Showing posts with label digital downloads. Show all posts
Showing posts with label digital downloads. Show all posts
Borrowbox Rates Notice Campaign
In July the Library distributed this flyer with the Rates Notices to 70,000 households in the Shire. The first flyers made it into homes from Friday, 19 July 2019. Let's take a look at the impact of the campaign.
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| The flyer advertising Borrowbox distributed with rates notices to households across the Shire |
Kanopy Rates Notice Campaign Analysis
In October we paid for the following notice to be included with the delivery of rates notices across the Shire. 63,000 odd flyers were delivered to ratepayers, starting on 19 October 2018. Following is an initial look at the impact of this campaign on the usage of Kanopy.
So we can see that the number of views definitely increases dramatically but, while the increase is obviously a result of the campaign, the chart above includes all site visits, not just those directly related to the campaign. The next chart shows the number of visitors to the site. This shows the number of people directly connected to the rates notice campaign (remember, one person can be responsible for multiple page views).
The light-blue line shows the number or New Users, or people that have not visited our website before, at least for some time (Note that the scale for New Users is on the right and the scale for all users is on the left). The number of new users per day is slightly less than the all users but the pattern of the charts is similar, suggesting that most of the campaign traffic is from people who are not already regular users of our stuff.
The charts above show that the campaign generated traffic to the site but they don’t tell us whether anyone followed through and actually used Kanopy. Over the period from 1 October to 30 November shown in these charts, the site analytics shows that there were 379 sessions initiated as a result of the campaign. Of these sessions there were 219 clicks through to the Kanopy collection, the first step in actually viewing a video.
The increase is a little more visible when looking at the total number of minutes played, shown below by the white line.
Without boring you with the detailed data tables, I can provide 2 key numbers that demonstrate the impact of the campaign on Kanopy usage.
Prior to the campaign, there was an average of 23 videos played per day (all users). This number increased by half again as a result of the campaign to 36 per day. When it comes to minutes played, the impact is larger with the daily average increasing from 679 minutes per day prior to the campaign to 1208 minutes post campaign.
There is also no way to track how many people signed up to Kanopy each day - there is just a total number of Kanopy users. The closest I can get is to look at all the library members who are also signed up to Kanopy and check the date that they signed up as a library member.
The chart below shows how many people joined the library during October and November, who are also Kanopy users. Just let that sink in for a second... the chart does not include any new members who have not signed up for Kanopy. Neither does it include any Kanopy users that signed up to the library before October 2018.
What this chart shows is that, of all the users who joined the library during Oct/Nov, only a handful subsequently sign up for Kanopy as well. Prior to the campaign there was less than 1 per day. Around the time of the flyer delivery there was a little spike where 4 people joined the library and Kanopy and small bump over the next couple of days. All up, however, there were 5 in the 20 days before the campaign and 21 in the 40 days after. We cannot say for sure that these people joined the library directly in response to the campaign but I think it's safe to say that maybe the campaign attracted approximately 10 new members.
In some ways, it's a blessing that there was a relatively small impact on membership. We would struggle to absorb a larger number of new members who wanted to use Kanopy. The way our Kanopy subscription works is that we prepay for a set number of video plays for the year. We then allocate monthly limits per patron to try and manage the demand so that our budget stretches to the end of the financial year. If we have a sharp increase in usage we could easily burn through our prepaid plays and be faced with trying to either find extra money to buy more credits or cut off patron access to Kanopy until the new financial year. Neither scenario is particularly appealing. And as it turns out, it looks like we will have to redirect some funds from elsewhere this financial year to keep Kanopy available at 10 plays per month. We will have to dedicate increased funding to Kanopy in 2019/20 to account for the continued growth in users.
Martin
THE CAMPAIGN FLYER
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| Flyer advertising Kanopy distributed with SSC Rates Notices |
THE WEBSITE
The link on the flyer directed people to the Kanopy page on the library website. The following chart shows the daily page views of the Kanopy page, with the campaign delivery date marked. |
| Pageviews on the Kanopy page of the library web site |
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| Users who visited the website as a direct result of the campaign |
The charts above show that the campaign generated traffic to the site but they don’t tell us whether anyone followed through and actually used Kanopy. Over the period from 1 October to 30 November shown in these charts, the site analytics shows that there were 379 sessions initiated as a result of the campaign. Of these sessions there were 219 clicks through to the Kanopy collection, the first step in actually viewing a video.
