What is a Blackboard Community?

Similar to a Blackboard Course

Designed for non-academic use

Access based on membership

Listed on Community Tab

Creating and Populating a Community

IT created community shell for Library

Library added content

Batch enrolled everyone at MSU

Batch enrollment occurs twice a year

Mission of Library Community

Marketing tool for Library

Primarily geared to students

One of the few channels for communicating with students

Announcements

First section displayed upon entering community

Highlights new resources, services, events, changes in library hours, etc.

New announcements appear on main Blackboard page and in community

Library Info

Provides quick information that students need

Typical items include library hours and popular services like laptop loan

Updated every semester in response to changing library hours and services

Featured E-Resource

Publicizes an electronic resource

Focuses on underutilized or little known resource

Librarian Spotlight

Personalizes Library Community

Familiarizes students with individual librarians (includes interests, subject strengths, and professional pursuits)

Includes photo

Newsroom

Venue for posting information on key internet resources

Highlights education-related websites, online reference tools/databases, digital collections, etc.

Library Trivia

Adds fun and entertaining side to Library Community

Little known facts about Sprague Library and the Library world

Examples include size of our collection, oldest existing library, meaning of “lorem ipsum”, etc.

Discussion Board

Provides forum for asynchronous discussion

Ideal for discussion related to using eResources in a particular subject area

Mobile Blackboard and Rave/Cell Phone

Mobile Blackboard users can receive community announcements

Announcements can be sent as text messages or emails

Users register for Mobile Blackboard on the MSU Phone Apps website

Added 3,052 users since Nov 2010 (27.7% increase)

Mobile Blackboard and Rave/Cell Phone

Usage Statistics

Assessment is critical to any marketing strategy

Usage statistics indicate if you’re achieving goals

Difficult to generate statistics in Blackboard (size of membership)

Ran multiple reports by alphabetical grouping

Initial statistics were encouraging (3,208 hits)

Benefit of Technology to Library Users

Easy to find information on library resources, services, policies, programs, etc.

View announcements from Blackboard main page

Announcements can be received as text messages or emails using Mobile Blackboard

Become more familiarized with Library Staff

Creates comfortable environment for interfacing with the Library

Benefit of Technologyto Information Community

Venue for marketing services/resources and informing the campus about professional activities

Provides effective reach into student body and faculty

Modest commitment of time to manage

Impact of Technology on Librarians and Library Operations

Library more integrated into students’ electronic classroom experience

Library has greater visibility

New channel of communications for library which has assumed a major role

Personalized the library’s presence online

Impact of Technology on Perception of Librarians and Library

Librarians seen as full participants in electronic classroom environment

Librarians seen as technologically informed

Librarians’ skills more valued and seen as colleagues