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61st IFLA General Conference - Conference Proceedings - August 20-25, 1995

Reflection of the Improvements in Modern Marketing - Understanding on the Public Libraries in Turkey

Neslihan URAZ, Research Associate, Library Science Department, Faculty of Letters, University of Istanbul


ABSTRACT

The meaning and importance of marketing as a concept, as well as the chain constituted by the common marketing activities have currently been understood much more better compared to recent past. In addition, such activities have taken their well-deserved places within the services sector besides the markets formed solely by tangible products. However, one can hardly say that the opportunities o ffered by marketing activities are being made use of in solving the problems suffered nowadays by the public libraries in Turkey relating to personnel, buildings, collections, readers (clients, in a sense), etc. The main reason is that, in Turkey, classified as one of the developing countries, the public libraries have been started to be considered as "enterprises" just recently in the 1970s.

This paper puts forward the grounds for the necessity of understanding the meaning and importance of modern marketing activities and also the need for making use of modern marketing concepts in publ ic library services in Turkey


PAPER

The meaning and importance of marketing as a concept, as well as the chain constituted by the common marketing activities have currently been understood much more better compared to recent past. In addition, such activities have taken their well-deserved places within the services sector besides the markets formed solely by tangible products. However, one can hardly say that the opportunities o ffered by marketing activities are being made use of in solving the problems suffered nowadays by the public libraries in Turkey relating to personnel, buildings, collections, readers (clients, in a sense), etc. The main reason is that, in Turkey, classified as one of the developing countries, the public libraries have been started to be considered as "enterprises" just recently in the 1970s.

This paper puts forward the grounds for the necessity of understanding the meaning and importance of modern marketing activities and also the need for making use of modern marketing concepts in publ ic library services in Turkey.

Reflection of the Improvements in Modern Marketing Understanding on the Public Libraries in Turkey Neslihan URAZ* As we all know, libraries of all kinds require continuous investments, whether they are big or small or whether they are used much or little. In developing countries, libraries generally have limite d budgets, but even those limited financial sources are not used efficiently, a situation which is rather paradoxical. Another interesting fact is that although library use is rather low, librarians are more interested in demanding for more financial support from the authorities, however they are less interested in marketing their services. Contrary to this situation, reviews made on the relevan t literature reveal that the "marketing" concept, which takes a great deal of consideration in library literature of developed countries has started to be handled in Turkey only after the 1970s(1). The meaning and importance of marketing as a concept, as well as the chain constituted by the common marketing activities have currently been understood much more better compared to recent past. In addition, such activities have taken their well-deserved places within the services sector besides the markets formed solely by tangible products. However, one can hardly say that the opportunities o ffered by marketing activities are being made use of in solving the problems suffered nowadays by the public libraries in Turkey relating to personnel, buildings, collections, readers (clients, in a sense), etc. The main reason is that, in Turkey, classified as one of the developing countries, the public libraries have been started to be considered as "enterprises" just recently in the 1970s.

This paper puts forward the grounds for the necessity of understanding the meaning and importance of modern marketing activities and also the need for making use of modern marketing concepts in publ ic library services in Turkey The meaning and importance of marketing as a concept, as well as the chain constituted by the common marketing activities have currently been understood much more better compared to recent past. In addition, such activities have taken their well-deserved places within the services sector besides the markets formed solely by tangible products. However, one can hardly say that the opportunities o ffered by marketing activities are being made use of in solving the problems suffered nowadays by the public libraries in Turkey relating to personnel, buildings, collections, readers (clients, in a sense), etc. The main reason is that, in Turkey, classified as one of the developing countries, the public libraries have been started to be considered as "enterprises" just recently in the 1970s.

This paper puts forward the grounds for the necessity of understanding the meaning and importance of modern marketing activities and also the need for making use of modern marketing concepts in publ ic library services in Turkey The meaning and importance of marketing as a concept, as well as the chain constituted by the common marketing activities have currently been understood much more better compared to recent past. In addition, such activities have taken their well-deserved places within the services sector besides the markets formed solely by tangible products. However, one can hardly say that the opportunities o ffered by marketing activities are being made use of in solving the problems suffered nowadays by the public libraries in Turkey relating to personnel, buildings, collections, readers (clients, in a sense), etc. The main reason is that, in Turkey, classified as one of the developing countries, the public libraries have been started to be considered as "enterprises" just recently in the 1970s.