KANOPY USAGE
For more detail about the number of videos played we need to look at the analytics provided by Kanopy. This chart shows the number of page views, sessions and video plays on the Sutherland Kanopy website. The key indicator here is the yellow line – the number of Plays. The increase in sessions and page views is obvious but we need to look at how much that interest translates into actual use – watching videos. Although it is not as pronounced, the increase in plays can be seen. Most importantly, however, is the lasting impact of the campaign. If we were to calculate the area under the yellow line before and after the delivery date it shows that the total usage of Kanopy has increased and there is a lasting effect upon usage as a result of the campaign. |
| Kanopy Analytics |
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| Daily minutes played on Kanopy by Sutherland users |
Prior to the campaign, there was an average of 23 videos played per day (all users). This number increased by half again as a result of the campaign to 36 per day. When it comes to minutes played, the impact is larger with the daily average increasing from 679 minutes per day prior to the campaign to 1208 minutes post campaign.
MEMBERSHIP
The final question that I have about the campaign is how many new library members were generated as a result of this campaign? This question is much harder to answer because there is no way to link new users to the campaign itself.There is also no way to track how many people signed up to Kanopy each day - there is just a total number of Kanopy users. The closest I can get is to look at all the library members who are also signed up to Kanopy and check the date that they signed up as a library member.
The chart below shows how many people joined the library during October and November, who are also Kanopy users. Just let that sink in for a second... the chart does not include any new members who have not signed up for Kanopy. Neither does it include any Kanopy users that signed up to the library before October 2018.
 |
| Kanopy users who joined the library during the campaign |
In some ways, it's a blessing that there was a relatively small impact on membership. We would struggle to absorb a larger number of new members who wanted to use Kanopy. The way our Kanopy subscription works is that we prepay for a set number of video plays for the year. We then allocate monthly limits per patron to try and manage the demand so that our budget stretches to the end of the financial year. If we have a sharp increase in usage we could easily burn through our prepaid plays and be faced with trying to either find extra money to buy more credits or cut off patron access to Kanopy until the new financial year. Neither scenario is particularly appealing. And as it turns out, it looks like we will have to redirect some funds from elsewhere this financial year to keep Kanopy available at 10 plays per month. We will have to dedicate increased funding to Kanopy in 2019/20 to account for the continued growth in users.
Martin
Digital Library Services - 2013/14 Report
The key achievement in the last 12 months was the introduction of a redesigned library website. The new website was launched in early 2014; the goal being an improved user experience for visitors using mobile devices. The site is now fully responsive, with a design that flexibly accommodates the different screen sizes of smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers. In conjunction with a new mobile view of the library catalogue access to the library's digital services is greatly improved.
The increase in digital usage has not, however, fully accounted for the drop in physical loans. Overall, usage of all the library's materials and resources has dropped 2% from 1,763,170 to 1,724,690.
The most popular digital services remain Overdrive audiobooks & ebooks, Freegal music downloads and Zinio digital magazines with these 3 services representing nearly three quarters (72%) of all digital usage.
Website Performance
All the key measures of the library website performance have remained fairly steady, improving only slightly. The number of visits (1%), the number of pages viewed (2%) and the number of visitors (7%) have all increased, which is a pleasing result. |
| Website use is fairly stable, however, all key website metrics are moving in the right direction. |
Mobile Traffic to the Website
Traffic from mobile devices continues to increase substantially with mobile phones up 40% and tablets up 83%. This has come at the expense of traffic from laptops/desktops which is down 12%. This confirms the importance of the work done to redesign the library website. |
| Comparison of mobile traffic. Phone traffic is shown in orange, tablet traffic in green and desktop/laptop traffic in blue |
Physical vs Digital Usage
Usage of digital resources has continued to grow substantially. The total use of digital resources has increased by 49% compared with the previous year. As a proportion of total use of library materials, digital use has grown by 2% from 4.05% in 2012/13 to 6.05% in 2013-14, reaching a high of nearly 7% in March. | |
| Digital use has increased by 49% compared with last year |
The increase in digital usage has not, however, fully accounted for the drop in physical loans. Overall, usage of all the library's materials and resources has dropped 2% from 1,763,170 to 1,724,690.
