Designing good patron experiences with usability and user experience (UX) techniques is not a new concept in librarianship. There are user experience departments and staff. Conferences and journals are dedicated to the concept. However, a quick scan through sources like the Designing for Digital conference schedule and Weave: The Journal of Library User Experience suggests a lack of UX thinking when it comes to electronic resources: publisher platforms, discovery services, resource management software for staff, and other library tools, whether proprietary or open source. How can electronic resources librarians facilitate positive, successful user experiences with eresources?
In this e-Forum, we will discuss what exactly UX and usability design means, how UX can be brought into issues of collection development and e-resources management, and what struggles and successes that discussion participants have experienced with UX in the context of e-resources. Participants will finish this e-Forum with an understanding of the possibilities and complications of implementing this framework for electronic resource—and with some practical ways to start the UX conversation at their own libraries.
This e-Forum was presented on April 10-11, 2018. For a complete summary of this session, view User Experience & the Electronic Resources Librarian: e-Forum Summary.
Learning Outcomes
- Understand what user experience and usability design are in broad terms.
- Define the problem space for bringing UX thinking to electronic resources and their management, and identify and assess potential solutions.
- Learn projects, tips, and tricks for incorporating UX into workflows.
Who Should Attend
The topic is relevant for anyone who wants users to have better experiences with electronic resources, including: eresources managers, systems and discovery librarians, but also vendors and anyone who teaches, troubleshoots, or acquires eresources.
Hosts
Michael Rodriguez is Licensing & Acquisitions Librarian at the University of Connecticut, where he spearheads and streamlines contracts, procurement, and electronic resources management. Before UConn he served as E-Learning Librarian at Hodges University, where he developed a new library website and technology training programs. Michael chairs electronic resources management interest groups for LITA/ALCTS and for the ACRL New England Chapter. He writes for Library Journal, Charleston Advisor, College & Research Libraries News, Serials Review, Technical Services Quarterly, and Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship. Michael was named a 2015 Library Journal Reviewer of the Year and a 2017 Charleston Conference Up-and-Comer.
Kate Hill is the Electronic Resources Librarian at University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She handles the entire electronic resource workflow, from licensing to perpetual access, for everything from eBooks to streaming media. Previously, she was a Libraries Fellow at North Carolina State University, working in the Acquisitions and Discovery Department and the User Experience Department, where she helped develop the open source projects of Kuali OLE and GOKb. Kate chairs the ALCTS Continuing Resources Standards Committee for ALA and also is a member of the Electronic Resources and Libraries Planning committee. She just published her first book, The ABCs of ERM from ABC-CLIO. In addition, she writes for Serials Review and has presented at numerous conferences, including Electronic Resources and Libraries, ACRL, ALA, NASIG and the Charleston Conference. Kate was named as a member of the North Carolina Library Association Leadership Institute and a 2017 Charleston Conference Up-and-Comer.
Registration
Cost
Free
How to Register
You must register your email address to subscribe to or access an electronic discussion list on ALA's Mailing List Service. Find instructions for subscribing online.
Once you have registered for one e-Forum, you do not need to register again, unless you choose to leave the list. Find instructions for unsubscribing.
Tech Requirements
Internet connection with email address. You can manage your subscription to this list following the online instructions.
Credits
None
Contact
For questions about registration, contact ALA Registration by calling 1-800-545-2433 and press 5 or email registration@ala.org.
For all other questions or comments related to the webinars, contact Megan Dougherty, ALCTS Program Officer, Continuing Education at 1-800-545-2433, ext. 5038 or mdougherty@ala.org.