Marketing of information products and services in Indian R&D library and information centres

The present paper reflects the gradual change in the need and use of the marketing concepts in libraries and information centres (LICs) and its fruitful effects in the service to the library users, and studies marketing of information products/services in LICs of R&D institutions of Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) of India. The paper discusses the role of these LICs including marketing approach, need and application of a marketing program with the help of a survey. For the survey, data were collected through a detailed mailed questionnaire along with interviews. The findings reveal that librarians have a positive attitude towards the different aspects of marketing of a library's information products/services. The study recommends that currently efforts for increasing user-awareness and separate financial support are requisite for efficient marketing. Instead of scattered approaches and different styles, a coherent view must be taken.