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Building a Successful eBranch

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Title: Building a Successful eBranch


1
Building a Successful eBranch
  • Sarah Houghton-Jan
  • Information and Web Services Manager, San Mateo
    County Library
  • Librarian in Black http//www.librarianinblack.ne
    t

2
What well talk about
  • Why its important
  • Staffing
  • Organization
  • Components
  • Beyond the eBranch
  • Gauging success

3
Importance of the eBranch
  • Your users expect
  • you to be online when and where they are.
  • to be able to do what they can do in your
    libraries on your website too.
  • your website to match the quality and features of
    other websites (Amazon, eBay, Google, Netflix,
    etc.)
  • Your eBranch is the most important public face of
    your library.

4
Benefits of the eBranch
  • Your eBranch can be open 24/7your brick mortar
    libraries cant.
  • The eBranch will be your cheapest branch to run!
  • Minimal staffing in comparison
  • Rent vs. web hosting
  • Materials are cheaper ( no processing)
  • Hundreds of free add-ons to take advantage of

5
I have a dream
  • of a self-sufficient eBranch where users can do
    anything online that they could do in a library.
  • accessing all content video, audio, text
  • connect live with a local librarian any time
  • take a class, place an ILL, hear a story hour,
    participate in a book club, talk to other users,
    get book recommendations, on and on and on

6
What makes a good eBranch?
  • Focus on content
  • Customizable by the user
  • Interactive and feedback-seeking
  • Free of library hubris and lingo
  • Professional and feature-full
  • Focused on what the user wantsnot what the
    librarian wants, not what the Board wants

7
Staffing
  • You must dedicate appropriate staff to your
    eBranch for it to be successful.
  • This does not mean
  • a 10 hour/week webmaster
  • someone who is not getting paid for their unique
    skills
  • someone who has three other areas of
    responsibility as well
  • This does mean
  • a branch manager with the necessary technical,
    management, and librarian skills as well as
    appropriate authority and responsibility for
    running the eBranch.

8
  • The library website is no longer an extra,
    another PR outlet, or an add-on to your other
    real library services.
  • It is its own branch.
  • Treat it as such, or perish.

9
Organization youre not in a library
  • Organize your website based on what people are
    likely looking for when visiting your website
  • CONTENT
  • not based on the format of the materials you
    have or the layout of the physical library.

10
Organization what do they want?
  • Theyre looking for things like
  • Materials to check out from the library
  • Online information about a particular topic
  • Something to read for fun online
  • Local information
  • Ways to connect with other people
  • Ways to connect with you

11
Organization emphasize the online
  • What people want from your website is very
    different from what they want when coming in.
  • Give them what they wantPLEASE?

12
Components of the eBranch
  • Databases (but dont call them that for petes
    sake)
  • eBooks
  • A good catalog (bwah ha ha ha ha ha)
  • Social software
  • IM, blogs, RSS, podcasting/vidcasting, wikis,
    social networks, social libraries
  • Mash-ups
  • Multiple ways to contact you

13
Components Databases
  • Focus on what your databases containnot the fact
    that theyre databases (online magazines and
    newspapers, Consumer Reports, online test help,
    homework help, FREE, FREE, FREE)
  • Consider subject guides instead (w/ DBs, eBooks,
    canned catalog searches, websites, classes,
    specialized ask-a-librarian, news headlines)
  • Your subscription databases are your eBranchs
    bread and butter!

14
Components eBooks
  • Buy multiple eBook collections
  • Focus on things that are downloadable
  • Text and audio
  • Get them into your catalog
  • eBooks are cheaper than print books (plus no
    processing, shelving, check-outs) and cheaper on
    a cost per circulation basis

15
Components A Good Catalog
  • Oxymoron?
  • Biggest point of online contact with users
  • Put staff time, money, and thought into improving
    what you have.
  • Cant change ILS? Consider an overlay product
    like AquaBrowser.

16
Components Social Software
  • Instant messaging
  • Internet forums
  • Blogs / RSS / podcasting
  • Wikis
  • Social network services
  • Social guides
  • Social bookmarking
  • Social citations
  • Social libraries
  • Virtual worlds and multiplayer online games

17
Why should libraries care about SS?
  • There is a great potential for new and enhanced
    services
  • There are free marketing opportunities just
    waiting for us
  • Our patrons are therewhere are we?

