Marketing of information services in the Egyptian National Agricultural Library (ENAL): A Case Study

Marketing helps libraries achieve their goals, and increase the quality of the provided services, especially if marketing was among the policies adopted and implemented by the library to ensure satisfaction among its users. Marketing also helps make the best use of material and human resources in identifying and fulfilling the needs of the user. Besides, marketing is an important function that a library devoted to make its societal mission a success should perform; it is a main entrance that libraries aim to keep opened for users to allow them to access all the provided services and goods. This study has an introduction, four chapters, and a conclusion: Chapter One deals with marketing information services from a theoretical perspective. It defines marketing and provides an overview of its origin, historical development, importance, objectives, and the reasons that made libraries use it. The chapter also attempts to identify marketing strategies and the different components of an expanded marketing. Chapter Two is devoted to ENAL. It overviews the origin, evolution, objectives, functions, location, size area, furniture, equipments, regulations, administrative framework, staff, budget, possessions, technical preparation, and services of the Egyptian National Agricultural Services. The chapter, then, discusses the marketing environment of the library. Chapter Three examines the sample users and staff who took the questionnaire of the study in order to identify the mechanism of marketing services in the library under study. Chapter Four Planning to set up a marketing plan information services of the Egyptian National Agricultural Library. The Conclusion sums up a number of findings the most significant of which is the inability of ENAl to market its information services whether traditionally or electronically.