Selling to Libraries in Southeast Asia

WHITE PAPER | OCTOBER 2014 SELLING TO ACADEMIC LIBRARIES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

ACCURATE COMMUNICATIONS FOR PUBLISHERS

WHITE PAPER: SELLING TO LIBRARIES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

JUNE 2015

CONTENTS

I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 2 II. SOUTHEAST ASIA MARKET & ECONOMIC OUTLOOK ...... 2 III. MARKET OVERVIEW BY COUNTRY ...... 6 1. Singapore ...... 6 2. Malaysia ...... 6 3. Thailand ...... 7 4. Indonesia ...... 8 5. Philippines ...... 8 6. Vietnam ...... 9 IV. TOP UNIVERSITIES IN ASIA ...... 9 V. SURVEY RESEARCH METHOD AND RESULTS ...... 11 VI. CONCLUSION ...... 18

I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The majority of western publishers are familiar with selling to traditionally core markets in Europe and North America. However, emerging markets within Southeast Asia present a new set of challenges. Cultural and economic differences require publishers to adapt sales techniques if they are to be successful. To help publishers evaluate the opportunities emerging markets in the region may offer, and to provide an overview of how best to sell to them, ACCUCOMS has undertaken market research in the form of this white paper.

We conducted surveys via phone and email to 24 librarians in the region. Librarians, senior librarians, research librarians and medical librarians answered 13 questions in total. The majority of librarians interviewed (79.2%) were academic librarians active mainly in the social sciences, humanities, engineering/technology and medical fields.

This white paper will firstly examine the market and economic outlook of the Southeast Asia region and will then discuss the outcome of the survey and the needs and wishes of librarians. Lastly, it will provide useful suggestions for publishers wishing to bring their products to market in the region.

II. SOUTHEAST ASIA MARKET & ECONOMIC OUTLOOK

Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a sub region of Asia, consisting of countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia.[1] Southeast Asia comprises two geographic regions:

Mainland Southeast Asia, also known as Indochina, comprising Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, and Vietnam;

Maritime Southeast Asia, comprising Brunei, Malaysia, East Timor, Indonesia, Philippines, and Singapore.

The major two religions are Islam and Buddhism, followed by Christianity. However, a wide variety of religions are found throughout the region, including Hinduism and various animist- influenced practices.

Furthermore, the region has an area of approximately 4,000,000 km2 (1.6 million square miles) in total. As of 2014, 636 million people occupy Southeast Asia and more than a fifth of those people (125 million) reside on the Indonesian island of Java, the most densely populated island in the world. Indonesia is in fact the most populous country in the region with more than 250 million people and it is also the 4th most populous country in the world. Additionally, 30 million people of Chinese origin live in other Southeast Asian countries and not in their home country of China. These 30 million Chinese mostly reside on Christmas Island and in Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and also as the Hoa people in Vietnam1.

According to the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) iLibrary2, growth will remain robust in the Southeast Asian region in the medium term and it will be at a

1 Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southeast_Asia/ 2 Source: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/saeo-2014-en/ 2

pace comparable to the pre-global financial crisis. The real GDP growth rate in Southeast Asia is projected to average 5.4% per annum between 2014 and 2018, in comparison to 5.5% from 2000 to 2007.

While each country’s policy objective may focus on high-quality sustainable growth, the policy challenges faced will depend largely on each country’s specific situation and level of development. Below, find a summarized medium-term educational policy adopted by each of the major countries within Southeast Asia:

Indonesia – aims to improve access to education, particularly for low-income households Malaysia – aims to improve the overall quality of education Singapore – aims to strengthen lifelong learning to increase labor market flexibility Thailand – aims to upgrade human capital by improving the national curriculum and overall teaching standards.