18
Components instant messaging
  • Instantaneous, simultaneous text chat
  • Add-ons like video, audio, file sharing
  • Use aggregator software (Trillian, Gaim, Meebo)
    to aggregate multiple accounts
  • Youre right there where your users areon their
    buddy lists
  • Consider circ reference IM accounts
  • Free, free, and more free

19
Web-based IM with Meebo
  • Completely web-basedno installations
  • Sign in with multiple accounts at once
  • Even if IM is blocked, this still works
  • MeeboMe Widgetanonymous chat right on the
    website, no software

20
Example of Library IM webpage
21
Components Blogs
  • Websites frequently updated with new content
  • Dont call it a blog and allow comments!
  • Examples
  • St. Joseph County Public Library Game Blog
    http//www.libraryforlife.org/gameblog/
  • Framingham Public Library Teen Blogomatic
    http//fplya.blogspot.com/
  • Marin County Free Library - Whats New
    http//www.marincountyfreelibrary.blogspot.com/
  • Waterboro Public Library H20boro
    http//www.waterborolibrary.org/blog.htm

22
Sample blog H20boro
23
Components RSS (Really Simple Syndication)
  • RSS is more than just blogs
  • New books and other items
  • News at the library
  • New content in subscription databases
  • Examples
  • EBSCO feeds for new articles (favorite searches)
  • Hennepin County Library feeds for all types of
    things
  • Edmonton Public Library feed for new teen books
  • Seattle Public Library feeds for favorite authors
    and subjects
  • FirstGov feeds for government information

24
Sample RSS feeds Hennepin CL
25
Components Podcasting Vidcasting
  • Creating audio and video content and pushing it
    to users through an RSS feed
  • Book reviews, programming, library tours,
    classes, library news, story hours
  • Examples
  • Thomas Ford Memorial Library audio teen book
    reviews http//www.fordlibrary.org/yareviews/
  • Manchester Public Library video book reviews
    http//feeds.feedburner.com/primesboxlive
  • Cheshire Public Library - audio of local teen
    magazine http//www.cheshirelib.org/teens/cplpodc
    ast.htm
  • University of Sheffield Library audio library
    tours http//www.lbasg.group.shef.ac.uk/downloads
    /mainlibrary.html

26
Sample podcast Thomas Ford ML
27
Components Wikis
  • Collaborative resource creation
  • Multiple authors, ongoing creation
  • Subject guides, book reviews, etc.
  • Examples
  • Wikipedia http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
  • Wiktionary http//en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Main_Pa
    ge
  • St .Joseph County Librarys Subject Guides
    http//www.libraryforlife.org/subjectguides/index.
    php/Main_Page
  • University of Minnesota Libraries Staff Website
    http//wiki.lib.umn.edu/

28
Sample wiki St .Joseph CLs Subject Guides
29
Components Social networks
  • Places to meet people and communicate
  • Examples
  • Friendster, Dogster, MySpace, Facebook
  • Youre there where they are
  • Libraries with MySpace accounts
  • Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (Teens)
  • Denver Public Library
  • Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library
  • dozens of others

30
Library MySpace Page Denver PL
31
Social bookmarking
  • Putting your favorite websites in a web directory
    to share with others
  • Examples
  • del.icio.us http//del.icio.us/
  • furl http//www.furl.net/
  • La Grange Public Librarys del.icio.us ref links
  • Thomas Ford Memorial Librarys del.icio.us ref
    links
  • San Mateo City Librarys del.icio.us ref links

32
Library del.icio.us La Grange Park
33
Components Social libraries
  • Keep track of collections
  • Uses tagging, user-created metadata Folksonomies
  • Examples
  • Flickr.com for photographs
  • discogs.com for music
  • LibraryThing.com for books
  • Stuffopolis.com for everything else

34
Social library Reading PL on Flickr
35
Components Mash-Ups
  • People are doing things with your library
    content be aware and advertise/educate users.
  • Library ELF Library account tracking and alerts
    via e-mail RSS
  • LibX Toolbar Direct access in web browser to
    catalog and more
  • Steal This Library RSS feeds for new items
  • Library LookUp click on it when on a webpage
    with an ISBN to look up item in your catalog

36
Components Multiple ways to contact you
  • Phone
  • E-mail
  • web forms are easiest and most spam-proof
  • Have forms for various purposes (catalog help,
    eBook help, website help, suggest a purchase,
    general feedback, my account help)
  • Web-based chat (AskNow)
  • Instant Messaging
  • Cell phone text messaging (SMS)
  • Dont differentiate between Contact Us
  • and Ask a Librarian

37
Beyond the eBranch Online Outreach
  • Ego RSS feed set up RSS feeds for variations of
    your librarys name
  • Wikipedia add your library to community entries
  • Wireless network directories add your library
  • Reviews of libraries on Yelp etc. check,
    monitor, and participate appropriately
  • Watch others monitor local blogs and forums and
    offer help and information when appropriate
  • Online Games consider being present in
    SecondLife and other game environments

38
Gauging Success
  • Gather database and eBook statistics
  • Count eReference questions separately
  • Gather detailed website statistics
  • Monitor RSS/podcast subscribers
  • Survey your online users
  • Build the content, make it findable,
  • and they will come.
  • Watch your usage soar!

39
Questions? Contact Sarah any time E-mail
houghton-jan_at_smcl.org IM LibrarianInBlack
(AOL, Yahoo!, MSN)
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