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The paper seeks to explore the essential nature of knowledge services, and to identify key issues that impact on the successful implementation of knowledge services in libraries.

This paper focuses on and discusses the heightened information service levels required in order to aspire to knowledge services. It answers the questions: What is the difference between information services and knowledge services? How do we realize knowledge services? What is knowledge services' blue print?

Information profession services are required to identify, analyze and coordinate the various needs of their potential user groups. Part of this process determines the levels of service. The requirements are changing from data, information to knowledge. The main reasons are library customers' growing and changing needs: from information access, storage, and retrieval to knowledge access, storage and retrieval. The aim of knowledge services is to provide a high level service through the effective use of knowledge. So special repositories must be accessed and used, and then analysis tools can be applied to achieve the user's objectives.

The paper posits how knowledge is pivotal in today's environment and illustrates how it is important to set up new knowledge services modes that make use of knowledge service platforms and knowledge warehouses.

This column aims to investigate the possibilities of web services for the integration of information with relevant services.

This is a viewpoint paper.

This column encourages the exploration of web services based on careful analysis and semantic ontologies in order to provide relevant integration of services and information.

The rapid proliferation of web services – whether RESTful or SOAP based – offers many opportunities both internally and externally for libraries, but the adoption of web services needs to be tempered with careful planning and analysis.

The column offers some interesting suggestions for exploring theoretical options in the adoption of web service information and services. Some technical aspects of web service technology are discussed and then related to the core mission of librarianship, which is to assist patrons in navigating the great breadth of data available in increasing quantities via web service technology.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of marketing of information products and services in university libraries in Kenya.

The paper utilises literature surveys of currently published articles and the researcher's professional experience.

Marketing is a basic and essential management process for promoting information products and services in university libraries in Kenya, but it is not given the attention it deserves and/or is poorly coordinated. Marketing avails university libraries the unique opportunity to provide quality, and demand‐based and user‐oriented information products and services.

The paper used mainly literature surveys of currently published articles and the researcher's professional experience.

The paper offers reasons, strategies or initiatives and recommendations on how to make university libraries the destination for the user population. In this respect, university libraries should be proactively involved in marketing of information products and services to the user population.

University libraries in Kenya should involve themselves actively in marketing and promotion of information products and services to the information audience. This helps to create awareness among the user population leading to increased use of information products and services in the libraries.

The paper highlights various marketing initiatives of making university libraries in Kenya the destination for the user population. Also, the paper explores recent innovative strategies for marketing information products and services. Marketing helps university libraries to: market and promote information products and services, provide innovative products and services, understand the needs and demands of the information audience or user population, plan service provision, and provide efficient and effective information products and services.

The value of library and information services in the incorporated South African law firm was investigated with regard to accountability to corporate management. A cost accounting exercise was developed and tested in seven South African law firms of varying size. Cost per practitioner was calculated in order to correlate data from the participating organisations so that average relative spending might be determined. Attempts to relate the unit cost of library and information services to use and usefulness were inconclusive and these efforts were unable to demonstrate the value of the corporate investment. Recognised business practices relating to corporate accountability were considered with regard to the relevance to corporate support services. These included ISO 9000 and the practice of internal auditing. An information services audit was proposed in accordance with a recognised management process.

During the last several decades, logistics has increasingly emerged as a source of sustainable competitive advantage. This article incorporates recent work in services marketing on customer information acquisition, with research on industrial buying behavior to help logistics service providers understand and manage their customers’ information acquisition and purchase activities for logistics services.

Libraries are subscribing to many expensive information products/services available through information aggregator/provider services. It is a concern for them, as well as these services, to get users (also referred to as consumers) to fully exploit the products/services, and especially new and innovative additions and features. This paper aims to address this issue.

The paper is written against the background of research from information behaviour as well as a touch from marketing as reported in the library and information science (LIS) literature.

The paper reveals that to improve the use of information products/services, and especially new products/services and features, libraries, especially academic libraries, as well as information aggregator/provider services, need to address consumers on various levels. In the case of academic libraries, the librarians, faculty members, and students (under‐graduate and post‐graduate) should be included. To appeal to the seriousness and entertainment facets of the lives of consumers, a variety of targeted competitions and prizes can be used.

Although publications have appeared on using innovative methods such as Web 2.0 and collaboration with students to market products/services, the authors are not aware of articles focusing on competitions and prizes specifically addressed at the serious and entertainment facets of the lives of consumers.

The purpose of this paper is to look at effects of budgeting and financing of the University of Malawi Libraries (UML) on the provision of library and information services.

A multi‐case study methodological design approach was used, coupled with annual acquisition statistics and University Budget Estimates from 2003/2004 to 2010/2011 financial years. Interviews were conducted with library staff in all the five college libraries. Questionnaires were distributed to students and academic staff in the constituent colleges of the university.

The results of the study have indicated that library and information resources in UML deteriorated despite increased material budgets. Most of the essential books were outdated and not found in UML libraries. Print periodicals were inconsistent and unsubscribed to. Most of the electronic journals were inaccessible and irrelevant to users' needs. Internet was slow due to low bandwidth. Indirectly, library and information services were negatively affected. Reference services in UML deteriorated. Compact Read Only Memory (CD‐ROM) services were overtaken by users' preference for the internet, e‐journals and online databases. Document delivery services were mostly disconnected because of non‐payment of subscription fees. Current awareness services were choked by low levels of acquisitions. Low levels of acquisitions for local materials crippled exchange programme services. Interlibrary loan services were affected by inability to return loaned materials.

The study recommends that college librarians should lobby for increased budgets for library and information resources. Donors should be approached to assist in paying for the internet and postage charges.

Improved budgets for library and information resources will directly revamp library and information services. The services include reference services, current awareness, document delivery, interlibrary loans and exchange programmes.

Measures of the library’s productivity assess whether the library is achieving the goals and objectives of its chosen missions. This paper illustrates the concept of placing performance measures within a marketing frame of reference that builds upon the main goal of satisfying user needs. Marketing mandates that all products or services must be developed based upon knowledge of the characteristics of the potential user market, and diverse environmental forces that affect service offerings. The satisfaction of user needs can in part be calculated by the ratio of service output to input, which provides critical data to use in adjusting the library’s marketing strategy, i.e. the library’s products and services, the price or cost of these to the user, where these will be delivered, and how the library’s products and services are communicated to the user. An example, utilizing the general information services department, illustrates a marketing strategy built upon performance measures.

Having an ageing population is an issue facing many countries, particularly western nations. With governments and service providers focusing on healthy ageing and ageing in place, notions of choice and active participation for older people in selecting services appropriate to remaining in the community are also emphasised. Central to this is the issue of information navigation: knowing what services are available and how to get that information, for older people and those who support them. Based on a series of qualitative studies of service provision and using perspectives from older people, their families and those who provide services for them, this paper argues that greater attention needs to be paid to the process of information navigation as opposed to providing ever more information content.

A study was done to document the standards that should be adhered to by library and information professionals in Zimbabwe to assure quality in service provision in order to meet the sustainable development goals. A literature review and web content analysis were done to unpack the various standards that all types of libraries should consider from library buildings, service provision, qualifications and accreditation of library and information science schools and professionals, and assessing the impact of libraries in the communities that they are serving. The findings review that there are international and national standards from various governing bodies that should be considered in library and information service provision. The author recommends the implementation of these standards in all the libraries to assure quality in library and information service provision.