Managing Your Library’s Online Presence

SuHui Ho (Pronounced Sue-Way Ho) Digital Services Librarian,

Science & Engineering LibraryUniversity of California, San Diego

Outline

• Brick & mortar library v.s. e-Library• Definition of e-Library• What it takes to create an e-Library that has

real impact• New roles and skills

Once upon a time there was

Now there is

Once upon a time there was

Now there is

Once upon a time, there was

Now there is

.com

• Brick & Mortar Business – Physical presence – Face to face consumer experiences

• E-Commerce– Buy and sell products or services online– Some entirely online– Transportation of physical items– Combination

- Wikipedia

We Have Moved Online

• Collections

• Services

•Catalog, databases, interlibrary loan, renew materials

Self Help

•Email, Chat, Text

Reference

•Online guides/LibGuides

•Camtasia videos

Instruction

Outreach

B&M Library Coexists with the e-Library

Current State of the Library

• B&M Library– InfoCommon/Learning Common– Warehouse of books

• E-Library - information access– Searching tools -catalog, databases, Google– Collection: ejournals, ebooks– Services

• University of Chicago’s underground storage facility – stores 3.5 million copies

Image from http://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/05/robot-powered-mansueto-library/

The web has fundamentally changed the way library conducts its business.

Library website - front door and busiest service point.

Library’s Online Presence

Web Library

Digital Branch

Library WebsiteVirtual Library

Online Library

Library in the cloud

e-Library

e-Library Definition– Library’s online presence – Library’s collections and services delivered online– Co-exists with the brick-and-mortar library– Many components:

• Library’s website• Library’s mobile site• Library’s catalog and databases• e-Collection• Library’s Twitter • Library’s Facebook• Library’s blog• LibGuides• e-Services • And more

It is not the traditional library website.

• A brochureware• Inform • Direct users to physical library• Complementary• Secondary

How well does the library staff this e-Library?

• No full time web staff• No knowledge of new roles and function

“Many library spaces and services revolve around the book stacks”

– Dr. Robert Schwarzwalder, Associate Univ. Librarian, Stanford

e-Library Management Roles and Functions

• e-Services

• Website Management – container/building– Website interface design– Information architecture– Usability study– Content life cycle management– Metrics– Search engine optimization– IT: Programming, database & sever administration

Interface Design

– Professionalism and trust– Roles: graphic artists, animators, multimedia designers– House – Interior design

Information Architecture

Goal: Help users complete simple, common tasks in a fast, efficient manner.

Context-sensitive design

Usability Study

• Easy to use or learn?• Goal: – How users interact with product?– Where to improve?

• Usability test – a technique• Role – usability analyst

Information Technology

• Programming• Content management system• Database & sever administration

Building the e-Library

• Library website = Library building • Interface design = Interior design • Information architecture = Space planning• IT = foundation

Yet, many libraries stop here.

= leave after building is completed, furniture arrives, and books are on shelf.

Let the building run by itself or ask your director to run it by him/herself.

Website Management

Building

• Information architecture

• Interface design• Usability study• IT

Managing

• Content life cycle management

• Metrics• Search engine

optimization• New technologies• Usability study• IT

Content

– Librarians become authors – Locally-authored digital content• Web pages• Mobile site pages• Blogs • Online instruction • Videos• Content in social media

Content Life Cycle Management

• Strategize – audience, voice, relevancy• Create – writing for the web• Review• Update• Delete• Archive

Dirty Data

The Problem of Dirty Data

United Airlines

Lost $1 billion in value

Cause: a six-year-old story in Google News

Each page has an owner.

Website MetricsGoal:

Understand user

behaviors in your website

Search Engine Optimization

Goal:Top ranking in Google

search

Brick & Mortar Library e-Library

Space planning Web interface design Information architectureUsability study

IT: desktop support IT: web programming, database & server administration

No equivalent Content life cycle management

Gate counts Website metrics, e-resources statistics, catalog search statistics, online instruction statistics

No equivalent Search engine optimization

Goal: help people find information Goal: help people find information

New Spaces, New Challenges & Opportunities

e-Services

Brick & Mortar Library e-LibraryCirculation - get the resources Access the resources - navigation to e-

books, e-journalse-problem troubleshootingRemote access

Reference – reference desk e-Reference: chat, email, IM, textInstruction – classes in the library Context-sensitive guides, tutorials,

podcasts, LibGuides

Outreach – exhibits in the library Videos, multimedia, slideshows, Facebook, Flickr, Tweeter, Youtube

Collection Buying e-content, e-resources statistics,Subject portals

Staffing Model?

It takes a village to build, staff, and manage

an e-Library.

“The greatest impact of the Internet is likely to come over the next decade as it starts to reshape the traditional management processes and structures that are used to run large-scale institutions.”

Gary Hamel, “REINVENTING MANAGEMENT FOR A NETWORKED WORLD

“Educause, Oct. 13, 2010

e-Library Strategy

• An e-Library strategy aligned with the library’s overall business strategy.

• e-Library to be an equally important, if not more important, part of the library.

• Recognize new roles• Budget and staff for this space

7 Habits of a Successful e-Library

1. Has an e-Library strategy that is aligned with the library’s overall business strategy.

2. Professionally managed from the most senior level down and staffed by not only web staff but also most public and technical services staff.

3. Has a website content life cycle management plan.4. Adheres to information architecture, user experience and

web design principles.5. Attention to metrics and usage pattern analysis.6. Attention to search engine optimization.7. e-Services actively managed.

Resources “The Discipline of Content Strategy” by Kristina Halvorson

http://www.alistapart.com/articles/thedisciplinofcontentstrategy/

“Using Google Analytics for Improving Library Website Content and Design: A Case Study”- by Wei Fang, Digital Services Librarian, Rutgers-Newark Law Library for the Center of Law and Justice http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~mbolin/fang.htm

Questions?

• Email: suho@ucsd.edu

• Slides at http://www.slideshare.net/shh2/