Page 81 - DLIS006_INFORMATION SOURCES AND SERVICES

Information Sources and Services

Notes
a country that is incapable of providing information to its citizens will lose autonomy and
be at the mercy of developed countries for information.
Information Marketing in University Libraries
Libraries and other non-profit organizations have only recently become aware of the
need to market their products and services. Library and information products and services
are now being recognized as commodities that can be sold, exchanged, lent, and transmitted.
University libraries rely on their host organizations for operational costs. To gain some
self-sufficiency, university libraries think seriously about not only recovering the costs
incurred but also making a profit through their services. Narayana (1991:187) points out
that the, “survival of a library depends among other things on its image in the minds of
the users and the fund allocators. This image should be the outcome of the quality and
effectiveness of the services, the ability to anticipate the desires and requirements of
actual and potential users and their fulfilment. Marketing is the instrument through which
these library objectives can be fulfilled. Vishwa Mohan, Srinivas, and Shakuntala (1996:16)
observe that marketing is essential, because those who lack information may not even be
aware of this need.
Information marketing by university libraries in India is essential in order to:

Promotion of the use of information resources;
Create perception of need and thereby create demand;
Ensure the optimum use of information.

Improve the image and status of the libraries and library professionals.
Tackle the problems of rising costs of reading materials, journals, and databases;
Cope with the information explosion;
Introduce cutting-edge information technology systems in library services;

Balance shrinking funds;
Save libraries from devaluation
Save libraries from declining reader-support;
Uphold the dictum that information is power.
Information Marketing in Goa University Library, India

Marketing is an integral part of library service, because it has to do with basic principles
of librarianship i.e. to develop good collection and user-oriented services. Goa University
Library (GUL) is using most of the skills of information marketing to satisfy the needs of
its clientele. The Goa University Library and Information Centre (GUL&IC) was created in
1985. It is housed in a magnificent building that includes stacks, reading rooms, a periodical
area, computer centre, administrative division, reception, and circulation area. The
collection has about 1.5 million volumes covering a wide range of disciplines, particularly
microbiology, marine science, environmental science, computer science, geology, and
management, and including a special collection on Latin America and the Caribbean. The
library also has a large collection of titles in Konkani, the state language of Goa, and a
foreign language section that includes titles in Portuguese, French, and Spanish and
continues to grow at more than 2,500 titles annually. The library subscribes to around
450 periodicals covering more than 40 disciplines and receives more than 150 gift periodical
subscriptions from various organizations and institutions. Back volumes of all important
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