MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS: READING PROMOTION PROGRAMS IN ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

Abstract

Objective. The article covers different forms of communication between library staff and its users including reading promotion. It is rather effective for libraries to communicate with the target audience. Nowadays libraries need to communicate with customers and academic libraries are not in the exception list. Academic library staff need to communicate and build strong relations with students, professors and staff of university. Target audience may be informed about the library, support of users or different events that take place in library space. Methods. Based on the analysis of scientific research, a list of potential communication channels has been identified. Library messages and reading promotion campaigns were also analyzed. Results. Part of library communication should be devoted to book reading promotion and reading programs. Library staff need to get acquainted with programming and marketing, because without this knowledge it is hard to fulfill main activity. Marketing is everywhere today, even in academic library activity. The article describes the main elements of communication between the academic library and the user: messages, channels, target audience and gives examples of information and advertising campaigns conducted by different libraries. Conclusions. Reading promotion programs maybe part of common library communication. Modern libraries start to communicate with their users, promote reading books and educate readers. It can be done with a budget on promotion and without it.