Ranganathan’s Philosophy and Marketing

May-June issue of MLS Newsletter is out recently. It covers cover story on 'SLA Alignment’s Five Steps for Rebranding and Communicating Change'; special report 'Useful Fundraising and Marketing Offerings at PLA in Portland' and of course my short write up on continuing Christie Koontz's column customer-based marketing 'Ranganathan's philosophy and marketing'.It has other items of your interest as well.

In the column, I have emphasised that customer is central point to both the philosophies of S.R. Ranganathan and to marketing. Ranganathan’s user-centric approach, which is humanistic, has a strong emphasis on marketing. Realize, the library service is only as competent, helpful, accessible, knowledgeable, courteous, friendly, and reliable as the person who represents it. Such attributes in a librarian are in no matter different from the attributes of a successful marketer.

Library Leaders Say

The Greatest Marketing Mantra is:

"Consider Your Visitor as Supreme God to you as Guest", righly said by S R Ranganathan, Father of Library Science. He says:

- Give service with all attention and in all sinceresity,
- Give him service to the entire capacity at your command,
- Give him service in all modesty and in full freedom from any touch of prestige or ego,
- Give him service in full measure lest there should be any offence to the Laws of Library Science,
- Acquire the best knowledge and information for giving him in your best service.

Thus, service is the core of all operations, practices and procedures in libraries and information centers. The attributes a librarian should have is attentive, sincere, commitment, simplicity, devotion, knowledge are in no matter different from a marketer.