Academic Libraries Should Consider a Strategic Approach to Promotion and Marketing of e-Books. A Review of: Vasileiou, M. & Rowley, J. (2011). Marketing and promotion of e-books in academic libraries. Journal of Documentation, 67(4), 624-643. doi: 10.1108/00220411111145025

Objectives – The main objectives of this study were the following: 1) To determine the existence of a formal promotion or marketing strategic plan for e-books in academic libraries. 2) To identify the marketing and promotion tools being used for e-book marketing. 3) To understand the role of faculty in promoting e-books. 4) To explore the issues and challenges that the libraries are facing in promoting e-books. 5) To investigate the future plans for the promotion of e-books. Design – Qualitative study involving individual interviews followed by thematic analysis. Setting – The research setting was seven academic libraries with various sizes of e-book collections (~9,000 to ~500,000) and ranging from research leading to teaching focused universities. Subjects – The interviews were conducted with 25 academic librarians, including 19 subject librarians, 4 e-resources librarians, 1 collection development manager, and 1 acquisition and metadata officer. Methods – Using a multiple case approach, the researchers interviewed 25 librarians from 7 academic libraries. The interviews were digitally recorded. The interview transcripts were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. The researchers recorded information about the type and size of the university, number of e-books, and the role of interviewees, and then conducted a semi-structured interview. The following questions were asked: 1) “Do you have a promotion/marketing strategy for e-books (or e-resources)? If not, is there a need for one? 2) What are the marketing and promotion tools you use for e-books? 3) What are the issues and challenges in promoting e-books?” (p. 629) Main Results – While none of the cases had a formalized marketing strategy, most participants (19 out of 25) acknowledged the importance of developing one. Those who did not find it necessary argued that their users had good knowledge of library e-resources, thus, marketing was unnecessary. Although there was a lack of a marketing strategic plan across all the cases, some of the participants were practicing e-book marketing and promotion to some extent. The interviewees mentioned a total of 20 different promotional tools. The most frequently used promotional tools were library websites, information literacy sessions, OPACs, and e-mails. Participants also noted marketing using online help tutorials and various events. The least frequently mentioned promotional tools were announcement boards, a library representative, blogs, bulletins, the display screen, and a marketing campaign. The marketing campaign was only mentioned by librarians fro