Table IV shows marketing practices and planning of libraries. None of the libraries have specific allocation of funds or a designated person for marketing. All libraries are charging users for services. All are publishing annual reports and majority of them (73 per cent) are concerned with publishing library bulletins and plan to market information on the Internet.
Data in Table V show that the majority of libraries are spending less than 1 per cent proportion of their budget on marketing. In all the libraries, head of the institution is the decision-making authority, and shows that librarians are not getting the chances to apply their lessons into marketing practices and application planning for the library. The majority of the libraries charge cost plus basis (68 per cent) and 32 per cent of libraries charge nominal cost. The charging pattern shows that libraries are inclined towards making sense of value and cost involved in providing information products/services among users. It also reflects the price and profit generating practice of marketing application. All the libraries use signs, symbols, handouts and instructions, notifying about the information products/services. Only 37 per cent of libraries provide formal lectures on library resources/facilities. Of the libraries, 78 per cent are demonstrating e-services of the library. It shows that all the conventional methods are being used by all the libraries to inform users, while the majority of the libraries tend towards e-services.
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Table IV practices and planning (1)
Table V practices and planning (2)
Within the framework of the institutional mission, the OCs of CSIR have been acting as a learning resource centre to provide the knowledge and information support to the ongoing research, training and consultancy programme. The survey reveals major findings that:
(1) Librarians have a positive attitude towards the different aspects of marketing of a library's information products/services, namely:
* need for marketing;
* marketing applications in the context of LICs;
* market planning;
* product;
* price;
* place; and
* promotion.
(2) Marketing planning can provide an opportunity to assess quality and usage of information products/services according to 91 per cent of the librarians. Marketing helps in justifying the involved cost in generation of information products, and aspects such as resource constraints, shrinking budgets, electronic information age have made marketing necessary.
(3) It has been observed that librarians have not grasped or encouraged the concept of participatory management and teamwork. All the librarians agree that ignorance with marketing is responsible for discouraging marketing applications. It reflects the need of proper training and teaching of marketing applications to librarians, although the majority of them agree with the positive impact of marketing activities.
(4) Librarians are found to be more positive about introducing new information products/services and doing evaluation to determine their usefulness. The majority (40 per cent) of librarians disagree that the use of marketing techniques will put an extra burden on existing library staff and products/ services.
(5) Librarians have eagerly taken up promotional elements of marketing; however, there is less evidence of the systematic and planned use of marketing service design, pricing and delivery of information products/services.
(6) Athough 97 per cent librarians consider the requirement to designate a full professional to look after the marketing activities, yet data show that none of the libraries have appointed such a person for marketing of information products/services.
(7) However, many librarians perceive many barriers to apply the concept of marketing in their respective libraries. They are:
* lack of knowledge;
* lack of manpower and financial support (89 per cent of the librarians strongly agree that implementing a marketing program requires adequate manpower and financial support); and
* misconception about the concept of marketing.
(8) LICs are under authorities other than librarians for making financial decisions regarding marketing aspects, budget, etc., which also plays a negative role in implementing marketing applications. At the same time no library is receiving specific separate funding for marketing practices. It also shows that LICs are not getting sufficient financial support for marketing of information products/services.
Conclusion
In this way, marketing is taking place in an information scenario. CSIR LICs are developing marketing strategies and becoming aware of marketing. These LICs are interested in marketing of information products/services. Library and information professionals are grasping a marketing approach, as it is an essential weapon in the competition age. Currently, efforts for increasing user-awareness are taking place for efficient marketing. Finance-related decision-making processes are still not carried out by libraries, this area requires amendments so that necessary decisions can be taken while considering marketing strategies for LICs. The increasing role of information technology related methods to create awareness regarding information products/ services among users has been discerned as equally important as traditional means and methods.
At no time has the tension between potential capabilities and limited resources seemed more acute. Through these techniques, libraries can gain benefits of marketing activities. With the arrival of the information age in a new sense, the Indian R&D librarians and information managers are facing challenges such as an increase in clientele, their variety, demands, and expectations; an increase in the initial or capital cost of information and information technology; drying up of the public sponsorship and subsidy and the need to find alternative sources of revenue; and complexity in ways of identifying clients and their requirements, and servicing them.
Recommendations for current scenario of marketing practices in Indian R&D library and information centres
Reading the ever-changing consumer behaviour
Due to changes in consumers' needs, relevance of traditional products and services offered by LICs are being questioned. With the increase in substantially-available information, the time available to keep pace with the information flow is becoming insufficient. Therefore, the R&D libraries with a limited array of traditional services are finding a sharp reduction in their client base. In India, measures to promote marketing of library and information services, methods of designing, measures to evaluate the products/services and user satisfaction are being developed slowly. Marketing must be used as management tool, involving motivation and innovation as techniques.
Increasing market opportunities
An increasing demand for complex and user-friendly information products/services, particularly in R&D, is offering attractive opportunities. The wealth of information primarily resides in LICs. They can use information technology to understand the client requirements and design, and offer new user-friendly and relevant products/services. A public relations study done by Chary (1988) can be set as an example for Indian R&D libraries. He advocates the appointment of public relations librarians in the advanced countries such as the UK, the USA, Canada, Germany and Holland.
Combating the entry of new competitors
With the entry of business organisations in the market, LICs are facing serious competition from the "profit-making" information industry, which has seen the potential of an ever-increasing information service. LICs must have a clear message about delivery of products/services. LICs can improve their situation by promoting themselves with the same marketing and advertising techniques used by successful business organisations.