Library Co-operation & Connectivity in the East of EnglandCo-East e-Discovery to e-Delivery:

"It's what the Internet was invented for"Presented by Linda Berube

linda.berube@cambridgeshire.gov.ukhttp://www.co-east.net

Public Library Web Managers Workshop 2004: Beyond the website

University of Bath6 May 2004

Co-East: An East of England Network

• A consortium including all library authorities in the East of England: Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Peterborough; Hertfordshire, Thurrock, Bedfordshire, Luton, Southend-on-Sea

• Central management of services and projects, working to the Co-East Business Plan 2003-2006

• Resource discovery and sharing using Z39.50 and ISO/ILL protocols• Joint e-procurement• Bringing on new partners, from other library sectors, through Co-East Plus and

INSPIRE• Managing of national and regional services - Ask A Librarian, Familia, transport• Fostering partnerships through regional and national working groups: MLAC;

EEMLAC; JISC; CONARLS; Combined Regions; CILIP etc• Supplier partnerships: FDI; Dynix; DS/CrossNet; BiblioMondo; ebrary; Overdrive• Projects: Co-East Plus (completed); Learn East (an EQUAL project); Essex e-

books; EEMLAC’s Source-East; Virtual Reference Toolkit trial

Co-East D2D: Discovery to Delivery

• Resource DiscoveryShared access to library resourcesInformation brokerage and accessVirtual and standards-based technical framework

• Resource SharingAccess and interlending agreementsJoint procurement and collection developmentExpert working groupsConsortium and Network support

• Resource DeliveryInformation disseminationTransportation frameworkVirtual Information delivery

Co-East: Beyond the Website

Interoperability Network Co-East Requests

 

Co-East D2D: Distributed Virtual Resource-Discovery and Sharing

Z client &

ILL/DDSystem

http

Cambridgeshire

End User

LocalCatalogue

Z39.50

Admin User

Z client &

ILL/DDSystem

Essex

Catalogue

ISO ILL

Resource DiscoveryMiddlewareLocated on

Server

Norfolk

Web Browser Web Browser

Suffolk

Web Browser

LutonWeb BrowserBedfordshire

Z39.50 Virtual union catalogue

 

And On the Web….

There have been 52 separate book titles downloaded in the period 010104 – 210404. The desriptor above of 4 titles represents the ‘titles’ of the categories above I.e the month headings.

Reade-e in Essex: E-books and Mobile Technology (1)

• Recipient of first round of LASER grants April 2003• Project partners: Essex Libraries (Martin Palmer);

Loughborough University (James Dearnley); Co-East (Linda Berube)

• Essex Project team: Saffron Waldon; Loughton• Supplier partners: Overdrive; ebrary; HP• User Advisory Group: PLR; JISC; CBC; UKOLN; Richmond;

Blackburn• Project website:

http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/dis/disresearch/e-booksinpublib/index.html

• Progress reports: http://www.bl.uk/concord/laser-reports.html

Reade-e in Essex (2)

• Feasability/proof-of-concept/live service delivery

• E-books accessible via PC or mobile technology

• E-book formats: Palm, Adobe 6, MobiPocket• PDAs distributed to special user groups:

mobile library users; housebound; day care centres; etc

Reade-e in Essex (3)

Evaluation Methodology:• Evaluating collection usage during the nine

month period; • Evaluating user perceptions of the ebook

collections(PC-based) and mobile technology (PDAs);

• Evaluating professional perceptions of the ebook collections.

Read-e in Essex: project documentation and tasks

• Orientation for staff• Regular meetings with library staff• Recruiting volunteers• Training guides• Paper and online questionnaires• User and staff evaluation• Publicity programme• Progress reports

http://www.bl.uk/concord/laser-reports.html

E-books and mobile technology: the users speak (the good)

• "The ebook site is wonderful: It's what the Internet was invented for..."  recommending it to all my friends, and a neighbour -  who is blind - has just started to use ebooks as a result

• I enjoyed the experience, and I feel with time I could get more used to the experience

• Useful to take on holiday or even private study when a paper book is less easy to cope with.

• I think they might be useful for people who travel a lot or have problems holding a book

• Ease of transport. I seem to spend a lot of time waiting in hospitals or travelling

• Can be used anywhere; takes up a small space in bags etc if travelling

E-books and mobile technology: the users speak (the bad)

• A fairly long learning curve to concentrate on small page size. However, after this period I found it easy

• Printed paper books are visually better (palm being closest software to book), but iPAQ is good enough in the light of added portability

• It seems to be for quick, casual reading only. It is difficult to "lose yourself in a book" I was very aware of my surroundings, and the people near me.

• It is a completely difference concept. Would appeal more to young people, though might help elderly who cannot hold a large book (probably too small though).

E-books and mobile technology: the users speak (the ugly)

• I read quickly and was irritated by the flicker of moving the small pages on. Not easy to check back when I want to. I found it very irritating

• The iPAQ is a much less enjoyable reading experience. The 'page-size' is too small. The iPAQ imposes it's pressure on the experience in a way that the paper book does not

• Feel-look-texture-look of a library. Books more personal - just more technology, not as interesting as a book can be - older appreciate a book. Think it puts you off reading. Long term eyesight effects? Would turn us off reading. Not clear how we buy. How we get books - costs?

• Cost and browser use. End of libraries such as Loughton and Debden

And the very polite…

It was very good to try it out but I feel it is just not for me. I lost the story and could not get it back, and it needed charging halfway through. But thank you I will stick to paperbacks

E-books in Public Libraries: preliminary findings

Collections

• Availability of Content

• Fiction vs Non-fiction

• Provision for special user groups, especially housebound, visually impaired

E-books in Public Libraries: preliminary findings (2)

Technology (implementation and use of mobile technology)

• Corporate/Local authority IT partners• Collections software functionality• PDA functionality• Privacy• Managing users fears/expectations

E-books in Public Libraries: preliminary recommendations

• Implementation of specialised subject collections• Working with aggregators, such as Overdrive, and individual

publishers to build up public library –related content• Build in negotiation/implementation time with Corporate IT

partners• Work with Corporate IT partners to educate about public library

provision• Explore range of portable technology options (PDAs, laptops,

notebooks, mobile phones) to find local solutions• Regular Promotion• Support your users and staff: keep a dialogue going and have a

regular evaluation schedule

And still we rise: Co-East Triple e-services

• Region-wide, potential for cross-regional collaboration

• Virtual e-procurement• E-interlending• Adding suppliers : Safari, netLibrary etc• Selection of mobile technology: PDAs,

notebooks, laptops, smart phones

Questions and Information contacts

Martin Palmer martin.palmer@essexcc.gov.uk

The Essex Team: Elaine Adams, Janice Waugh, Jill Palmer, Lee Shelsher

Linda Berube linda.berube@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

Joanne John joanne.john@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

James Dearnley j.a.dearnley@lboro.ac.uk

Anne Morris a.morris@lboro.ac.uk

Cliff McNight c.mcnight@lboro.ac.uk

Suppliers:

Overdrive http://www.overdrive.com/

Ebrary http://www.ebrary.com/index.jsp (UK representative: Coutts)

Hewlett Packard: http://welcome.hp.com/country/uk/en/welcome.html