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1 – 10 of over 1000
Article
Publication date: 27 January 2023

Paul Samwel Muneja

This study aims to evaluate Web-based tools that are potentially used by universities and college libraries to market e-resources in Tanzania.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to evaluate Web-based tools that are potentially used by universities and college libraries to market e-resources in Tanzania.

Design/methodology/approach

This study evaluated Web-based tools that are potentially used to market e-resources in libraries in Tanzania. A sample of 52 universities and colleges was approved by Tanzania Commission for Universities and was purposively selected for this study. The evaluation was conducted with an established checklist to evaluate the websites with a view to identifying Web-based tools, which are potentially useful in marketing e-resources.

Findings

The finding of this study indicates that most libraries have websites linked to their institutional websites. The finding has revealed that social media are mostly used by public universities to market e-resources. However, only one university is using WhatsApp to communicate with patrons. The findings show that the majority of public university libraries display a list of e-resources on their websites. Moreover, the displayed e-resources of most websites are not up to date, and some of them are irrelevant. Also, most public universities provide guidelines on how to use the subscribed e-resources as opposed to their counterpart.

Originality/value

The study on the evaluation of Web-based e-resources marketing tools is new in Tanzania. The finding of this study will trigger efforts to adjust the way libraries market their e-resources online.

Details

Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9342

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 June 2023

Ying Kit Cherry Kwan, Mei Wa Chan and Dickson K.W. Chiu

In the 21st century, libraries are experiencing a significant decline in users due to shifting reading habits and the impact of technology, necessitating library transformation…

Abstract

Purpose

In the 21st century, libraries are experiencing a significant decline in users due to shifting reading habits and the impact of technology, necessitating library transformation and a heightened emphasis on library marketing. Special libraries, in particular, rely heavily on patrons for survival, often due to their private ownership and limited resources. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned objectives.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper examines the Taste Library, a special library in Hong Kong, and analyzes its current practices based on an interview with its founder, website content, and social media presence. The 7Ps Marketing Mix model is employed to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the library's current market position.

Findings

The Taste Library's existing practices exhibit limitations in attracting young patrons. To address this issue, we propose marketing strategies focused on enhancing social network presence, offering digitized content, and engaging in school outreach.

Practical implications

By concentrating on youth marketing, this study offers valuable insights for special libraries in developing strategic plans for transitioning and maintaining sustainability.

Originality/value

Few studies concentrate on marketing small special libraries, particularly in the East, within today's digitized economy.

Details

Library Hi Tech, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0737-8831

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 January 2023

Farzane Sahli, Sirous Alidousti and Nader Naghshineh

This study identifies factors affecting brand building for academic libraries affiliated with the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology (MSRT) in Iran.

Abstract

Purpose

This study identifies factors affecting brand building for academic libraries affiliated with the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology (MSRT) in Iran.

Design/methodology/approach

This research applied the grounded theory method based on the three open, axial and selective coding steps (Strauss and Corbin, 1998). The research tool was interviews conducted with 20 experts in librarianship, marketing and branding.

Findings

Library building architecture, library information resources and services, librarians' branding, marketing activities and library management are the causal conditions affecting brand building. The national economic situation, the digital publishing situation in the country and different characteristics of the new library community are the intervening conditions affecting brand building. The role of other libraries in society in the scientific education of the new generation provides contextual conditions for brand building. The higher education system and the library parent organization play a part in the operative actions/interactions for brand building. The consequences of brand building are brand image development, brand excellence and brand behavioral loyalty for libraries. Library brand identity is also a core category in brand building.

Originality/value

Facing steep challenges by emergent services, academic libraries are ill-prepared to meet the needs of the new information society solely with traditional services and functions. Academic libraries are required to rebrand themselves to be more successful at delivering a strong performance within a changing information environment by enhancing their brand image and establishing a more effective relationship with users.

Details

Library Hi Tech, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0737-8831

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 7 March 2023

Dina Mokgadi Mashiyane and Tebogo Agnes Makhurupetsi

This paper aims to provide a reflection on innovating and repurposing collection development and marketing strategy, particularly for eBooks in libraries.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to provide a reflection on innovating and repurposing collection development and marketing strategy, particularly for eBooks in libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper provides a general review where previous research papers on the phenomenon of the study have been consulted.

Findings

The findings indicate that there is a lack of awareness of eBooks and marketing, and virtual bookshelves in the form of LibGuide gallery boxes are identified as a solution in promoting these resources.

Originality/value

This is a valuable contribution that sheds insight on the usage of LibGuide gallery boxes as virtual bookshelves in marketing library resources, particularly eBooks.

