Bridging the Gap: Enhancing Digital Discoverability of Library Resources & Services: Enhancing Digital Discoverability of Library Resources & Services

Abstract

June 6, 2022

As we move through the digital age, certain areas of library provision are becoming less and less discoverable. In 2021, Lean Library published the Librarian Futures report, which detailed various findings on the librarian-patron relationship and user-centricity. The report explored the idea that modern patron workflows now begin outside the library, with 79% of faculty and 74% of students beginning discovery outside of the library’s tools, on websites such as Google Scholar. Like all modern consumers, students are used to ‘point of need’ information, getting the content and information where and when they need it, rather than having to leave their workflow and look for it elsewhere. 

 The report also uncovered the lack of awareness of the full extent of library services available to patrons; when students were asked what sources of information they used the most, the librarian was used the same amount as Wikipedia. This disconnect between the library services available and patron usage may be due to the large number of libraries that have not yet embedded their services around the workflow of their users. 

This presentation will include a deep dive into the key findings from the Librarian Futures report, along with an overview of the potential innovations suggested within the report. In summary, how to increase discoverability of library resources and services, ensuring collections remain easily accessible to patrons in their workflow, and bridging the gap between the library and the patron by shifting the focus from collections and holdings ‘to those that use them’.