--- title: eResource Trial Guide for Public Libraries description: Use this eResource trial guide to plan, promote, measure, and assess digital resources before your library commits its limited collection funds. image: https://afocirmbqdxnkyescnev.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/featured-images/45f7c73b-9640-485d-9784-e2d9ecee3370/806999a5-b9df-4347-8f02-654356c2058c.webp?v=1791759834302 --- [![](https://www.learnersengaged.com/hubfs/Learners%20Engaged%20Brand%20Kit%202026/LearnersEngaged-LogoColor.svg)](https://www.learnersengaged.com) - Engage - [eResources](https://www.learnersengaged.com/eresources) - [Business Expert Press (BEP)](https://www.learnersengaged.com/bep) - [LingQ](https://www.learnersengaged.com/lingq) - [MakeMake](https://www.learnersengaged.com/makemake) - [Newsreel](https://www.learnersengaged.com/newsreel) - [ParentTV](https://www.learnersengaged.com/parenttv) - [PressReader](https://www.learnersengaged.com/pressreader) - [NovareFOCUS](https://www.learnersengaged.com/novarefocus) - [EIG Connect](https://www.learnersengaged.com/eigconnect) - Innovate - [Insights](https://www.learnersengaged.com/learners-engaged-blog) - Grow - [About Us](https://www.learnersengaged.com/about-learners-engaged) - [Engage With Us](https://www.learnersengaged.com/engage-with-us) [Engage with Us](https://www.learnersengaged.com/engage-with-us) [![](https://www.learnersengaged.com/hubfs/Learners%20Engaged%20Brand%20Kit%202026/LearnersEngaged-LogoColor.svg)](https://www.learnersengaged.com) [Engage with Us](https://www.learnersengaged.com/engage-with-us) [![](https://www.learnersengaged.com/hubfs/Learners%20Engaged%20Brand%20Kit%202026/LearnersEngaged-LogoColor.svg)](https://www.learnersengaged.com) - Engage - [eResources](https://www.learnersengaged.com/eresources) - [Business Expert Press (BEP)](https://www.learnersengaged.com/bep) - [LingQ](https://www.learnersengaged.com/lingq) - [MakeMake](https://www.learnersengaged.com/makemake) - [Newsreel](https://www.learnersengaged.com/newsreel) - [ParentTV](https://www.learnersengaged.com/parenttv) - [PressReader](https://www.learnersengaged.com/pressreader) - [NovareFOCUS](https://www.learnersengaged.com/novarefocus) - [EIG Connect](https://www.learnersengaged.com/eigconnect) - Innovate - [Insights](https://www.learnersengaged.com/learners-engaged-blog) - Grow - [About Us](https://www.learnersengaged.com/about-learners-engaged) - [Engage With Us](https://www.learnersengaged.com/engage-with-us) [Engage with Us](https://www.learnersengaged.com/engage-with-us) [![](https://www.learnersengaged.com/hubfs/Learners%20Engaged%20Brand%20Kit%202026/LearnersEngaged-LogoColor.svg)](https://www.learnersengaged.com) [Engage with Us](https://www.learnersengaged.com/engage-with-us) - Engage - [eResources](https://www.learnersengaged.com/eresources) - [Business Expert Press (BEP)](https://www.learnersengaged.com/bep) - [LingQ](https://www.learnersengaged.com/lingq) - [MakeMake](https://www.learnersengaged.com/makemake) - [Newsreel](https://www.learnersengaged.com/newsreel) - [ParentTV](https://www.learnersengaged.com/parenttv) - [PressReader](https://www.learnersengaged.com/pressreader) - [NovareFOCUS](https://www.learnersengaged.com/novarefocus) - [EIG Connect](https://www.learnersengaged.com/eigconnect) - Innovate - [Insights](https://www.learnersengaged.com/learners-engaged-blog) - Grow - [About Us](https://www.learnersengaged.com/about-learners-engaged) - [Engage With Us](https://www.learnersengaged.com/engage-with-us) [Contact Us](https://www.learnersengaged.com/engage-with-us) # eResource Trial Guide for Public Libraries I've seen a lot of eResource trials end the same way. The login sits in a shared inbox for weeks, a few staff click ... [Mark Ritchie](https://www.learnersengaged.com/learners-engaged-blog/author/mark-ritchie) Oct 12, 2026 --- I've seen a lot of eResource trials end the same way. The login sits in a shared inbox for weeks, a few staff click around, and at the end we stare at a usage report trying to decide whether the number is good. A trial can tell you far more than whether a platform works. It can show whether patrons find it, whether staff can explain it, and whether it meets a real local need. Here's how I'd run one. ## Decide what you're testing before the login arrives A login is not a trial plan. Before access starts, write down the one problem you want this resource to solve, in a sentence anyone on your board would understand: - "We want adults learning English to practise on their own between conversation club meetings." - "We want caregivers to find credible help with common family problems after hours." - "We want job seekers to build one new skill before an interview." Pick one priority, two at most. That sentence keeps the evaluation honest and becomes the first line of your recommendation. ## Set success measures before you see the numbers If you look at the report first, you'll talk yourself into whatever it says. Agree on measures up front and match them to the goal: - **Registrations and active users** tell you whether people can get started. - **Repeat use** tells you whether the resource gives people a reason to come back. I weigh this more than sign-ups. - **Depth measures** like lessons completed, articles read, or videos watched, if the platform reports them. - **Staff and patron comments** explain what the numbers can't: where people got stuck and where something clicked. Decide what counts as encouraging, unclear, or not enough. An honest benchmark beats a perfect one, and a resource built for newcomers shouldn't be judged against a general reading app. Ask the vendor early what reporting you'll get. Know the limits before you promise leadership an impact story. ## Test it the way a patron will meet it A vendor demo is polished on purpose. Your patrons will meet the resource from home, on an older phone, maybe with an expired card, maybe reading instructions in their second language. So test that version: 1\. Register from outside the building, not on the staff network. 