Details

Library Hi Tech News, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0741-9058

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 August 2022

Varun Gupta, Luis Rubalcaba, Chetna Gupta and Leandro Pereira

The purpose of this study is to identify the factors leading to adoption of social networking sites (SNS) by librarians of entrepreneurial libraries to provide support to business…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to identify the factors leading to adoption of social networking sites (SNS) by librarians of entrepreneurial libraries to provide support to business community in their market research. Identification of these adoption factors will help to design SNS in the way that led to their seamless diffusion in university libraries, making them capable of providing reliable and useful market knowledge to the business community.

Design/methodology/approach

To meet the research objectives, this study is based on the technology adoption model (TAM). The survey was conducted with 50 librarians of various universities across Europe, Asia, America, Africa and Australia, sampled through non probabilistic sampling techniques-purposive and snowball sampling. The collected data are analyzed through partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to estimate the formulated structural equation model using SmartPLS 3.2.9 software version.

Findings

The results indicate that university librarians have high perception about usefulness and ease of using SNS for meeting their business objectives. The perceived usefulness (PU) is solely based on the prolonged adoption of SNS technology in personal lives of the librarians. The perceived ease of use (PEU) is triggered by the increasing quality of evolving SNS technology, especially user friendliness. The prolonged use of technology, increasing market entry of brands and improving quality of SNS will overcome librarian resistance to use SNS for market research related support to business community. Evolving technologies are more likely to be adopted seamlessly in entrepreneurial libraries.

Research limitations/implications

This study has implications for librarians, entrepreneurs and technology providers. Librarians should have flexible technology adoption policies in place to keep technology adoption synchronized with changing market conditions. Entrepreneurs should share clear and accurate business needs as well as practicing ethical and lawful business practices. They should also help libraries to gain new skills to make future adoption easier. Technology providers should focus on improving the quality of their technology by increasing their functional utilities, performance and reliability as well as making them more user-friendly.

Originality/value

This study investigates technology adoption of SNS in libraries from the perspective of providing market research related services to entrepreneurs rather than just digitalizing library services for student users.

Details

Library Hi Tech, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0737-8831

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 March 2024

Namjoo Choi

The purpose of this study is to examine research on academic libraries and the social web published from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2023.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine research on academic libraries and the social web published from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2023.

Design/methodology/approach

The article search and filtering procedures mirrored those of Choi and Harper (2020) and Carlsson (2015), resulting in a total sample size of 93 articles. These articles underwent examination based on the same eight variables (i.e. journal outlet, research theme, publication year, social web type, method, keyword, study participant type and study country) as employed by Choi and Harper (2020) and Carlsson (2015), with the addition of two new variables (i.e. research purpose and the impact of COVID-19).

Findings

The research article volume has consistently maintained a stable trend. A notable difference from Choi and Harper (2020) and Carlsson (2015) is the rise of “user perspectives” as the second most prevalent theme. Unlike Choi and Harper (2020), the “survey” method is predominant. Many research purposes, excluding “marketing and promotion,” lack attention. Additionally, there’s a dearth of studies on the impact of COVID-19.

Research limitations/implications

The findings from the study not only offer a snapshot of the current research landscape on academic libraries and their engagement with the social web but also offer insights for future scholarly endeavors.

Originality/value

There is a limited effort in exploring the recent literature regarding the role of the social web in academic libraries. This study serves as a valuable guide for contributing to this dynamic research stream and provides various up-to-date implications.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 March 2024

Bing Xue, Rui Yao, Zengyu Ye, Cheuk Ting Chan, Dickson K.W. Chiu and Zeyu Zhong

With the rapid development of social media, many organizations have begun to attach importance to social media platforms. This research studies the management and the use of…

Abstract

Purpose

With the rapid development of social media, many organizations have begun to attach importance to social media platforms. This research studies the management and the use of social media in academic music libraries, taking the Center for Chinese Music Studies of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CCMS) as a case study.

Design/methodology/approach

We conducted a sentiment analysis of posts on Facebook’s public page to analyze the reaction to the posts with some exploratory analysis, including the communication trend and relevant factors that affect user interaction.

Findings

Our results show that the Facebook channel for the library has a good publicity effect and active interaction, but the number of posts and interactions has a downward trend. Therefore, the library needs to pay more attention to the management of the Facebook channel and take adequate measures to improve the quality of posts to increase interaction.

Originality/value

Few studies have analyzed existing data directly collected from social media by programming based on sentiment analysis and natural language processing technology to explore potential methods to promote music libraries, especially in East Asia, and about traditional music.