Southeast Asia comprises the countries below with a combined total GDP of over $3,828 trillion, a total population of around 636 million people and over 10 major languages spoken throughout the region. Expenditure on education and the total number of tertiary institutions within each country are also indicated in the below table3:

Country Population (In GDP No. of Education Literacy Million) (purchasing Tertiary Expenditure Age 15 power parity) Education and up Institutions Brunei 422,675 $22.25 billion 6 3.5% of GDP (July 2014 est.) (2013 est.) (2013) 95.4%

Burma 55,746,253 $111.1 billion 5 0.8% of GDP 92.7% (2013 est.) (2011) Cambodia 15,458,332 $39.64 billion 39 2.6% of GDP 73.9% (2013 est.) (2010) Indonesia 253,609,643 $1.285 trillion 410 3.6% of GDP 92.8% (July 2014 est.) (2013 est.) (2012) Laos 6,803,699 $20.78 billion 4 2.8% of GDP 72.7% (July 2014 est.) (2013 est.) (2010) Malaysia 30,073,353 $525 billion 92 5.9% of GDP 93.1% (July 2014 est.) (2013 est.) (2011) Philippines 107,668,231 $454.3 billion 277 2.7% of GDP 95.4% (July 2014 est.) (2013 est.) (2009) Singapore 5,567,301 $339 billion 49 3% of GDP (2013) 95.9% (July 2014 est.) (2013 est.) Thailand 67,741,401 $673 billion 188 7.6% of GDP 93.5% (2013 est.) (2012) Vietnam 93,421,835 $358.9 billion 121 6.3% of GDP 93.4% (July 2014 est.) (2013 est.) (2010)

3 Source: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bx.html/ 3

Source: http://www.webometrics.info/en/Asia/Burma%20/%20Myanmar%20/ Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database, 2010 4

In Southeast Asia the acquisition budget for resources at academic libraries is mostly managed by the Head of Technical Services, the Head of Acquisitions, the Chief Librarian or the Library Director.

Moreover, two main kinds of English-language learners exist in Southeast Asia. Firstly, second- language variations of English are employed in countries that were formerly colonies or protectorates of English-speaking powers (Britain in the case of Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore; the United States in the case of the Philippines). Secondly, you will also find foreign- language varieties of the English language in Cambodia/Kampuchea, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.

In the first case, students in English-medium schools are not only taught English as a language but they are also taught other subjects in English. English-medium education in this context is often seen as the path to better-paid employment and in some cases to higher education leading to professional employment. As a result, English has become a prestigious language predominantly used by the elite in the Southeast Asia region. The greater the extent to which English is used and the more contexts in which it is utilized within these countries, the more it has become indigenized by locals. This is most apparent in Singapore where, since 1987, English is employed as the main language of the education system, and there are currently many native speakers of Singapore English4.

In a recent research paper published by the Education Department in New Zealand in September 2013 (Southeast Asia and International Education: A Strategic Discussion 2013−2017)5, the following points in terms of education within the region are highlighted:

Ø Combined regional annual GDP growth of 5.5% is predicted over the next 5 years Ø Dynamic, vibrant and growing, the Southeast Asia region has significant growth capacity and developing economies are expected to outpace China and India Ø Globally, Southeast Asia represents a market of more than 600 million people, with a combined GPD of US$ 2.7 trillion Ø Increasing access to education and training are fast becoming national priorities Ø New, high-quality institutions within the region are emerging. New ways of learning online are also rapidly changing the market.

4 Source: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-SOUTHEASTASIANENGLISH.html/ 5 Source : http://www.enz.govt.nz/markets-research/south-east-asia/ 5

III. MARKET OVERVIEW BY COUNTRY

1. Singapore

Ø According to the International Monetary Fund and EconomyWatch.com, the GDP per capita (PPP) stood at US$61,567.28 in 2013 Ø English and Mandarin are the two official languages and Malay and Tamil are considered second languages Ø R&D spending is said to increase by 30% during the period from 2010 to 2015 Ø The economy is projected to grow by 3.3% per annum from 2014-2018 as reported by OCED. The rate of growth reflects the country’s advanced stage of economic development. The economy is now shifting towards more sustainable, inclusive growth led by rising productivity and innovation Ø According to the Singapore Ministry of Education, the annual education budget was $10.6 billion in 2012 Ø Bilingualism is a key feature of Singapore’s education system. The main medium of instruction in schools is English and all students must learn a second official mother tongue of the region in addition to English Ø There are currently 4 local, public funded universities offering full-time degree programmes: the National University of Singapore/NUS (ranked No. 1 in Southeast Asia), Nanyang Technological University/NTU (ranked No. 5), the Singapore Management University (SMU), and the recently opened Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). Another university, SIM, offers publicly-subsidized part-time degree programs to adult learners and working professionals Ø Lastly, the medical academic market is a niche and there is great potential with over 25 hospital libraries in the country alone.

