Students, Librarians and Marketing the Library

A collaborative project between postgraduate Information Science students and

Library staff at Loughborough University

presented by Becky Laing and Frank Parry

(with contributions from Derek Stephens)

Background to the Project: the Library

• Share same building• Historic relationship between the

Library and Department of Information Science

• Work of the Marketing and Publications Group

Background to the Project: Department of Information

Science

• Postgraduate module “Management of Information Services”

• Students given opportunity to put theory into practice by becoming ‘marketing consultants’

• Second year of collaboration

Timescale

• October – students start course and are introduced to marketing theory

• March – students are given briefs• Late May – students give

presentations and are awarded grades

The Briefs - i

• Students become marketing consultants from a firm called “24/7” and are divided into 5 teams each with a different brief:– Library journals– Academic Librarians– Information Literacy and Study Skills–MetaLib (information portal)– Library space

The Briefs - ii

• Librarians become clients and brief the marketing consultants:– Prepare A4 briefing documents–Meet professional teams for discussions– Stay in contact and provide

supplementary information as required – via email, further meetings, Wiki

The Presentations

• Librarians and Information Science staff watch 10 minute presentations from each of the ‘consultant groups’

• Librarians offer views on presentations but do not take part in grading process

The Ideas …

• Students were bold, imaginative yet still practical … here are the ideas from the presentations …

What did the Library get out of it?

• Fresh ideas and a fresh perspective!– A chance to work with an academic

department and systematically examine core areas of Library operations

• Adopt and work on some proposals into the Library’s marketing strategy … with proper acknowledgment of the students’ work.

What did the students get out of it?

– Potentially, better marks!– A chance to put theory into practice ~

the ‘real world’– Professional practice• Hone presentation skills• Work in groups• Develop a marketing ‘mindset’

What did the students get out of it? Results from the

Questionnaire• “It was awesome!” ~ all but 2 of the 16

respondents agreed or strongly agreed that:– The assignment was very practical and relevant– I received good support and information from the

Library – The assignment was good in developing team work

skills– I was able to improve my presentation skills through

completing the assignment– My understanding of marketing in libraries was

considerably enhanced through the assignment– I enjoyed working on the marketing assignment

What did the lecturer get out of it?

• Personal satisfaction of seeing students adapt well to ‘real world’ challenges

• “Good stuff is so easy to mark!” (Derek Stephens)

Thanks

Derek Stephens ~ the Department of Information Science

Students/Consultants ~ the Department of Information Science

Graham Walton, Jason Cooper, Brant Hickman, Karen McCormick, Jeanette

Machin ~ the Library Marketing and Publications Group