Details

Library Hi Tech, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0737-8831

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 June 2023

Ivan Ho San Wong, Chi Man Fan, Dickson K.W. Chiu and Kevin K.W. Ho

Social media celebrities are getting popular in promotions, and more people have experienced social media to receive information on diet and health tips. This research presents a…

1643

Abstract

Purpose

Social media celebrities are getting popular in promotions, and more people have experienced social media to receive information on diet and health tips. This research presents a study showing how social media can influence young people's diet behavior through collaboration with social media celebrities.

Design/methodology/approach

Through recruiting on various social media and online education forums, this research recruited 196 young Hongkongers to participate in an online survey developed based on the AIDA (Action, Interest, Desire, Attention) marketing communication model on how youths access diet information from social media celebrities in Hong Kong.

Findings

Hong Kong youths consume diet information from social media celebrities through instant messaging systems, social networking sites and online videos, and, in particular, information on food calories and nutrition. However, sponsorship from vendors would decrease their desire to agree with the messages from social media celebrities. After receiving this information, some participants would follow tips and guides from social media celebrities. However, they seldom share such information. Interestingly, males are more willing to follow these tips and guides.

Originality/value

First, this study fills the gap of prior research, which did not study much on how social media celebrities contribute to diet promotion to youths in Asia. Second, through the AIDA Model, this study shows how social media can affect the awareness and accessibility of diet information by young Hongkongers, followed by initiating their interest in this topic and retrieving more relevant information. Furthermore, the authors further understand their desire to follow and improve their behavior as promoted by social media influencers and how they practice such behavior. Based on these findings, health-related brands could consider using social media influencers helping to promote their products and services, and these brands could further use social media to secure customer engagement.

Details

Aslib Journal of Information Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-3806

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 April 2024

Maciej Liguzinski and Nanna Kann-Rasmussen

The article investigates the institutional setup of e-lending in public libraries in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Our point of departure is that e-lending has necessitated new…

Abstract

Purpose

The article investigates the institutional setup of e-lending in public libraries in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Our point of departure is that e-lending has necessitated new library collaborations between local, regional and national levels, and therefore, institutional e-lending setups have emerged. The study seeks to provide better understanding of how the institutional setups are structured, how governance logics have shaped them and what tensions and dynamics become visible in the key actors’ problematisations of these setups.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is situated in the neo-institutional tradition and applies the institutional logics perspective. The research questions are answered by taking a qualitative approach, grounded in an extensive interview study with representatives of libraries, publishers and policy actors in three Scandinavian countries. To provide in-depth insight into e-lending setups, the scope of empirical material is then limited to accounts the central library and policy actors involved in establishing e-lending.

Findings

The analysis shows that the e-lending setups are both similar (especially when it comes to financing), and different across Scandinavia, especially when it comes to centralisation and involvement of librarians in this task. The differences are attributed to the influence of different governance logics (question of administrative autonomy, collaboration in the field and existing legal and political frames), and to what extent the digital and market logics are incorporated or rejected in the field.

Originality/value

The study provides new insights into the question of how Scandinavian public libraries face the consequences of the digitalisation of book distribution and consumption by investigating how they organise their e-lending services. This has not been explored before, notably in a comparative perspective.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 5 January 2024

Muzamil Mushtaq, Basharat Ahmad Malik and Nida Khan

This study aims to provide insight into Library and Information Science (LIS) research in India using scientometric approaches. Web of Science (WoS) and SCOPUS databases were used…

120

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to provide insight into Library and Information Science (LIS) research in India using scientometric approaches. Web of Science (WoS) and SCOPUS databases were used for data retrieval. The study examines productivity in terms of source types, gender distribution, document formats, authorship and other factors. In addition, this study sought to identify trends or patterns in the research preferences of LIS scientists through text analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were downloaded from the WoS and Scopus databases over 22 years and analysed using VOSviewer, Orange, Biblioshiny and CRExplorer softwares.

Findings

The findings reveal that 5,692 out of the 9,384 documents in both databases underwent the final examination. In total, 466 different sources produced all of those papers. Author analysis revealed that 6,603 different authors authored 5,692 documents. There were 4,209 male and 1,063 female authors. Furthermore, India shares maximum collaborations with the USA and England. The spectrogram features nine significant peaks corresponding to Lotka’s, Bradford’s and similar laws. Text analysis revealed that Indian LIS researchers have consistently investigated open access and digital or open libraries.

Research limitations/implications

The findings of this study will provide readers with a better understanding of India’s contribution to LIS. In addition, the study will help academics identify research gaps and undiscovered areas in the Indian context that require further investigation.

Originality/value

Not many studies highlight Indian research trends and international collaboration in LIS. This study highlights research trends, collaboration and gender productivity in LIS. The most cited references and trending topics were also identified using reference publication year spectroscopy and text analysis techniques.

Details

Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2514-9342

Keywords

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