Center for Limnology Library

I served as the Project Assistant and Librarian at the Center for Limnology. I reported directly to the library committee and the director of Information Technology at the center. While I was at the CFL Library I accomplished the following:

1. I developed a digital library using Drupal

   In addition, I collaborated with IT staff to develop a center-wide photo repository, and reorganized the library to accommodate patron requests for a reading/study space.

2. I reduced repetitive tasks by 10%

   The library is small and is staffed by only two people for an average of 25 hours per week. So we spend a lot of our time working on ongoing and repetitive projects. I have nothing against repetition, but I do everything I can to eliminate unnecessary repetition. So I worked to improve work flow by combining steps into batch processes, automating tasks when possible, and eliminating tasks that do not provide value. Through constant testing and refinement, I was able to eliminate 10% of the processing while keeping the same high level of service.

3. I tracked web usage and enhanced webpages using Google Analytics

   I added Google Analytics tracking to all pages and I then optimized pages based on bounce rate and keywords patrons have used. For example, I learned from click mapping that users were not clicking through to the pdf of an article after looking at the reference. I realized that most users had laptops and while I had set up authentication based on IP, I had forgotten to allow wireless users to be authenticated as well.

4. I increased web traffic by 150%

   The newly developed resources were so popular that web traffic has increased 150% in one year.