Springshare Support Blog

Just a reminder that the next session in our free webinar series is scheduled for today at 3pm Eastern.

User Experience Webinar 5 – The Search Is On: Why Labels Matter
Does is really matter how you label that guide, module, link or article?  What about the tags you use? Learn how simple things like labels can make a difference in search to drive traffic and return visits.

Please visit the Springshare Lounge for more information about how to attend this free online webinar.

Webinar #5 – originally scheduled for December 4th – has been postponed due to illness.  Please visit the event page on the Springshare Lounge for more information about the new date for this session.

The user webinar for this week has been rescheduled for January 29th, 2009.  Keep an eye on the Springshare Lounge events page for the sign-up information for User Experience #5, which will take place December 4th.

The “Organizing Content for Success: Taxonomies for the Everyday User” webinar last week was a great success!  For those of you that were unable to attend, the session video is available online at for no charge.

Our 3rd webinar – “It’s all about the User: Practical Personas” – is scheduled for this Thursday.  For more information about attending this free webinar, please visit the events page at the Springshare Lounge.

As many of you know, we are currently conducting a series of “User Experience” webinars in cooperation with the super-cool and very knowledgeable Kristiana Burk of HowStuffWorks.com. We will record and archive these (as well as all future LibGuides webinars) so that you can watch them offline if unable to participate. The first couple of webinars are our ‘test-bed’ of sorts, to help us master the platform and the recording process. If some glitches occur in the archiving of the first few webinars we apologize in advance - we’ll make sure to resolve any issues going forward.

We also have many LibGuides webinars planned for the next year. For example, we’re planning a “LibGuides by the users, for the users” webinar series. The idea is to feature our libraries who are doing cool things with their LibGuides and wish to share their experience with the community. Some topics we hope to cover are: courseware integration, the system customizations, innovative use of the system, faculty/librarian interaction, etc. – whatever topics our community finds interesting we’ll try to organize a webinar around it.  This way our libraries can share and discuss their LibGuides knowledge and experience, and everybody can learn a lot in the process. Think of these webinars as ALA Poster Sessions about LibGuides, only cooler and organized online

If you are interested in presenting at one of these webinars, please drop us a line (support at springshare dot com) and let us know what you’d like to talk about. We’d love to hear from you and – more importantly – we’d love to feature you and your LibGuides system in our webinars. Thanks in advance.

The date and time for the second Springshare / HowStuffWorks user experience webinar has been set for this Thursday, November 6th, at 3pm Eastern.  Here is the webinar summary as provided by the webinar host, Kristiana Burk of HowStuffWorks.com.

If you are a librarian, chances are you know what “cookery” stands for.  But will your user?  When organizing content for today’s Web generation, it’s important to build navigation schemas that are practical and user-friendly.  Learn simple – and fun – techniques for creating taxonomies for the everyday user.

To sign-up for the free webinar please send an email to sales@springshare.com and (optionally) add yourself to the attendee list by visiting the event page at the Springshare Lounge.  To join the meeting please visit the URL below and call into the conference line a few minutes before the webinar begins:

Webinar URL:
http://connectpro80049683.acrobat.com/webinar2/

Audio Bridge:
Conference Number(s): 1-218-486-2200
Participant Code: 1496674

Springshare and HowStuffWorks.com will be hosting a series of webinars focusing on User Experience.  The first of which;  Eye-popping Content, will be held this Thursday at 3pm EST.   We will determine and post the dates of the other sessions soon.  If you are interested in joining the webinar please e-mail sales@springshare.com and we will send you the web conferencing access information.  A brief description of each webinar is given below.  Each Webinar will be given by Kristiana Burk, Channel Director at HowStuffWorks.com. We look forward to having you join us!

User Experience Webinar 1 -  October 16 @ 3pm EST.  Eye-popping Content: Creating a User-friendly Framework
You’ve got it all – databases, articles, videos, books, recommended links. So how do you package it in a way that not only satisfies your users’ information needs but encourages browsing?  Learn practical techniques and ideas for building a user-friendly and contextual framework for the web while using the resources at your fingertips.

User Experience Webinar 2 – November 6 @ 3pm EST.  Organizing Content for Success: Taxonomies for the Everyday User
If you are a librarian, chances are you know what “cookery” stands for.  But will your user?  When organizing content for today’s Web generation, it’s important to build navigation schemas that are practical and user-friendly.  Learn simple – and fun – techniques for creating taxonomies for the everyday user.

User Experience Webinar 3 - November @ 3pm EST.  It’s all about the User: Practical Personas
If you build it they will come, right?  Wrong.  Learn how a few simple steps of planning and research before you build content or market your services to users can make a big difference.