2. Malaysia

Ø According to the International Monetary Fund and EconomyWatch.com, the country’s GDP per capita (PPP) stood at US$17,775.70 in 2013 Ø Bahasa Malaysia is the official language of Malaysia with English, Chinese, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Panjabi and Thai as additional languages employed Ø OECD says Malaysia is projected to grow by an average annual rate of 5.1% over the period of 2014-18 Ø US$16.4 billion was allocated to education during 2012 alone Ø Universities in Malaysia are categorized into three groups: research universities, focused universities (technical, education, management and defense) and comprehensive universities. There are approximately 900,000 students pursuing higher education in 20 public universities, 33 private universities/university colleges, 4 foreign university branch campuses, 22 polytechnics, 37 community colleges and around 500 private colleges Ø The top universities in the country include: Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (ranked 17th in Southeast Asia), Universiti Malaya (ranked 18th), Universiti Putra Malaysia (ranked 20th) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (ranked 21st)

Ø Malaysia has become the Medical hospitality center in Southeast Asia with an increasing number of foreign patients visiting the country to undergo treatments Ø In terms of legislation, Malaysia has a policy that government-funded universities/institutions must procure resources through a local company with local directors (this policy is called the “bumi-putra” policy).6

Overview of Education in Malaysia

According to the Ministry of Higher Education, education in the country is the responsibility of the government and the government should thus be committed to providing a sound education to all. The Malaysian education system encompasses education from pre-school to university. Pre-tertiary education (pre-school to secondary education) is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education (MOE) while tertiary or higher education is the responsibility of the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE). The overall vision of the government in terms of education is to make Malaysia a centre of educational excellence7.

Government-Funded Educational Institutions The government provides the general public with 95% of primary and secondary school education as well as about 60% of tertiary education, with the private sector furnishing the rest.

3. Thailand

Ø According to the International Monetary Fund and EconomyWatch.com, the GDP per capita (PPP) stood at US$10,848.74 in 2003 Ø Thai is the official language and utilized by 90.7% of the population, Burmese at 1.3% and other languages at 8%. English is employed as the secondary language of the elite Ø According to the OECD, Thailand is projected to grow by an average annual rate of 4.9% Ø US$16 billion was allocated for education in 2012 alone Ø There are 16 public universities and 15 autonomous universities in the country Ø There are 40 Rajabhat (higher education centers in regional provinces) and 9 Rajamangala universities Ø There are 39 private universities and over 200 private colleges (with non-university status) Ø Top universities include: Prince of Songkla University (ranked 2nd in Southeast Asia), Chulalongkorn (ranked 3rd), Mahidol University (ranked 6th) and Chiang Mai University (ranked 8th).

Below find the main educational facts issued by the Ministry of Education in Thailand (Bureau of International Cooperation with activeMINDS Consulting, November 2008):

Ø There are nearly 20 million students in Thailand enrolled from early years to higher education encompassing formal and non-formal education sectors Ø In 2006, GNP per capital was THB 115,097, rising from THB 104,250 in 2005.

6 Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysian_New_Economic_Policy 7 Source : http://www.mohe.gov.my/educationmsia/education.php?article=system 7

Ø The budget set aside for Thai education constitutes about 3.9% of GDP and in actual terms this was 24% of the national budget in 2004 Ø 82% of education institutions spanning all sectors are public and 18% are private. In Bangkok itself, this figure is 70% public and 30% private.

4. Indonesia

Ø According to the International Monetary Fund and EconomyWatch.com, the GDP per capita (PPP) was US$5,302.03 in 2003 Ø Bahasa Indonesia is the official, modified form of Malay and the mother tongue of citizens; English, Dutch and other local dialects (of which the most widely spoken is Javanese) are second languages Ø According to OECD, Indonesia is projected to be the fastest growing economy within the ASEAN-6 countries, with an average annual growth rate of 6.0% from 2014 - 2018 Ø US$12.5 billion was allocated for education in 2012 alone Ø The medical academic market has picked up in Indonesia due to lower program fees at 40 medical schools across the country Ø Academic medical education is growing in Indonesia with many foreign students pursuing a medical education (in particular, the MBBS/Bachelor of Medicine degree programme).

