Creating a Plan for Discoverability , promotion, and Visibility of digital reference works in the Wrightsville Beach Public Library

 By Jencey Gortney, Adult Services Librarian,  Wrightsville Beach Public Library,

Public Libraries Online, jlgortney@crimson.ua.edu published on  July 31, 2022                                

Discoverability is defined as a” problem for content creators to find an audience given an abundance of choice.”     We at the Wrightsville Beach Public Library feel that discoverability is important and impacts the services we offer our patrons.  We implemented a plan to increase discoverability by promoting and increasing visibility and access to reference resources, on the library website.

It all starts with the catalog which shows the resources that the library has.  In the article  Thirteen Ways of Looking at Libraries, Discovery, and the Catalog: Scale, Workflow, Attention by Lorcan Dempsey explores the way that libraries can build discoverability.   The catalog lists the resources that can be used by the reference staff or patrons.   The staff works with different forms of metadata that help shape the library website with libguides which are lists of resources that cover specific topics in reference.  Also by using informatics and tools to build the library website. While the catalog is a place to start there are other places on the library website that lists resources.  

 Wrightsville Beach  Public library branch developed their collection through consortiums or separate purchases of products such as Ebsco Novelist, linked data services, OCLC’S discoverability services,  and Siri Dynaxium.  These databases' purpose is to aid in the discoverability of reference resources.  Library Technology newsletter explores how libraries can improve this function in linking patrons to these services.   The search function on the website will allow for searching but may be limited in what kind of search results appear.   Wrightsville Beach Public Library systems made use of Google format to make services discoverable on the website.   The website can have flaws that kept the Librarians from achieving a  format that promotes these services by having programs that are both in-person and virtual.  In my library, we decided to not only make these services front and center on the website but also add virtual services such as  Zoom, Libchat, and email.  

When the  COVID-19 pandemic happened virtual reference services increased due to lockdowns and library closures.  We chose to change our service model by building up our presence on  Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram to reach the community with reference programming.  There were also options for virtual services connected to the librarian through chat, text, and zoom.  Now that we have progressed to the other side of the pandemic virtual services are still valid. We discussed reducing the virtual footprint for an in-person service model.  We found that maintaining both a virtual and in-person service model was necessary to reach the community., and would reach those members of the community who are homebound or in lockdown.  We used social media channels by expanding programming offerings on the library website, and the results were increased access.  

The article on the discoverability of content explored many options when using social media.  These options are the carousel or using vectors to enhance the usability of the social media site in relation to the library website. Carousels rotate information about upcoming events on the library website.  These carousels featured reference programs or other news about the library.  Vectors were put in place to highlight other resources that patrons might find useful such as adding Novelist to our catalog or using an advanced search option on the library website. These changes occurred over a few months and added an increase in our reference resources. The results of investing in discoverability library programs were promoted and reference resources became discoverable.  In other words, you can build it but if patrons do not know about it then they will not come, and then the resources remain invisible. 

It is not enough to have a collection of virtual reference sources on the library website if they are invisible to patrons.  Staff researched the needs of the community to find out their needs and wants, and by doing this we trained staff on these resources. The result was that they developed knowledge and were able to share these resources with our patrons.  We also researched how patrons receive information by asking what social media channels they used and the usefulness of the library website.  As a result,  We not only posted these programs that highlighted reference resources in the library but also on the library website and social media to reach our patrons.  Instead of having an in-person check-in list for programs  We created events on Facebook with links to the library website for registration to gauge and measure participation.   We also included vectors that shared like resources through FAQs and Advanced searches.  The carousels highlighted current programming highlighting reference programming such as Book a Librarian.  we evaluated these tasks to see what was most productive.  

When these steps were taken discoverability highlighted the reference programs that were available in the  Wrightsville Beach  Public library branch.  The results showed wider engagement in library programming involving reference resources. Patrons and the community valued the use of these resources by making resources known to them through simple digital improvements.  Staff hopes to continue to make better use of the reference resources and find new creative outlets for reaching our community.