 |
| Digital use has increased as a proportion of total usage from 4% to 6%. However, the increase in digital use hasn't accounted for the full drop in physical loans |
The most popular digital services remain Overdrive audiobooks & ebooks, Freegal music downloads and Zinio digital magazines with these 3 services representing nearly three quarters (72%) of all digital usage.
 |
| Proportion of total digital use for different digital resources |
On the value of brochures & flyers for digital resources
It's that time of year again. We are preparing the annual performance report for council and I'm delving into the website analytics, looking at whether some of the things we are trying to achieve are backed up by the data.
Physical vs Digital: what proportion of usage of library material is digital?
I've just been looking at the statistics for the library's digital collection for the last financial year. I thought it might be interesting to compare the usage of digital materials with the number of loans of physical materials.
The Internet Archive. www.archive.org
The value of digitising existing library collections was brought home to me recently when I went looking for a special 1919 issue of the quarterly journal Art in Australia. Printed copies are held in some Uni and State libraries so access is possible if not exactly easy. Further searching led me to a digitised copy at the Internet Archive which I was able to download. The Internet Archive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organisation that was founded to build an Internet library. Its purposes include offering permanent access for researchers, historians, scholars, people with disabilities, and the general public to historical collections that exist in digital format. They work with partner institutions and organisations world wide. Check them out.
Have you say on the future of the book!
Former Labor minister Barry Jones has written an article in today's Sydney Morning Herald encouraging interested parties to contribute submissions to the Book Industry Strategy Group's inquiry into the future of the book in Australia.
The BISG, Jones says, "is seeking ideas from writers, educators, librarians, publishers, retailers and - most importantly - readers about how to enhance the Australian publishing industry as an important sector of our economy, society and culture."
Ebooks and digital formats are of course a big part of this future, and Barry Jones includes the role of libraries in this change:
"Public libraries are starting to offer access to ebooks via downloads or by access to subscriptions taken out by the library. We want to hear about these initiatives and your experiences with them."
Read the article, then follow the link if you want to have your say. Submissions close 31st january, 2011.
The BISG, Jones says, "is seeking ideas from writers, educators, librarians, publishers, retailers and - most importantly - readers about how to enhance the Australian publishing industry as an important sector of our economy, society and culture."
Ebooks and digital formats are of course a big part of this future, and Barry Jones includes the role of libraries in this change:
"Public libraries are starting to offer access to ebooks via downloads or by access to subscriptions taken out by the library. We want to hear about these initiatives and your experiences with them."
Read the article, then follow the link if you want to have your say. Submissions close 31st january, 2011.
Why I chose a Sony Reader
Below is my response to Social Networking - Task 2 (it was easier to put links in a new post rather than in a comment).
After much research on forums like MobileRead and Whirlpool (a good Australian site), followed by an in-store demo, I decided on the recently released Sony Reader PRS650. This is a an e-book reader with a 6 inch e-ink screen, the same size display as the Kindle 3, Kobo, Kogan, and a host of other brands. 6-inch screens seem to be the industry standard these days, although Sony and BeBook, for example, also make 5 inch models, while Kindle and Sony have 7 inch readers as well.
Everyone who considers buying an e-reader will have different priorities, and mine were readability, portability, file formats and a touch screen.
Readability – The new batch of Sony Readers use E Ink Pearl, an e-ink screen that offers a 16 grayscale display with a contrast ratio of 10.1 (compared to 6.1 for most other e-ink readers). Simply put, the contrast and resolution is better, particularly in bright, natural light. The text appears blacker and sharper against the almost-white electronic page. At time of writing, the Kindle 3 is the only other e-reader using Pearl, so this was a big factor for me.
