Evaluation of Central Libraries' Websites of Universities in Iran from a Marketing Viewpoint

The website of each library is a window to that library on the one hand, and a guide for Internet users on the other hand. In fact, beside enjoying Internet facilities, libraries can in this way introduce themselves and offer services, or in other words, market their services. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the status of 68 websites that belong to the central libraries at universities in Iran in order to identify the components used in the websites in terms of marketing. A check list has been used to gather data. It was developed through studying texts and seeking experts' viewpoint. The findings of the survey have been analyzed using SPSS software. Results show that the level of application of marketing components in the websites investigated is not high. The frequency of the applied components used at state universities is greater than at non-governmental universities. This study will help the librarians and website designers to increase the frequency of visits and fulfil clients' satisfaction via the introduction of the appropriate features of a good site. Additionally, guidelines regarding the efficient use of websites and offering high quality services will be mentioned.