Using a Personalised Start Page Service to Deliver a Public Library Portal

Eddie Byrne, Senior Librarian, Dublin City Public Libraries Internet Librarian International London, 15 th October 2009 Session A105 - Where to Start Using a Personalised Start Page Service to Deliver a Public Library Portal Dublin City Public Libraries www.netvibes.com/dublincitypubliclibraries

Why do it?

What are the initial considerations?

What are the Issues / Risks?

Will people use it?

Are there benefits for the Library?

Dublin City Public Libraries www.netvibes.com/dublincitypubliclibraries

Why?

To facilitate centralised management of the Internet desktop on all public access PCs (200+) across 21 locations

To provide a value-added product for our Library Web Users

To provide greatly enhanced access to a range of select resources

To enable the promotion of library activities and services via the public access Internet PCs

Considerations

Budget & Resources

Timeline

Off-the-Shelf or Bespoke?

Hosting – Local or Remote?

Ease of Implemention & Maintenance

Adaptability, Flexibility

Performance – Stability, Speed

Promotion

Timeline

Nov - Dec 2007 – Investigation, Solution Proposed

January 2008 – Desktop trialled in one location

February 2008 – Roll out to all locations completed

October 2008 – 'Media' tab added

November 6, 2008 -Problems!

November 2008 – Move to new platform

The Solution

Pageflakes

An Ajax-based Startpage

Resource & Tool aggregator

Sharable Desktop

Organised in Tabs, each tab containing user-defined modules

Netvibes (from November 2008)

Little Advertising

Runs Fast

Stable

Strong customer support

Dublin City Public Libraries www.pageflakes.com/dublincitypubliclibraries

Dublin City Public Libraries Delicious widget Twitter widget RSS flickr widget

Dublin City Public Libraries Webpage widget Link widget UWA widget (html) Weather widget Stick your notes widget UWA widget (html)

Risks?

Platform Failure (Interruptions to Service)

Platform Failure (Loss of Service)

Widget Failure (Malfunction)

Failure of Associated Services (delicious, Twitter)

Reliance on third parties with whom there are no contractual agreements ( Risk Assessment for Use of Third Party Web 2.0 Services: A UKOLN Briefing Document, QA Focus, Nov 2007. )

Risk Management

Risk Management Strategy in Place

RSS Backup

Netvibes Support

Alternative Solution Ready to Go

Dublin City Public Libraries

Dublin City Public Libraries Permissions Widget Failure Performance Server Errors Issues Broken Links

November 2008 Loss of service for a week (6 - 14 November) Silence from Pageflakes Company Changes Afoot Introduction of prominent advertisement flake without consultation or alternative model being offered Netvibes Alternative Implemented Dublin City Public Libraries www.netvibes.com/dublincitypubliclibraries Problems!

Article Planning & Pitfalls: Using Pageflakes for a Public Library Portal Michael Stephens in conversation with Eddie Byrne Submitted by Michael Stephens on December 1, 2008 ALA Techsource Blog (American Library Association) SEE http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2008/11/planning-pitfalls-using-pageflakes-for-a-public-library-portal.html Dublin City Public Libraries www.netvibes.com/dublincitypubliclibraries

Dublin City Public Libraries www.netvibes.com/dublincitypubliclibraries Support

Dublin City Public Libraries www.netvibes.com/dublincitypubliclibraries //faq.netvibes.com/service_status

Dublin City Public Libraries www.netvibes.com/dublincitypubliclibraries Visits: 2403 From Library Internet PCs: 1345 From Outside Library: 1058 (Outside Ireland – 879) 626 84.5% 296 26.4% 178 51.7% 256 33.2% 157 37.6% 368 48.9% 522 61.7% Library = Jun - Aug 2009 + + + + + + 2403 = Usage

Dublin City Public Libraries www.netvibes.com/dublincitypubliclibraries Visits: 2403 From Library Internet PCs: 1345 From Outside Library: 1058 (Outside Ireland – 879) 626 84.5% 296 26.4% 178 51.7% 256 33.2% 157 37.6% 368 48.9% 522 61.7% Library = From Outside Library: 1978 (Outside Ireland – 1589) 920 – Outside Ireland Jun - Aug 2009

Referrals from Netvibes Page To: Dublin City Public Libraries www.netvibes.com/dublincitypubliclibraries Online Catalogue : 343 Ranking: No.3 of 43 sources (no.2 – Borrowbooks.ie: 1840; no.4 Wikipedia: 98) dublincity.ie : 540 Ranking: No.20 of 2178 sources ( Libraries’ Pages – 370, of which 77 are external ) (June – August 2009) Usage

Dublin City Public Libraries

once every other day

twice or three times

Acknowledgement: Giada Gelli

Dublin City Public Libraries Acknowledgement: Giada Gelli

Dublin City Public Libraries 78.8% (26) Acknowledgement: Giada Gelli

Dublin City Public Libraries Euro Elections Borrowbooks.ie Acknowledgement: Giada Gelli

Dublin City Public Libraries Acknowledgement: Giada Gelli Newbies

Comments + - Interesting page; good for Euro Elections - It's very easy to use - I like to use Dublin City Library and Netvibes to get more information for myself about entertainment and press section - (Your Netvibes page) has been great. - I am aware of much more that happens in the libraries ..makes it much more obvious that events are happening - Everything is on this site and it is regularly updated - Saves time and recent information updates - Will probably subscribe to Netvibes now that I know it exists Dublin City Public Libraries www.netvibes.com/dublincitypubliclibraries Acknowledgement: Giada Gelli

Comments - - very very slow to load - I was never aware of its existence until this survey - I think it would be nice to have a few simpler RSS feeds - I don't use it - Has not helped. Seems to just duplicate their website - I don´t know what you mean by "start page on netvibes"!! - Hasn’t really changed the way I keep up to date with the library Dublin City Public Libraries www.netvibes.com/dublincitypubliclibraries Acknowledgement: Giada Gelli

… and! not for the average Public Library user, too techie, sorry " I question ur involvement there. Netvibes is for tech-savvie people , I don't get that vibe from the website and certainly not from my in situ visits. I work in a library myself, I know the library 2.0 vibe: don't waste ur time for the sake of experimentation, users resent it! Even though it's "free" it still costs staff time. If no resources to buy books, engage in person, not via social networking. It's badly perceived ." Dublin City Public Libraries www.netvibes.com/dublincitypubliclibraries - Library Worker Acknowledgement: Giada Gelli

A Success?

Zero Financial Outlay in terms of Product Purchase / Maintenance

Cost Measured in Terms of Staff Time Only

Less Intervention Required by IT Support

Easy to Implement and Maintain

Product Fulfills Requirements (the Why?)

Solution proving largely stable and flexible

Strategies in place in the event of interruptions/ failures

People ARE Using It!

Links

http://www.netvibes.com/dublincitypubliclibraries

http://www.pageflakes.com/dublincitypubliclibraries

http://www.alatechsource.org/blog/2008/11/planning-pitfalls-using-pageflakes-for-a-public-library-portal.html

http://blog.netvibes.com/using-public-pages-as-virtual-libraries/

Dublin City Public Libraries www.netvibes.com/dublincitypubliclibraries Acknowledgement Giada Gelli, MLIS Student, University College Dublin, for permission to draw on survey material collated as part of her Master‘s Thesis.

Many Thanks! Dublin City Public Libraries www.netvibes.com/dublincitypubliclibraries Eddie Byrne, Senior Librarian, Dublin City Public Libraries [email_address] www.slideshare.net/ebyrne41 Lest you forget!