Portability – So why not choose the much cheaper Kindle, considering they both use E Ink Pearl? Well, despite the Sony and Kindle 3 both having 6 inch screens, the Sony is a smaller and lighter unit:
Sony = 168 x 119 mm, 215g
Kindle 3 = 190 x 123 mm, 246g
File Formats – In addition to PDF, DOC, RTF and Adobe DRM, Sony Reader supports the open-source EPUB format. I have a lot of public domain texts in this format on my PC ready to go. If created with care (like those available for FREE from epubBooks), EPUB texts read quite nicely on an e-reader. Kindle will not read EPUB. Also unlike Kindle, the Sony Reader is Overdrive compatible.
By the way, PDF can a tricky format for any e-reader and it is also the most difficult to convert to another format (like EPUB). Even though the Sony Reader can re-flow PDF text to fit the screen, the results are mixed. If you love your PDFs, maybe get an ipad, or a bigger e-reader.
Touch Screen – No clicking of buttons required to turn the page, just a light swish of the finger. You can even program which direction (right to left, or vice versa) to swipe to turn a page forward / backward. Includes the option of clicking buttons. Additionally, the touch screen is fantastic for quick access to the dictionaries – just tap twice on a word and your preferred dictionary supplies a definition.
You can also add notes, (with a keyboard or freehand with stylus), search text and the battery lasts for weeks and weeks. Above all, I suggest try before you buy. Happy (e) reading.
After much research on forums like MobileRead and Whirlpool (a good Australian site), followed by an in-store demo, I decided on the recently released Sony Reader PRS650. This is a an e-book reader with a 6 inch e-ink screen, the same size display as the Kindle 3, Kobo, Kogan, and a host of other brands. 6-inch screens seem to be the industry standard these days, although Sony and BeBook, for example, also make 5 inch models, while Kindle and Sony have 7 inch readers as well.
Everyone who considers buying an e-reader will have different priorities, and mine were readability, portability, file formats and a touch screen.
Readability – The new batch of Sony Readers use E Ink Pearl, an e-ink screen that offers a 16 grayscale display with a contrast ratio of 10.1 (compared to 6.1 for most other e-ink readers). Simply put, the contrast and resolution is better, particularly in bright, natural light. The text appears blacker and sharper against the almost-white electronic page. At time of writing, the Kindle 3 is the only other e-reader using Pearl, so this was a big factor for me.
Portability – So why not choose the much cheaper Kindle, considering they both use E Ink Pearl? Well, despite the Sony and Kindle 3 both having 6 inch screens, the Sony is a smaller and lighter unit:
Sony = 168 x 119 mm, 215g
Kindle 3 = 190 x 123 mm, 246g
File Formats – In addition to PDF, DOC, RTF and Adobe DRM, Sony Reader supports the open-source EPUB format. I have a lot of public domain texts in this format on my PC ready to go. If created with care (like those available for FREE from epubBooks), EPUB texts read quite nicely on an e-reader. Kindle will not read EPUB. Also unlike Kindle, the Sony Reader is Overdrive compatible.
By the way, PDF can a tricky format for any e-reader and it is also the most difficult to convert to another format (like EPUB). Even though the Sony Reader can re-flow PDF text to fit the screen, the results are mixed. If you love your PDFs, maybe get an ipad, or a bigger e-reader.
Touch Screen – No clicking of buttons required to turn the page, just a light swish of the finger. You can even program which direction (right to left, or vice versa) to swipe to turn a page forward / backward. Includes the option of clicking buttons. Additionally, the touch screen is fantastic for quick access to the dictionaries – just tap twice on a word and your preferred dictionary supplies a definition.
You can also add notes, (with a keyboard or freehand with stylus), search text and the battery lasts for weeks and weeks. Above all, I suggest try before you buy. Happy (e) reading.
Re: Fw: Overdrive Collections
Good Afternoon Maree
Thank you for your email and interest in the library.
We endeavour to purchase a balance of etiltes and audiobooks in our overdrive selections.
