Product Marketing : A Strategic Step For Libraries In The Information Age (a Case Study Of Imo State Library Board, Owerri)

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ABSTRACT

 

This project is on product marketing - A strategic step for libraries in the information age. The study aims at presenting product marketing as a strategic step that all types of libraries must take in order to remain relevant in the information age and also highlights some of these strategies which are already in used in Imo State library board, Owerri. In the course of the study, several relevant literature were reviewed the librarian and library offices of Imo state library board, Owerri made up the population of study and the survey research method as used. The result of the study shows that product marketing strategies in use in Imo State library board are not enough for the library to remain relevant in the competitive digital era. This inadequacy has been found to be engendered by inadequate library stock etc.

Library fund incompetence of Liberians inadequate library stock etc.

Recommendations made in this study includes adequate library funding through alternative means adequate training  and retaining of staff, staff motivation, etc in order to equip the staff with adequate skill and knowledge in library product / service marketing strategies and to enable the library to afford library product marketing tools staff motivation and a balanced library stock.

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Title page                                                                               i

Certification page                                                                  ii

Dedication                                                                                       iii

Acknowledgment                                                                            iv

Abstract                                                                                  v

Table of contents                                                                  vi

 

CHAPTER ONE

1.0    Introduction                                                                  1

1.1    Background of the study                                            2-6

1.2    Background information in Imo State library board,         

          Owerri                                                                           7-8

1.3   Statement of the problem                                             9

1.4    Objective of the study                                                           10

1.5    Research questions                                                    11

1.6    Scope / limitation of the study                                    11

1.7    Significance of the study                                            12-13

          References                                                                              14

 

CHAPTER TWO

Literature Review

2.0    Introduction                                                                15

2.1    Marketing in the 21 century; the library

          understanding                                                          16-17

2.2    Unique reasons that require marketing orientation

           in the library                                                              18-24

2.3    General implication for libraries in marketing library          service       in the information age                                                  25-27

2.4    Marketing strategies applicable in libraries in the    competitive era                                                            28-39

2.5    Limitation to marketing library service in the

          information age                                                            40-43

          References                                                                  44-46

 

CHAPTER THREE

3.0    Research methodology                                               47

3.1    Research design                                                                   47

3.2    Population                                                                              48

3.3    Sample / sampling technique                                              48

3.4    Instrument for data collection                                              48

3.5    Method of data collection                                           49

3.6    Method of data analysis                                             49

 

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0    Data analysis                                                               50-63

 

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0    Summary of findings, Conclusion and                     

          Recommendation                                                        64

5.1    Summary of finding                                                     64

5.2    Conclusion                                                                   65

5.3    Recommendation                                                        66-67

          Bibliography                                                                 68-72

          Appendix                                                                      73

          Questionnaire                                                              74-77

 

 

CHAPTER ONE 

 

1.0  INTRODUCTION

1.1  BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

According to Nwokoye, (1981:95) product is bundle of physical and psychological satisfaction that a buyer receives from a purchase”. To Nwokoye, a product includes notably the tangible object but also such supportive elements as packaging, convenience of purchase, post-sale service and others that buyers value thus product can take a variety of forms including physical object, service, a place an organization an idea or a personality. What is certain is that product does not necessarily mean a physical object manufactured by a firm, service like those of the libraries are also regarded as product.

 

Therefore, library products are what the library does for Its community of user, those tangible goods and services that the library offers, for example:

  1. Provision of the building, the book and the Bain
  2. Provision of resources for life buy learning
  3. Provision of local, regional and national access resources
  4. Provision of reference and research resources, service and collections
  5. Provision of services for users in the online community
  6. Provision of information, cultural and social literacy and so many others too numerous to mention.

 

According to Johnson, (1991) marketing is the sum of all those business activities that promote the movement of product and services from producer to the customers or other users, together with study of consumer circumstances, preferences and attitudes and the systematic use of the knowledge create goods and services for consumption. This definition emphasizes marketing research in other must produce the right kind of product for their clientele.

 

According to Wehmeier, (2000) strategy” mean done as part of a plain that is mean to achieve a particular or to fain an advantage”.

 

In many organizations strategic planning is viewed as a process for determining where an organization is going over the next year or more. In many occasions it is used to refer to a pan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. 

 

In order to determining where it is going, the organization needs to know exactly where it stands, then determine where it wants to go and how it will go there” http//.www.en.wikipedia.org/wik/strategy

 

Having found itself in a world full of competition for money relevance and supremacy the world of information management for the digital generation the library community has grabbed strategic planning as an inevitable tool the struggle.

 

According to Wikipedia free Encyclopedia, (2010)” information age is used to refer to a period beginning in the last quarters of the 20th century when information because easily accessible through publications and through the manipulation of information by computer and computer networks.

 

From this period, books became widely available and till date information availability and accessibility has continued to grow people can stay in the comfort of their homes and offices and access whatever information they need. But the question is, how comprehensive and relevant could such information sought by a user by himself be, compare to that packaged by a specialized institution such as the library. Library acquisition of information materials is rational and systematic to meet the information needs of users.

