Targeting users in information provision - more than researchers, students and professionals

Abstract

PURPOSE – A previous contribution (Fourie 2013) set the scenario for pursuing options to find a balance between information communication technology (ICT), information retrieval systems (IRS) such as databases, library catalogues, repositories, Google Scholar, digital libraries, portals, search engines and the users of these systems. This contribution pursues the issues by asking how information service providers can target their users. The emphasis is on making a difference, and to move beyond merely targeting researchers, post-graduate students and professionals such as doctors, chemists, and lawyers. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH – The contribution will be written against the background of research from information behaviour, user studies and marketing. FINDINGS – Information services and database producers mostly focus on post-graduate students, researchers and professionals. There is little support for under-graduate students and novices to a profession. Acknowledging preferences for Google and social media, more effort is required to gain the interest and loyalty of upcoming professionals – starting with under-graduate students. ORIGINALITY/VALUE – Although there are many publications on user studies and marketing in the Library and Information Science literature, this contribution aims to draw on new ways of targeting users, and to note new potential user groups.