Marketing of public libraries in theory and practice : A study of the marketing work at two public libraries

The competition for people´s attention becomes harder and harder. If the libraries want to continue to attract visitors it´s important that their business is promoted. The purpose of this thesis is to in-vestigate how two public libraries work with marketing. The study is based on a marketing model, introduced by Philip Kotler and further developed by Eileen Elliott de Sáez. Kotler believes that marketing is a social process and that everything can be promoted. De Sáez has adjusted Kotlers model so that it better suits the environment in which libraries and information services operate.The marketing activities at the two libraries are investigated through observations of the exterior and interior of the libraries, the libraries´ exposure of media and advertising in the local press. I have also studied brochures, other marketing information and fi-nally conducted interviews with librarians responsible for the mar-keting work. My results are compared with each other and ana-lysed using Kotlers marketing model.My conclusion is that the two investigated libraries are marketing their services in several ways: through exposure of media at the libraries, advertising in brochures, in the local press and on the internet.Program: Bibliotekari