F Ahmad’s scientific contributions

Libraries and librarians around the world are using Web 2.0 tools to inform users about their services, share information, connect with users and colleagues, on a worldwide level. This study explored the use of Web 2.0 tools for marketing and promotion of library services and resources by the libraries of Pakistani universities. A structured questionnaire were developed and administered through professional social network sites for data collection from the university libraries. A total of 87 completed questionnaire returns were received from the following provinces of the country: Punjab (47%), Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa (28%), Sindh (18%), Balochistan (6%) and AJ & Kashmir (0.7%). The results show that Facebook, Twitter, Wikis, RSS, LinkedIn, Blogging, YouTube and email-groups are the web 2.0 tools considered suitable and used for marketing and promotion of different library services and resources in the university libraries. Introduction In this age of information technology, library and other information centers have adopted new information storage, processing and retrieval systems. The usually expressed aim of such information centers is to provide or help meet the information needs of its customers. Toward achieving this aim, every library should plan some strategy which harnesses the digital environment in which they and their current and potential users operate. Part of the strategy should be the effective marketing of information services and resources to existing and potential new library users. There are many products and services of these centres that can be marketed, like new arrivals, reference services, ILL, current awareness services, selective dissemination of information (SDI), indexing and abstracting services, and so on. Such marketing invariably involves understanding what library customers need, and setting out goals to meet the identified needs.