We have found that careful and selective use of social media (mainly Twitter and Facebook) is a useful way to promote online resources especially when able to aim them at people who will re-tweet to their own communities, or to draw on topical issues to make a link. One major advantage is that your audience are web-savvy types who will not need convincing that online services are something they want to use. Just one example - a recent tweet about the COBRA online business resource resulted in 39 click-throughs in 24 hours.
Some of the suppliers are also making good use of social media to spread awareness of the products - Credo being the outstanding example of good practice.
On the wider issues David is quite right. We certainly made the switch from printed resources to online because it represents a better way to spend our money and potentially gets that information to many more end users than would otherwise be the case. It was also because we believed that this represented a better way of delivering quality up-to-date information. There can't be many authorities where the range of titles available is not going to be reduced in the present situation so we may be moving further away from a standard national offer rather than closer, as the selection becomes more disparate rather than more cohesive.
Chris Booty
Information & Learning Services Development Manager Adults, Health & Community Wellbeing: Libraries Goldlay Gardens, Chelmsford, Essex CM2 0EW
Essex County Council
email: [log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: lis-pub-libs: UK Public Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lynn Osborne
Sent: 31 August 2011 12:21
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: National reference resources and national catalogue
In the SW we use a shared website www.cyberlibrary.org.uk hosted by Plymouth
City Libraries, to bring together information in the region on all the
online resources available to library users in their own authority.
SWRLS has paid for flyers promoting the site, which double up as a simple
joining form, which are widely distributed, including via FE colleges, some
of whom have included them in their induction packs for new students.
For ideas on promotion, it is also always worth contacting the resource
suppliers who will often provide free posters etc as well as holding
training sessions which provide ideas for increasing usage.
As MLA and Arts Council England have, I believe, just posted a tender notice
for a third Framework Agreement for Reference Online content for English
public libraries, it would be nice to think that promotion would be one of
the requirements?
Lynn Osborne
Director, SWRLS
Website: www.swrls.org.uk
-----Original Message-----
From: lis-pub-libs: UK Public Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Ken Chad
Sent: 31 August 2011 12:02
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: National reference resources and national catalogue
Thanks David
Thanks for unpicking the complexity...
The Guardian article (on online resources) reported that: 'Two years ago
Brown's team ran a mystery shopping exercise in Enfield and found that about
30% of the library staff had no idea what was available or did not know how
to find it, and some did not even realise that users only needed their
library card numbers to access the information.' I'd be surprised if Enfield
was unique-- so to answer your question 'where do we go from here?' it seems
addressing that issue would be a good place to start. Maybe a couple of
other 'next steps' could be.....
(1) If 30% of *library* staff don't know I guess perhaps what...90% (more?)
of the public don't know. So how about identifying the coverage of maybe
just one or two widely understood (by the public) resources (Britannica and
OED?). That should be easy. It looks to me that a very high percentage
(80%?) of the UK population has free access to these resources through their
local (doesn't have to be a national service per se) library entitlement.
(2) Find out about the public awareness of this resource...What percentage
of the public know they can access those resources for free?
I'd be happy to help out on (1) by setting up an open to all, simple to edit
table on LGLibTech. Maybe some people could help gather the data?
Maybe (2) has already been done? Anyone know? I asked a few (ok actually 6)
people this morning when I was out and about in my local High Street
*Nobody* knew they had free access entitlement. A couple were truly *amazed*
and delighted this was provided free by the library. In times when libraries
are doing all they can to publicise their value to communities this seems
such a simple and effective message ...
Ken
Ken Chad Consulting Ltd
Tel +44 (0)7788 727 845. Email: [log in to unmask]
www.kenchadconsulting.com
Skype: kenchadconsulting Twitter: @KenChad
Open Library Systems Specifications: http://libtechrfp.wikispaces.com
-----Original Message-----
From: lis-pub-libs: UK Public Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of David Tanner
Sent: 31 August 2011 10:35
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: National reference resources and national catalogue
Hi Ken
The situation, as you would expect is complex. We (public libraries)
subscribe to what we can afford. There are various online resources that my
authority does not subscribe to, not because they aren't any good, or
wouldn't be used but because we don't have the funds. When online resources
started to become available we like many others switched funding from hard
copy to online (eg Britannica). But you eventually reach the point where
your budget can't support any more online resources without a massive
injection of funding - not going to happen in the present climate. Some
authorities have already unsubscribed from Britannica due to poor usage and
low usage of online sources is a concern.
There is also the thorny issue of who has remote access to what nationally.
In theory we have the nascent basis of a national library membership (the
SCL scheme). In practice most of our online sources (including eBooks) are
required to be geographically restricted to "our" users (go define!). I
have anecdotal evidence of members of local family history/local history
groups finding backdoor ways to join other library authorities to use the
online resources they provide and we do not.
So.... where do we go from here?
--
David Tanner
Manager: Stock and Systems
Adult and Community Services (Information)
North Yorkshire County Council
Library HQ
21 Grammar School Lane
Northallerton
North Yorkshire
DL6 1DF
Tel: 01609 533814
Fax: 01609 780793
email: [log in to unmask]
At the moment I am reading
"Any Human Heart" by William Boyd.
>>> On 31/08/2011 at 10:10 am, in message
<030d01cc67bd$ce393fc0$6aabbf40$@com>,
Ken Chad <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> The Guardian has picked up the (somewhat old news) about the combined
> Regions/OCLC UK national catalogue initiative
> http://lglibtech.wikispaces.com/National+Catalogue. It set me thinking
about
> national access to online *reference* resources
>
>
>
> The (already in existence) *Welsh* National Catalogue -'Cat Cymru' -also
> includes links to online reference resources. Looking at individual UK
> library websites it seems most (all?) have free online access to some
great
> resources such as Encyclopaedia Britannica, OED and lots more.
>
> Does anyone know what percentage of the UK population has free online
access
> to say Britannica? Is it universal for UK public libraries to offer this?
> Have I missed this data? Do CILIP, MLA, CyMAL, SLIC know? Have any of the
> library campaigns been promoting the fact that libraries give *everyone*
(or
> whatever the statistic is) free online access to......' Have I missed
that?
> Maybe this information is something we could share in the Local Government
> Library Technology (LGLibTech) wiki?
>
>
>
> An article in the Guardian back in may reported on Enfield's work to
promote
> these resources
>
> 'Enfield boosts digital reference role. London borough has trained staff
to
> increase public's use of online reference sources'. By Mark Say Guardian
> Professional 25 May 2011
>
>
http://www.guardian.co.uk/government-computing-network/2011/may/25/enfield-d
> igital-refence-library-staff-training-increases-usage
>
>
>
> It reported: 'Most local authorities now have a portfolio of digital
> reference sources, most coming at a cost beyond the pockets of the regular
> library user, but there is evidence that they are not widely used. Brown
> says that over the past five years the Enfield Library Service has built
up
> a range of digital resources - including encyclopaedias, the legal
database
> LexisNexis Butterworths and the Lexis Direct business information database
-
> but several were not being widely used. In some cases there were less than
> 100 searches a year on resources that cost thousands of pounds, which was
> poor value for money'
>
>
>
> Is that situation general?
>
>
>
> Ken
>
> Ken Chad Consulting Ltd
>
> Tel +44 (0)7788 727 845. Email: <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> [log in to unmask] <http://www.kenchadconsulting.com/>
> www.kenchadconsulting.com
>
> Skype: kenchadconsulting Twitter: @KenChad
>
> Open Library Systems Specifications: <http://libtechrfp.wikispaces.com/>
> http://libtechrfp.wikispaces.com
>
>
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