Introduction
We have heard many definitions of what marketing is and I'm sure you will hear many more during today's seminar. The following definition was provided to me by Thomson Gale's marketing manager and I think it accurately reflects the basic concepts associated with marketing.

Marketing is the wide range of activities involved in making sure that you're continuing to meet the needs of your customers and getting value in return. These activities include market research to find out, for example, what groups of potential customers exist, what their needs are, which of those needs you can meet, how you should meet them, etc. Marketing also includes analyzing the competition, positioning your new product or service (finding your market niche), pricing your products and services, and promoting them through continued advertising, promotions, public relations and sales.

That definition covers what is commonly referred to as the "four Ps of marketing": Product, Price, Place and Promotion.

Product can be an actual product, a service or an idea. A children's reading activity or after-school/curriculum support program can be an example of a service to promote. Reading lists for university courses available on your library's website is a fantastic service to attract students. Videos and CDs that libraries offer for free are another popular service the library can promote.

The "price" for a library is not necessarily a monetary price that is extended to patrons, but rather the 'value' your customers get from the services you offer. For example, you can save a person some money (check out the book for free, rather than going to a book store or Amazon.com) and you can show the value of saving a person some time

Place means location. Where is your main library or branch? Is it convenient for patrons? Is everything in your library easy to find? If you're offering a service, is it at a convenient time for your target audience? Can they access your catalogue from home?

Finally there is promotion and this is what I would like to concentrate on for the next twenty minutes. In particular, I would like to focus on three aspects of promoting libraries that I believe are essential in thinking about how libraries can best market themselves to the communities they serve:
" Promoting the Worth of the Library: what are the unique features of a modern library that we should be promoting to the community?
" Databases vs the Internet: search engines represent the biggest threat to libraries. How can we promote the value of information services that a library has to offer.
" Marketing the Librarian: promoting ourselves as dynamic information professionals that have unique and marketable skills.
Promoting the Value of the Library
Everyone in this room knows that the library is an invaluable institution in any civilized society. In fact, some of us can argue that the library is the basis of a civilised society. I've found a very good definition of the modern library which I would like to share with you.

The modern library is a proactive, centrally located, attractive, spacious, multifaceted and very busy institution open for long hours, seven days a week. It is the community's cultural, educational and meeting place. It should be:
" accessible by all
" neutral and nonthreatening
" Equal, caring and supportive
" nonjudgemental and noncompetitive
" built around trust and community involvement
" client centred
The modern public library provides:
" access to, and lending of, a wide range of up to date books, large print books, e-books, audio books, magazines, audio and video materials
" ready access to the information mediation and expertise of library professionals
" access to global print and electronic information resources
" web access to its resources
" free internet access and training

This is exactly what a library does or should do and these are the services that we should be promoting in our marketing campaigns. By highlighting the positive influence libraries and librarians have within the community, we will find it easier to obtain support, financial or otherwise, from managers and politicians and the people who control our budgets. Yet, how can we clearly articulate the value of the library and promote this to the wider community? What aspects should we be promoting and how should we be promoting it?

It's generally agreed that promotion includes activities like advertising and public relations as well as producing publications such as flyers and newsletters and webpages. I would now like to explore some of these activities in greater detail.

The role of public relations, in a very broad sense, is to convey in a positive manner what your organisation does and the value of these activities to the local community. In the case of libraries, the community will consist of patrons, teachers, library staff, local government and local media - to name a few. Whenever you communicate to any of these segments of your community you are participating in public relations. Every reference question, phone call, letter or face-to-face encounter that you undertake as a librarian is a public relations event.

The most visible elements of public relations are publicity and advertising. Publicity is generally conducted to get media coverage. An example would be sending out a news release to your local paper announcing a new library service - such as access to a new online database or a new children's after-school reading programme. The major issue with publicity is that usually you have very limited control over it. Once you send out a press release, for example, the reporter from the local newspaper may write a completely different article on the new library service than the one you had intended.

