3.2. The resources and facilities that are available to facilitate the marketing of
3.2.1. Resources for marketing in medical libraries
Libraries require marketing their information resources and services to develop a symbiotic relationship with the users and to foresee the trends to utilize online information. Marketing information in the library is drawing the attention of the available resources in the library to clients and the conducive atmosphere to use such resources (Agboke and Effiong 2020).
Marketing library resources and services is creating the right products inform of books and non-book material and letting the right people (the patrons) know you have them and creating conducive environments for utilizing the resources. These resources include journals, books, newspapers, CDs, databases and electronic journals, etcetera (Agboke and Effiong 2020). This is in line with 4Ps and 7Ps marketing mix theory, referring to the product as anything that can be provided to fulfil the needs of a market. These include books, journals, e-mails, reference services and so on (Busari et al. 2014). Moreover, the view of Agboke and Effiong (2020) is important here. This is because it refreshes the memory of the users on the popular Law of Librarianship by Ranganathan (1931) namely; books are for use; every book its user; every user his/her book; save the time of the user; library is a growing organism (Ranganathan 1931 in Bello 2015:59). This indicates that the marketing of information resources is a concept that has been in the library for a long time, as it is referred to in Ranganathan’s (1931) Law of Librarianship.
Alcock (2011) states that the libraries have expanded to include other resources in both printed and electronic format (for example, electronic books, audio books, DVDs, CDs and electronic resources); however, the guiding principles have remained consistent. Kennedy and LaGuardia (2017) submitted that libraries should provide as core resources:
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i. Studying materials needed by students for selecting a course and a favourable study environment for the completion of that course;
ii. Academic staff members ‘required books and journal articles as the necessary tools to keep up with the latest developments in their fields; and
iii. Online video content, including award-winning documentaries, training films and theatrical or dramatic releases and so forth.
Kennedy and LaGuardia’s (2017) preceding arguments indicate that there is a need for medical libraries to diversify the provision of information resources from conventional books and journal articles to a range of multimedia, educational videos and documentaries relevant to their users’ needs. Osinulu, Adekunmisi, Okewale and Oyewusi (2018) assert that libraries must be interested in marketing and use marketing principles and strategies to inform and draw the users to the library resources and services they provide. Osinulu et al. (2018) further emphasized that academic libraries have the primary responsibility to provide timely access to both printed and non-print, information resources to meet students’ needs and the teaching staff. However, the authors’ opinion was not specific on the resources to be provided to users that would meet their various demands and expectations. The resources or product for marketing ought to be clearly stated for understanding and use. Moreover, the information needs of medical students and professionals ought to be a combination of conventional books, journals, reference sources and technology-driven resources to meet their diverse needs. This is consistent with the SERVQUAL model, when they postulate that service quality involved those needs that the library desires to meet. At the same time, satisfaction relates more to a customer's experiences with a service provider, e.g., a library (Kiran 2010).
Kumar (2017) in his work noted that electronic information resources (EIR's) marketing could assist libraries to reach all their users and inform them about vast collection of resources that are simple, easy to use and of excellent quality. Academic libraries have moved from being conventional resources to e-resources and related e-services. These resources include electronic journals, electronic books or monographs, electronic data banks or databases, compact disc- read only memory (CD-ROM) and accessed information subject gateways via virtual reality or the internet. The proceeding argument of Kumar (2017) has hit the nail on the head, as the e- resources are suitable for the libraries to meet their users’ objectives. But the researcher believes that a combination of e-resources and printed resources would be much better, considering the situation in Africa, especially Nigeria, which is yet, to sort out a stable power
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supply, network and other infrastructural deficit, at least the printed copies, could serve as back up for the libraries. However, medical libraries should not be left behind in embracing this move and joint their counterparts to provide electronic resource and services as well as printed sources namely journals and e-books, e-databases, printed books and journals and another assortment of technology-driven resources and services to medical students and professionals.
In addition, Agboke and Effiong (2020) noted that a library without users is useless. Therefore, for the library to succeed users must be made aware of the library’s presence and services. This can be achieved through marketing. Chegwe and Anaehobi (2015) noted that the merely having resources in the library is not sufficient; but the resources should be made accessible and useable to the satisfaction of clients. This shows that the acquisition of information resources alone is not enough to ensure accessibility to the resources, but that they need to be marketed to their users for optimum and effective utilization. This will enable (medical) libraries to justify their budget proposals to their parent bodies. This is align with promotion/communication constructs in 4Ps, 7Ps and 4Cs marketing mix theory referring to promotion as communication-related activities to notify the different users about the library and its resources and services.
