DC Public Library spends valuable budget dollars acquiring digital resources that include eBooks, audiobooks, databases and video streaming. While usage of the library’s digital collection is incredibly popular and continues to increase with 7,000 items downloaded in 2008 compared to 1.2 million in 2016, there remains a need to increase awareness and usage, particularly with key target audiences who have not yet taken advantage of the wealth of online resources available at the library.

Research data informed the project. A Digital Scorecard Exercise helped working group members relate to customer’s website experiences and identify areas that worked or needed improvement. Data was collected through three types of surveys to better understand customer and staff knowledge about the library’s digital resources. Lastly, both internal and external focus groups were held to find out what staff and users thought about the prototype of the library’s goDigital portal and its supporting collateral.

goDigital is evergreen. However, first quarter performance data indicates success. There are 20,615 more library cardholders in FY18 Q1 (439,213) compared to FY17 Q1 (418,598). This represents about a five percent increase in library cardholders. Overall, digital circulation is up approximately 40 percent in FY18 Q1 (751,723) as compared to FY17 Q1 (536,402). The cumulative east of the river usage has increased by approximately 35 percent for FY18 Q1 (840) as compared to FY17 Q1 (624).