Marketing of Library and Information Services in the Digital Age: Challenges, Strategies and Implications

Abstract

This paper discussed effective marketing of library and information services in the digital age. It focused on librarians marketing themselves and library services which require the application of ICT through web 2.0 tools; these include WhatsApp, email, face book, You-tube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Telephone, etc to reach out to their clientele in order to satisfy their information needs. The study adopted a conceptual review based on previous research. It x-rays the need to market LIS to increase usage, whether onsite or remote for sustainable development. There were some challenges such as ignorance among librarians, lack of ICT infrastructure, lack of awareness of the public in their right to information, lack of fund and lack of training and retraining of library staff. However, some strategies, implications and recommendations were proffered. It was concluded that effective marketing be used to promote access to library and information services as a panacea towards sustainable Nigerian libraries in the digital age. Keywords: Marketingt, Library, Information Information services, Digital Agev