Main educational facts about the country: Ø The Indonesian school system is vast and diverse. There are over 50 million students and 2.6 million teachers in more than 250,000 schools. This is the third largest education system in the Asia region and the fourth largest in the world (behind China, India and the United States). Ø Indonesia trails behind neighboring countries in Early Childhood Education and Higher Education, with gross enrollment rates of 21% and 11.5% respectively. Ø Education is central to the Indonesian government’s development agenda. Education spending has increased significantly in recent years since the economic crisis. In real terms, education spending doubled between 2000 and 2006. In 2007, spending on education was more than for any other sector, reaching an equivalent US$14 billion, or more than 16 percent of total government expenditure. As a share of GDP (3.4 percent) this amount is comparable to other similar countries.

5. Philippines

Ø According to the International Monetary Fund and EconomyWatch.com, the GDP per capita (PPP) stood at US$4,691.15 in 2003 Ø Filipino (based on Tagalog) and English are the two official languages. This is a purely an English speaking market and all academic programs are run in English Ø According to the OECD, the Philippines is projected to have an average annual growth rate of 5.8% from 2014-18 Ø US$5.41 billion was allocated to education in 2012 Ø Over 90 private universities and more than 700 private higher education colleges exist in the country

Ø Nursing and Hotel Management are the most popular choices in terms of academic programs in the Philippines with over 300 and 400 institutes respectively Ø The government invests heavily in the healthcare sector with an increasing number of medical schools (Approximately 50).

6. Vietnam

Ø According to the International Monetary Fund and EconomyWatch.com, the GDP per capita (PPP) was US$3,750.00 in 2003 Ø Vietnamese is the official language and English is increasingly preferred as a second language. Some French, Chinese and Khmer (mountain area languages called Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian) are also spoken Ø According to OECD, Cambodia, Lao, Myanmar and Vietnam are projected to grow at a robust pace in the medium term, with Laos leading growth at 7.7% per annum Ø 150 government-run higher education institutes exist (120 state colleges and universities) Ø Over 50 private universities and more than 150 private higher education colleges exist Ø US$274 million was allocated to education in 2012 Ø Libraries’ budgets are limited and librarians face difficulties even in renewing subscriptions Ø Libraries mainly depend on grants for funding Ø Medical schools receive access to electronic journals through the HINARI consortium.

IV. TOP UNIVERSITIES IN ASIA

World Rankings (Asia, 2013 - 2014)8

Rank Institution Location 23 The University of Tokyo Japan 26 National University of Singapore (NUS) Singapore 43 The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong 44 Seoul National University Republic of Korea 45 Peking University China 50 Tsinghua University China 52 Kyoto University Japan 56 Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) Republic of Korea 57 Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Hong Kong 60 Pohang University of Science and Technology (Postech) Republic of Korea 76 Nanyang Technological University Singapore 109 Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong 125 Tokyo Institute of Technology Japan 142 National Taiwan University Taiwan

8 Source: www.timeshighereducation.co.uk 9

144 Osaka University Japan 150 Tohoku University Japan 190 Yonsei University Republic of Korea

Consortia in Southeast Asia9

Country Consortium Members Some Selected Medical publishers Malaysia Malaysian Online e-resources 34 Ovid, LWW, AMA, NEJM, HMIC, BMJ, Consortium ASCO etc Cambodia Cambodian Electronic Information 16 NEJM, Pediatric Neurology Briefs, Bio for Libraries Consortium (EIFL) One, FSG etc Laos Laos Library and Information 9 NEJM, Pediatric Neurology Briefs, Consortium (EIFL) BioOne, OUP etc Philippines Philippine eLib Project 7 Thailand Electronic Information for Libraries 91 NEJM, Multi Science in Thailand(EIFL) Thailand Thai Library Integrated System 26 Springer, Elsevier, Thomson Consortium Taiwan Digital Library Alliance of National AMA, Wiley, LWW, WK Health, NEJM, Military Hospitals Elsevier Taiwan CONCERT 226 Ovid, OUP, John Hopkins, Wiley, BioOne

The following two consortia are active in Thailand:

ThaiLIS (Thai Library Integrated System Consortium (www.thailis.or.th) is the university consortium of 26 universities funded by the government and has licensed content from prominent publishers including IEEE, Elsevier, ACM, Springer etc.

EIFL (Electronic Information for Libraries in Thailand (http://www.eiflthai.net/) has an open-ended consortium of around 90+ institutes in Thailand with collaboration from publishers like Multi Science, Alexander Street Press, IET, JSTOR, NEJM, Royal Society etc.

