The new Library website: where we are now and future developments

Library Seminar, 13th February 2008

Susan Eales, Jill Gravestock and Paul Hollins

Electronic Services Development Team, Library

Agenda• The Open University Library• Open Library 2.0 project background• Where we are now

– the new site and mobile version• Future developments

– Library one-stop search– Enhancement projects

• Questions

About OU Library Services• 93 staff based in Walton Hall• Available to anyone who can come to the building• Host Library Seminars and other events• No document delivery or postal loans to students• Website is THE Library for our students

– Digital library– links with other libraries

Projects at the OU LibraryStrategic Services Development Group • Manages most Library projects

– Digilab [http://digilab.open.ac.uk]– Information literacy skills course TU120– Open Library 2.0

Projects at the OU Library (cont’d…)Also involved in University projects• Enterprise Content Management System • OU VLE (Moodle)

– Integration of Learning Resources– Federated Search

and external projects – JISC funded PROWE project [www.prowe.ac.uk]– European EMove project

Open Library 2.0 Project History• Extensive user consultation in 2004 and 2005

– easier navigation– easier access to online journals– task orientated– jargon free– subject-based search option– personalisation– Database-driven website

• Literature review in 2006

Open Library 2.0 Project History (Cont’d…)• “The user is not broken”, by K. G. Schneider• Brainstorming workshop for Library staff• Lorcan Dempsey presentation in Edinburgh, 2006

– “Synthesise, specialise, mobilise”• Systems thinking workshop for main university

stakeholders– VLE Director– Central computing services– Intranet development Project Manager

Open Library 2.0 Phase 1• Redesigning existing library website

– Reusing existing CMS and website framework – Content redevelopment – 90% reduction in pages– Writing for the web workshops and guidelines – Database development– Better workflow process for updating – Editorial Group to maintain site integrity

• Implementing SFX for ejournals management

Open Library 2.0 Phase 1 (cont’d…)

• Some Web 2.0 services– RSS feeds– SFX in Google Scholar– Library catalogue search in iGoogle– Library 2.0 toolbox– Wiki-type approach to updating the site– Mobile version

Stumbling Blocks• New business case required• Limitations of catalogue• OU single access management system prevents

personalisation• Take over of Endeavour by Ex Libris

– Migration from LinkfinderPlus to SFX• opportunity

The Brand• OU Brand Values – Open to people, open to place,

open to method, open to ideas• “Personal information shopper”• The transactional model – find, pick, order, pay• The “Wow factor”

Who are we like?

From the outside in• Seeing ourselves as others see us

Early concepts

The launch version

Website demo

Some Usage Data• Absolute unique visitors – 3306 per day (Feb average)• Loyalty – 59% returnees• Average page views per visit – 4.33• Bounce rate • Length of visit• Depth of visit• Hits per query…

  hits queries hits per query

Oct (est. based on Google Analytics)

403540 423 954

Nov (actual based on Google Analytics)

333376 325 1026

Dec (actual based on Google Analytics)

232249 213 1090

Jan (actual based on Google Analytics)

433,144 335 1293

Mobile Open Library 2.0• Phase 1

– Auto Detect and Reformat (ADR) implementation and partnership with Athabasca University

– Redesign the interface for mobiles– Customised search engine– more than 600 page hits since we launched in

October 2007– Other departments in OU are interested in

collaborating

What are mobile users doing with the website?

Most viewed pages• Home page (580 page hits)• Search (309 page hits)• Collections (126 page hits)• Library info (98 page hits)• Research (77 page hits)

Coming soon… Library one-stop search…

Future enhancements• To July 08 and beyond (hopefully)• Separated into 4 sub projects…

Personalisation (Anne Gambles)• Customisation of homepage and services page• Search

– Implementing website search for dynamic pages– Benchmarking

• Improvements to ‘Libraries Near You’ service• Workshops for requirements gathering for “My

Research Library”• Work towards personalisation in collaboration with

Central Computing Services

Rich Media• “meet the librarian”• “resource of the month”• Library seminars proof of concept (podcasts and videos

on website)• Infrastructure requirements • User requirements• Recommendations for future sustainable activity

Mobiles• Improve the content – one version fits all• Conduct user requirements analysis • Implement personalisation - users choose what

services they want• Web 2.0 oriented services: users interacting with the

systems by adding reviews, tags and comments • SMS based services – e.g. text ISBN to find out if a

book exists in OU Library

Web Services• Service quality version of OU Library in Amazon

prototype• Additions to Library 2.0 toolbox• Library seminars proof of concept (reviews and

tagging)• Web services enabling for other sub-project outputs

Web Services (cont’d…)

• LibraryThing [http://www.librarything.com/]• Literature review, scoping and feasibility study into

– Web services from website– Web services from Library catalogue

• Feed into LMS review as part of systems strategy

References• Schneider, K G.The User is not Broken: A Meme

Masquerading as a Manifesto. in http://freerangelibrarian.com/2006/06/03/the-user-is-not-broken-a-meme-masquerading-as-a-manifesto/ . Accessed 18th June 2006.

• The changing digital library landscape: trends in the world of Web 2.0

EDINA 10th Anniversary, University of Edinburgh (Scotland), 3 July 2006.

• LibraryThing http://www.librarything.com/

Thank you.

Questions?

S.m.eales@open.ac.uk

http://library.open.ac.uk/