This happened to me once during a very large consortium deal I organised in New Zealand on behalf of Thomson Gale. The consortium and Gale issued a joint press release announcing the deal and benefits it would bring to New Zealand libraries. A national newspaper asked us for an interview and instead of promoting the fact that every library in New Zealand would have access to thousands of authoritative online journals, they concentrated on the fact that the online database we were offering had only a small percentage of New Zealand content.

With advertising on the other hand, you control every single aspect of the message. You, the organization, write, control and place the advertising. Simply put, you can control advertisements because you pay for them. The problem with advertising is that it can cost a lot of money. If most of the responses resulting from your advertising come from those who already use the library, it may be cheaper and easier to use other 'free' methods to promote the library such as posters and displays, newsletters, bookmarks, or a news item on your web site. This investment, you can argue, that could be spent on buying more books or other equipment for the library.

One of the most direct and easiest ways to publicise your library is through your own library newsletter if you have one. By sending out a quality library newsletter on a regular basis, you can keep clients, potential clients, the media, and other important members of the community updated about your library. Here are some general tips on how to create a successful library newsletter:
" Will the newsletter be emailed or printed or available on the Internet? If it is printed, will it be 2 pages, 4, or more? Printed in black and white or colour? Do you need a logo?
" Spend time on creating an extensive mailing list. Send the newsletter to local politicians, businessmen…any one who has the ability to help the library.
" Decide on the name and frequency of your newsletter. Work out a budget and a production schedule.
" Draw up a table of contents for each issue.
" Allow room for photographs and other visuals.
" Keep articles brief and language simple. If necessary, include a glossary.
" Provide a list of URLs where readers can find out more about the content in the newsletter.
" Promote your library's "Coming Attractions"
" Encourage readers to send you mail or e-mails.
" Create a contest to attract readers to the newsletter.

In today's world, the first contact many of your patrons will have with the library is through your website. As a result, your home page becomes an important marketing tool. Your home page should do two things: promote the services of the library and promote the value of its services to the community. This is why it's extremely important to make your site welcoming and easy-to-navigate. Whether you're National Library or a small municipal library, the same guiding principals for good website design apply.
" Content is critical - make sure the information your community wants is easily accessible and complete.
" Don't make people scroll! Keep important information in the top half of the screen
" Keep it simple…nothing puts people off more than a complicated and hard to use webpage.
" Don't clutter your website with too many images or animations that could slow down the loading of the page.

So now that you have a great web site design, here are some ideas on the types of services you can promote:
" Ask a Librarian reference services or e-mail reference
" Database of the Month (ask your vendors or distributors to help you with this)
" Overdue notices by e-mail
" Virtual galleries
" Local content for topics of interest and related internet links
" Calendars
" Opinion polls, feedback, and comment forms
" Purchase suggestion forms
" Newsletters
" Access to online catalogue
Databases vs. the Internet
Libraries are now facing very strong competition from freely available search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Alta Vista. The generation that has grown up with the Internet want convenience and easily accessible information and often the first place that comes to mind is a search engine. Many perceive they're finding quality information on these sites (which can happen), while others may forego quality for convenience and information that's 'good enough'. Most importantly, they do not even have to leave their homes to access this information. They simply switch on their computer, log on to the Internet and have a wealth of information available at their fingertips. Going to the library does not even enter into their minds.

As librarians we all know that Google and other search engines are no match for the quality information that a library offers. At best, search engines skim only the thinnest layers of information. At worst, search engines are the information equivalent of fast food - not very nutritious and easily disposable.

