Product: Lean Library Futures
Bringing patrons to library collections
The Challenge
The library puts in a considerable amount of time and effort to develop its collections and provide support for users. But are patrons always gaining easy access to these resources?
"We understand that users don’t necessarily go via library systems to access our resources and can then struggle to access the online resources we subscribe to. It can also be difficult to provide effective support to off-campus users when they have problems accessing resources."
"It can be difficult to provide effective support to off-campus users."
The Solution
Lean Library, a powerful browser plug-in, solves access issues and provides patrons with content as and when they need it, all while protecting their privacy and promoting your library’s brand.
"Library staff are finding it useful in supporting off-campus users to access resources. The Library Assist feature is also useful for providing extra support when accessing resources – we plan to investigate using this across the library. Uptake has been good with nearly 4,000 engaged users each month and we’re pleased with the amount."
Matching Expectations
Lean Library strives to deliver a product that continues to bring value to the library.
"The functionality delivers what was promised, it continues to be developed, it is easy for users to install and from the statistics we can see it is being used and helping users access resources."
Promoting Lean Library
Lean Library requires users to download the plug-in. So, how do you get patrons to download it?
"We started with a soft launch over the summer with announcements on the library’s social media and did a full launch in October. We promoted it via social media, flyers on library service points, screensavers, a web page and information on library staff email signatures. We’re continuing to promote it particularly to coincide with new intakes of students. We are finding the statistics useful to be able to monitor usage and see where users’ research has been supported with the plug-in."
User Feedback
At the end of the day, users need to see the value, and their feedback is important.
"We’ve had positive feedback from users via Twitter and also from our Academic Support Librarians. We’ll be focusing on gathering more qualitative feedback from users going forward."
| University of Salford, Manchester
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Find out more about Lean Library.
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