A Marketing Plan for Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST) Library

Abstract

The study aimed at developing a Marketing Plan for UNCST library (UNCST LIBRARY) Services. The objectives of the study were to: examine the different services provided by UNCST library, establish how marketing of library services is done at UNCST library, find out the challenges in marketing of the library services at UNCST library and develop a marketing plan for UNCST library. The study employed a case study research design with a qualitative research approach to obtain data from the respondents. Questionnaires, interview guides, and observation guides were used in data collection necessary in developing a marketing plan for UNCST library services. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 35 patrons and 2 librarians from UNCST library who participated in the study. The found out that the different library services offered at UNCST Library were; reference/consultation services, reading services, research services, internet services, reading space and many others. The library offers a wide range of library services which include; current awareness services, orientation of the library users, reference services, user education, book loan services, reading space, scanning services and many others. The library also manages a number of information materials that are used by users which include; text books and reference books, holy books, periodicals like magazines and newspapers, reports, charts and many others.The library staff faces a number of problems while marketing the library services to the users of the library and these were; Inadequate funds, lack of computers, inadequate information materials, small reading space. The study concluded that there was need to develop a marketing plan for UNCST library Services. The major recommendation was UNCST Library should implement the proposed marketing plan for UNCST Library services. The other recommendations were; use of an appropriate marketing approach, involvement of users in marketing of library services, promotion of current awareness services, offering of assistance services, improving the quality of library services, training and educating the library users, organizing events, and setting up a social media network.