Strategic Marketing in Library and Information Science

Combine marketing and strategic planning techniques to make your library more successful!

With cutting-edge research studies as well as theoretical chapters that have not been seen before in the marketing literature for LIS, this book examines the current and quite limited state of marketing by LIS practitioners and institutions. It provides you with examples of how marketing can be made more widely applicable within LIS and illustrates some of the usefulness of marketing in special LIS settings and contexts. The book explains how and why managers should combine marketing strategy with strategic planning and demonstrates the means by which LIS could move toward a more full-fledged use of marketing—relationship marketing and social marketing in particular.

In order to be a more effective tool, Strategic Marketing in Library and Information Science is divided into two sections: “The Basis and Context for Marketing” (theoretical information) and “The Application of Marketing” (practical applications that you can put to use in your institution). Chapters cover:

• existing literature on marketing in LIS—what it has to offer and what it lacks
• strategic planning that must take place before marketing money is spent
• the branding process and how it can be helpful in LIS marketing
• a marketing method for bridging the gap between staffing needs and the current shortage of librarians
• a way to use relationship marketing techniques to respond to the challenge of marketing electronic resources
• marketing applications relevant to theological libraries
• the effective use of social marketing at the Austin History Center—a fascinating case study!
• a fresh marketing approach to bridging gaps between cultural history and education
• the importance of marketing for public libraries