Bridging the Gap: Enhancing Digital Discoverability of Special Collections

As we move through the digital age, certain areas of the library are becoming less and less discoverable. In 2021, Lean Library published the Librarian Futures report, with various findings on user-centricity. 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.

Modern consumers 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.

Lancaster University’s vision for 2025 includes a specific focus on user-centred strategies and ensuring visibility of content at the point of need. As the research heart of the university, they are beginning to think differently about what the library does and how it engages with its users.

Working with Lean Library, Lancaster University have begun to use existing workflow tools to support their visions for the future, including adopting user-first strategies and expanding focus into new areas of library provision, such as surfacing special collections. As a small research-intensive university, Lancaster University collaborated with the University of Cambridge on the Lancaster Digital Collections, based on a digital collection that Cambridge created to raise visibility of their distinct collections. Where special collections and archives were previously locked away in rooms, they can now surface this content online and, using Lean Library, deliver to patrons at the point of need.

This presentation will include a summary of key findings from the Librarian Futures report, along with an overview of how Lancaster University have worked with Lean Library to increase discoverability of their special collections, ensuring these resources remain easily accessible to patrons in their workflow, and fostering an open, collaborative community. Working as partners, Lancaster University and Lean Library have continued the transition of the library into a digital space, bridging the gap between the physical and digital collections, and bringing specialist knowledge to the wider library community.