Library Products

Services and programs libraries offer

What are library products?

In libraries "products" are what you do for your community, the tangible goods and services the library offers. For example:

• Provide resources and encouragement for lifelong learning.

• Provide a place for all ages to gather and learn.

• Offer adult, young adult, and children's programming.

• Offer programming for non-English speakers in your community.

• Develop and circulate collections of print and multi-media materials.

• Provide local, regional, state-wide, and national access to resources.

• Provide reference and research resources, services, and collections.

• Offer remote services such as 24/7 reference, customer account handling, genealogy information, and access to eBooks.

• Provide services for your users in online communities.

• Provide access to online local information resources and databases, and guidance in selection of Web resources.

• Offer training in use of online and print resources to contribute to information literacy.

• Promote information, social, and cultural literacy.

• Work with local schools to support curriculum.

• Introduce children to reading.

• Work with literacy programs.

• Provide information for local businesses.

• Provide genealogy and other materials for special interests.

• Maintain archives of local historical resources.

• Provide meeting areas.

PLA New Planning for Results emphasizes 13 library service priorities: basic literacy, business and career information, commons environment for meetings, community referral, consumer information, cultural awareness, current topics and titles, formal learning support, general information, government information, information literacy, lifelong learning, local history and genealogy.

Think like a user!

We often take these products for granted or assume that users place the same value on them that we do. Try looking at library products from the users' viewpoint. If you've been working in a library for a long time, refresh your memory! Visit  a library that you've never used before and consider these questions:

• How's the signage -- can you tell by looking around what services are available?

• Is it easy to find stuff?

• Is it clear where you should go for help?

• Can you find every department without having to ask?

• Do you understand the arrangement of the collection?

• If you're used to Dewey, visit a library that uses the Library of Congress system. Can you find what you're looking for?

• Is it easier at the bookstore?

• Are you comfortable?

• Do you enjoy being there?

• If you visit the library's Web site, can you tell what services are available?

Market research and the market audit (Module 2) are great tools for determining what users value, how decisions are made about using library services, and what the library's capabilities are for offering desired services.

In marketing, perception is reality. Library products have no value to users unless the users can perceive the value. One purpose of marketing is to communicate the benefits and the value of library products to our users.

Visit a large library or look at a few library web sites.

• Is it easy to tell what products (services) are available?
• Is it clear what the purpose is for the services? For example, although we take the terms for granted, not all users understand what we mean by interlibrary loan, fiction and non-fiction, or even circulation.

Product Value.