LibrarygameEvaluating gamification as a means of increasing customer engagement

Dr Kay MunroCollege LibrarianUniversity of Glasgow

Ciaran TalbotLibrary SystemsUniversity of Manchester

The University of Manchester

The University of Glasgow

Phillip Capper: http://www.flickr.com/people/42033648@N00

Librarygame

• Librarygame?• Why we’re interested• Project so far• What next

Librarygame

Joint project with University of Manchester Library

Running In The Hallsworking with software developers - Running in the Halls

Librarygame means points, badges and awards!

The Librarygame software aims to provide a user interface that gives students a more social, enjoyable, motivating, and engaging experiencing.

Users will get points, badges and awards for entering the library, borrowing and returning books and using e-resources as well as additional social learning rewards, such as leaving reviews on items borrowed.

what is gamification?

It’s about adding elements of games to non-game activities & situations

• points • badges, achievements, rewards • challenges, leaderboards, competition

Makes the task more fun and more social because youcan share all this information with friends & classmates

Gamification programs can lead to the increase in the use of a service andchange behaviour (Zichermann & Cunningham, 2011).

Gamification in the library sector specifically, suggests that if users have a positive and meaningful game-based experience that is closely connected tothe underlying non-game setting (the library) then it will result in longer-term & deeper engagement between participants, non-game activities & supporting organizations (Nicholson, 2012).

why gamification – what does the research tell us?

why are we interested?

Data from the JISC funded Library Impact Data Project at the University of Huddersfield seems to have established a correlation between library usage and student attainment.

Data captured from our LMS shows that there are a small, but significant number of students, who appear to have no / very little engagement with the Library.

Our aim for Librarygame is to use as a tool to encourage new students to become (and remain) actively engaged with the Library.

We also wish to investigate the potential of Librarygame or particular elements of Librarygame as a tool for existing students.

why are we interested?

• Feedback from Eureka! Student Innovation Challenge

• Providing a sharing platform, tapping into the ‘Learning Black Market’

• Serendipitous resource discovery and increased breadth of reading

project aims

To manage the implementation of Librarygame as a full service, including desktop and mobile versions, at the University of Glasgow Library (and Manchester!) from 2014/15 academic session.

To evaluate the effectiveness of Librarygame - to measure its impact as a tool to encourage students to become active users of the Library by engaging them in the activities we know are linked to academic achievement.

project aims

Critical Success Factors

• Effective engagement with stakeholders to ensure the project meets the needs of all key stakeholders.

• The key success factor will be the full implementation of Librarygame as a service (both desktop and mobile versions) from the beginning of the 2014-15 academic session

• To evaluate the effectiveness of Librarygame software

from wireframes to product: getting initial user feedback

In October 2013 we ran focus groups to get feedback on the concept & on specifics of look, feel and terminology used in the product. Three focus groups of UG students from three distinct groups:

1. Level 1 students (Freshers)2. Level 3/4 students who use Library regularly3. Level 3/4 students who don’t use the Library

regularly

initial feedback – what did we learn?

Freshers loved it! Loved the conceptLoved the lookUnderstood the terminologyLoved the challenges & badgesWould use it

Levels 3 / 4 students

Not quite so enthusiasticNot so sure about the badges & pointsLiked & would use the sharing elements

: Book Review / Rating etc.

initial feedback – what did we learn?

• It’s all in the name• Librarygame• Positive towards sharing• Careful about privacy

• Librarygame• BookedIn

getting started with Librarygame

signing up

privacy settings

what does Librarygame track?

bookshelf

Librarytree also provides a visual record of the items you borrow / view – this is a screenshot of my bookshelf

rewards - reviewing, rating and recommending

challenges & badges

test, test & test again

Since the software was installed on our servers and linked to our systems we have run two tests to check stability & reliability of the services & run one focus group with gaming students

The two tests highlighted issues with platform stability and re-current errors which had to be addressed before being able to launch the beta version to our whole user community

next steps?

• beta version now live & we are beginning to gather information and feedback from real students about the service

• e-resource integration using RAPTOR data – summer 2014

• launch of the mobile app – summer 2014

• launch a full service in Sept 2014…

Manchester student feedback

“Found the article I was looking for, downloaded it, went back to see the result on BookedIn but nothing shows.”

• “I can see the library that I've been to--amazing!”

how does it work?

Integration server

Librarygame server

Access control system

Library Management System

Shibboleth/EZProxy server

PollingRecent events for user Y?

User Y entered Library

Recent events for user Y?

Y checked out ‘Perl for Dummies’

Recent events for user Y?Y accessed a Dawson ebook

API

the e-resource capture challenge

If you use EZProxy/Shibboleth:

E-resource provider

Shibboleth authenticationLibrarygame server

the e-resource capture challenge

But if you don’t…:

E-resource provider

User IP 130.88.123.456

University of Manchester IP range = 130.88.xx.xx

Therefore no authentication required

Librarygame server

?

Launch a full service in Sept 2014

• Main focus on new 1st year undergraduates

• Marketing campaign during freshers week to recruit

• Marketing campaign aimed at continuing students with a focus on specific features of the service.

launch & evaluation of service

let the World know?

decision by committee

decision by committee

Monitor the use of Librarygame and evaluate the impact of Librarygame on user behaviour

• Work to a set of agreed measurements with the University of Manchester Library & RiTH

• Collect regular data from Librarygame and from our LMS and other available datasets to compare Libarygame users and non-users

• Gather regular user opinion

launch & evaluation of service

launch & evaluation of service

?

Lingering gold

Thanks

Kay MunroUniversity of Glasgow Librarykay.munro@glasgow.ac.uk@kayjmunro

Ciaran TalbotUniversity of Manchesterciaran.talbot@manchester.ac.uk@ciaran_talbot