This paper puts forward the grounds for the necessity of understanding the meaning and importance of modern marketing activities and also the need for making use of modern marketing concepts in publ ic library services in Turkey The meaning and importance of marketing as a concept, as well as the chain constituted by the common marketing activities have currently been understood much more bette r compared to recent past. In addition, such activities have taken their well-deserved places within the services sector besides the markets formed solely by tangible products. However, one can hardl y say that the opportunities offered by marketing activities are being made use of in solving the problems suffered nowadays by the public libraries in Turkey relating to personnel, buildings, collec tions, readers (clients, in a sense), etc. The main reason is that, in Turkey, classified as one of the developing countries, the public libraries have been started to be considered as "enterprises" just recently in the 1970s.

This paper puts forward the grounds for the necessity of understanding the meaning and importance of modern marketing activities and also the need for making use of modern marketing concepts in publ ic library services in Turkey The meaning and importance of marketing as a concept, as well as the chain constituted by the common marketing activities have currently been understood much more bette r compared to recent past. In addition, such activities have taken their well-deserved places within the services sector besides the markets formed solely by tangible products. However, one can hardl y say that the opportunities offered by marketing activities are being made use of in solving the problems suffered nowadays by the public libraries in Turkey relating to personnel, buildings, collec tions, readers (clients, in a sense), etc. The main reason is that, in Turkey, classified as one of the developing countries, the public libraries have been started to be considered as "enterprises" just recently in the 1970s.

This paper puts forward the grounds for the necessity of understanding the meaning and importance of modern marketing activities and also the need for making use of modern marketing concepts in publ ic library services in Turkey

The main objective of this study is to draw attention of librarians, specifically in developing countries to the marketing of the library services. This study will be limited to the marketing proble ms of public libraries in Istanbul, Turkey.

* Research Associate in University of Istanbul, Faculty of Letters Library Science Department.

The fact that the research libraries seem to have taken precedence over the public libraries in parallel with increased importance placed and support provided on scientific and technological researc hes for the time being has played an important role in concentrating on mainly public libraries.

This research is based mostly on documentary analysis method. Meanwhile, it is also supported with a structured interview conducted with the Director of the Istanbul Public Library. Results of th e research on modern marketing understanding on public libraries in Turkey have revealed that the marketing concept is not yet well-understood in our country and that the marketing techniques are not being employed by our public libraries in a systematic and conscious manner. In our opinion, one of the main reasons of this situation is that marketing, a branch of business administration, has bee n included in the curriculum of our universities, rather late. For instance, in Istanbul University, Faculty of Economics, this subject has started to be offered in 1955 as an elective course. On the other hand, libraries have begun to be considered as enterprises only after the 1970s and the relationship between marketing activities and libraries in general could not be established before the 1 980s.

In Turkey, public libraries suffer various problems. Turkey does not have a public library law. Besides that, insufficient budgets, personnel, buildings, collections and inadequate services are the problems shared by most of the public libraries. As of 1994, total population of Turkey was 61.183.000. The total number of public libraries was 1184 with a total collection of 10.076.000 volumes (2) . Number of total library users was 22.700.000 for the same year (3), however, the number of total registered members was 962.647 as of 1993(4).

Even this crude statistical data reveal that the ratio of library collections to the ratio of total users is rather low where approximately only 1 out of 20 users are the registered members of the p ublic libraries. Turkey also lacks more detailed statistical data and what is also lacking are in depth surveys and longitudinal studies which will shed light on the user behaviours and demands, coll ection evaluations and so on. One vital question which can be posed at this point is whether the use of marketing techniques can provide any solutions to the problems suffered by the public libraries in Turkey. In my opinion, the answer to this question is that the marketing concept and techniques can at least help the libraries to reformulate their questions and look at their problems from diff erent viewpoints. But, since marketing is a subject developed mainly for bringing solutions to the private sector enterprises, and since marketing activities are performed mostly by those enterprise s, it can be asked whether the marketing concepts and techniques can be used by public libraries which are non-profit enterprises. In fact, although they are non-profit enterprises, public libraries do perform activities similar to those performed by the private sector enterprises, like supplying various resources, production, financing, selling services, etc. Briefly, investments are made on pu blic libraries in terms of personnel, materials, collections and physical and technological facilities and public libraries are be expected to demonstrate that the investments made thereon are being used in the most efficient manner.

Today, the marketing concept is no more being defined as a combination of commercial activities performed only to increase the sales of products or profit margins but instead, as a chain of customer -oriented and communication-based activities which commence far before the production process and go beyond the sales by means of well-planned studies to influence the target customers, either existi ng or potential, regardless of the type and nature of the enterprise.