9 Source: Ringgold and the websites of individual institutes

V. SURVEY RESEARCH METHOD AND RESULTS

An electronic survey in English was sent via Survey Monkey to 24 librarians across the Southeast Asia region. In addition to this, phone calls were made by the ACCUCOMS APAC team (in local languages) to those same librarians encouraging them to complete the survey.

Libraries surveyed were based predominantly in Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore and are active in academia.

Countries From Which Librarians Stem

Malaysia

Thailand

Singapore

Brunei

Indonesia

Type of Institution Where Librarians are Active

Academic

Medical

Corporate

Government

Other

Furthermore, specific areas where organizations are most active are in engineering and technology, social sciences and medical sciences fields.

60 Humanies

Social Sciences 50

Natural Sciences 40 Mathemacal & Computer Sciences

30 Professional & Applied Sciences

20 Medical Sciences

10 Engineering & Technology

Other 0

In terms of financial capacity, most librarians predict that their budgets will remain the same in the upcoming three years. A large percentage also indicated that their budgets would increase during that same period.

0 Will Increase Will Decrease Will Stay the Same Unsure

However, 37.5% of librarians indicated that their libraries have indeed been affected by budget cuts in the past. Nonetheless, an exact proportion indicated the exact opposition and 25% 12

indicated that they were in fact unsure if they were indeed affected. 38% of organizations have been not affected by budget cuts in the past three years. Similarly, 37% have been affected by budget cuts. 25% of institutions are unsure.

Yes 25% 37% No

38% Unsure

Preferred formats include print and online journals, print and online books, online databases only and online archives and repositories only. It is evident that a high percentage of print books, e-books, e-journals, digital archival/repository and audiovisual materials form part of the current collection of libraries in the region. These formats comprise approximately 80 – 100% of current collections.

Journals Books

Print Only Print Only

Online Only Online Only

Print & Online Print & Online

Pay Per View Pay Per View

Databases Archives/Repositories

Print Only Print Only Online Only Online Only Print & Online Print & Online Pay Per View Pay Per View Unsure

More librarians predict a lower demand for print journals in the future. 50% of librarians predict that the demand of e-books will increase dramatically, to between 21 – 40% of their total collections. The majority also believe that databases and e-journals will continue to be in high demand. Overall, librarians demand databases, e-journals, e-books and digital archives/repositories for their future collections. Audio visual material, print journals and print books will have a lower demand than in the past.

80 Books 70 60 E-Books 50 40 Journals 30 E-Journals 20

10 Databases 0 Digital Archives/ Main Responses from Librarians Repositories

Audio/Visual Demand from Librarians

When it comes to current collections, librarians mostly have print books, e-journals, databases, print journals and digital archives/repositories in their collections. These formats comprise approximately 80 – 100% of their current collections (as indicated by the percentages on the x- axis). A higher number of librarians have a lower number (between 0 – 20%) of e-books, digital archives/repositories, audio-visual material, print journals and databases. This is indicated by the high number of responses (y-axis) in the 0-20% field on the x-axis.

70 Books 60 E-Books 50

40 Journals 30 E-Journals 20 10 Databases Responses from Librarians

0 Digital Archives/ N/A 0 - 20% 21 - 41 - 61 - 81 - Repositories 40% 60% 80% 100% Audio/Visual Percentage of Collecons

When it comes to customer service from publishers, the librarians surveyed consider technical assistance, training on products and excellent, prompt responses from publishers as the most important considerations. They are particularly pleased to receive free trials of available products prior to purchase and they are also happy to receive the free online version should they purchase only the print version. They do not appreciate yearly increases in costs.

0 Trial Period Package Valued Client First-Year Free Online Sample Issues No Annual Training on Discounts Discounts Discounts Access with Price Increase Publishers' Print Products

Quick response to customer queries or complaints, technical assistance and new information received from publishers remain the services most important to librarians in the Southeast Asia region.

Technical Assistance

Quick Response to Quesons/ Complaints

New Informaon from Publishers

Personal Visits from Publishers

Training on Products

Contact in Nave Language 15

In terms of communication with publishers, fax is considered the least preferred method since it is fast becoming outdated.

Personal Visit

Fax

Postal Mail

Website/Social Media

Telephone

At Conferences/Events

Personal visits remain the preferred choice of communication from publishers and librarians also wish to interact with publishers at conferences and industry events and via email, telephone, social media platforms and websites.

