Transition from a print based reference collection to Digital
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Presentation delivered by Jeremy McPherson at the NSW.net eResources Seminar held at the State Library of New South Wales October 25th 2011.
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Transition from a print based reference collection to Digital
Editor's Notes
- Thank you for asking us to speak today and giving us the chance to discuss the transition from print based to a new e-Reference collection at the City of Canterbury Library.
- While traditional libraries can be limited by storage room, electronic libraries have the potential to store much more information simply because digital information requires very little physical space. The broad philosophy of the City of Canterbury eLibrary is to provide digital resources for library members, including digital audiobooks and ebooks, databases, reference eBooks and various new emerging technologies. The project will help to meet community expectations with regard to the provision of services and resources to the general population, students and also customers who are aged or have a disability.
- An electronic resource collection has a number of distinct advantages: No overdue items – items are automatically checked in at the end of a loan period or simultaneous access is possible. Items can’t be lost, stolen or damaged. Self service is available on demand anywhere with access to the internet. No shelf space is required for storage. No end processing required. The eLibrary allows our library service to demonstrate leadership and innovation and position itself as an educator of new technologies. MP3 audio books available via the Internet appeals to younger members who are more used to electronic formats and want to listen to talking books on MP3 players.
- The content available through the Bolinda Digital Library will help to address issues we were experiencing with Audioread Navigators. The range of Audioread titles was not entirely sufficient to meet our borrower needs and had largely been read out.
- The City of Canterbury eLibrary was made possible through a Library Development Grant. It is being established through: Implementation of the Bolinda Digital Download solution Purchase of 618 Bolinda eAudiobook titles in MP3 format Purchase of a laptop computer to store Bolinda titles to enable speedy downloading for Home Library Service clients Purchase of approximately 98 eReference titles from Infobase. Marketing and Promotion of eLibrary Content is available to all library members and is also used to supplement content to Home Library Service clients provided through AudioRead and Vision Australia.
- ABS data from the 2006 Census demonstrates that the community of Canterbury are very likely to be users of the type of content supplied through Bolinda Digital Library. 9.5% of Canterbury’s population are over 70 compared to 8.9% of the Greater Sydney's population. The numbers of our borrowers using the service is also expected to grow in the next decade, particularly as baby boomers move from the workforce into retirement. Selection of content was based on the needs of the users. For example, the specific titles selected for the Infobase reference ebooks were specifically chosen to be most useful to the intended audience of high school students.
- 9.5% of Canterbury’s population are over 70 compared to 8.9% of the Greater Sydney's population. The numbers of our borrowers using the service is also expected to grow in the next decade, particularly as baby boomers move from the workforce into retirement. Many technologically savvy baby boomers already use ipods and appreciate the convenience of being able to listen to audiobooks on their ipods or similar devices.
- In researching eBook and digital audiobook solutions appropriate for our service, we have recognized the importance of implementing services and products that are easy to use, device neutral and have rich content which appeals to a wide variety of Canterbury library users.
- The e-reference titles are intended to be a quality starter eReference collection that is particularly useful for school students. They can be accessed from both home and the library on a 24/7 basis and the same resources can be accessed simultaneously by multiple users.
- Promotion of the service is critical to its success and has been conducted through local media as well as Council and Library Newsletters and the Mayors Column in the local paper. Bolinda has directly assisted with promotion ideas as well as supplying customised bookmarks, posters and press releases.
- A launch was held Tuesday August 16, 11am - 1pm at Campsie Library. It was very successful, and featured noted Bolinda Audio narrator Stig Wemyss was very popular. Demonstrations of the new eLibrary features were given with assistance from local schools.
- There are a number of strategies involved in marketing the new digital resources. Staff play a significant role in promoting the use of the technology while the library website is also a key consideration in ensuring that existing online users find and manage their use of this new service easily.
- The Library now has a dedicated eLibrary section with pages on Audiobooks, Reference eBooks, Learning English and other Languages, Kids resources, Magazines & Databases, Online Computer Training and the Community Information Directory.
- Online surveys and statistical reports let us monitor the success of the virtual collections. These reports are being analysed so improvements to selection can be implemented. An online survey will be released on the Library website to obtain feedback on the eLibrary service and content. We will evaluate how customers are using the service and the level of satisfaction with titles in the collection. Ease of use of both the Bolinda service and Infobase service will also be measured. We monitor digital content circulation statistics and compile quarterly and annual circulation statistics. Built into the Bolinda Digital library Back Office is a sophisticated reporting system allowing generation of dynamic reports which can be exported into a variety of common file types.
- We have 4 main initiatives we are launching throughout the next 12 months with regards to electronic audiobooks: Bolinda digital 2 Apps (iPhone/iPad & Android) eBooks More content – at least 100 titles each year.
- We are forming a partnership with Vision Australia to provide Daisy players to eligible home library service clients. This partnership will provide access to 16,000 titles in Daisy format and the intention is to support this content with titles from the Bolinda Digital Library as well as our existing audio book collection which can also be loaded on the players. We’re also expanding the search options of all of our resources to make them more accessible. All electronic resources are already integrated into the library catalogue.