Product: Lean Library Access
Increasing the impact and value of library collections
The Challenge
The library puts in a considerable amount of time and effort to develop its collections and provide support for users. However, do they always start at the library when doing research?
“Most of our staff and students access the library’s online resources and systems from off-campus with less than 30% of use coming from on-campus or within a physical library. This means communication must happen online, but our users are scattered across many systems, websites, databases, LibGuides and apps.”
Our student experience research has shown us that there are hundreds of pathways to our content and our users don’t all use our library’s website or search tools to start their search. Communicating with, and guiding, users who are using Google or going directly to subscription resources is a real challenge.
We are also in the process of implementing OpenAthens to replace our EZproxy system. Our existing, and very popular, EZproxy browser bookmarklet that gives users direct access on subscription pages will no longer work with OpenAthens so we are looking for alternatives.
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.
“Lean Library has allowed us to effectively replace our EZproxy bookmarklet with a browser extension that will make the access and authentication process seamless and easy for our users. The ability to communicate with our users on specific websites is a marvellous additional functionality, especially for those vendors with multiple websites or complicated access processes.
The Lean Library team have helped us reduce the steps involved in some of our more difficult access pathways too. For example, we have over 80 websites that provide us with a single username and password for access. Lean Library popup messages on these websites now link users directly to the username and access instructions instead of hiding this information in a range of LibGuides, Catalogues and systems.”
Matching Expectations
Lean Library strives to deliver a product that continues to bring value to the library. Does it match your expectations?
“Yes, Lean Library has matched our expectations, and the support team have exceeded them. We have been very pleased with the help and advice we have received during the setup process and now that we are live.”
“We have found the Lean Library setup process really easy to work through and the support team has been amazing…Lean Library’s biggest benefit is that it makes the discovery and access process easier for our students and staff.”
Promoting Lean Library
Lean Library requires users to download the plug-in. So, how do you get patrons to download it?
“We initially just promoted Lean Library to the librarians and student support staff so they could become familiar with and support students and staff using it. To assist them, I ran a number of workshops where I demonstrated the installation process and main features with our subscriptions. I put together a worksheet for those who couldn’t attend, which walked through examples of the features. Once we had a good number of librarians using Lean Library, we started promoting it via our social media and regular faculty communications.
However, the most effective promotions have been the ads we embedded in our Discovery system, Library Catalogue, eJournal Search and on the EZproxy menu page. These ads bring Lean Library to the user’s attention right at the time they are looking for resources and then links them directly to the download page. The ads initially helped us grow the user base from 250 in that August to over 4,500 by October with hundreds of new users downloading and installing it each day once advertising started. We have over 62,000 students and over 10,000 staff so an install base of more than 4,500 people was a very successful start.”
User Feedback
At the end of the day, users need to see the value, and their feedback is important.
“Initially we have had a few library staff contact us concerned that Lean Library would not work as well as the EZproxy bookmarklet, but when we walked them through access to their favourite sites/resources they quickly changed their minds and decided it was great.
In the month after we launched, we had only a few direct queries, and they were all staff or students asking if the ads were legitimate! Direct feedback has been very positive with a few academic staff telling us they love it, or it is amazing. Even our library systems administrators have been impressed by Lean Library suggesting eBook alternatives on one of our shared print Catalogues, BONUS+. But the best feedback was from the statistics: having over 4,500 users with no reported faults from thousands of successful access and assist messages.”
University of Melbourne
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Find out more about Lean Library.
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