Section on Management and Marketing

Annual Report 1994-1995

Scope statement

The Section on Management and Marketing has an enabling role for the study of management and marketing issues within library services and systems. It collaborates with other IFLA Sections in applying management and marketing theory and practice to specific types of services and operations throughout the world. A particular concern is to identify emerging theories and practices which may impinge on libraries, and to ensure that managers are made aware of these developments in order to anticipate change, and promote best practice. The Section works with educators and trainers to promote the inclusion of management and marketing studies in the curricula, especially in developing countries. Its activities bring together practitioners, educators and researchers in the fields of management and marketing to exchange ideas, knowledge and experience.

Membership

This is a new Section which recorded 73 members in January 1998.

Officers

Chair: Prof. Michael Koenig, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Dominican University, 7900 West Division Street, River Forest IL 60305, USA. Tel: +1-708-5246849 Fax: +1-708-3665360 Email: koenigmd@email.dom.edu

Secretary/Treasurer and Information Officer: Prof. Patricia Layzell Ward, Haulfryn, Cae Eithin, Minffordd, Penrhyndeudraeth, Gwynedd LL48 6EL Wales, UK. Tel: +44-1766-770434 Fax: +44-1766-770434 Email: layzellward@celtic.co.uk.

Meetings

Open meeting: Copenhagen

Michael Koenig (USA): User perceptions of the effect of the outsourcing of U.S. Government libraries: findings and conclusions of the research project.
Hilkka Orava (Finland): Marketing is an attitude of mind.
Greta Renborg (Sweden) Marketing library services: how it all began.

Attendance: circa 100

Workshops: Copenhagen

Advancing the Librarian’s Role in the New Information Economy: half day workshop organised by Karen Muller (USA).
Goal: to provide participants with an understanding of the challenges to be overcome in order to change the public’s mind about the ability of librarians to management information and technology. The challenges of managing in the new information economy Ruud Bruyns (Netherlands). How are librarians perceived: the Austrian experience Maria Seissel (Austria) Martin Kreinz (Austria). School leaver attitudes towards librarianship Neil Greeve (Australia). Advocacy: LISAN - Libraries on the Information Network Superhighway Advocacy Network Linda Williams (USA). Video: Kids Connect. Attendance around 80

Adapting Marketing to Libraries and Information Centers in a Changing and World-Wide Environment full day workshop organised by Rejean Savard and Christina Tovote. Joint with Public Libraries Section.
Goals: to develop a better knowledge of what marketing is among the participants; to explore new applications of marketing among IFLA members and raise a positive attitude towards marketing among librarians.
Moderator Rejean Savard (Canada). How librarians perceive marketing Jens Thorhauge (Denmark). How librarians apply marketing Sissel Nielsen (Norway) Christina Tovote (Sweden) Marielle de Miribel (France) Virginia Walsh (Australia). How to adapt marketing to particular contexts: Africa, former Eastern Bloc countries and China Yawo Assigbley (Togo) Audrienne Glosiene (Lithuania) Yuanqing Du (China). The future of marketing in libraries: trend researching Bo Harder Weymann (Denmark). Attendance around 90.

Projects

Toolkit for librarians (Michael Koenig)
The aim is to produce a toolkit of management techniques for librarians. For completion in 1998.
Workshops on marketing (Christine Tovote, Marielle de Miribel, Rejean Savard).
Two workshops to be organised, in 1997 and 1998, and a publication prepared.
Feasibility study for distance learning programme in leadership (Patricia Layzell Ward)
The aim is to take the proceedings of a seminar held in Ankara in 1995, to determine whether it can be developed for wider dissemination. For completion 1998.
Contracting out of library services (Michael Koenig)
The project surveys the experience of users of library services that have been contracted out by government departments in the USA. Interim report given as paper in Copenhagen 1997. Final report 1998.

Publication

Review of the management literature 1996. Luis Herrera and Ricardo Rodriguez Pereyra. IFLA Journal, Vol. 23 (1997), 371-380.

Other events

It should be noted that perhaps the most momentous event of the year was the emergence of the Section on Management and Marketing from the Round Table on Management.

Patricia Layzell Ward February 1998.

Latest Revision: October 28, 1998