Introduction

Marketing involves the distribution of products and services to consumers. Channel theory is that branch of marketing concerned with the design, operation, and evaluation of distribution systems. In the scientific and technical information (STI) context, distribution systems consist of organizations and markets that function to transfer information from the producer to the consumer. In a very real sense, the “channel” is the meeting ground for producer and consumer. This part introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters. It addresses marketing channel concepts and their implications for the distribution of STI. The part elaborates on the channel theme by considering channel selection strategies. It discusses several implications of selected studies of the marketing of STI. The part also discusses potential scenarios for the development of new marketing channels of STI.