Digital marketing in academic libraries: a systematic literature review using PRISMA method

Purpose As a result of the continuous growth of digital movement across the world, libraries in academic institutions continue to adopt digital marketing to enhance user engagement, increase visibility and align their services with institutional goals and objectives (Gamit et al., 2021; Isiaka et al., 2024). However, despite the continuous growth and adoption, there is a limited body of literature that covers digital marketing in libraries, in particular, academic libraries (Joshua and Michael, 2020). This paper aims to systematically identify, evaluate and synthesise the existing body of literature on digital marketing strategies used by academic libraries across the globe. The review process will facilitate understanding of current practices, trends, effectiveness, challenges and gaps in the body of literature published over the past 10 years, starting from 2015. Design/methodology/approach This study used a systematic literature review, which was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) on literature about digital marketing in South African academic libraries. The Prisma method is used to ensure consistency and transparency in the reporting process. This systematic review addressed the following research question, RQ1: What are the global trends of digital marketing in academic libraries? Searching within EBSCOhost databases (Academic Search Premier, MasterFile, Library Information Science and Technology Abstracts, Business Source Premier), Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases for key terms in the titles and abstracts of articles is important to include in any systematic review. The databases used are multi-disciplinary databases. Three key refiners, period (10 years), English Language and journal articles were used after adding keywords in the search boxes. After removing duplicates, EBSCOhost databases mentioned above retrieved a combined number of 232, Scopus with 13 and 6 from the WoS that matched the criteria. The searches were performed on the chosen topic using Boolean and phrase searching. Findings Digital marketing has emerged as a crucial element for marketing services and resources in academic libraries. The findings reveal that digital marketing in academic libraries is predominantly trending in regions such as Asia, Europe and North America. Notably, there is limited research published in Africa, indicating a gap in the body of literature in this area. Countries such as India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Jordan are among the leading contributors to this topic. Globally, there has been a significant increase in research outputs on this topic between 2020 and 2023, marking a peak in digital marketing-related publications during this period, further suggesting a growing recognition of the critical role of digital marketing strategies in academic library settings. Research limitations/implications Research on digital marketing in academic libraries is still quite limited, and some relevant studies might have been overlooked because of database or language restrictions. Practical implications This paper highlights a critical need for academic libraries to integrate and leverage digital marketing to enhance user engagement and the delivery of library services. Adopting digital marketing strategies can help position academic libraries as relevant, proactive and reliable strategic partners that contribute to the university’s goals in a digital era. In addition, this study highlights the need for continuous professional development for academic library staff in digital marketing to provide user-centred services in today’s world. Social implications Adopting digital marketing strategies can help position academic libraries as relevant, proactive and reliable strategic partners that contribute to the university’s goals in a digital era. Originality/value This paper fills a gap in the literature regarding comparative efficiencies of major databases for systematic review results on digital marketing in academic libraries. The findings offer insights to information service providers in libraries to embrace digital marketing strategies and channels to enhance services.