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DEVELOPING THE MARKETING PLAN FOR HANOI SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Module by: Tran Trung Viet

Summary: The HSPH’s library has always tried to fit into training and research missions of our academic institution by selecting, acquiring, organizing and providing access to high quality information resources on public health as well as providing instruction and guidance to ensure effective retrieval and use of information for user community

DEVELOPING THE MARKETING PLAN FOR HANOI SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Module by: Trần Trung Việt
Summary: The HSPH’s library has always tried to fit into training and research missions of our academic institution by selecting, acquiring, organizing and providing access to high quality information resources on public health as well as providing instruction and guidance to ensure effective retrieval and use of information for user community
By Viet Tran Trung

OVERVIEW

Executive Summary

The HSPH’s library has always tried to fit into training and research missions of our academic institution by selecting, acquiring, organizing and providing access to high quality information resources on public health as well as providing instruction and guidance to ensure effective retrieval and use of information for user community. Additionally, the library has always looked for innovative ways to enhance the library image, promote and market itself, its collections and its services. By this way, this marketing plan is created with two main goals: promote awareness of new undergraduate students about the information searching service and enhance their searching skills in support of their learning and research during their studying at HSPH.

Brief summary of the environment in which the library operates

After the Doi Moi (Renovation) reform in 1986, Vietnam has recognized many changes in term of politic, economy, culture and society. The country now welcomes foreign trade, investment, tourists, business people, students and scholars. Personal incomes have increased. Vietnam is a member of Association of South East Asian nations, a new member of Non- standing Security Council and WTO. In the process of Renovation, the Vietnamese politic and social situation is stable. Vietnam's annual economic growth rate of the 2007 is 8,7 per cent.
Beside, education has been and continues to be a major preoccupation of government and highly valued activity in Vietnamese society. It also becomes a central factor for the country’s industrialization and modernization and will remain a major concern in Vietnam for years to come. The quality of education is changing. The level of knowledge and the capacity to get new knowledge is increasing. The training quality in science and technology fields has been improved. High education is growing step by step. University system, teaching and research methods are reforming. Many collaborative training programs are strengthening and developing.
Established in 2001, Hanoi School of Public Health is the first academic institution which is specialized in Public Health field in Vietnam. Training and carrying out scientific research constitute the goal and mission of HSPH. Beside, HSPH concentrates on strengthening international cooperation and developing practicum (practical work) where Public Health students can work directly with the community in order to study more the community health problems and the way to prevent health risks. Additionally, the school plans to expend more training options and develop accreditation training programs with other international academic institutions. In the strategy plan, developing the library constitutes one of priorities of HSPH in support of its training and research programs.

Brief summary of library environment analysis

Strengths:
  • Current collection in Public Health area
  • Qualified and professional library staff members
  • Effective support from the Institution
  • Availability of Internet Access
Weakness
  • The number of library staffs is limited
  • Lack of budget assigned to marketing
  • Lack of overall strategic plan for the library development and lack of the formalized marketing strategy
  • Lack of professional individual with experience to develop marketing plan.
Opportunities
  • Effective support from the Institution board,
  • Good relationship between the library and faculties or departments,
  • Good cooperation with other libraries and information centers in Vietnam and international libraries in the world such as National Institute of Health in the US,
  • The number of users increases more and more.
Threats
  • Increasing the number of Public Health users requests the library to provide more sources of information and improve library services,
  • The library needs more comfortable spaces for studying, reading and conducting research,
  • The library needs individual in some leadership role to deal with the marketing plan.

Brief Description of the Library

The Hanoi School of Public Health (HSPH)'s Library was established and developed on the library inherited from the School for Health Care Professionals (the former name of HSPH). With the total area of about 200 square meters, the library serves more than 500 Public Health users who are HSPH’s faculty, students, and staff and researchers from other health related institutions. The library is equipped with wireless networks so that its users can access to the internet wherever they want. The library resources includes 20,000 books, journals, newspapers, periodicals, dissertations and thesis, reports that cover all aspects of Public Health. Moreover, students and faculty at HSPH can access to two huge databases of PubMed/ Medline (via HINARI) and EBSCO. A lot of important links to useful resources free online are also available at the HSPH library’s website. Every Friday, the library holds information literacy workshops on searching skills and information evaluation for students to take advantages of our information resources. Beside, HSPH’s library has the financial support from the Institution and small grant from international organization such as AP and British Council in Hanoi.

Brief Description of Audience

The actual priorities of Hanoi School of Public Health are training and scientific research. In the way to fit into these missions, the library is concentrated on effectively providing information resources and services to our undergraduate and graduate students, faculty members and researchers.
Additionally, the library serves other students who take special courses at HSPH and students off-campus (for distance education programs).
People who work in Public Health in Vietnam or in the other countries such as Laos, Cambodia or Thailand and who are interested in this field constitute our external users.

Library Vision Statement

Hanoi School of Public Health’s library will be a leader in organizing and providing the best information resources and services for training and research programs on public health, strengthen internal and external cooperation activities and become a prominent information center specialized in public health in Vietnam and in the region.

Library Mission Statement

The mission of the HSPH’s library is to select, acquire, organize, and provide access to high quality information resources on public health; provide instruction and guidance to ensure effective retrieval and use of information to achieve the school's teaching, learning and research goals, and to meet the medical community's needs.

SERVICE MARKETING PLAN

Detailed description of the service that will be marketed

In order to help students, faculty and staff at HSPH SPHHas well as other users of health community to save time to find the best information resources quickly in support of their learning, teaching and research, the HSPH’s library develops and holds many useful activities and necessary services such as information literacy workshop, information searching service or information evaluation service… Further, being aware of the importance of information searching skills especially for freshman students on Public Health, developing and marketing information searching service is becoming one of the priorities of HSPH’s library.