 

No wonder Opara (2007) state that “an information hatus in any society that if information is unavailable or inadequate. Information can however be available but be totally or nearly inaccessible. Libraries   are   institutions    that provide access   to information   in   divert   formats to the clientele. It is where users can obtain current and unbiased answers to their information needs. Yet, no mater rich a library is, it much make efforts to announce this to its community of existing and potential users if it must be relevant.

 

Wikipedia further explains that the information age is the opposite of the previous eras such as the industrial age in which most endeavours were related to some physical process or product” the information age is one of an economy based on the manipulation of information.

Oduagwu, (2008) state that “with the evolution of social order or what we now also commonly call information society, knowledge and information are assuming central role in every aspect of life. “As the importance information is increasing in the society more and more fields, researchers, professionals and businesses are turning to information.

 

One can also look at information age as the age of literature proliferation. Due to the ever-increasing importance of information, more researchers are carried out which engender more and more publications, and this in turn increase the   volume of world    information.

 

This large volume of information needs to be tracted professionals and made easily available to users. in   summary,  the  library  must  develop the right  kind  of  product for  its  uses  by finding  out  what  they  need   through  user study  and  make  the  product  easily  accessible  to  them  bearing   in  mind that library is no longer the only university involved in the business of information management  and  dissemination. The library must announcers supremacy in this business.

 

For the library to remain relevant in the information age it must imbibe the culture of strategic planning such as developing the right kind of product in the right place and for the right people as well as promote it.

 

Some of these strategic come in form of radio and television advertisement, direct mailing, news talks, web listing of services, seminars, conferences, personal contact with users etc.

 

1.2  BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON IMO STATE       LIBRARY BOARD OWERRI

The creation of Imo State on 3rd February, 1976 necessitated the establishment of a library board in established by edit No. 12 of 1977 during the military administration of the then Lt. commander Ndubuisi Kanu     it will be recalled that the first board of the library was a pointed on the 10th November, 1976 it consisted of prof. Anya O. Anya as chairman of the board, and seven members namely; prof. D.I Nwoga, Dr. Eze Ogueri ii. Ms Gloria I Ofo Mazi F.wosu  Ezi, Mrs.Rozina Umelo, Mr. N.C. Okorokwo the then    permanent secretary, ministry of education and information, and Kalu Okorie as the director of library services.  

 

The library board is situated in the heart of Owerri metropolis. It occupies a storey building to accommodate 85,000 volumes.

 

It is made up of the children’s library, the acquisitions and the cataloguing department, an auditorium of 120 capacity, the mobile library Garage, the loaming Bay, the Reference Library, the Audit Lending Library, the Handicapped Section and the Administrative Offices.

 

The library board provides basic study and research cum reference materials on most subject and areas and stocks classic and popular literature for both adults and children. Presently it provide internet services to the host of its users.

 

The library board is determined to provide adequate library facilities to serve the educational informational, entertainment and recreational needs of the people of the state and environ.

 

Present members of the library board include chief (C.D.B /Williams as chairman, and fivels / members namely-:

  1. Dr. Samson Nzeribe
  2. Hon Mike Okoro
  3. Sir. .C. C.  Onwuneme
  4. Hon Augistus Chikezie and
  5. Hon. P.N Iwu.

 

Information on Imo State library board can be on www.imostategov.njln.

 

 

1.3         STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The library is a store house of information needed societies of the information age but regrettably, library dedicates little resources to activities that inform their clientele of the availability of this information.

 

Some problems identified to be at the root of this vacuum in Imo state library board include unavailability of professional marketing and public relations offices high cost of product marketing tools and  unorientation of libraries towards taking aggressive measures toward product marketing strategies, and most importantly inadequate fund.

 

1.4  OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The study has the following objectives:

  1. To find out if public libraries carryout public relation (P.R) activities
  2. To ascertain the need for libraries to take strategic steps to market their products in the competitive era
  3. To ascertain workable methods for marketing library products in the digital era.
  4. To detect factors militating against the application of product marketing strategies in libraries
  5. To proffer solutions to the detected problems.

 

1.5  RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The study has the following question

Is there need for libraries in the information age to take strategic steps in marketing their product? 

  1. Are there workable product marketing strategies for libraries to adoption in order to market their product?
  2. What are the factor militating against the application of product marketing strategies in libraries?
  3. What are the solutions to these problems?

 

 

1.6  SCOPE / LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

The study covers product marketing as a strategic step for libraries in the information age.

It specifically covers product marketing strategies adopted by Imo State library board, Owerri.

This research will examine the meaning of product marketing strategy in the library understanding.

The process of the study was not without hitches. My manager resources as a student had its effects on the processes of search for and acquisition of relevant literature.

 

There were also time constraints; battled with the project together with other of my academic programmes starting my time as a student accordingly.

Despite all these, the result of the student is dependable.

 

1.7  SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The finding of the study will help librarians to appreciate the need for marketing of library products and services.

 

Again, the result of the study will help librarians to ascertain suitable product marketing tools for their various libraries.

The result of the study will also serve as an information source to libraries seeking to intensify their product marketing strategies. The result of the study will also be of great use to researchers lecturers and student of library and information science.

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