Contemporary managers prefer to furnish the targeted market with adequate information about the "enterprise" itself and the marketing mix (four Ps; product, price, promotion, place) to persuade the market accordingly, to create an interest, desire and willingness for the relevant products and to keep the enterprise ever-vivid in the minds of the target customers(5).

In order to establish fruitful relations between those mproviding the services and the beneficiaries of such services, the public must be informed clearly about the studies being conducted. Measures to be taken to ensure this mutual communication be achieved efficiently should be searched within the marketing activities(6).

Existence of an "Information Industry" and "Information Market" increase the importance of the public libraries as service enterprises while diversifying their tasks and functions to an higher extent . Besides, this infrastructure creates a more competitive environment for the libraries(7). This situation increases the inevitable significance of the marketing activities for the libraries as well.

Being aware of the way how the users and non-users evaluate the services provided by the libraries enables preparation of strategical plans based on allocated budgets. Thus, the services may be incr eased in quantity, production costs of services may be measured, and budget requirements may become more persuasive, by means of annual reports(8).

Each public library must gather the necessary information about the public to which it provides services, e.g. common life-style, habits, special fields of interest, etc.(9). Currently, the information services market enjoys a rapid growth as the new information products are introduced and adopted by their users(10).

At the same time, the sharp line which was once separating the public and private sectors is no more existing. Introduction of information brokerage as a profession particularly in the developed cou ntries now causes the public libraries be dragged into competition with the private sector(11). Being furnished with at least equivalent arms is a must for all enterprises struggling in a competitive environment, which is already noticed by the elements of the public libraries. In consequence whereof, the clients of public libraries are even willing to obtain such services by paying for the cost .

The services provided by the public libraries for the time being are extended to on-line searching services, inter-library borrowing, photocopying, etc. against which reasonable prices are generally being asked for. This policy shall obviously facilitate meeting the requirements of users and establishment of new services(12).

Simply put, all enterprises dealing with identified clients having reasonable requirements are obliged to apply to the basic marketing principles in performing their business(13). On the other hand, the objective of modern marketing activities is not limited only with introducing and providing the already existing services to the clients, but defining, providing, and even imp roving such services in order to satisfy their needs. In developed countries, the public libraries have already extended their services by organizing various activities open to public such as concerts, exhibitions, conferences, introduction of new books, and so on. And temporary collections are also be ing presented to the use of mass population groups like youth camps, holiday resorts, residence halls, nursing homes for the olds and prisons. In Turkey, a protocol has been signed between the Societ y for Social Services and Protection of Children, which is attached to the Ministry of State and the Ministry of Culture in January 1993 in order to establish libraries in kindergartens, infants trai ning schools and nursing homes for the olds and for improving and supporting the existing ones(14). As can be seen from the foregoing, the public libraries of today are well aware of the fact that th e services must be presented to the use of those who are not able to access them, which constitutes an integral part of the modern marketing concept.

According to the modern marketing understanding, each staff who encounters with clients in the marketing process is the representative of relevant enterprise and the product/service, as is the case for the public libraries. Creating a positive image largely depends on the library staff(15).

Physical appearance of the place where the services are presented to the clients has too gained an even increased importance which has no correlation with the quality of the service(16). And the use rs of the libraries care for exterior and interior appearance of the building, the furnitures, orientation means ensuring easy access to service locations, cleanliness, and cheerful and friendly faces in the public libraries, many of whi ch can be easily achieved even with very restricted budgets.

Promotion is another important component of the modern marketing understanding. Currently, promotion applications in libraries are being realized by means of furnishing the users with printed materi als (manuals, book-lists, etc.) or with high-quality services. Such efforts increase the number of users and ensure the actual and potential users understand the meaning and importance of the librari es and be informed about the services(17).

However, development process of marketing is not completed yet in Turkey particularly in the services sector due to the fact that competent authorities and the staff of the business units are not wi lling to change their minds easily besides inadequate economical conditions.

An inquiry was conducted in Istanbul Public Library in August 1994 with the purpose of measuring the perception level of the library manager's understanding of the marketing concept. The inquiry con sisted of a structured interview made with the library manager and personal observations of the author in the library. The results of the answers given to 32 each questions which were asked to the li brary manager, and the observations made revealed that the Istanbul Public Library has been suffered severe problems in terms of budget, personnel and collection mainly. The library manager thinks that libraries can be acc epted as enterprises, but she does not believe that the users of the library can be considered as "clients" which seems like a real paradox. Another interesting result is that, the library manager be lieves that public relations are beneficial for libraries whereas she does not think that marketing understanding and marketing techniques can be applied for libraries. Although the inquiry is limite d to one library only and the interview has been made only with one manager, lack of involvement of public library managers with the subject of marketing as well as public relations per se leads to t he fact that at least library managers do not seem to expect any benefit from the involvement with marketing understanding for the time being.