On the other hand, Okon and Umoh (2014) concluded that the relationship that exists between the marketing of the product or service and the nature of the service or product influences how these resources and services are patronized. The resources available include e-resources, online public access catalogues and books. Sharma and Bhardwaj (2009) found that libraries market their resources particularly new arrivals, such as untested electronic patent databases and collection of e-journal articles, among others. Islam and Islam (2009) are of the view that an information product or item or service is a palpable or substantial resource taking in information (for example, monographs or books, an article in journals, compact disc read-only memory (CDROM), movies on videos or soundtrack). The research by Islam and Islam (2009) has spelled out various information resources, especially those that are online or computer- driven. However, the study disregarded other essential information resources, such as reference resources like subject and general encyclopaedias, dictionaries, unpublished thesis/
dissertations and so on, which are equally useful information sources.
Bhatt, Kumar and Yusuf (2016) asserted that there are many resources and services for a library that it can market. Every library should decide what it wants to market and how it wants to
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market it. Some of these products are, compile bibliographies, a compilation of indexes and abstracts, specialists' profiles, current content files, a catalogue, in-house generated information products, bibliographies, new acquisitions, library publications, etcetera. Bhatt, Kumar and Yusuf (2016) highlighted several products for marketing in the library. However, they failed to mention the most common and important library resources such as books, journals, newspapers and magazines, reference resources, etcetera. This is a gap that needs to be bridged.
Several studies (Aderibigbe and Farouk 2017, Busari, Ayankola and Ladipo 2015 and Adegoke 2015) have considered the resources for marketing in Nigeria. The nature of resources differs from institution to institution, state to state and over time. Aderibigbe and Farouk (2017), Shehu (2015), Busari, Ayankolo and Ladipo (2015) and Adegoke (2015) maintained that information resources are those materials which empower libraries to complete their roles successfully and can be in printed and non-printed formats, which include textbooks, journals, newspapers, magazines, indexes and abstracts, reports, CDROMs, databases, internet, e-mail, videotapes/cassettes, diskettes, computers, audio-visuals, encyclopaedias, dictionaries, handbooks and microforms. The studies mentioned various resources to be marketed in medical libraries but the studies did not consider the importance of theses and dissertations for marketing in the libraries, especially for final year students and other categories of researchers.
Also, the studies have overlooked the fact that in Nigeria the provisions of most of these resources in medical libraries require huge financial backing and the availability of infrastructural facilities, which is wanting in Nigeria.
Busari, Anyankolo and Ladipo (2015) further noted that library products in the information sector could be described at three different levels. These are the tangible, the core level as well as the augmented level. The Core level consists of the essential products or services that are needed by users. The augmented level entails the quality, reliability, speedy and timely delivery of professional services experienced by the user in getting the product or services and so forth. This is in line with the 4Ps and 7Ps marketing mix when they emphasizes that products are the available information resources and services available in the library and rendered to users. Similarly, as indicated at the augmented level, these information resources and services must be relevant and adequate to meet users' needs, as advocated in the service quality model, which implies that the capability in paying attention to the aspirations of the individual user as well as knowledge and the readiness of librarians to convey trust and confidence. Hence, for achieving effective marketing information resources, library ought to provide the resources and services that would satisfy the users’ need.
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Amina and Nwanne (2015) and Upev, Akpe and Beetseh (2015) observed that librarians at various Nigerian universities provide a set of important resources and services to the entire client body comprising staff and students. The information resources offered include electronic resources and services, magazine articles, multimedia, blogs, personal experiences, expert opinions, encyclopaedias and web pages as some of the resources available for marketing in the library. In conclusion, it can be understood that the library resources or products discussed in the preceding argument show that resources or products are such physical material that conveys information in various forms in different subject areas to satisfy the needs of library users. This has been substantiated with the views of Adomaa (2021)in the 7Ps and 4Ps marketing mix when they refer to products as an item designed to meet the needs of library patrons or clients. The next section presents the services for marketing in medical libraries.