British Council LIS in Italy: a marketing perspective

This paper discusses the pressing need for British Council libraries and information services in Italy to respond positively to British and international forces for change. Social, economic, cultural, and technological developments over the past 20 years mean that lending libraries are no longer an appropriate or effective model for the British Council when serving the information needs of priority groups in Western European countries. It is argued that the restructuring of the Council’s information services in Italy has become a necessity. It is suggested that marketing concepts and technique are relevant both to non‐profit making services in general and to British Council information services in particular. The marketing implications of a range of possible alternative services for non‐user priority groups are considered and, recommendations made for the British Council to adopt a marketing orientation when planning and implementing the future of its information services in Italy.