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G2S Project Code: 2020-AR-84788
State: Arkansas
Fiscal Year: 2020

Grantee
Arkansas State Library

Project Director
Director Name: Katie Walton
Director Phone: 501-682-2266
Director Email: katie.walton@ade.arkansas.gov

General Information
Title: Traveler- Statewide Databases
State Project Code: 21
Start Date: 10/01/2020
End Date: 09/30/2021
Abstract: The Traveler project provided statewide access to a collection of subscription digital resources for all Arkansas residents.

Access to all Traveler digital resources was accessible from the Arkansas State Library's website. All public, school and academic libraries in the state could also register their IP addresses with the Arkansas State Library to enable institutional access, which allowed individual libraries the ability to seamlessly integrate Traveler's exceptional information resources with their own digital collections. Since the State Library used geolocation authentication, no additional login was required for remote access.

The continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic required educators to restructure their lessons and librarians to expand their program offerings. The Traveler resources supported remote instruction and ensured that every person in the state had the same access to high quality research and learning materials.

The Arkansas State Library provided training and assistance for both technical and end users through webinars, workshops, and instructional materials.

State Goal: Enhance Access to Information for Lifelong Learning

Budget Information

LSTA

MATCH-State

MATCH-Other

Total

$791,725.00

$0.00

$791,725.00

Intent(s)
Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.
General (select only for electronic databases or other data sources)

Activities
Activity Details
Title: Consultation
Narrative:

State Library staff provided phone and email consultation to any library that needed assistance with the Traveler digital resources. Several webinars, tutorials, and LibGuides were added to the State Library’s website to support asynchronous training on the resources. Remote work and learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic continued the demand for consultation- especially concerning off-site access. The State Library’s website provided an email address and phone number for any Traveler related questions, and librarians were welcomed to contact staff with their questions. This included general questions, authentication questions, reference questions, best practices, troubleshooting, and training. As some schools returned to in-person instruction, the request for in-person and virtual training opportunities also increased.

Intent: Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.

Activity: Instruction
Mode: Consultation/drop-in/referral
Format: Combined in-person & virtual

Quantity
Total number of consultation/reference transactions: 372
Average number of consultation/reference transactions per month: 31

Partner Information

Organization Type of Partner Organization(s):
Libraries: Yes
Historical Societies or Organizations: No
Museums: No
Archives: No
Cultural Heritage Organization Multi-type: No
Preschools: No
Schools: No
Adult Education: No
Human Service Organizations: No
Other: No

Legal Type of Partner Organization(s):
Federal Government: No
State Government: No
Local Government (excluding school districts): No
School District: No
Non-Profit: No
Private Sector: No
Tribe/Native Hawaiian Organization: No

Beneficiaries
Is the activity directed at the library workforce: No
For a targeted group or for the general population: General

Locale
Is the activity state-wide: Yes
Specific Locations: No
Library Types

Public Libraries: 229
Academic Libraries: 55
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 36
School Libraries: 1054
Other: 0

Activity Details
Title: Resource Acquisition
Narrative:

The Arkansas State Library Traveler Advisory Committee is comprised of representatives from school, public, academic, and special libraries. They were charged with the evaluation, selection, and procurement of digital resources. The Advisory Committee went through several structural changes in 2019 including a new mission statement, name change, revision to member term limits, and entirely new set of members on the committee.

In 2020, the new Traveler Advisory Committee completed their triannual Request for Proposals (RFP) and resource selection process. The Committee collected and evaluated bids from 23 vendors and recommended four resources for inclusion in the collection spanning August 1, 2021- July 31, 2024. The Committee largely chose the same resources as the previous cycle, but Infobase’s Science Bundle was added as a way to increase Traveler’s science offerings for students.

Intent: Improve users’ ability to obtain and/or use information resources.

Activity: Content
Mode: Acquisition
Format: Digital

Quantity
Number of hardware acquired: 0
Number of software acquired: 0
Number of licensed databases acquired: 72
Number of print materials (books & government documents) acquired: 0
Number of electronic materials acquired: 0
Number of audio/visual units (audio discs, talking books, other recordings) acquired: 0

Partner Information

Public Libraries: 229
Academic Libraries: 55
SLAA: 0
Consortia: 0
Special Libraries: 36
School Libraries: 1054
Other: 0

Project Outcomes
Project Outcomes
List any important outcomes or findings not previously reported:
Traveler provided access to high quality digital resources to all types of libraries through the state. As the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continued, the Traveler Resources ensured that their patrons always had access to a core collection of learning and research materials. The Traveler Advisory Committee also completed their triannual Request for Proposals (RFP) and resource selection process. The Committee evaluated bids from 23 vendors and recommended four resources for inclusion in the collection spanning August 1, 2021- July 31, 2024. After the new resources were selected, the project manager spent much of the year onboarding the new digital resource and providing training opportunities. We continued to promote the program virtually and through asynchronous communication. This proved to be helpful both logistically and due to ongoing concerns with the pandemic.
Please briefly describe the importance of these outcomes and findings for future program planning:
Increased usage and interest in the Traveler Resources proved that they were vital to the success of Arkansas residents with a variety of learning and informational needs. We challenged ourselves to find creative ways to promote the resources to new users- especially in the face of the ongoing pandemic. We will continue to create training guides and online tutorials to educate Arkansas citizens about the Traveler Digital Resources.
Explain one or two of the most significant lessons learned for others wanting to adopt any facets of this project:
Promoting the use and visibility of the Traveler portal through the State Library’s website along with its seamless access, instructional resources, and guidelines to facilitate instructional program registration was paramount to the success of the project. It was also important to have a thorough understanding of the diverse and changing needs of the community to insure database selections were appropriate. This was accomplished by monitoring and evaluating the databases through usage statistics, librarians’ input, and discussion among the Traveler Advisory Committee.
Do you anticipate continuing this project after the current reporting period ends:
Yes
Do you anticipate any change in level of effort in managing this project:
Yes
Explain:
Fiscal Year 2020 was especially time intensive because we went through our formal bidding process. This included reviewing proposals, meeting with the Advisory Committee, negotiating new contracts, implementing new resources, updating the website and current informational guides, creating marketing materials, and providing training opportunities. Managing the program should take less effort next year as we will primarily be maintaining the collection, troubleshooting technical issues as needed, evaluating the resources’ effectiveness, and providing training and outreach opportunities.
Do you anticipate changing the types of activities and objectives addressed by the project:
No
Explain:

Was an evaluation conducted for this project:
No
Was a final written evaluation report produced:
No
Can the final written evaluation report be shared publicly on the IMLS website:
No
Was the evaluation conducted by project staff (either SLAA or local library) or by a third-party evaluator:
Third-Party
What data collection tools were used for any report outcomes and outputs:
Did you collect any media for the data:
What types of methods were used to analyze collected data:
Other:
How were participants (or items) selected:
What type of research design did you use to compare the value for any reported output or outcome:

Exemplary: Yes
Exemplary NarrativeTraveler provided access to reputable digital resources for every Arkansas resident, which enabled them to meet their personal, educational, and professional goals from anywhere in the state. Traveler was an invaluable supplement to library resources for the citizens of Arkansas. The Arkansas State Library is the only agency providing exceptional online digital resources for K-12 students, academic, public, or special libraries. Neither libraries nor schools had the resources to purchase database subscriptions independently.

Project Tags: digital resources; digital reference