Public relations and extension activities are essential communication-based functions that enable organisations, including libraries and information centres, to connect with their communities, build a positive image, and ensure their services are effectively utilized. While public relations focuses on managing an organisation's reputation and relationship with its public, extension activities are about proactively taking services and knowledge beyond the institution's physical walls to the people.
Public Relations (PR)
Public relations is formally defined as the "deliberate planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organisation and its public". It is a vital management function for libraries and other institutions to build and sustain a positive image, ensuring their services are perceived as valuable and attracting and retaining users.
Facets of Public Relations
- Image Building: The primary purpose of PR is to build and sustain a positive image for the organisation. For libraries, this means ensuring that services are seen as qualitative and value-based.
- Relationship Management: PR is an essential activity for managing relationships with a variety of people and groups. This includes users, authorities, and the public at large.
- Strategic Communication: PR is used to prepare the ground for marketing activities and to protect the organisation's interests. It involves representing the organisation before various outside groups like government officials and community stakeholders.
- Audience Understanding: A key facet of PR is conducting research to assess audiences and understand their perceptions of the organisation.
PR Programs and Activities
To achieve its objectives, PR involves a range of communication-based programs:
- Media Relations: This includes organising media meetings, press conferences, and issuing press releases and feature articles to communicate news and information.
- Broadcast Media Engagement: PR professionals arrange programs for television and radio, including interviews with important individuals, to reach a wide audience.
- Publications: Preparing and distributing special publications, such as brochures and information kits, is a common PR activity to inform the public about the organisation's services.
- Visual Media Production: This involves the design and production of documentaries to tell the organisation's story and highlight its contributions.
- Reporting: Keeping authorities and the public informed about the library's performance, achievements, and shortfalls is a crucial PR function that builds trust and maintains good relations.
Extension Activities
Extension activities involve the proactive transfer of knowledge, technology, and practical information from an institution directly to the community, particularly to those at the grassroots level. In a library context, these are often called outreach programmes. The main goal is to ensure the benefits of research and knowledge reach all levels of society for social and economic development and to attract people to use the library's resources.
Facets of Extension Activities
- Proactive Outreach: Unlike passive services, extension activities are about taking the library's services to the users, especially those who may not otherwise access them.
- Community Focus: The activities are targeted at specific groups, particularly underserved populations such as illiterates, semi-literates, and rural communities.
- Knowledge Transfer: The core function is to act as a bridge for transferring research results and practical information from the laboratory or library to the field for practical application.
- User Attraction: A key objective is to make people aware of available services and motivate them to use the library's resources.
Extension Programs and Activities
- Direct Community Engagement:
- Using extension workers as intermediaries to transfer information through methods like lectures and demonstrations, especially in fields like agriculture and public health.
- Developing active outreach programs and opening satellite offices to serve remote areas.
- Organising events like book exhibitions and sales through groups like "Friends of the library".
- Library-Specific Outreach Programs:
- Reading Promotion: Activities like story-telling and book talks in school libraries help inculcate reading habits from a young age. The Readers Advisory Service in public and school libraries provides reading guidance to motivate users.
- Community Information Services: Public libraries act as community information centres, providing services targeted to specific local groups.
- Information Repackaging for Extension:
- Creating and disseminating repackaged information products tailored for specific audiences. This is particularly important for users like illiterates for whom conventional formats are a barrier.
- These products can include documentary films, manuals, posters, and brochures designed to be easily understood and used by the target group. A notable example is the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) producing documentary films on farmer-friendly technologies.
- Modern Digital Extension:
- Modern Integrated Library Systems (ILS) support outreach through features like community information services, library blogs, and social networking integration, allowing libraries to connect with users in a virtual space.