2\. Try it on a phone and on a desktop. 3\. Go through account creation exactly as a patron would. 4\. Look for [captions, clear help, and language settings](https://www.learnersengaged.com/learners-engaged-blog/accessible-eresources-for-public-libraries), and check that progress saves. 5\. Count the steps between your website and the first useful screen. One extra form won't stop a motivated user, but it will stop someone nervous about technology. Bring in the people who'll get the questions. A 15-minute [walkthrough with circulation](https://www.learnersengaged.com/learners-engaged-blog/how-to-get-frontline-staff-recommending-digital-resources), reference, youth, and outreach staff will turn up problems your eResource lead never sees. Give each person one task, don't coach, and ask where they paused. ## What this looks like with LingQ Here's a concrete example. [LingQ](https://www.learnersengaged.com/lingq) is a language-learning platform built on comprehensible input. Instead of flashcard drills, patrons read and listen to real content (podcasts, stories, news, videos, and music) in 50+ languages. They tap unknown words for a translation, and those words become vocabulary they review in context. It was co-founded by polyglot Steve Kaufmann, whose LingoSteve YouTube channel reaches about 1.6 million language learners. Here's what I'd test during a LingQ trial: - **Your actual languages.** Check the languages your newcomer and multilingual families really speak, not just Spanish and French. - **Phone use.** LingQ runs on web and mobile, including offline downloads. Try it on a phone on a bus with no signal. - **Content patrons already care about.** Patrons can import YouTube videos, ebooks, websites, and podcasts into lessons. Have an ESL or conversation-club volunteer try importing something they'd actually use. - **Program fit.** It's built for newcomer and ESL programs, conversation clubs, heritage-language learners, and lifelong learners. Run it alongside one existing program instead of launching it cold. For the setup, Learners Engaged handles LingQ demos, trials, onboarding guidance, and invoicing for North American public libraries, and you get a marketing toolkit plus help with patron onboarding and system integrations, so IT isn't left to figure it out alone. To start, request a trial, pick one program, and point your conversation club at it in week one. ## Promote the trial like a service, not an experiment If patrons never hear about a trial, low use doesn't prove low interest. It proves low awareness. A trial still needs a small [promotion plan](https://www.learnersengaged.com/learners-engaged-blog/how-to-market-library-eresources). Skip "Try our new database." Say what someone can do with it, like "Practise Spanish with real songs and shows." Use two or three channels you already do well, and put it where the audience is: language tools at ESL classes and settlement partners, parenting tools at storytime. Give staff one sentence they can repeat: who it's for, what it helps with, and how to start. ## Check in halfway, not at the end Don't wait for the last week. A mid-trial look is when you can still fix things: - Are people registering but not coming back? - Is one branch or partner driving most of the use? - Are staff unsure how to describe it? - Is the login confusing anyone? Keep feedback light. A one-question staff form works: "What did a patron find useful or difficult?" Specific comments beat "good resource," but don't let three great stories outweigh the usage data. ## Decide on fit, then write it down At the end, go back to your original sentence. Did the resource serve those people? Could staff support it without much training? Was promotion manageable? Can you explain its value in one sentence? Cost matters, but a cheap resource nobody can find still drains staff time, and a specialized one can earn its place by filling a clear gap. Consortia should separate systemwide totals from local results. Capture it all in a one- or two-page decision record: the need, trial dates, promotion used, usage, staff and patron observations, access problems, and your recommendation. It'll save you at renewal time or when the person who ran the trial moves on. A good trial doesn't have to end in a yes. Learning that a resource isn't the right fit right now protects your budget and your staff's time. When it does show real use, you'll have a clear case for supporting the people your library is here to serve. Share on :   ## Similar posts [![LearnersEngaged-IconColor](https://www.learnersengaged.com/hubfs/Learners%20Engaged%20Brand%20Kit%202026/LearnersEngaged-IconColor.svg "LearnersEngaged-IconColor")](https://www.learnersengaged.com) Engage. Innovate. 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