Continuing professional development (CPD) can be challenging for librarians due to budget restraints or job responsibilities. Therefore, participating in learning activities to enhance their skills or knowledge can be challenging. MicroLib is a microlearning app specifically designed for librarians. The app provides micro-courses that they take at their own pace. By completing the micro-course, they will attain certification and a digital badge that can open doors for promotion. There are no microlearning resources specifically for librarians; they need to turn to other apps that do not always meet their continuing professional development needs.
Please visit MicroLib for more information.
Elevator Pitch
REVIEW: Thanks for your project, Anna! I think this is a great idea to solve a problem in your work environment. I have seen a lot of professionals struggle to keep up with their professional development and having an easy app to access with microlearning relevant to your role would be super helpful. I especially like how you decided to create the payment options for the app. That way, if I librarian does not have a budget for professional development but still wants to learn, they can access the information. My one question to you – is how would you manage to stay relevant with content? Would you have a team continuously creating new content, or would there be an annual update? Basically – how do you get a librarian to come back after they learned all the content? Content development will really drive your cost up beyond the cost of the app and marketing. Finally – how much does a person need to invest in order to gain 5% of your revenue? I would invest 😉
Hello Marie-Eve,
The intention would be to have the content reviewed quarterly to ensure the information is up to date. I thought that point was included. I cannot foresee a librarian going through all the courses at once. Especially since there are four main topics (Strategic Planning and Leadership, Inclusivism and Community Outreach, Teaching and Learning and Educational Technology), and each topic has 7 -10 modules. Plus, it would depend on which sector they would be interested in public, higher education, school, or special libraries. However, the long term would include other areas should this venture be successful. Content development would not drive the cost up should I select an outside or a local agency, but that would be a cost analysis that I would have to determine. Hence, I refer to the following references: B, E., & К, A. (2020, October 26). How Much Does It Cost To Develop An E-Learning App? https://exceed-team.com/en/blog/how-much-does-it-cost-to-buid-elearning-app#main-factors-of-pricing-in-e-learning-development and Garina, O. (2022, February 9). How Much It Costs to Build an E-learning App – Project Types and Estimation. https://hqsoftwarelab.com/blog/elearning-development-costs/ on the Business Model page. If the seed investment is 90,000 and the investor provides the total amount, any revenue will receive 5%. Thank you for the great feedback.
Thank you for sharing that information, Anna!
REVIEW: Hi Anna, great pitch! Often the best ideas emerge out of passion and need – it’s evident that both are instrumental in the development of this venture! Professional development that is specific and relevant is often hard to find. I’m sure we’ve all sat through some PD days that were not what we were hoping for. MicroLib does a great job of offering a solution to this problem. However, since this concept targets a very niche market, my concern as an investor is that the market size may be limiting. Further information on market size and pricing details (subscription pricing tiers) may help investors feel more confident that their investment will garner a return. You have provided a well-laid-out timeline and marketing plan; I like the idea of piloting the app with an institution. This would allow MicroLib to work out any kinks in the platform, as well as in the content and with delivery. Post piloting, MicroLib could use testimonials stating the relevancy of the content, ease of the platform, etc. It seems the most difficult, yet important aspect will be curating the content to ensure it is pertinent and engaging. I’d invest! Thanks for sharing.
Hello Meagan,
I do not think the pricing is necessary since it is about selling myself and the venture. I reflected on that point a lot, and I believe providing the tiers is sufficient. As a lot more work needs to be put into this project. However, it is a niche market, but the profession’s growth will be compensated as there are librarians who are retiring and those who are graduating. In my reflection, I refer to the niche market from the aspect of limited apps for librarians. The engaging element would be content with gamification and various activities to engage the users. It is my fault; I thought I did include the point about ensuring the content is pertinent. So my apologies for the confusion. Thank you for your great feedback and for raising the niche market concern!!
FEEDBACK
I really like the concept of micro-course and micro-credentials, so I think it very wise that you position it this way. I am curious if there are plans to get these credentials accredited through OCT or something; similar to how teachers can take additional qualifications (AQs) that are recognized. I think there are other learning platforms out there, such as Coursera, but they are not focusing on skills that librarians need. My one fear would be that platforms like this might pick up on this need and then overpower you just due to their size. I think accreditation would protect you from that. I think you mentioned that you would market directly to librarians, but I also think you should aim to get contracts with school boards and districts. My sense is there are a lot fewer librarians than teachers, for example, so your best chance of success would probably be to license your platform to an entire board. Not that I think this should be the aim, but boards often purchase things they think their staff members need even if they don’t all plan to use it. So you may sell licenses that don’t necessarily get used. An individual librarian that does not think they would need this service would obviously not purchase it for themselves.
Hello Nathan,
Valid point, but when researching, my original topic was teachers and librarians, but there are some apps for teachers. However, MicroLib could still be marketed towards school boards and districts because of school librarians and content and be changed to include teachers. I was also thinking of eventually including library technicians as they often need upskilling. To be honest, there are not fewer librarians, but instead, they have dual roles; teaching and being a librarian. For example, I taught courses and was expected to carry out all my responsibilities as a librarian. I think the roles of librarians from a traditional viewpoint which I believe is changing slowly. That is a fantastic idea did not think of school boards and districts; thanks for the suggestion.
Hi Anna, ah yes, I wasn’t really thinking about the librarian roles exactly. Now that I think about it, many that I have known also have that dual role you mentioned!