Personal Visit

Fax

Postal Mail

Website/Social Media

Telephone

At Conferences/Events

Librarians still prefer to receive information on products and services offered via the publisher directly, via a subscription agency or at conferences etc.

Via a Consorum

Via a Subscripon Agency

Directly from the Publisher

At Conferences

Via a Publisher's Representave (i.e. ACCUCOMS) Via Social Networks/List Servs/ Forums/Social Media

VI. CONCLUSION

In terms of general economic predictions, Southeast Asia will continue to grow in a robust manner in the medium term. Real GDP growth rate in the region is projected to average 5.4% per annum between 2014 – 2018. Annual expenditure on academic information is highest in Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia and this includes spending on print and online books, journals and databases exclusively.

Increasing expenditure on and access to education and training are also fast becoming national priorities for the majority of countries and most are predicted to grow in the upcoming years. Malaysia is predicted to grow 5.1% over the next four years with US$16.4 billion allocated to education in 2012. The overall vision of the government in terms of education is to make the country a centre of educational excellence. Thailand is equally predicted to grow and English is fast becoming the language of the elite and well-schooled. The economy is set to grow at 4.9% annually according to OECD. Indonesia is projected to be the fastest growing economy within the ASEAN-6 countries with an annual growth of 6%. Many medical schools are attracting foreign students wishing to pursue medical careers. The Philippines is a purely English-speaking market whereby all academic programmes are run in English. In 2012, US$5,41 billion was allocated to education and the economy is predicted to grow by 5.8% annually. Vietnam is more of a challenge since libraries’ budgets are limited and they face difficulties when it comes to renewing subscriptions, despite the fact that the country itself is predicted to grow at a robust rate at 7.7% per year.

Furthermore, according to the survey results, it is evident that librarians within the Southeast Asia region require strong relationships with publishers and prefer face-to-face discussions or meetings at industry events or conferences. Librarians want to be kept in the loop with regard to the latest products and publisher developments. They take pride in excellent customer service, training and technical assistance received from publishers.

Librarians also predict a lower demand for print journals in the near future. Most librarians predict the demand of e-books to increase dramatically to between 21 – 40% of their total collections. They also believe that databases and e-journals will continue to be in high demand.

Librarians in the region mostly have the budgets to renew subscriptions (depending on the country of course). However, out of the librarians surveyed, 37.5% said they have been affected by budget cuts, 38% have not been affected and 25% are unsure whether their institutions have been affected.

The barriers to entry for publishers differ from country to country and it is important to take each country’s situation into account. For example, in Vietnam, due to limited budgets librarians rely mainly on grants for funding and some receive access to e-journals via a local consortium. Whereas a country such as Singapore, on the other hand, has no problems when it comes to subscription renewals since the country has an adequate amount allocated to education; it places the English language as a priority and even R&D spending is said to increase by 30% during the period of 2010 to 2015.

Lastly, the region is vast and the demands of librarians and their users differ from country to country but it is evident that librarians are more than happy to purchase an increased number 18

of electronic resources straight from the publisher, via a subscription agency or through a reliable and trustworthy third-party service such as ACCUCOMS – individuals who are determined to forge long-lasting relationships with librarians and who truly understand their needs. Librarians will continue to do so as demand for information resources increases, as long as education is at the forefront of governmental goals and as long as English is increasingly seen as a priority and the gateway to career opportunities.

About ACCUCOMS

ACCUCOMS is an independent provider of services to academic and professional publishers around the world. Established in 2004, ACCUCOMS now operates in Europe, Turkey, North America, Latin America, India, Middle East, North Africa and Asia Pacific. ACCUCOMS’ multilingual teams offer efficient and intelligent representation, telemarketing and business intelligence services as well as user interaction programs to clients that range from large publishing houses to specialist society publishers We specialize in projects aimed at contacting librarians on behalf of publishers interested in boosting their sales, expanding their readership worldwide, and increasing customer retention by means of customer support and training services. It is for this reason that our clients have opted to outsource numerous sales and marketing activities to us, whilst retaining full control of their overall marketing and sales strategy. ACCUCOMS is committed to achieving measureable success for publishers and librarians. Our local language skills and rooted presence in well-established and developing markets allow us to offer a unique tailored service, much valued by publishing and library community worldwide. For more information about ACCUCOMS view our website or follow us on Google+, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.