ucts are integrated into a wider portfolio of services, and using Ex Libris’s APIs we have created an integrated digital ecosystem. We have developed digital services from scratch to plug into exist- ing­systems­and­fill­niches­and­bespoke­ needs­that­off­the­shelf­commercial­prod- ucts don’t meet. For instance, in 2019 we developed a content ordering system that integrates with Alma and other systems including the university’s user management systems and the Copyright Licensing Agency’s Digital Content Store. This provides a single front door for all library users to request new content and an­admin­interface­and­workflow­for­ content­team­staff­to­fulfill­requests­via­ the­most­appropriate­and­cost-effective­ route.


Could you give any examples of projects you are doing that show


how you use library technology? Our approach to digital has provided opportunities to work beyond the traditional parameters of the Library. For instance, we were a major stakeholder in a project in 2018/19 to design Ask L.U., Lancaster University’s voice and chat service for students (https://www.lancaster. ac.uk/news/lancaster-university-launch-pioneer- ing-chatbot-companion-for-students). Using Amazon’s Alexa technology, and accessible via an Amazon Echo smart speaker, smart- phone or tablet, Ask L.U. allows students to access a wealth of university information using­their­voice.­We­were­significant­ partners in this project in two ways:


l Providing expertise on using Amazon technologies, based on our experience of working with Amazon’s AWS cloud services.


l Designing and delivering integrations with library systems. For instance, students can­use­Ask­L.U.­to­find­out­what­books­ they have on loan or book a group study room in the library, via integrations with Alma and LibCal.


In other areas, we are working with stakeholders across the institution to lead an initiative to increase the value and impact of special collections and visual outputs from academic research. We have partnered with Cambridge University to develop and implement an instance of their Cambridge University Digital Library platform, which follows Manchester’s launch of Manchester Digital Collections in 2019. Our own Lancaster Digital Collections will host high quality images and multimedia content from our archives and special collections and from partnerships with others, including our academic researchers.


How are you managing and using data?


As a library we have developed plans to make greater use of the data held within


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our LMS and other sources to drive evidence-based decision making. We already use Alma Analytics reporting functionality, and through the recent formation­of­two­new­staff­groups­within­ the Library we will be expanding its use and maximising its value. As with many libraries, we have historically been very good at capturing data but perhaps less good at realising the latent value in the broad range of data sources and exploring how to use it to make better decisions.


We are also using technology to devel- op new data-driven services in Research Intelligence. Tools such as Scopus, SciVal and Altmetric have enabled us to help researchers explore the impact of their research through analysing citations and other activity around academic publica-


Thomas Shaw.


tions. We’re beginning to push this use of citation data further, via a current piece of work to explore the relationship between research grant income and pub- lication and citation of research papers. And we have future plans to explore ways of automating much of this data report- ing, ensuring that relevant users have access to data on tap at the point of need.


What is the biggest challenge for


technology now? The­need­for­flexibility­from­vendors­ and their systems is critical. No single vendor will be able to provide everything a modern academic library service needs, and those needs change with increasing frequency. Interoperability with other systems,­and­the­ability­to­reconfigure­


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