P. K. Suresh Kumar ¹

Affiliations
1 Kerala University Library, University of Kerala, Trivandrum-695034, IN

Abstract

The marketing of information services is very useful to improve the image and to attract more users to the library and hence it is an important area of interest in the university library profession in recent years. This study aims to understand the existing information services and products, to study the marketing orientation based on four marketing mix variables such as product, place, price and promotion, to study the approach of librarians towards marking activities and to identify the problems encountered in marketing of information products and services of the university libraries in Kerala. The data for the study collected from the university librarian or in-charge of four university libraries in Kerala such as Kerala University Library, Mahatma Gandhi University Library, Cochin University of Science and Technology Library and CH Mohammed Koya Library of University of Calicut. All the university libraries in Kerala have some sort of conventional as well as IT enabled information services and products that can be marketed. The librarians have a positive attitude towards marketing. The identified problems encountered are lack of trained staff and less demand for the existing resources and services. It is indeed in the university libraries in Kerala to initiate new information services and products suitable for the different user groups. From the analysis of the marketing elements viz. product, place, price and promotion, it is observed that university libraries in Kerala need better promotional activities. A separate marketing division with skilled staff with a marketing plan is desirable to make the marketing activities more efficient and effective.

Keywords

Information Services and Products, Marketing, Marketing Mix, Marketing Orientation, Pricing, Promotional Activities, University Libraries.

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P. K. Suresh Kumar ¹

Affiliations
1 Kerala University Library, Palayam, Thiruvananthapuram - 34, IN

Abstract

This study is to examine the quantitative growth of biographies in Malayalam mainly based on Malayalam Grantham Soochi published by Kerala Sahithya Academy, Thrissur. The latest version of Malayalam Grandha Soochi brought out in 2006 includes books published in Malayalam up to 2000. Since the present study covers biographies in Malayalam up to 2013 the data was also collected from two major libraries in Kerala such as Kerala University Library, Trivandrum and Kerala Sahitya Academy Library, Thrissur having comprehensive collection of Malayalam books. The specific objectives of the study are to analyse the quantitative growth of biographies in Malayalam, to identify the prominent contributors of Ma layalam biographies, to rank the publishers of Malayalam biographies, to examine geographical and subject wise distribution of publishers, to find the average size of the book with respect to the number of pages in different periods and to trace the change in average price of Malayalam biographies. The major findings of the study are the number of Malayalam biographies published in olden days are very few but the there is an increasing trend after the formation of Kerala State. There is an up and down growth in biographical source from 1084 to 2013. It is also revealed that males are the major contributors of the biographies in Malayalam. No author has more than 14 biographical books in his/her credit. Majority of the Malayalam biographies are small in size having below 100 pages. Even though tremendous changes happened in the publishing and printing technology in the later years, the average price of the books is increasing. Since the existing bibliographical tools in Malayalam are not reliable and up to date, it is suggested that State Central Library and State Library Council should take the initiative for compiling a comprehensive Malayalam bibliography with the cooperation of all major libraries and publishers in Kerala.

Keywords

Bibliometric Study, Biographies, Kerala Sahitya Academy, Kerala University Library, Malayalam Grandha Soochi.

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