Realizing the meaning and importance of the marketing concept for the public libraries is not enough to solve their problems, because the marketing activities require labour, time and money, which m ake those activities quite difficult to be implemented immediately with restricted resources, as is the case for libraries in Turkey.

However, developing countries should make use of the experiences of developed countries not only in terms of modern technology but also in terms of modern concepts and methods. Adoption of the modern marketing understanding by the public libraries shall obviously make great contributions to eliminate the lack of motivation suffered by both the providers and the users of lib rary services. It should be kept in mind that primary determinant of success for an enterprise is its level of integration with the marketing policies which are properly introduced and implemented in all aspects.

Once adopted and started to be implemented as a whole, modern marketing understanding shall facilitate satisfying the needs of the clients, which is the ultimate target of all public libraries.

And the managers and personnel of public libraries, who make use of the marketing tools, shall be able to handle-and of course to overcome-the problems more professionally.

References

  1. Main studies conducted on this subject in Turkey:

  2. 2000'e 5 Kala Kütüphanecili_imiz ve Bilgi Hizmetlerindeki Sorunlar_m_za Çözüm Önerileri, (Turkish Librarianship and Information Services Towards the Year 20 00 and Some Proposals to These Solve Problems), Türk Kütüphanecili_i, 9:1, 1995, p.77. (This study has been conducted by the Board of Members of the Turkish Librarians Society a nd published as a pamphlet as well: Turkish Librarians Society, Ankara: Turkish Librarians Society, 1995).

  3. Do_an At_lgan, "Türkiye'de Kütüphanecili_in Geli_imi", (The Development of Librarianship in Turkey), Türk Kütüphanecili_i, 9:1, 1995, p.15, see also Kü ;tüphaneler Genel Müdürlü_ü 1994 Y_l_ Eylül Ay_ _statistikleri, (unpublished report), Ankara, 1994.

  4. 2000'e 5 Kala Kütüphanecili_imiz ve Bilgi...., loc. cit.

  5. Çevik Uraz, Temel Pazarlama Bilgileri, (Information on Basic Marketing), Ankara: Ankara _ktisadi ve Ticari _limler Akademisi, 1978, p.167.
  6. Fahrettin Özdemirci, "Be_ Y_ll_k Kalk_nma Planlar_nda Halk Kütüphanelerimiz", (Turkish Public Libraries in 5 Years' Development Plans), Türk Kütüphaneciler Derne_ i Bülteni, 1987, 1:4, p.208.

  7. Karl A. Stroetmann, "Economic Aspects of Library and Information Services", The Economics of Library and Information Services-Anglo German Perspective, ed. by Edward Dudley and others, Wor cester: Billing and Sons Ltd., 1991, p. 103.

  8. Stroetmann, Ibid., p.110.

  9. Verna, L. Puntigore, Public Librarianship: An Issues-Oriented Approach, London: Aldwych Press, 1994, p.14.

  10. Peter Fryer, "Marketing at Aslib", Aslib Information, 1991, 19:2, p.42.

  11. Puntigore, op.cit., pp.140-141.

  12. Derek Law, "The Social Role of Library and Information", The Economics of Library and Information Services-Anglo German Perspective, ed. by Edward Dudley and others, Worcester: Billing and Sons Ltd., 1991, p.302.

  13. Gareth Smith-Jim Saker, "Developing Marketing Strategy in the Not-for Profit Sector" Library Management 1992 13:4, p7

  14. Tülin Sa_lamtunç, "XXIX. Kütüphane Haftas_ Aç_l__ Konu_mas_", (XXIXth Library Week: Opening Speech), Türk Kütüphanecili_i, 1993- 7:2, p.125.

  15. Cosette Kies, Marketing and Public Relations for Libraries, Metuchen, NJ, London: The Scarecrow Press Inc., 1987, p.181.

  16. Smith and Saker, op.cit., p.10.

  17. Guy St.Clair, "Marketing and Promotion in Today's Special Library", Aslib Proceedings, 1990, 42:7-8, p.213.

Neslihan URAZ
Research Associate
Library Science Department
Faculty of Letters
University of Istanbul
Tel: 0 212 514 03 87
0212 514 03 75
Fax: 0 212 514 03 87
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