Lean Library Case Study: Higher Colleges of Technology

The Challenge

Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) is the UAE’s largest applied higher education institution, renowned for its leadership in applied and technological education. The university faced a common challenge across university libraries: ensuring seamless access to their extensive library resources across diverse online platforms. With students and faculty increasingly conducting research online, HCT needed a solution that brought library content directly to users wherever they were working.

The Solution

HCT chose Lean Library to promote library resources throughout the research workflow to students via the Lean Library browser extension. This streamlines student access to library holdings and Open Access content and takes library services and guidance to students at their point of need.

Student working on laptop and illustrations representing researching and accessing content

After implementing Lean Library, HCT experienced a significant transformation in how their academic community accessed and engaged with library resources. Lean Library’s browser extension acts as a direct bridge between users and the library’s digital holdings, surfacing content and support exactly when and where it’s needed, whether the student begins their research on Google Scholar, PubMed, Wikipedia, or even ChatGPT.

“Lean Library has completely streamlined our users’ research workflows. Our students no longer waste time navigating complex access routes; instead, they’re instantly connected to full-text articles, eBooks, and licensed materials.”

Chrisa Karakasidou, Act. Asst. Library Manager, HCT

The Results

A key feature that has greatly benefited HCT is Lean Library’s Assist messages which are targeted, customizable notifications that appear contextually to guide users directly within their workflow or promote relevant library services.

Chrisa added: “The Assist messages allow us to provide timely support directly in the users’ workflow, whether reminding them about resource availability or drawing them back to the Library homepage, where they can contact the team directly using our integrated messaging service. This proactive approach has increased engagement and reduced barriers to accessing our collections.”

Lean Library has also increased visibility and usage of HCT’s licensed content significantly.

“Since launching Lean Library, we’ve seen a measurable rise in resource downloads and database engagement. It’s clear that providing targeted library messages and simplifying access empowers our academic community.”

Mostafa Osman, System Librarian, HCT

One standout benefit for HCT was Lean Library’s integration with Open Access repositories like Unpaywall and DOAB , which redirected students around paywalls to millions of freely available articles and eBooks, saving students money.

This feature not only enhanced access to papers for students but also contributed to library budget savings by reducing reliance on costly document delivery.

Looking Ahead

HCT Library has recently used the Lean Library integration to put LibGuides directly into student workflows. HCT can now offer timely support and personalized assistance without students needing to leave their research environment. This would lead to improved student satisfaction and a stronger connection between library services and academic success.

HCT is excited about rolling out Lean Library Workspace, formerly Sciwheel, an end-to-end research tool that integrates with the Lean Library browser extension. They believe this will increase uptake of Lean Library by enabling students to not only to find easier routes to access content but also to save articles, books, and other resources to their personal Workspace account.

Students will then be able to create in-text citations and bibliographies seamlessly, further supporting academic writing and research efficiency and providing students with an uninterrupted research experience.

The Impact

By partnering with Lean Library, Higher Colleges of Technology has empowered its students and faculty with efficient, user-friendly access to essential resources, transforming the research experience and maximizing the impact of library services across campus.