Selling Your Library – Promoting E-Resources

One of my projects for the month of March is to update all of our brochures, including the brochure on E-Resouces, also known as databases.  In preparation for this Herculean task, I’ve been talking to other consultants in the province, as well as asking questions of the marketing librarians in the large city libraries.  They have provided me with some really good ideas, many of which I hope to pass on to you.

The idea behind promoting E-Resources to our library managers is that the more familiar you are with them, the more likely you will be to use them yourselves and recommend them to your patrons.  Some of the systems do a review of one E-Resource, once a month.  That way the library managers are not overwhelmed and can more easily distinguish one E-Resource from another.  A few systems quiz the library managers: they pose a question, the answer of which can be found in the E-Resource of the month.  In this way, library managers get a chance to use the E-Resource as a patron would.

What I’d like to do is to devote one issue of The Weekly Blurb per month to E-Resource discovery.  We’ll look at what the E-Resource includes, the best ways to search it, and some possible ways to market it to your patrons.  There is a wealth of information available that isn’t utilized nearly enough, mostly because people don’t know it’s there.

A prime example is the Hobbies and Crafts Reference Centre.  This is a fabulous E-Resource, loaded with information on all sorts of arts, crafts and recreation activities.  At Library Managers Council this past Wednesday, the topic of Scrapbooking was mentioned as an example.  If your patrons are clamoring for information, you may not have to go and spend a lot of money on books.  They could find the information they need, right in their own homes!  Plus, this information is updated much more quickly than you can update your book collection.

To get to the Hobbies and Crafts Reference Centre, go to the new TRAC portal page and click on E-Resources.  TRAC lists the E-Resources by category because a number of them have names that really don’t indicate what they can be used for.  Click on Do it Yourself and you’ll get a list of four.  The Hobbies and Crafts Reference Centre is on the top of the list.  You will have to log in with your library card number and password.  Click on the title and you will see a lovely opening page for the resource.  It’s easy to use, with a Search bar right at the top of the page, categories and sources listed, plus highlights on the right.  If you click on View All Topics you’ll see an impressive, alphabetized list.  Each item, when opened, lists all of the articles available in that subject in either HTML or PDF full text files.  The search tabs on the top break down the topic, or you can enter your topic into the search bar, if you’re looking for something specific.

If you are creating a display on hobbies and crafts, including information on how to access this resource would be incredibly helpful to your patrons.  The fact that the home page is so attractive is also helpful in gaining fans.

So here’s your task:  using Hobbies and Crafts Reference Centre, find out what the difference is between tack soldering and flat soldering in stained glass.  Good luck!