See Information Online on
Facebook Page Flickr Linked In Group Twitter delicious
Our Hashtag is: #ALIAioc
Subscribe to News & Updates

Enter your email address to subscribe to the Information Online Conference.


Show Your Support for 2011
Download one of our buttons and include it on your email, website or blog with a link to www.information-online.com.au
To download a button simply right click the button and choose 'Save As' from the menu.

2009 Conference Archive

PRESENTATION B2

Back

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.