Presentation June 24, 2012, at the ACRL Science & Technology Research Forum, ALA Annual Convention 2012, Anaheim, CA. Abstract: Analysis of the discovery and use patterns of the Science and Engineering books available electronically to customers of the DeLaMare Science and Engineering Library is presented, revealing what may be an alarming disconnect between the library¹s traditionally catalog-centric approach to discovery and the Google-centric information-seeking behaviors in use by the bulk of the library¹s supported demographic. The library has been engaged in a "soft rollout" of the patron-driven purchase and delivery of e-books across disciplines supported by the libraries at the University of Nevada, Reno; "soft" in that the discovery is limited to serendipitous discovery in the catalog search, with no external announcement of the resource availability. Usage reports for the preceding year, supplied by the vendor, were manually parsed by title to identify the titles that would have been shelved in the Science and Engineering branch library if they were print titles: analysis of the discovery and use patterns revealed is compared relative to overall student enrollment in the supported programs of study. The potential viability of leveraging Google AdWords as an adjunct discovery layer to the catalog is explored, and preliminary findings of a pilot implementation of a Google promotion of access to the branch library materials e-book titles by presentation of direct links to targeted materials directly in the context of their active Google search will be shared.

1. Exploring the Viability of Google AdWords
as an adjunct Discovery Layer for the
Science and Engineering Library
DeLaMare Science & Engineering Library
University of Nevada, Reno
pcolegrove@unr.edu

2. Patron-Driven eBook Program
Since January, 2011, UNR Libraries has been
engaged in a “soft” rollout of eBook offerings
• Over 43,000 titles available via short-term loans
(STL)
• Purchase triggered automatically once STL’s exceeds
pre-set threshold
• “Soft” == Discovery limited to catalog

3. Mid-year Analysis:
• Total STLs: 985
• Percentage of students enrolled in sciences or
engineering-specific majors: 21.1%
• #of STLs with a title of specific interest
to the sciences or engineering: 8.2%
Less than half the amount expected.

4. A Problem?
“for many researchers, especially in the
sciences, Google is the first choice for searching
and retrieving information of all kinds.”
Jamali, H. R. & Asadi, S. (2010) "Google and the scholar: the role of Google in scientists' information-seeking behaviour", Online Information Review, 34
(2), 282 - 294
The “elephant in the room”:
If researchers aren’t looking in the library catalog,
can they even find the eBook offerings?

5. A Problem?
“The widespread use of Google (and other search
engines) came as no surprise, but the almost complete
dominance of Google as a starting point for searching
scientific information was not expected.”
Haglund, L. &, Olsson, P. (2008) The Impact on University Libraries of Changes in Information Behavior Among Academic Researchers: A Multiple Case Study, The
Journal of Academic Librarianship, 34 (1), 52-59.
Wouldn’t it be nice if...
relevant e-resources could be targeted to end-users
in the context of their active Google search?

6. What’s Google Selling?
Hint:
Image source: Google AdWords website. Retrieved 5/15/2012 from http://www.google.com/ads/adwords/

7. The “magic” behind what Google does:
US Patent # 5,428,778
“Selective Dissemination of
Information”
Keyword
Driven:

8. Method:
• Programmatically (Bourne shell) build ads using:
– Title: truncated to 25 character limit in lead
line of ad, full title used as keyword
– Author: in keywords
– Description, Subject, Summary, Contents: any
words 5 characters or longer used as keywords
– URL: to link end-user directly to resource
• Target ads geographically to Reno metro area

9. A Sample Title:
Harvested:

10. Google AdWords Campaign
The Ad:
Keywords:

11. Proof of Concept:

12. Results:
We ran Google AdWords campaigns for 100
randomly selected eBook titles:
• In just three weeks, 52 titles had seen 135 uses.
• 52% of titles saw use; average cost per click: $0.67
In contrast, the catalog-only “soft rollout” has seen use of 12.2% of titles –
over the course of an entire year.

13. A Work in Progress:
• Re-worked ad copy to present more of title,
re-running trial to determine efficacy
• Improved algorithm to maximize keywords
• Contemplated expansion of trial to target
selected databases and/or print books

14. Questions?

15. Full-Year Analysis:
From January, 2011 through December, 2011:
• Total STLs: 3,866
• Estimated unique titles found: 2,675
• Percentage of students enrolled in sciences or
engineering-specific majors: 21.1%
• #of STLs with a title of specific interest to
the sciences or engineering: 25.4%
Use of sci/eng titles comparable to enrollment.