There are several design considerations you should keep in mind to maximize the benefit of your eLibrary, for both your internal or external audiences. First and foremost, itโs essential to use a unified platform where you can host all your resources in one place. Once your eLibrary is set up, itโs also important to stay intentional in the way you curate those resources.
Here are four things to consider as you get started. Enjoy!
1. Get Clear on Your Goals
The intent of an eLibrary is to make it easier for your audience to find and engage with your content. But before you get started, youโll need to understand WHY your organization is doing this. Often there are multiple reasons, but agreeing on them up front will make your future decisions much easier. Here are a few examples weโve heard from our customers:
Delivering more value to members
Helping prospective members see firsthand how membership could benefit them
Generating more revenue or leads
Saving time and money
Increasing impact on issues important to their organization
2. Assess Your Resources
Itโs common for people creating an eLibrary to have a specific set of materials in mind. However, taking a deeper dive into the resources your organization has created can spark unexpected ideas. It doesnโt need to be a laborious process. Often just getting the right people together and reviewing the basic types of content you have can surface unexpected opportunities and connections.
To get the ball rolling, here are a few of the types of content we see a lot of. Weโre guessing you have at least a few of them.
eBooks
Handbooks
Newsletters
Podcasts
Presentations
Research reports
Salary surveys
Webinar recordings
Conference recordings
Standards documents
Journals, Magazines or other periodicals
Educational materials
Blog posts
Photos
Articles
You can (and should) add materials to your eLibrary after it has launched, but conducting an inventory before you design your portal helps ensure youโve set it up with the future in mind. It also allows your team to see where you may have gaps in content, what pieces could use updating, and where you might want to cull some information down.
3. Consider the User
Another useful exercise when designing an eLibrary is imagining yourself as someone who knows nothing about your organization. What โdiscovery pathsโ are visitors likely to use to find what they need? By envisioning roadblocks to discovery and anticipating visitor questions, you can create a superior user journey and happier platform users.
Sometimes itโs helpful to get the assistance of a volunteer. Pick a topic addressed in your content and ask them where and how theyโd search for related information. What sources would they consult? Which internet search terms would they use? What do they consider โrelated informationโ?
4. Decide How To Keep Your Content Fresh
Even as youโre designing your site, itโs important to think beyond its launch. Youโll want to plan ahead to ensure your site remains both vibrant and dynamic.
Often the assumption is that this means a grueling schedule of new content creation. But with a little creativity, youโll be amazed at how much is possible with the information thatโs already in hand. For example, you can:
Design your homepage to feature a mix of new and โupcycledโ content from your archives
Create content bundles that pull together diverse content around a particular topic
Personalize content around particular audience personas
Use events in the news as a jumping-off point for packages of new and existing content
Offer limited-time discounts or free access to content you know will build loyalty and engagement
Enlist outside experts to create their own curations and content in exchange for exposure
And, of course, all these updates create opportunities to promote via your social, email, and other marketing channels.
Making the Most of Your Resource Hub
With the right platform, the mechanics of creating a useful resource hub are easy. ย Combine that with a little advanced planning, and you can maximize your contentโs value and impact. Well begun is half done, as they say.