Online Library Building

A library serves a defined community. You will identify your main users and set a modest first target, so the library starts as a useful, checkable collection and not a pile of files.

• Who uses it and why.
• Languages, ages, reading levels.
• What they cannot get now.
• Goals and limits.
• Name your main users, such as students, local families or researchers, and write three questions each group should be able to answer using your library within two minutes.
• Set a modest first target, such as 200 well-described items in six months, so the project stays achievable and the quality of every record can be checked.
• Visit a small library and ask how they choose and remove items.
• Write one sentence about who the library is for and one about who it is not for.

Activity. Interview five users.

Standard to meet. Write the needs list.

Common mistake. Collecting everything.

Check yourself. What does your community need?

Decide what goes in and what stays out. You will write and test a collection policy on sample items, giving you a consistent way to accept, reject and review material as the library grows.

• Scope, quality, balance.
• Donations: accept or decline politely.
• Removing outdated items.
• Fairness and inclusion.
• Write a collection policy listing what you accept, what you reject and who decides, and apply it to ten sample items to see whether the rules are clear.
• Review the collection once a year and remove or replace items that are out of date, damaged, duplicated or no longer within the stated scope.
• Keep a folder with permission emails and licence notes.
• Check that every creator is credited the way the licence asks.

Activity. Write a one-page policy.

Standard to meet. Write include and exclude rules into the policy.

Common mistake. No policy for donations.

Check yourself. What is in your policy?

Know what you may share. You will record the rights status of every item and handle takedown requests calmly, which keeps the library respectful of creators and safe to share.

• Public domain, open licences, owned, permission.
• Check and record each licence.
• Credit creators as required.
• Never upload what you may not.
• Record the licence or permission for each item in a dedicated field, for example 'public domain', 'open licence' or 'permission granted on 5 May', so rights are never guessed.
• Keep a copy of the written permission emails, and take an item down promptly if a rights holder asks, then note the date and reason in your log.
• Use plain words in descriptions; avoid jargon.
• Group items into no more than ten simple categories.

Activity. Check 20 items and record the licence.

Standard to meet. Record complete.

Common mistake. Guessing licences.

Check yourself. How many are recorded?

Good descriptions make items findable. You will apply the same required fields and a short subject list to each record, so searches return consistent results that people can trust and repeat.

• Title, creator, date, language, level, subject, format.
• Short summary in plain words.
• Keywords people use.
• Consistent template.
• Use the same required fields for every record, such as title, creator, date, format, subject and a two-sentence description, so searching works consistently.
• Choose a fixed list of subject terms with about 30 to 50 entries at the start, and add a new term only when no existing one fits.
• Test the catalogue with someone who has never used it.
• Offer the library in more than one language if users need it.

Activity. Describe 50 items.

Standard to meet. Check that all follow the template.

Common mistake. Inconsistent descriptions.

Check yourself. Does yours match?

Help people find things. You will design a shallow category structure with filters and test it on real people, helping visitors find a named item without needing your guidance.

• Categories and tags.
• Simple search; filters.
• Test with real questions.
• Fix zero-result searches.
• Arrange items into no more than seven top-level categories, then test the structure by asking three people to find one named item and noting how long they take.
• Add filters for format, date and subject, and check that a search for a common misspelling still returns useful results or offers a suggestion.
• Provide a way to ask for items that are missing.
• Keep a small budget for scanning or copying with permission.

Activity. Run 10 test searches.

Standard to meet. Confirm that 8 of 10 succeed.

Common mistake. Unhelpful search.

Check yourself. Which searches failed?

Make it usable by everyone. You will add image descriptions, transcripts and readable layouts, and test on a basic phone, so people using assistive tools or slow connections can use the library.

• Readable fonts, contrast, alt text.
• Low-data options.
• Offline copies where allowed.
• Translations or summaries.
• Provide descriptions for images and transcripts for audio, and check that headings, text size and colour contrast work for people using screen readers or small screens.
• Test the library on a basic phone with a slow connection, and keep file sizes small enough that a typical page opens in a few seconds.
• Protect any user accounts with strong sign-in.
• Do not use any item you are unsure about.

Activity. Run an access checklist.

Standard to meet. Apply the fixes.

Common mistake. Small, grey text.

Check yourself. What did you fix?

Short loans and privacy. You will collect only the lending data you need and publish simple loan and privacy rules, so borrowers know how long items last and how their details are handled.

• Loan period; return; reminders.
• Do not share who borrowed what.
• Keep minimum data.
• Delete after the loan.
• Collect only the personal data you need for lending, such as a name and email, store it securely, and delete borrowing records after a stated period like 90 days.
• Write a plain-language privacy notice and loan rules stating loan length, renewal limits and what happens when an item is late, and show them at sign-up.
• Review use every month and note rising topics.
• Archive items rather than deleting when allowed.

Activity. Write loan and privacy rules.

Standard to meet. Fit the rules on one page.

Common mistake. Tracking borrowers.

Check yourself. What do you store?

Measure and learn. You will track searches, no-result queries and requests each month and report changes to users, turning everyday use into clear decisions about what to add next.

• Visits, searches, loans, requests.
• Ask what is missing.
• Add items steadily.
• Plan 90 days.
• Track simple measures each month, such as searches, items opened, searches with no result and requests for new items, and use them to decide what to add next.
• Invite five regular users to a short feedback call every quarter, and publish a brief list of what you changed because of their suggestions.
• Write a short guide on how to use the library in three steps.
• Share lessons with other community libraries.

Activity. Write the use report.

Standard to meet. Report names three changes.

Common mistake. Ignoring requests.

Check yourself. What was requested?

You cannot find a licence for a popular guide.

Question: What do you do?

Model answer: Do not publish; ask the creator or replace it.

A common search returns nothing.

Question: Fix?

Model answer: Add synonyms and tags, then retest.

On the slide: L1 Basic · Basics of finding

Notes: Describe what a library offers and how people find an item. Notes: visit a local library or open an online one. Standard: three ways to find an item.

On the slide: L2 Awareness · Awareness

Notes: Describe cataloguing (title, creator, subject, rights) and why licences matter. Notes: read two public licence texts and summarise each in one line. Standard: you can say what you may copy.

On the slide: L3 Foundation · Foundation

Notes: Catalogue ten owned or openly licensed items with a description and rights note. Notes: spreadsheet. Standard: no item without a rights line and a source.

On the slide: L4 Practitioner · Practitioner

Notes: Build a small online shelf of 25 items with search, a user guide and an access rule. Notes: test it with three users. Standard: users find an item in under a minute.

On the slide: L5 Specialist · Specialist

Notes: Build a catalogue of at least 50 openly licensed or owned items with descriptions, access rules, a user guide and a four-week use report. Notes: the report shows searches, loans and gaps. Standard: every item's rights are checked and the report names three gaps.

On the slide: L6 Advanced · Advanced

Notes: Run a library with collection policy, rights review and accessibility. Notes: add a yearly weeding and rights audit. Standard: removed items logged with the reason.

On the slide: L7 Super expert · Super expert

Notes: Set the collection, cataloguing and rights method for an online library and teach the librarians who use it. Notes: re-read the copyright and lending rules for the place each year.