It’s Great To Have An Idea. It’s Even Better To Have Examples.
Making improvements is the name of the game. You’ve listened to the feedback on the services you offer… and have made a point to get started on providing those that you don’t. The priority is making sure your library is as useful to your patrons as possible. There have been meetings and plans. The projects are assigned. You have a vision for what you can do with the solutions you own. But, it’s helpful and practical to see what other libraries are doing. Reading about how your peers have come up with additional uses or found innovative ways to use features — this exchange is invaluable as you tailor your library to meet patron needs.
Springshare understands how beneficial it is for our clients to see how other libraries solve problems, implement new services and, what’s more — learn how people have responded to the work they’re doing. We’ve had the Springshare Lounge since the very beginning. We share client usage examples in this blog. Plus, we have dedicated a section of the Springshare Buzz site to in-depth Client Stories. Examples are essential in life. If you were tiling your bathroom for the first time, you’d probably watch a video. If you were bungee jumping, you’d want someone else to go first!
Get In The Mix.
The Client Stories in the Buzz Site feature many types of libraries. You’ll find stories about Academic, Public, Government, Hospital and, soon, we’ll feature a School library. They all highlight ways your peers are using Springshare tools.
Sometimes, we explore a singular accomplishment. For instance, the story on Penn State University covers how they have a library presence across 30,000 online courses using the LTI integration tool in LibGuides CMS. Other times, you’ll discover a story that shares how a library, like the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Public Library, uses the Springshare Suite of tools.
Don’t box yourself in. Get in there are read about how all kinds of librarians are working toward providing outstanding service.
Great Minds Prioritize Alike.
Client Stories align with your current and future projects because they’re all about your peers. Don’t be surprised to see segments that look a lot like your to-do lists or your recent meeting agenda talking points. Great librarians. Great minds. Great community.
Are you thinking about using the LibGuides Blogging tool for a newsletter?
- In the VDOT Research Library Client Story, it says, “For years, the Associate Director Ken Winter and the librarians wanted to have a weekly E-Newsletter. Their motivation was to use the LibGuides CMS blog feature to share new resources and publicize cool guides they had built, write about general library information and highlight research news.”
Have you been considering using the LibAnswers Platform but would love to hear how it’s working for libraries?
- The story on City, University of London quotes Lucy Clifford, the Library Systems Manager/Analyst/Programmer who says, “We’ve had great feedback from our users about the booking system and chat services in particular. We’re involved in an externally scrutinised customer service award scheme (the WOW! Awards) and a substantial number of the nominations received by library staff for these have resulted from LibChat enquiries.”
Wondering if you’re using LibWizard to its full potential?
- The Southern New Hampshire University story shares an innovative use for LibWizard. Their reference librarian built a simple LibWizard Reference S.O.S. form, which they’ve embedded in the LibAnswers Admin Alert Box. Jennifer explains that, “We needed some way for them to really quickly call for help because an email takes too long and a phone call also. Basically, as long as they have the dashboard up, with 2 clicks they can get help. It will email all the reference librarians at once and just asks for help.”
There’s a wealth of knowledge and experience out there. Librarians are innovators with some of the same goals as you and, often, the same challenges. It’s constructive and efficient to learn how some addressed their dilemmas.
Hot Off The Presses!
The newest Client Story was just published this week. Check out the work being done by the team at Geisinger Health. Library Director, Tricia Ulmer discusses their journey with Springshare tools, the problems they were trying to solve and illuminates us on why “…medical libraries are the place to be.”
Springshare loves learning about the excellent ideas our clients have imagined and implemented using our tools, so what else would we do but listen and praise and share them with you! Happy reading.