PRESENTATION B2

ENGAGING STUDENTS ONLINE AT THE STATE LIBRARY OF VICTORIA

Linda Angeloni & Lili Wilkinson
State Library of Victoria, Learning Services Division, Melbourne, VIC

Aims:

ergo and insideadog are two innovative new websites from the State Library of Victoria, designed to engage Gen Y/Z users. ergo (launching April 2008) deals with critical literacy and online collection access in an educational context; insideadog engages teenagers online in reading for pleasure.

Methods:

Supported by slv21 and the Collier Foundation, ergo showcases 500+ digitised resources from the Library's collections in two areas, 'Learn' and 'Explore'.

'Learn' focuses on research, assessing resources with essay-writing and study-skills guides. 'Explore' groups primary and secondary sources with supporting references and contextual information. These resources are grouped thematically to meet VELS/VCE requirements. Multimodal texts include video interviews with professionals (Helen Garner, Nobel Laureate Peter Doherty).

ergo features unique drop-down 'annotations' providing worked examples in 'Learn' and contextual information in 'Explore'. The site scaffolds students' critical literacy development by providing contextualised practical examples.

insideadog incorporates book reviews, chapter-samples, competitions, monthly writer-in-residence (Garth Nix, Markus Zusak, Melina Marchetta), forum, audio downloads and the Inky Awards - Australia's first teenage choice book prize. Publishers and authors provide content and prizes, and the site was established with support from Copyright Agency Limited.

Results:

After 20 months, insideadog is an outstanding success, with over 609,050 visits, and heavy usage in schools and public libraries. Teenagers are enthusiastic, with 15,789 pieces of user-generated content to date. Gen Y/Z users prefer active/creative activities rather than discussion/response, and love interacting with the writers-in-residence.

Conclusion:

Insideadog and ergo reach non-traditional library users by providing access to services and resources in relevant, engaging online environments.