Back in March, we were thrilled to sponsor and attend ACRL Conference 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At the booth, Jessica Clemons (Director of Sales, Technology from Sage) and Talia Richards (Vice President of Marketing, Springshare) hosted a session on Springshare's partnership with Lean Library and how libraries can integrate your LibGuides and LibChat right inside the patron's workflow, without them ever having to navigate to the library's website. Watch the session recording by clicking the button below or read on for a summary of the 5 key insights.
1. 80% of college students are experiencing more than average to tremendous levels of stress
How can the library assist in lowering these stress levels for students? One of the ways this can be improved is by increasing access to resources at the point of need. Most notably, by removing barriers and making it easier for students to find key resources as and when they need them.
2. Modern student academic workflows begin outside of the library
Data from our 2021 Librarian Futures Report reveals that 48% patrons begin their search for resources outside of the library. Also, it was found that the librarian is an underused resource and used the same amount as Wikipedia. However, patrons do want support from the library in their workflow.
We have a brand-new report out now titled Librarian Futures Part II which contrasts librarian and student perspectives on the undergraduate workflow.
3. Institutions invest a lot of time creating LibGuides
In March 2023, there were 905,000 LibGuides in the community site created by 258,000 librarians at 5,900 institutions. How do we ensure that these LibGuides are being surfaced by patrons to reduce their stress and anxiety? How do we ensure that librarians are getting a return on their investment with creating LibGuides? This is where Lean Library comes in…
4. With Lean Library’s Workflow for LibGuides, LibGuides can be deployed when students start their search on Google or Google Scholar
When patrons start searching for resources on Google or Google Scholar, Lean Library will deploy the relevant LibGuide at the point of need. For example, if a patron is searching for resources on Google Scholar, a LibGuide can be deployed which explains how to use Google Scholar for research, without the patron having to leave their workflow. LibGuides can be deployed on any academic resource or website online, such as, ChatGPT, so that when a patron lands on the ChatGPT website, a LibGuide can be deployed which details the library’s guidelines on using ChatGPT effectively and safely.
5. Students can talk to a librarian at the point of need with LibChat
What if a student is searching for resources off campus and they have a question for their librarian? The Lean Library integration with LibChat means that a student can get support from their librarian without leaving their workflow. Springshare have now launched Chatbox “flows” which can be present on any webpage, whether it’s Wikipedia or Google Scholar. Chatbox “flows” guide users to answers before they talk to a librarian, making it easier for them to find self-help first. Plus, you can provide FAQs to common questions.