So, how do we convince people to come into the library and obtain quality information? How can we compete against Google, Yahoo and Alta Vista and market the library as the healthy alternative to 'fast information'?
One way is to actively promote the online databases that the library has invested precious money in subscribing to. These online databases, whether they are from Gale, Proquest or Ebsco represent the most accurate and authoritative type of information to be gained from the Internet. Many hours have gone in to verifying, indexing, classifying and presenting the information that is available in these databases. At Gale for example, we have a team of librarians who subject classify every single journal article (currently we have over 46 million articles) that appear in our database using Library of Congress Subject headings. Google simply cannot compete with this.
A very good example of the way in which libraries are marketing the value of their subscription based online databases comes from New Zealand. In 2003 the National Library of New Zealand negotiated with Thomson Gale and Ebsco a consortium deal whereby every library in the country has access to a selection of online products from these two information vendors. The consortium was called 'EPIC' and its co-ordinators wanted to promote the databases in such as way so that every person in the country could appreciate the value of this content. This is what they came up with.
This first example is a customisable brochure which was created by the EPIC consortium. You can see that the content of the brochure clearly explains the difference between the information available on the Internet and the information that is present in the Gale and Ebsco databases. The brochure also emphasises the important role of the librarian in helping the user find their way around all these different e-resources (a point I will expand upon later in this presentation). Every library in New Zealand handed out hundreds of copies of these brochures and they proved a great success in delivering the message that 'healthy' information was now available in every single library in New Zealand.
The next slide illustrates what the EPIC consortium created to promote the databases within the library. A desk-talker (a small brochure that sits next to every computer in the library) and a poster (which was displayed prominently in the library) was created to reinforce the value of the e-resources from Gale and Ebsco. The key terms 'search smarter' and 'high quality' are repeated throughout the text while the bold colours in particular make these promotional materials stand out.
We have discussed ways in which you can promote the advantages of your online databases within the library. This still does not address the clear advantage Google and other search engines have in that users can access them from the convenience of home. However, please remember that with your online databases there is the option of remote access. Remote access means giving your library patrons the option of accessing your collection of online databases from home. If your library can offer the same home access to its online databases as other search engines, then it is more than likely that your patrons will choose your library over Google.
Some of you may be worried that the option to access the library's e-resources from home will reduce people's desire to come into the library - in effect putting the library out of business. This is not the case. In many libraries where remote access has been established, there has been an overall increase in the number of patrons who use the library's services. A case in point is the consortium of public libraries in the Australian state of Victoria called Gulliver. Promoting your online databases can encourage your patrons to come in and explore the other services available from the library.
So, whichever vendor of online databases your library uses, I would encourage you to contact them and ask about the possibility of remote access. In my opinion this is the best way to compete against Google and Yahoo and attract more patrons to your library.
Marketing the Librarian
While I was conducting the research for this presentation, I came across many examples of how the physical space of a library is marketed. Countless references are made to the number of monographs a library has or the number of computers or the historical importance of the library building. What is neglected in these types of marketing campaigns is the most important element of a library - the librarians who work within it.

Christina Tovoté, Senior Librarian at Malmö University in Sweden makes the same point in an essay on the importance of marketing libraries. She writes:

There is a difference between information and knowledge. Information is something that exists out there independent of us. Knowledge is a relation between us and the information……The librarian is a gatekeeper to this knowledge and to our role of collecting, organising, storing and distributing we can add creating information. The libraries stand alone in having skilled staff able to take care of all the questions like that.

As this quote makes clear, without a librarian to help users navigate their way through the countless volumes of books, periodicals, audio-visual material and online databases, most of the information contained in a library would simply gather dust - there would be no knowledge. Clearly, the professional skills of a librarian are invaluable to a library and the people who use it. I believe this is the message that needs to be communicated when libraries market themselves and their services to the broader community.

To put it another way: when a person feels sick, they go to a doctor; when a person needs to build a house, they go to an architect or engineer; when a person has a toothache they go to a dentist. Most people do not diagnose themselves, design and build their own house or remove their own teeth. The same should apply to librarians. When a person needs access to specialised information or knowledge, the first person that they should go to is a librarian - an information professional. It should not be assumed that the average library user has the skills to discover knowledge, just in the same way that it is not assumed that most people can perform surgery on themselves.

