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Web Resources: Getting the Most For Your Money
This document discusses strategies for libraries to get the most value from their web resources collections. It recommends benchmarking other libraries, exploring funding options through negotiation and reallocation, evaluating current resources and patron needs, and promoting resources to maximize usage. Key steps include looking at current resources and costs, identifying priority subject areas, exploring alternatives, finding funding, and promoting resources while evaluating usage and needs on an ongoing basis.
Web Resources: Getting the Most For Your Money
- 1. Web Resources: Getting theMost For Your Money Leah Kraus Virtual Branch Director Fayetteville Free Library lkraus@fflib.org @leahkraus73
- 2. Building a WebResources Collection Our options Our time & budgets
- 3. How do wedecide?
- 4. The Web ResourcesFamily
- 5. Web Resource Type1: Databases
- 6. Web Resource Type2: Free Resources
- 7. Web Resource Type3: eBooks/Media OverDrive Freegal 3M Cloud Library OverDrive Freading Zinio Hoopla
- 8. How Do WeDecide?
- 9. 1) Look atwhat you’ve got Resource Subject How Cost Renewal Area funded? date Novelist Reader’s By our $1,000/year Feb 1st Advisory library Job & Career Job & Career By the $0 March 1st Accelerator Consortium Grolier Encyclopedia By the State $0 Sept. 1st Online library Freegal eMusic By our $4,000/year Dec 1st library
- 10. Resource Subject How Cost Renewal Rep contact How to find Area funded? date stats Novelist Reader’s By our library $1,000/year Feb 1st Advisory Job & Career Job & Career By the $0 March 1st Accelerator Consortium Grolier Encyclopedia By the State $0 Sept. 1st Online library Freegal eMusic By our library $4,000/year Dec 1st
- 11. Resource Subject How Cost Renewal Rep How to Usage Cost per Area funded? date contact find stats 2012 use 2012 Novelist Reader’s By our $1,000/year; Feb 1st 500 visits $2 per visit Advisory library Job & Job & Career By the $0 March 1st Career Consortium Accelerator Grolier Encyclopedia By the State $0 Sept. 1st Online library Freegal eMusic By our $4,000/year Dec 1st 6,000 song $0.66 per library downloads song
- 12. 2) Figure outwhat you need About how many times per month do you use the following to help a patron: Access Newspaper Archives ________ Rate the usefulness of this resource: not useful 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 very useful Biography Resource Center ________ Rate the usefulness of this resource: not useful 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 very useful Britannic Reference Center ________ Rate the usefulness of this resource: not useful 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 very useful Career Cruising ________ Rate the usefulness of this resource: not useful 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 very useful CultureGrams ________ Rate the usefulness of this resource: not useful 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 very useful
- 15. Consider Core areasof patron need: Audiobooks Hobbies/Crafts/Antiques & Collectibles Biography Job & Career Business Info Language Learning/ESL Community Information Newspapers – Current Consumer Information Newspapers – Historical eBooks Online Instruction – Computer, internet, eMusic technology, office skills eMagazines Online Instruction – General interest Encyclopedias/dictionaries Online practice tests and study guides Financial Reader’s Advisory Genealogy Science Geography Tax/legal Health Travel History Tutoring/Homework Help
- 16. Which type ofinformation would you most hope to find available on your library’s web site : Consumer Info (i.e. Consumer Reports) not needed 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 absolutely essential Encyclopedias/ dictionaries not needed 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 absolutely essential Financial Information not needed 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 absolutely essential Genealogy Resources not needed 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 absolutely essential Health Resources not needed 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 absolutely essential Local Newspapers- Current not needed 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 absolutely essential Local Newspapers - Historical not needed 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 absolutely essential
- 17. This is alist of the online resources Fayetteville Free Library currently subscribes to. Please RANK these in order of importance to you. Ancestry.com - Library Edition least important 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 most important Consumer Reports least important 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 most important Freegal (Music Downloads) least important 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 most important HelpNow! Homework Help least important 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 most important Novelist least important 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 most important Optimal Resume not important 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 very important OverDrive Digital Library (eBook & audiobook downloads) not important 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 very important Post-Standard Archives not important 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 very important
- 19. Results Please indicate howstrongly you feel this content area should be available to all patrons? % indicated ‘absolutely essential’ or ‘very important’ Local Newspapers – Current 100% Job & Career 97.9% Genealogy 94% Online practice tests/guides 92% Online instruction-computer/office skills 89.6% Local Newspapers – Historical 87.7% Consumer Information 87.7% Health 82% Language Instruction /ESL 80.8% Business Directory 75% Online Instruction – General 57.1% Book – Readers Advisory 52.1% Science 42.9% History 43.7% Books – Young Children 43.4% Geography/Countries 38.7% Biography 29.2% Hobbies/Crafts 23%
- 20. Results If funds arenot available to continue the same selection of online resources in the future, which current resource(s) would you be willing to drop? Tumblebooks 62% Ferguson’s Career 40% ReferenceUSA 18% Universal Class 16% Heritage Quest 14% Learning Express - Basic 14% Learning Express –Computer 12% Newsbank 0%
- 21. Results Please RANKthese in order of importance and priority of use to your library staff and patrons. Newsbank Most important Reference USA Learning Express – Basic Heritage Quest Learning Express – Computer Universal Class Tumblebooks Fergusons Career Least important
- 22. 3) Explore thepossibilities • Key strategies: • Benchmarking: • San Jose Public Library • Cleveland Public Library • Jefferson County Public Library • Hennepin County Library • Kent District Library • Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh • Skokie Public Library • Houston Public Library • Columbus Library • Salt Lake County • Teamwork
- 23. 4) Find theFunds • Key words: • Negotiation • Reallocation: “We need to act effectively as collective buying agents”
- 24. Resource Subject How Cost Renewal Rep How to Usage Cost per Area funded? date contact find stats 2012 use 2012 Novelist Reader’s By our $1,000/year; Feb 1st 500 visits $2 per visit Advisory library Job & Job & Career By the $0 March 1st Career Consortium Accelerator Grolier Encyclopedia By the State $0 Sept. 1st Online library Freegal eMusic By our $4,000/year Dec 1st Jim 6,000 song $0.66 per library Petersen, downloads song (571) 730- 4300
- 25. Finding the Funding(cont.)
- 26. 5) Get theword out Strategies: 1.Create a strong virtual presence 2.Create a physical presence 3.Meet non-users where they are
- 27. 6) Do itagain! Considerations: 1)Do comparable free resources exist? 2)Are we acting as a collective buying agent? (Cost per use) 3)Are we meeting community needs? (content, interface, usability)
- 28. Questions? Leah Kraus Virtual Branch Director Fayetteville Free Library lkraus@fflib.org http://fflib.org @leahkraus73 @fayettevillelib