Course Views A Scalable Project to Connect Students to Library Resources Kim Duckett and Tito Sierra NCSU Libraries Educause 2007 Conference October 26, 2007

Outline Challenges for Libraries Reaching Out to Students Online Library Content for Courses Course Views at NCSU Future Work

Challenges

Library websites are overwhelming

Challenges Library websites are overwhelming Information resources are often unfamiliar

Challenges Library websites are overwhelming Information resources are often unfamiliar Librarians tend to focus on: Disciplines / subjects Resource types

Challenges Library websites are overwhelming Information resources are often unfamiliar Librarians tend to focus on: Disciplines / subjects Resource types Integration into learning management systems is difficult

Library Content for Courses

Course Pages / Guides Tailored to specific courses Student experience is course-centric “I’m taking X, Y, Z courses” Offers a scaled-down entry to the library Can be linked into course websites

Example 1

Example 2

Example 3

Example 4

Benefit: Assignment-centric

Problem: Not Holistic

Benefit: Highly Customized

Problem: High Production Costs

Problem: Limited Reach

Problem: Inconsistent Design

Course Pages Summary Course-centric pages have potential Scalability is a challenge Course pages need to be more multifaceted

Course Views at NCSU

Project Overview Collaborative effort between Research and Information Services, and Digital Library Initiatives departments at NCSU Homegrown system in development Initial release slated for Summer 2008

Course View Definition “A course-centric portal composed of student-centric widgets designed to connect students to library resources”

Project Goals

1.A Course View for every course

Project Goals 1.A Course View for every course 2.A scalable and sustainable system for library course content delivery

Project Goals 1.A Course View for every course 2.A scalable and sustainable system for library course content delivery 3.Library content customized as much as possible to the course

Example Course View 1

Widgets Static Ubersearch Find Books Citation Tools Project Tools Ask a Librarian Dynamic Course Reserves Find Articles (subject database recommendations) Librarian Recommended

Widget Selection Process 1.Content inventory of existing library course pages

Widget Selection Process 1.Content inventory of existing library course pages 2.Brainstorm new content

Widget Selection Process 1.Content inventory of existing library course pages 2.Brainstorm new content 3.Fifteen candidate widgets

Widget Selection Process 1.Content inventory of existing library course pages 2.Brainstorm new content 3.Fifteen candidate widgets 4.Three focus groups with students

Widget Selection Process 1.Content inventory of existing library course pages 2.Brainstorm new content 3.Fifteen candidate widgets 4.Three focus groups with students 5.Eight finalists for pilot launch

Example Course View 2

Static Widgets

Static Widget Example

Dynamic Widgets Customized content based on existing institutional course identifiers. NC State example: ENG 221 ‘ENG’ = curriculum code ‘221’ = course number ‘ENG 221’ = full course identifier

Customization Options Curriculum level Customized content is shared across all courses in the same department Easier to manage but less customized Approximately 150 curriculums at NC State Course level Customized content is tailored to a specific course More customized but more work to create and maintain Approximately 5000 courses at NC State

Dynamic Widgets - Curriculum

Find Articles 1

Find Articles 2

Find Articles Curriculum-level customization Specialized article database recommendations Leverages existing mapping between library subjects and curriculum codes

Librarian Recommended 1

Dynamic Widgets - Course

Librarian Recommended 2

Access Points Learning management system(s) Library website Other online course environments Non-LMS course websites Wikis and blogs

Learning Mgmt. System

Library Website

Course Wiki

Summary of Benefits Course Views for all courses = significantly increased potential reach

Summary of Benefits Course Views for all courses = significantly increased potential reach Widget model allows the overall system to grow and evolve over time

Summary of Benefits Course Views for all courses = significantly increased potential reach Widget model allows the overall system to grow and evolve over time Course identifiers provide versatility and scalability in content customization

Future Work

Short Term Continue curriculum content creation Finish application programming Pilot launch, summer 2008

Medium Term Usage statistics analysis Most used widgets Usage by curricula, college Investigate automated LMS linking

Long Term Facilitate deep integration of library content outside the library website

Starting Here

Going Here

More Information Project Page: Kim Duckett Principal Librarian for Digital Technologies and Learning Research and Information Services NCSU Libraries Tito Sierra Assistant Head for Digital Library Development Digital Library Initiatives NCSU Libraries