Getting Your Community to Use Read

We know that finding user engagement can be challenging, so we've provided a few strategies that other Read Institutional Edition subscribers have found success with. The resources that we mention in these strategies have also been attached to this article, so you can start applying these strategies at your institution.

First thing you will want to do is to implement a link on your website (library guide) to these various resources, particularly the Slide Deck and Guide: How to Share Papers. You should then add the Read search bar to your institution's or library web page that will allow user's to directly access Read and find what they are looking for. Once everything has been updated, you will want to make sure everyone has been notified via an email blast.

1. Read Video

Videos are always one of the best ways to get a point across effectively, especially for a concept or application that people may not be familiar with. This video provides animations and a quick summary to showcase what Read is all about within the span of under ninety seconds! The video can be shared through emails, shown during a meeting, placed on an institution's library page, or embedded to a website. You can use the links below to start sharing the video right away:

Email/Social Media: http://qx.md/video

Embedding on Websites: https://qxmd.wistia.com/medias/r1wua5buem

2. Postcard

The postcard essentially lets your community know that your institution has signed up for a Read Institutional Edition subscription, and provides instructions on how they can set up their institutional access. This is usually sent out through an email blast, and added to the institution's website (library guide).                                                                                                                                                              Note: if the Dropbox link doesn't work, you can find the attachments at the very bottom.

3. Slide Deck

The slide deck is a brief overview of Read that can be used to teach new users about the various features and help them walk-through the app for the first time. This can also be sent out via an email blast, and be integrated or linked to your institution's website (library guide).
Note: if the Dropbox link doesn't work, you can find the attachments at the very bottom.

4. Guide: How to Share Papers

This is a guide on how to use Read to share papers within your institution. This is particularly useful for those that want to share papers among their peers, students within a class, a book club, and more! This should be added to your library guide as well.  
Note: if the Dropbox link doesn't work, you can find the attachments at the very bottom.

5. Read Search Bar

The Read search bar essentially allows users to make a search as if they were using the Read application. By having the Read search bar readily available on the institution or library's homepage, users are instantly introduced to Read and able to find the topics they want. To learn how to embed the search bar, click here.

Read by QxMD has provided a quick and easy way for medical professionals and students to discover and access relevant medical research. By using Read, institutions have seen an overwhelming increase in the number of users who are engaging with abstracts and full-text papers. The strategies above can improve quality of care and education by allowing your community to keep up to date with the latest research in their field in less time than ever before.

Find out how Read has helped transform user engagement at ANZCA.

Find out how Read has helped transform user engagement at The Healthcare Library at Northern Ireland.