Our selections are based on what the company has geographic rights to release in Australia. If you were to look at the US version of overdrive you would see that they have a much better selection than we do here is Australia. This is true for other digital download providers at the moment and we hope that as this format gains in popularity and more publishers release their rights, the selections of audio books will be better.
We would really like to buy more popular titles in audiobooks as they are pretty well used.
Regards
Angela Livingstone
Information Services and Outreach Coordinator
Postal address
Sutherland Shire Libraries
C/O Sutherland Shire Council
Locked Bag No 4004, PO Sutherland 1499 Australia
Tel: 61 2 9710 0263
Fax: 61 2 9710 0236
Email: alivingstone@ssc.nsw.gov.au
Library web: http://library.sutherland.nsw.gov.au/
Council web: http://www.sutherland.nsw.gov.au
(Important: This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error, please delete it and notify the sender via return mail. You must not disclose the contents of this email to any third party without the consent of the sender.)
----- Forwarded by Dianne Ollerenshaw/SSC on 09/09/2010 03:39 PM -----
Hi there - I wanted to thank you very much for the brilliant Overdrive service you provide. I can't thank you enough and I use it all the time. I do have a query though and I hope you may be able to help.
I notice a lot of the recent additions are actually ebooks rather than audiobooks. I just saw, for instance, that you had new additions of Steig Larsen's "dragon tattoo" trilogy and was so happy but then found to my disappointment that they are only ebooks and not audiobooks. This seems to be happening more and more with the recent additions of popular books.
Is there any chance of having some more audiobooks in these up to date and popular books - not just Steig Larsen's but a lot of them? A lot of us either can't afford an Ipad or similar and are really happy with audiobooks. In particular I help out a friend who has macular degeneration and often download audiobooks for her.
I do hope you can help.
Thank you again. I do appreciate the service anyway.
Kind regards
Maree Weston
Thank you for your email and interest in the library.
We endeavour to purchase a balance of etiltes and audiobooks in our overdrive selections.
Our selections are based on what the company has geographic rights to release in Australia. If you were to look at the US version of overdrive you would see that they have a much better selection than we do here is Australia. This is true for other digital download providers at the moment and we hope that as this format gains in popularity and more publishers release their rights, the selections of audio books will be better.
We would really like to buy more popular titles in audiobooks as they are pretty well used.
Regards
Angela Livingstone
Information Services and Outreach Coordinator
Postal address
Sutherland Shire Libraries
C/O Sutherland Shire Council
Locked Bag No 4004, PO Sutherland 1499 Australia
Tel: 61 2 9710 0263
Fax: 61 2 9710 0236
Email: alivingstone@ssc.nsw.gov.au
Library web: http://library.sutherland.nsw.gov.au/
Council web: http://www.sutherland.nsw.gov.au
(Important: This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you have received this email in error, please delete it and notify the sender via return mail. You must not disclose the contents of this email to any third party without the consent of the sender.)
| Library Sent by: Dianne Ollerenshaw 09/09/2010 03:39 PM |
|
----- Forwarded by Dianne Ollerenshaw/SSC on 09/09/2010 03:39 PM -----
| 09/09/2010 03:00 PM |
|
Hi there - I wanted to thank you very much for the brilliant Overdrive service you provide. I can't thank you enough and I use it all the time. I do have a query though and I hope you may be able to help.
I notice a lot of the recent additions are actually ebooks rather than audiobooks. I just saw, for instance, that you had new additions of Steig Larsen's "dragon tattoo" trilogy and was so happy but then found to my disappointment that they are only ebooks and not audiobooks. This seems to be happening more and more with the recent additions of popular books.
Is there any chance of having some more audiobooks in these up to date and popular books - not just Steig Larsen's but a lot of them? A lot of us either can't afford an Ipad or similar and are really happy with audiobooks. In particular I help out a friend who has macular degeneration and often download audiobooks for her.
I do hope you can help.
Thank you again. I do appreciate the service anyway.
Kind regards
Maree Weston
**************************************************************************************
Important: This email / fax and any files transmitted with it are confidential
and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are
addressed. If you have received this email / fax in error please notify the
sender via return mail. You must not disclose the contents of this email / fax
to any third party without the consent of the sender.
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