So, how can we promote ourselves as information professionals with the same level of expertise and reputation as a doctor or engineer? The problem is that we librarians have inherited a very bad image. We are all aware of the stereotype that the general public has of librarians and it is perpetuated by the media.

In general, the stereotypical librarian is represented as middle aged and dressed very conservatively. He or she is usually portrayed as shelving, cataloguing or stamping books or telling intimidated library patrons to be quiet. In general, the image is of a semi-professional or lowly valued clerical worker who is either ridiculed or feared. We all know that the reality of the librarian's life is completely different to this simplistic stereotype.

Many librarians and library associations are now undertaking pro-active marketing campaigns to counter this image and portray librarians as the professionals they really are. I would like to show you some examples of these campaigns and while I am doing this, please think of how you would promote the profession of librarian within your library and in Slovakia as a whole.

The first poster campaign I am going to show you was produced by the Australian Library and Information Association for National Library Week in 2002 and 2004. As you can see, the primary purpose of both poster images is to destroy the stereotype of a 'traditional' librarian. For example, the image of the librarian in the first poster couldn't be more different to the image in the previous slide. Our new librarian looks like a comic book super-hero - active, dynamic, cool, young, sexy and at the cutting edge of technology (see the keyboard and the Bluetooth ear piece). As a way of improving the image of the librarian I think this poster works. It would certainly encourage a younger audience to find out more about libraries and hopefully explore a career as a librarian. Where the poster fails is that it does not really convey any sense of the value of what a librarian does - it makes us look modern and funky but the viewer is still none the wiser as to the reality of our work.

The second poster, for the Australian Library Week 2004, is a marked improvement. This poster does two things incredibly well. The first is that it portrays the librarian in a serious and professional light - the high-powered woman staring back at us could be a doctor, lawyer or engineer. Secondly, the poster makes quite clear the value of a librarian - only a librarian has the skill-set to navigate through the maze of information resources to obtain 'the right information at the right time'. Finally, the poster looks like it could be advertising a Hollywood movie - giving the image a slightly glamorous tone. I like this image and the professionalism it portrays, but perhaps you may have a different opinion.

The next series of posters were produced by the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (U.S) as part of their 'Ask a Librarian' programme. 'Ask a Librarian' is a service where librarians are available online to answer research and information questions from students, teachers and patrons of participating libraries. All questions and answers are delivered via the 'Ask a Librarian' website. You will notice that this campaign focuses less on the image of the librarian and more on the service that a librarian provides. The key words in this campaign are 'deadline' and 'need help' - emphasizing the value of a librarian's research skills in helping students and professionals alike complete their essays or projects on time.

So, what could you do here in Slovakia? How would you promote yourselves in a poster? Would you be comic-book super-heroes trying to save the world with your super information powers? Or would you be cool, calm and collected professionals wearing smart suits and expensive shoes? Perhaps a combination of the two?

To conclude, I would like to quote one of my Australian colleagues on the value of being a librarian. Maybe this may help you in choosing the image of a Slovakian librarian.

What was the attraction of becoming a librarian? It's important community work. The thing about libraries is they support democracy, they support society and civilised life. They are also there to help everybody - all people can come in to a library.
Conclusion
The information I've shared with you during this talk are thoughts and perceptions only. My presentation is by no means to be taken as the final world on how you should promote your library. As a librarian working in the commercial world for the last seven years and visiting as many libraries as I have in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East and Africa, I've come to the conclusion that libraries all over the world have share the same problems. We all suffer from lack of funding, lack of appreciation by our superiors and sometimes, a lack of understanding from the user communities that we serve. Whatever we can do to change this situation, through marketing and promoting ourselves, can only be of benefit to libraries, librarians and the people who rely on our professional services.

Thank you.