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Abstract
Utilizing ArcView GIS to Facilitate the Marketing Research Process
Track: K-12 Education and Library Science
Author(s): Christine M. Koontz, Georgianna Strode
In today's era of tightening library budgets based on competition for fewer available dollars, it is more important than ever for public libraries and other publicly funded agencies to have access to up-to-date information regarding the community the library serves, and the library's users and potential users. Planned acquisition and analysis of such data offers the library manager the best opportunity to make optimum decisions such as whether to close or open a branch, when to change a service or eliminate certain materials, etc. The gathering of data to solve a specific problem is the marketing research process. The one-day course introduced participants to where the marketing research process fits into the marketing plan, the six stages of the marketing research process, and how new technologies , including ArcView GIS, geographic information system software, and personal handheld digital data collectors (these were demonstrated), facilitate the process. A real-life case study in the library environment was utilized to illustrate the what, where when, why and how of the marketing research process. ArcView GIS was donated to the majority of the libraries and utilized in the class by participants. This course was successfully taught at libraries in Fresno; Wichita; Queens Borough; New York; Charlotte; Bainbridge; Georgia; Spokane; San Francisco; and San Diego (last year!).
Christine M. Koontz
Florida Resources and Environmental Analysis Center
C2200 Universtiy Center
Tallahassee, FL 32306
USA
Phone: 850 644-2007
Fax: 850 644-7360
E-mail: ckoontz@admin.fsu.edu