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Service delivery requires the reception and processing of customer information. To deliver a service that satisfies customers, service job design should consider information needed to complete service delivery tasks. The objective here is to determine if the quantity of customer information received by a service delivery process has implications for service job design.

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.

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.

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.

This study aims to discuss the creation and development of China’s National Science and Technology Library (NSTL), provide an overview of the information services it provides for sci-tech researchers throughout the People’s Republic of China, and highlight the leading role it plays in fostering scientific innovation in China.

The author uses a case study approach based on his own professional experience at the NSTL.

The NSTL offers a wide variety of information, reference and document delivery services for sci-tech researchers in China.

The NSTL plays a leading role in the provision and innovation of such services, and as such has a direct and positive impact on the quality of scientific research and innovation in China.

Suggests that an important source of attorney and accounting services information is the Yellow Pages phone book. Examines the information consumers want from Yellow Pages advertisements to help them select these services. Specifically, consumers want factual information regarding the type of law/accounting practiced, type of service offered, and contact information. Compares results of a consumer survey with the literature on the information that attorneys and accountants traditionally provide in other types of media. Provides suggestions on improving the Yellow Pages advertising of these service professionals.

“Integration” in this project focuses on both technical integration and organizational integration to bring a form of coherence and unity to the support and delivery of information services. Immediate success in integration did not happen. After six years, the Integrated Information Center is still evolving. Unexpected progress has been made with the end‐users. The technological issues have progressed very well. However, the organizational issues have been the most difficult to manage.

This paper seeks to provide an overview of industrial information programs in Korea and to describe the databases, service contexts, document supply services and issues in the field.

Presents the current status, practical issues and vision for the development and access to industrial information programs. Focuses on the external drivers of change and the strategic issues, in particular for industrial information and document supply services.

Recognizes the problem of access, the need for a long‐term strategy and cooperation, an effective document supply service and makes proposals for the future of industrial information programs in Korea.

Offers a practical source of information and issues. Advises any organization to design an extensible, collaborative and integrated industrial information program.

The purpose of this contribution is to set the scenario for pursuing options to find a balance between information communication technology (ICT), information retrieval systems (IRS) such as databases, library catalogues, repositories, Google Scholar, digital libraries, portals, search engines and the users of these systems. Whose needs are served: the real users' with contemporary needs or the perceived users and their research tasks whom we intensely studied in the early years of databases and computerised information services?

The contribution is written against the background of research from information retrieval and information behaviour.

Although developments in ICT open a wealth of opportunities to study and serve the needs of a wide spectrum of information users, IRS are often on the surface level still very traditional in the needs they service: analytical information seeking according to planned search strategies, browsing, monitoring trends and changes through alerting services and RSS, and encouragement and support for authors to publish. Some are offering a bit more, but little aimed at the under-graduate soon to enter professional workplace.

Although there are many publications on databases and other IRS and their users, and numerous ones on information behaviour I am not aware of other reports on the latest services aimed at specific user groups, and which focus on the need to consider the totality of their work and everyday life worlds.

The Chemical Integrated Information Service Network (Chl2Net) is a comprehensive information service system which includes chemical, technical, economic, market, news and management information based on computer and modern communication technology, and built by the China National Chemical Information Centre (CNCIC). This system provides varied services for users both at home and abroad through an online service, a hotline call service, a consulting service and publishing service.