User Experience Webinar 4 – November 20 @ 3pm EST.  Mix It Up: a Thematic Approach to Organizing Your Resources
Many information-seekers group their searches and queries in the form of topics, phrases and subject patterns.  Learn how to organize your content – drawing from the educational technique of thematic units and pathfinders – in a way that will better engage your users’ curiosity.

User Experience Webinar 5 - December 4 @ 3pm EST.  The Search Is On: Why Labels Matter
Does is really matter how you label that guide, module, link or article?  What about the tags you use? Learn how simple things like labels can make a difference in search to drive traffic and return visits.

User Experience Webinar 6 – January 8 @ 3pm EST.  Serving a New Generation: Exploring Web 2.0 and Beyond
Generation X,Y,Z – how they communicate, digest and share information on the web is unique.  Learn how to leverage tools like Twitter, FriendFeed, WIMZI, Facebook, Digg and more to reach this active community of users.

User Experience Webinar 7 – January 22 @ 3pm EST.  Taking it to the Next Level: Layered Content
You’ve pulled together your first set of subject guides using some of the core resources from your collection.  Learn how to use “layered content” like image galleries, top 10 lists, quizzes and more to drive page views while creating a more holistic view of a topic.

User Experience Webinar 8 - January 15 @ 3pm EST.  The Information Amusement Park: Make Learning Fun
Discovering information doesn’t have to be boring. Learn how to incorporate different types of marketing and browsing techniques, editorial calendars, scavenger hunts, polls, and more to encourage page views and return visitors.

Kristiana Burk holds an ALA-accredited MLS degree with a minor in Corporate Knowledge Management & Information Architecture from the University of Kentucky and a Bachelors degree in Education. She has 10 years experience in the information technology space including roles in product management, information architecture, and user experience design and consulting. Kristiana has overseen the direction and design for a variety of portal, search, and content products and currently works with HowStuffWorks.com as Channel Director.  She has also managed Content and Creative Teams in the development and management of content and web-based products that support a variety of public interfaces. Kristiana’s passion is creating and improving user-centered products whether that is for a corporation, everyday users, librarians or K-12 students.

Jenny from UC San Diego posted the following message at the Springshare Lounge:

“This is kind of a shot in the dark, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.  If there’s anyone on this board from an institution that will have someone attending the LITA Forum next week in Cincinnati, a spot has opened up in the poster presentation session. We are trying to fill that spot and the planning committee is particularly interested in hearing from a site using LibGuides. If your organization is sending someone to LITA and would be interested, please contact Dale Poulter, chair of the Forum Planning committee ASAP. He can be reached at dale.poulter@Vanderbilt.Edu“

If you are interested in presenting your library’s experience with LibGuides, please contact Dale and/or respond to Jenny’s post at the Lounge.  Thanks!

The excellently titled “Research Guides Remixed” – hosted by Steven from Princeton University and Margaret from Oregon State – will cover the creation of research guides via LibGuides as well as Oregon’s ICAP.

Part of the ACRL College Science Librarian’s Discussion Group, the session takes place Sunday, June 29th, 2008  01:30 pm – 03:30 pm at the Hyatt Regency Orange County (HYATT) Salon I.

Springshare’s Libguides, Oregon State University’s open source ICAP (Interactive Course Assignment Pages) and other systems are making it easier to create web-based research guides that appeal to the aesthetic sensibilities of our patrons and lead them to the scholarly resources they need. In this year’s discussion group, we will talk about these research guide management systems and explore best practices for their use in science libraries.

This session will feature two “Pecha Kucha” presentations from librarians who have experience with these systems. Pecha Kucha, Japanese for “chatter”, is a new presentation format that limits each presenter to 20 slides and gives them 20 seconds to talk about each (6 minutes and 40 seconds per presenter.) Following the presentations, we will discuss these systems and share creative ways to enhance web-based research guides using “Web 2.0″ technologies.

Just a reminder that we will be at the ALA Annual conference in Anaheim, CA later this month.  If you are attending the conference, please set aside some time to come by booth #874 and introduce yourself.

During the conference, Tiffany and Kathryn from DePauw will be hosting a poster session titled “Guides 2.0: Supporting Campus Programming and Current Events” that explores LibGuides beyond traditional subject guides.  From the session abstract…

“Academic librarians have long maintained general pathfinders for subjects like art, biology, and sociology, and course-specific guides to support instruction. While we value our role in supporting curricular and research needs, academic librarians should also support their students’ needs for extracurricular, recreational, health, and other information, just as a public library does. We can and should provide resources about current and campus events, such as visiting speakers, colloquia, festivals, and exhibits.

DePauw
University’s librarians are finding new ways to support campus activities and engage with student and faculty interests.”

We highly recommend you attend this session which will take you ”beyond subject guides” and introduce some new LibGuides tricks.