REVIEW: Hi Anna! I really enjoyed reading about your experiences as a librarian and how you recognize and tackled the issue of CPD. As someone who was in a librarian position for half a year, I could definitely have used microlearning opportunities to support my ability to fulfill my role. I think that your idea is solid and would be used heavily for resources and new opportunities to have students engage in learning. One question I did have was about how you plan to acquire these micro-courses and how you will curate them to maintain quality as well as how many people you feel would engage in these courses. From my own experiences designing courses, I found that it look a lot of effort to create a high quality course and while I’m sure you have a wealth of experience, your idea to have a variety of topics might also require other working professionals to help design these courses.
Hello Wynn,
Thank you for your comments. Curation is an area I do struggle with as to what would be the best strategy, and some companies have a department dedicated to content managers. And I do believe curation is a vital component in microlearning; However, through assessments for feedback from learners, a quarterly review of content to ensure the quality; therefore, review for currency, innovation, and engagement. As we both know, in this profession, there is constant change. In terms of new engagement opportunities, I foresee mini-lectures synchronous with virtual classrooms and discussion boards. As to how many people would engage the app, I cannot put an actual number, but there is interest, based on conversations I had with colleagues in Canada and the US. Currently, there are no apps for librarians; however, there are many discussions about microlearning in libraries and associations. I recognize that other professionals will need to be involved with various topics and sectors, so that is definitely part of the plan.
REVIEW: Hi Anna, I love your idea for having a CPD for librarians. I enjoyed viewing your video a lot! Having worked with librarians at my current job, it made me want to invest right away! 1) The subscription model is a very intelligent one. It reminds me of some of the courses I take on EdX/coursera etc. Like that you also include a trial/free with ads model to generate revenue. 2) Micro courses are fun to take for the average adult learner. Looking in the the future, how will the app continue to motivate students who may forget to use it after a certain time? Will there be a way to award students by giving them an official certification of completion after taking the course? 3) Who will be in charge of updating the content of the courses? will there be a designated educator for each course? Amazing venture idea, Anna! Thank you so much for sharing!
Hello Mary,
Thank you for your comments. There would be notifications i.e. to keep them on track. Similar to what LinkedIn Learning has when participating in a course. The learner sets goals and if not met they will receive reminders, however, it is up to them to keep on track. It would be costly to have SMEs for each course, so I would need to assess how many would be needed to design more than one course. Therefore, hiring SMEs with diverse backgrounds would be ideal so they could design more than one course.
[REVIEW] I like the marketplace for this idea, that you have found something that directly impacts you and your colleagues increases the acceptance of the idea. The inclusion of timeline gives strong promise and visualization of where the platform is in its design phase. The cost structure outlines thought into who is going to be using the platform and how to effectively monetize it; I would obviously like to see what the ROI is on this investment, and this appears to be all I’m given. What is the expected revenue for year 1-6 should I decide invest? I truly value libraries so I lean on passion here, but also see them in the future as vital spaces for sustainable cities and with a nod to the future I feel this might have drawn in other investors as well, seeing the long-term viability of both the library and as an extension the librarian. How many current librarians are there in Canada that might benefit from this service, and what might that projection be in 1-6 years? The core concept here is great, it competes well with other micro learning platforms as it has a specialization, but because of this specialization the numbers need to support the investment.
Hi Kyle,
The employment for librarians provided by Job Bank Canada is outdated. In 2018 it was 16,700: https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/marketreport/outlook-occupation/5263/ca Hence, I did not include the employment number. Also, according to the data provided, they do not offer employment numbers but explain that employment will increase over the next 10 years (2019-2028) due to retirement and the expansion of libraries. They also offer prospects across Canada, which, in my opinion, is not accurate based on their definition of a librarian NOC 5111. As the role of librarians has changed, and the government has not caught up as yet. For reference, check out one of the sites that publicize positions regularly: https://ischool.utoronto.ca/job-site/. The government cannot define all categories, but they are still traditional roles. It is pertinent information that you are referring to. Still, it is challenging to find such information unless the data is granular, i.e., by province, and not every region has that information readily available. For some reason, Canada is not like the US, whereby such information is easily accessible. You raise valid points. I think the following will work to overcome this obstacle: The strategy would be to work with the team to calculate the employment numbers by province. In regions where the information is not available, direct will be needed. As for defining a librarian and their roles, An analysis of the leading associations would have to be done. What definitions and functions are currently being outlined will be reviewed. Thank you for your comments.
FEEDBACK: Hi Anna. Thanks for the great pitch. I think that librarians are often undervalued, especially in smaller libraries. I like that you saw a need for professional development in your own work and decided to design an app to address that need. Being a librarian yourself, you understand what is needed in the market.
Hello Terri-Lynn
Thank you. Though. I have made a slight career change by working towards my MET degree. Librarianship is in my heart, and I hope to eventually work whereby the two are merged. As those roles are becoming very prominent. But, as librarians, we sometimes need to have apps designed for us, just like other professions.
FEEDBACK: Hi Anna! Great work on your venture. I love micro-learning and think that a lot of industries could benefit from ventures like this one. I wonder if this idea could be scaled further to other industries in the future. As an investor, i would love to learn a bit more about the PD requirement required as a librarian, how many hours are required per year and how many courses per year would librarians likely participate in as this would create an understanding for me of the market size for this type of venture. Great work on this idea!