Increase usage of online resources

22 November 2013

Andrew Bevan (EDINA)

You could go SPARE with all this promotion stuff!

• Set the Scene – consider the background

– (the bigger picture, what else is going on, why do this?)

• Prepare to act – get ready before doing anything

• Act – carry out a range of agreed activities

• Review – assess what’s happened, how it went

• Evaluate – decide what to do next as a result

Background

• Joint workshops on the topic – Credo/Scran/EDINA– Anne Kail, Neil Fraser, Andrew Bevan – Sept 2012

• A Scottish series of Credo workshops 2009-2012 – summarised in ‘tips and tricks’ document, sent last week

• Constant issue of making library resources compete– now in an open, Google world

• Exponential growth of content available ‘on the web’– “entire literature from year-dot reproduced every few

days”

• Huge increase in number of devices to access them– Smartphones, tablets as well as desktops/laptops

The ideal scene

• Find Content - from Jisc, other (sometimes commercial) sources presented to college users– Jisc Collections: 300+ resources, most offered to FE + HE

• Present it to users – via Website, VLE (Moodle,

Blackboard), ‘Social’(Twitter, blog, Facebook)

• Promote it – newsletters, posters, flyers etc

• Monitor – check usage, gather feedback, review,

• Renew/Retain….or…?

The realistic scene

• Find *some* content - from certain known sources– but realise there’s so much more out there if only you had

time…

• Present it to users – add a link on website & in VLE• but realise there’s so much more you could do if only you

had time….

• Promote it – ???– realise that’s a really good idea if only you had time….

• Monitor – You *do* get reports but in such different formats and times, it makes analysis ‘a challenge’. You struggle to get feedback from users too.

Preparing

• Is this a useful resource?• Can you get (coherent) feedback from users about

its relevant? • Are you confident it works well technically?

– Do you need to set anything up before launching it?

• What’s its USP? Are you clear of the identity of the resource and how it fits into the college’s needs?

• Do you get meaningful stats? Are you able to review it?

Tips (on Acting)

• Curate, pre-package content– mapped to the curriculum or other schema

• Provide timely updates– with the right balance: informative not excessive

• Be enthusiastic…(or a little bit keen if you can)– Raising awareness of moving image & sound content in your institution - http://

bufvc.ac.uk/getcreative December 2012 (partic. Spanish lecturer)

• Be found in the right places– Set up in Discovery systems and VLES– Use the right channels to promote, Web & Social, print

• Get others involved – seek champions – word of mouth advertising is always best

• Be responsive – seek and act on feedback, have user forums

Blogging

• Focus on content• Offer insights• Tweets more ephemeral

Integrating

• Social media in the context of the website

• Showcase above

Developing (in 2014)

• Get Advisory Board active– To help shape content policy

• Allow user-submitted content– To be more engaging and up to date

• Support crowd-sourcing metadata• Release an App• Commission case studies• Create learning materials • Produce benchmarked stats (COUNTER)

The Perils of Free (Reviewing)

• Free isn’t everything… past ‘JIBS workshop’ topic• “Web resources on the cheap: using free and low-cost Internet resources

for learning and teaching: a seminar for HE and FE librarians and information managers” 13th November 2003, York (https://web.archive.org/web/20040806235118/http://www.jibs.ac.uk/meetings/workshops/free/index.html

• Cross-disciplinary resources not owned by any department• No payment, no budget justification to make

• ….and now for another take on the issue(s)…. over to Neil from Scran….. then your views….. Thanks.