ICLS Project Planning Team: Elizabeth Arkles, Stephanie Cusworth, Steven Chang

The structure of this presentation The broader importance of this project The benefits that this project will bring to the institution

 Have you heard of an eBook Reader before? YES/NO  If so, how did you find out about them?  What would you use an eBook Reader for?  Have you ever used an eReader before? YES/NO  Would you borrow one from a library?  Any other comments you have about eBook Readers?

 Who we chose – BIT academic staff and PhD students  Why this group as eligible borrowers  What terms and conditions, borrowing protocol, details, etc  Teaching the teachers ◦ Pass on their knowledge/skills to the next generation students

 Why this device? ◦ Wide format support ◦ Flexible – not tied to proprietary services/systems ◦ Highly portable

 Possesses features perfectly suited to research, teaching, and academic work ◦ Annotation ◦ Bookmarking ◦ Wi-Fi internet connectivity

 Favourable reviews ◦ “...up there with the best e-book readers...its e-ink display is also a pleasure to read for hours on end” - Edward Chester, TrustedReviews.com, May 13, 2010  Kindle ◦ Lack of Australian content ◦ Difficulties with accessibility of non-Australian content ◦ Limited range of e-book formats  iRex iLiad ◦ Prohibitive pricing, at $1600 each in Australia

 Purchase 40 devices ◦ Order online via BeBook's secure website   $569 per device  Total cost for devices: $22,760

 Textbooks as e-books, for class  Journals  General eBooks  Subscription packs of subject-based databases ◦ New and existing

 Use of existing staff ◦ Library staff  Head Librarian – Program Co-ordinator [program contact]  Team Leaders – Library staff general assistance  All staff - Content selection, cataloguing, user assistance, etc. ◦ IT staff  Technical support ◦ Extra training will be organised ◦ However - increased workload...  Use of new staff ◦ Extra body to help with transition – must be experienced ◦ Temporary part-time position (subject to approval)  If necessary - option to retain longer or on a more permanent basis ◦ Hire during January – will participate in staff training program

 Mid-late 2010 ◦ Grant approval ◦ Informally notify staff and eligible borrowers of pilot ◦ Discussions with relevant department heads (ISTS, BIT, ICLS etc.) where necessary  Late 2010 ◦ Research, selection and purchase of content and readers ◦ Formal marketing of pilot program begins

 January 2011 ◦ Hiring of new staff member(s) ◦ Preparation of library ◦ Staff training sessions  February 2011 ◦ Formal launch of program ◦ Information session for eligible program participants  March 2011 ◦ Academic Year begins ◦ Pilot program begins  End of 2011 ◦ Pilot program concludes ◦ Feedback collated, viability assessed

 Two audiences – staff / users  Online campaign including social media ◦ Global BIT s ◦ Facebook group ◦ Twitter account ◦ Link on BIT homepage to specialised information portal about the Readers  Print marketing (leaflets, booklets, etc)  Launch event on campus

 What indicators we will use to evaluate  Ongoing evaluation throughout project ◦ Monthly meetings / reports - management ◦ Ongoing budgeting ◦ Print and online feedback forms ◦ Head Librarian - contact for questions, issues, any other enquiries regarding the pilot ◦ Surveys – before / during / after ◦ Statistics about levels of borrowing and demographics, etc

 Benefits for ICLS ◦ Easy distribution of learning resources ◦ Cutting edge reputation  Raising the benchmark of library technology and resource accessibility ◦ Further the enviable skill sets that staff, and in turn and students already achieve  Improve overall confidence  Next generation of students will be more technically knowledgeable, ensures staff are still able to pass on valuable skills to them  Grant application... ◦ Budget estimate - $  Grant needed = $ $

Where to from here?