Statement on why you want to market this service

Problems
  • Library and its services are new for new undergraduate students
  • Awareness of the importance of information searching skills for students at HSPH
Weaknesses
  • Many undergraduate students are not familiar with library and its services
  • Lack of computer skills
  • Lack of information searching experiences
Strengths
  • HSPH’s library provides useful services for its users
  • Library staffs are helpful, professional and enthusiasm
  • HSPH’s library possesses abundant information resources on Public Health field.
Opportunities
  • Develop library and improve its services are a part of development strategy plan of HSPH
  • Promoting and marketing information searching service is the primary priority of HSPH’s library.

Detailed statement on the market segments you will target

The specific groups of people we need to communicate with in order to achieve the goals and objectives of the Marketing Plan include new undergraduate students on Public Health. First they are first- year students of HSPH, they are not familiar with the modern library and its services. Further the Public Health is a new discipline for them. Some of them even cannot understand the notion and functions of Public Health field. Second, many of them are coming from country sides or other provinces even from Hanoi, it is sure that they have not a good library experiences and searching information skills. They may know how to use computer for checking and sending e-mail, reading newspapers online but not for searching information needed. Third, some of them have not good computer skills. This will be a great barrier for them to use OPAC, databases online and Internet for searching information in support of their reading, assignments in class and their research in the future. So it is necessary for HSPH’s to market their information searching service to this target audience in order to help them find information they need and enhance their searching skill. Fortunately, they have English level enough to read and write. Moreover the improvement of English skills for new students at HSPH also constitutes a part of strategy development of HSPH. This will be an important factor or condition for their searching information skills.
(Questions about the market segment that we have targeted will be attached in APPENDIX I- page 7)

Key message

The key massage must be clear and memorable such as “We are here to help you” or “Ask us to help you” or “We can help you”

Goals

Goal 1: Promote awareness of freshman students about information searching skills
  • Promote library activities and resources by presenting current physical and electronic collection at HSPH’s library, information searching service through library tours,
  • Promote freshman students use of the library’s website for conducting research online,
  • Market all forms of reference assistance offered by library staff: in person, over the phone, by e-mail, chat, and create a clear and memorable message such as “Ask me” or “Come see me” or “We can help you”…
  • Publicize information searching service by website, information flyers, bookmarks, advertisement, announcement, newsletters, brochures, library guides…
  • Encourage relationships with faculties and departments to promote information searching service.
Goal 2: Enhance their searching skills
2.1. Develop orientation programs,
2.2. Organize reference assistance workshops and computer courses
2.3. Offer library instruction programs and information literacy,
2.4. Organize library activities and events to promote searching information service,
2.5. Strengthen the faculty liaison programs to promote the use of the library information resources.
Future Goals
1. Develop and implement marketing plan
2. Create and implement a marketing survey

Timeline

Date Activity
January 2008 Exams
February 2008 Traditional New Year
March 2008 - Promote library resources and information searching service- Market all forms of reference assistance and publicize information searching service
April 2008 - Orientation for new undergraduate students - Organization of reference assistance workshop
May 2008 - 5 Information literacy sessions for new undergraduate students (20 students for each session)
June 2008 - Develop relationship with faculties and departmentsExams
July 2008 ExamsVacation
August 2008 Vacation
September2008 New School Year- Promote library resources and information searching service- Market all forms of reference assistance and publicize information searching service
October 2008 - Orientation for new undergraduate students - Organization of reference assistance workshop- Setting up instruction spaces
November 2008 - Information literacy sessions (20 students for each session) including:+ Searching information by using OPAC+ Searching information through Databases+ Searching information through Internet, Open Access and Free Health Information science and Databases.- Library activities (Book fair + Give-Away + books marks) on the occasion of Vietnamese Teacher’s Day (Nov 20)
December 2008 - Offer information literacy every Friday for other students and faculty members or other health user community (free subscription on the Web)- Measure outcomes of marketing plan and library activities (Questionnaire)

Resources needed

  • People: library instructors, library liaisons, technical staffs,
  • Time: from March 2008 to December 2008
  • Equipments: rooms, tables, chairs, board, new PCs, Internet access for setting up instruction spaces, materials for publicity campaign and library activities.

Budget

Expenses Direct Costs Indirect Costs
1. Personnel+ Library Instructors (03 people)+ Library Liaison (02 people)+ Cleaner Personnel   $600.00
2. Equipments+ Facilities+Setting up instruction spaces (01 Board, 10 tables, 20 chairs)+ New computers (10 PCs) + Internet access $500.00$10,000.00  
3. Publicity for information searching service    
+ 1.000 Information flyers $100.00  
+ 1.000 Bookmarks $100.00  
+ Give- aways (500 pens, 500 pencils) $100.00  
+ 1.000 Brochures $100.00  
4. Library activities and events (Book Fair on Nov)+ 02 Banner+ Give-aways (500 pens, 500 post-it note pads)+ Staff T-shirt with key message “We are here to help you” (10 items) $40.00$100.00  
Sub Total $20,040.00 $600.00
TOTAL $20,640.00

APPENDIX I

Questions about what we want to know about our target audience:
  1. Do they have the same characteristics with other students at HSPH?
  2. How often do they use the library? How do they use it? And for what?
  3. Do they have library experiences?
  4. Do they have English level and computer skills enough for searching information they want?
  5. Do they live on campus or at home?
  6. If at home, do they have computer or laptop?
  7. How often do they get access to the Internet? How do they use it?
  8. On campus, where can they connect to the Internet? At the library or in cafe-Internet?
  9. When they want to find information for their assignments, what should they do?
  10. What do they know about reference assistance at HSPH’s library?

APPENDIX II

Marketing survey

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