Bibliothekarische Kompetenzen gehen über die Bibliothek hinaus – das ...

German Traces NYC was one of the Goethe-Institut New York’s most expansive projects of the year. For this reason, marketing and evaluation are especially important.
In addition to announcements sent to the German and US press through the media channels of the Goethe-Institut and Pratt Institute, we also sent information to our primary target groups: all German teachers in New York City and surrounding states, and those librarians in New York and across in the United States who are part of Western European Studies received targeted announcements, as did organizations that deal with the history of New York. Besides this front-end information, we plan, in the coming months, to contact individual organizations and institutions in order to bring the project to their attention. Additionally, German Traces will be introduced at workshops and conferences. And, of course, we’ve come up with a few “cool” promotional materials:)

A further aspect of the project which, following its initial presentation, must be kept in mind is evaluation. Who is using the mobile website? Do users find this method of conveying information stimulating, interesting? To this end, our project partners Debbie Rabina and Anthony Cocciolo, professors at School for Information and Library Science at Pratt Institute, have initiated a usability study. One of the questions they wish to research is if students in the focus group, having used the mobile website to explore German Traces, have a better understanding of the history of German emigrants in New York. And generally, in addition to the concrete utilization of German Traces, they are generally interested in how this presentation of historical material will influence learning.

So next year as well, there will be news to report on this project…