mechanism. This will assist
improve and develop an effective marketing strategy
that best meets user needs.
16. References
Evaluation Procedures for WWW Information Resources: A Final Project Report. Paper Presented at
The Annual Convention of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology
(AECT), St. Louis, MO.] and published as Wilkinson, G.L., Bennett, L., & Oliver, K.
Evaluation Criteria and Indicators of Quality for Internet Resources." Educational Technology,
March/April, 1997.
http://www.library.illinois.edu/infolit/fiveyearvision.html
Cosgrove, J.A. (2006), “Drop Them a Postcard”, College and Undergraduate Libraries, Vol. 12, No.
1, pp. 93-100.
Ellis, R. (2004), “Marketing of electronic resources: projects and experiences”, Serials, Vol. 17, No.
1, pp. 57-59.
Marie R. Kennedy. 2011. “What Are We Really Doing to Market Electronic Resources?” Library
Management 32(3): 144-158.
Kendall, S. and Massarella, S. (2001), “Prescription for Successful Marketing”, Computers in
Libraries, Vol. 21, No. 8, pp. 28-32.
Leong, J. (2007), “Marketing Electronic Resources to Distance Students”, The Serials Librarian, Vol.
53, No. 3, pp. 77-93.
Millet, M.S. and Chamberlain, C. (2007), “Word-of-Mouth Marketing Using Peer Tutors”, The
Serials Librarian, Vol. 53, No. 3, pp. 95-105.