Talk given at the BOBCATSSS 2015 conference - http://www.bobcatsss2015.com/. LAM institutions had to implement new ways of promotion due to the development of social networks. Researching how LAM institutions in Croatia embraced these changes regarding promotion of their digitized collections, we explored do they recognise the opportunities social networks offer and how they understand the meaning of being in the space their users already are.

1. Marketing digitization projects
through social networks
Lucija Žilić
Jelena Šatalić Krstić
Tatjana Aparac – Jelušić
University of Zadar
Croatia

2. Content
• Approach to the theme
• Legal framework
• How can social networks help in solving
digitization projects?
• Methodology:
• Literature review
• Interviews with representatives of institutions
• Results and Discussion
• Conclusion
Bobcatsss 2015

3. Legal framework (Croatia)
• Recommendation on the Digitization and
Digital Preservation National (2011)
• The national plan – approved in 2005
• Strategy on digitization of cultural heritage
till 2020
Bobcatsss 2015

4. Legal framework (Croatia)
• Recommendation on the Digitization and
Digital Preservation National (2011)
• The national plan – approved in 2005
• Strategy on digitization of cultural heritage
till 2020
Bobcatsss 2015

5. How can social networks help in solving
digitization projects?
They have given a series of options linked to
digitized collections for information institutions:
• Overcoming problems of geographical boundaries,
collection mobility, financing, damage and theft
• Communication with users
• Advertising
• Collection visibility
• Publishing of photos, texts and even creating
applications for representing digitized content
Bobcatsss 2015

6. Reaserch goal
• The main goal of our research:
• to explore
• how Croatian LAM institutions are recognizing the
possibilities of social networks and
• how they use social networks in promoting their
digitized collections.
Bobcatsss 2015

7. Research methodology
• The research was carried out through
interviews.
• We contacted institutions via mail or
phone and the questionnaires were
conducted via phone or mail.
• 8 out of 10 institution representatives were
willing to answer the questions.
Bobcatsss 2015

8. 1. The National and University
Library in Zagreb
2. Museum Documentation
Centre
3. Petar Preradović Public
Library Bjelovar
4. Marko Marulić City Library
Split
5. Pazin State Archive
6. The Archives of the Croatian
Academy of Arts and Sciences
7. Zadar Archaeological
Museum
8. Croatian State Archives
Bobcatsss 2015

9. What we intended to determine
• The beginning and realization of
digitization projects
• Service and usage of digital collections
• Usage of social networks and marketing
digitization projects through them
Bobcatsss 2015

10. Results and Discussion
• Reasons for digitization
• LAM institutions started digitizing their
collections at end of the 20th century and in
the beginning of 21st.
• Most of the institutions interviewed stated
that they carry out their digitization projects
to:
• protect the original materials,
• increase the use of their collections and
• provide new services to their users.
Bobcatsss 2015

11. Results and Discussion – cont...
• Terms and conditions of using digital collections
• Terms and conditions are provided within their internal
Policies and Procedures.
• It is a rather worrying fact that one of the institutions
provides the access of its digitized collections strictly to the
employees.
• Unfortunately, it is not always possible to provide the
access online:
˝Because of the modest possibilities our
institution does not provide digital collections
online˝, stated one of the interviewees.
Bobcatsss 2015

12. Results and Discussion – cont...
• Usage of social networks
• Facebook is the most used social network.
• It is followed by Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest
and LinkedIn.
• Most of the institutions use social
networks almost on daily basis.
Bobcatsss 2015

13. Results and Discussion – cont...
• Promoting digitized collections through social networks
• From the interviews carried out, it can be concluded that
digitized collections are rarely or never promoted.
• Some of the interviewees gave a rather interesting reason
for that:
• ˝Our users are mostly scientists, I don't think that (social
networks) means anything to them˝.
• Nevertheless, most representatives stated they consider
social networks useful for marketing, as well as
representing digitized collections:
• ˝I think that social networks have the potential for further
development of new services related to digital collections˝.
Bobcatsss 2015

14. Results and Discussion – cont...
• Institutions we interviewed mostly
• monitor their web analytics and
• state that their web sites are visited more frequently
since the launch of their social network profiles.
• They mostly use Google Analytics tool.
• “Google Analytics shows us that many visitors
come from social networks.”
• Most of the institutions recognised:
• importance of social networking and
• consider them a valuable marketing tool.
Bobcatsss 2015

15. Conclusion
• The main goal of a marketing plan is to create
positive image of an institution in public.
• It is very important that information institutions
design new services to satisfy the needs of
users.
• Many users are not aware of their information
needs, until the information of existence of
certain services comes to them; it is important
to attract the potential users and promote such
services.
Bobcatsss 2015

16. Conclusion – Cont..
• Social networks can provide new possibilities in
promoting digitized collection and the institution
itself.
• It is possible to conclude from the interviews that
• some of LAM institutions still do not recognize the
possibilities that social networks provide.
• The positive examples such as:
• The National and University Library in Zagreb and
• Museum Documentation Centre
• can be used as an example to other institutions in using social
networks as a marketing tool
Bobcatsss 2015

17. References
• Carlsson, H. (2012). Working with facebook in public libraries: A backstage glimpse into the
library 2.0 rhetoric. Libri, 62, p. 199-210.
• Duparc, D. (2012). Information and Communication Technologies: Their impact on management
and key functions to adapt. In: Proceedings of the 8th European Conference on Management,
Leadership and Governance. Neapolis University, Pafos, Cyprus. / ed. by John Politis. Reading :
Academic Publishing International.
• A Framework of guidance for building good digital collections. (2007). 3rd edition. Retrived
from: http://www.niso.org/publications/rp/framework3.pdf
• Horvat, A. (2012). Digitalizacija i knjižnice (Digitization and libraries). Retrived from:
http://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=156960
• Hrvatska kulturna baština: Nacionalni program digitalizacije arhivske, knjižnične i muzejske
građe (Croatian cultural heritage: National program for digitization of archival, library and
museum material). (2005). Retrived from: http://daz.hr/bastina/uvod.htm (
• Manić, Lj.; Aleksić, M.; Tankošić, M. (2012). Possibilities of new technologies in promotion of
the cultural heritage: Danube Virtual Museum. Retrived from:
http://www.google.hr/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB0QFjAA&url=
http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wseas.us%2Fe-
library%2Fconferences%2F2013%2FBrasov%2FSTAED%2FSTAED-
53.pdf&ei=liwoVMaCGabT7QbauYH4Bw&usg=AFQjCNHYoS_pR9Rk1KPQRV2MgOXkfUr
Hyg&sig2=70Lsq5a-pU2xdn0NvnlVXQ&bvm=bv.76247554,d.ZGU
• Seiter-Šverko, D.; Križaj, L. (2012). Digitalizacija kulturne baštine u Republici Hrvatskoj : od
trenutne situacije prema nacionalnoj strategiji. (Digitization of cultural heritage in Republic of
Croatia: from the current situation towards national strategy). Retrived
from:http://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=156964
Bobcatsss 2015

18. Thank you for your attention!
Lucija Žilić
luczilic@student.unizd.hr
Jelena Šatalić Krstić
jsatalic@student.unizd.hr
Tatjana Aparac-Jelušić
taparac@unizd.hr
Bobcatsss 2015