Jisc RSC Eastern Learning Resources Managers Forum Nov 2013 - Slides from Edina by Andrew Bevan

1. Increase usage
of online resources
22 November 2013
Andrew Bevan (EDINA)

2. You could go SPARE with all this promotion stuff!
• Set the Scene – consider the background
– (the bigger picture, what else is going on, why do this?)
• Prepare to act – get ready before doing anything
• Act – carry out a range of agreed activities
• Review – assess what’s happened, how it went
• Evaluate – decide what to do next as a result

3. Background
• Joint workshops on the topic – Credo/Scran/EDINA
– Anne Kail, Neil Fraser, Andrew Bevan – Sept 2012
• A Scottish series of Credo workshops 2009-2012
– summarised in ‘tips and tricks’ document, sent last week
• Constant issue of making library resources compete
– now in an open, Google world
• Exponential growth of content available ‘on the web’
– “entire literature from year-dot reproduced every few
days”
• Huge increase in number of devices to access them
– Smartphones, tablets as well as desktops/laptops

4. The ideal scene
• Find Content - from Jisc, other (sometimes
commercial) sources presented to college users
– Jisc Collections: 300+ resources, most offered to FE + HE
• Present it to users – via Website, VLE (Moodle,
Blackboard), ‘Social’(Twitter, blog, Facebook)
• Promote it – newsletters, posters, flyers etc
• Monitor – check usage, gather feedback, review,
• Renew/Retain….or…?

5. The realistic scene
• Find *some* content - from certain known sources
– but realise there’s so much more out there if only you had
time…
• Present it to users – add a link on website & in
VLE
• but realise there’s so much more you could do if only you
had time….
• Promote it – ???
– realise that’s a really good idea if only you had time….
• Monitor – You *do* get reports but in such different formats
and times, it makes analysis ‘a challenge’. You struggle to get
feedback from users too.

6. Preparing
• Is this a useful resource?
• Can you get (coherent) feedback from users about
its relevant?
• Are you confident it works well technically?
– Do you need to set anything up before launching it?
• What’s its USP? Are you clear of the identity of the
resource and how it fits into the college’s needs?
• Do you get meaningful stats? Are you able to review
it?

7. Tips (on Acting)
• Curate, pre-package content
– mapped to the curriculum or other schema
• Provide timely updates
– with the right balance: informative not excessive
• Be enthusiastic…(or a little bit keen if you can)
– Raising awareness of moving image & sound content in your institution - http://
bufvc.ac.uk/getcreative December 2012 (partic. Spanish lecturer)
• Be found in the right places
– Set up in Discovery systems and VLES
– Use the right channels to promote, Web & Social, print
• Get others involved – seek champions
– word of mouth advertising is always best
• Be responsive – seek and act on feedback, have user forums

8. Blogging
• Focus on content
• Offer insights
• Tweets more ephemeral

9. Integrating
• Social media in the
context of the website
• Showcase above

10. Developing (in 2014)
• Get Advisory Board active
– To help shape content policy
• Allow user-submitted content
– To be more engaging and up to date
•
•
•
•
•
Support crowd-sourcing metadata
Release an App
Commission case studies
Create learning materials
Produce benchmarked stats (COUNTER)

11. The Perils of Free (Reviewing)
• Free isn’t everything… past ‘JIBS workshop’ topic
•
“Web resources on the cheap: using free and low-cost Internet resources
for learning and teaching: a seminar for HE and FE librarians and
information managers” 13th November 2003, York
(https://web.archive.org/web/20040806235118/http://www.jibs.ac.uk/meetings/workshops/fr
ee/index.html
• Cross-disciplinary resources not owned by any department
• No payment, no budget justification to make
• ….and now for another take on the issue(s)…. over
to Neil from Scran….. then your views….. Thanks.