Customized Collaborative Knowledge Center with

Google Tools

Susan Fowler, MLISMedical Librarian

Fowler@wustl.edu314-362-8092

Observed Opportunities User Group = Nurse Practitioners on Staff Development Committee

• actively collaborated in person but things fell apart when not in person

• saw a need for a tool to help them work together online and that would serve as a central access point for resources

• regularly used library resources• regularly created surveys

Objectives1. Create a customized interface to provide access toresources and services the group used mostcommonly.

2. Facilitate online collaboration onmeasurement, assessment, and researchprojects.

3. Inexpensive, easy to use, and easy to access.

MethodsNeeds assessment:

• observation of Staff Development Committee meetings• one on one interviews and consultations

Tool Creation: iGoogle page Gadgets

Shared calendarBookmarks for popular links (including a link to the librarian),RSS feeds of PubMed searches on hot topicsTOC for favorite journalsSearch boxes for MedlinePlus and PubMed

DocsBibliographic instruction tutorials

ResultsA week after the interface was introduced,participants created and distributed a surveythrough forms in Google docs.

Participants seemed to only use the surveytool.

Use of the tool completely disappeared afterlibrarian left institution.

Conclusions• Free and easy to use solution

• Time to create actual interface was minimal (90 minutes)

• Further tools could be added to interface to increase usefulness– IM Chat with librarian– Customized Google gadget for library resources and

services

• Ultimately the user population needed active participation from the librarian to make the most of the interface