PRINCIPLES OF DIGITAL MARKETING OF LIBRARY, INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTS

Libraries should have a clear plan to market their digital services. Several studies have been conducted to look into this aspect. Libraries need to adopt a coherent approach instead of scattered ones. Further, it is of utmost importance to deliver the right service at the right time to appropriate users in the right place in a cost effective manner. Therefore, libraries should try to formulate marketing strategies. It will also aim to satisfy the five laws of library science. Libraries must continue to evolve to respond to the digital, financial and societal changes.

If libraries do not come up to the expectations of the users, then commercial ventures may grab the opportunity. To counter the situation, the National library of Scotland (NLS) decided to introduce effective marketing relations to ensure the awareness of library sources and services among stakeholders5. Harrington & Li6 found that marketing initiatives require thorough examination of competitors.