Return on Investment: New Strategies for Marketing Digital Resources to Academic Faculty and Students From Three Perspectives: Publisher, Collection Development, and Research Services
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Game changing strategies for marketing digital resources to end users are crucial for establishing return on investment in this period of reduced library collection budgets and challenging resource prices. When expensive digital resources are purchased by academic libraries, there needs to be a marketing plan in place for getting these resources into the hands of end users as quickly as possible. One strategy for success is a marketing collaboration between the publisher and the academic library. The Profera, Arthur, Tierney 2014 Charleston Conference presentation on this topic focused on the success achieved at the University of Central Florida Libraries where such a collaboration included experts from Taylor & Francis working closely with the Head of Acquisitions & Collection Services and the Head of Research Services. Together they sponsored a digital resources educational workshop that included presentations by faculty, librarians, and Taylor & Francis representatives and reached out to end users as well as librarians from several Florida institutions. The UCF Libraries has also partnered with publishers to promote resources through various events sponsored by publishers and aimed at librarians and faculty from UCF and surrounding institutions. The presenters covered innovative strategies for marketing digital resources including hosting vendor presentations and trainings in library classrooms or at academic faculty workshops and hosting webinars and presentations. With the focus on marketing to end users, the presenters concentrated on ways that academic faculty and librarians have been included in training and outreach related to new products or major enhancements to existing library resources.