Tools of Academic Library Assessment: the User Survey

ABSTRACT

Academic libraries are taking a closer look at how well they are serving the needs of their users. As a result assessment activities become more important. In this column, the authors will focus on and describe one major tool of assessment—the user survey.     

大学图书馆用户满意度调查方法研究及启示

澳大利亚大学图书馆应用Rodski用户满意度调查方法从用户的角度评价图书馆的服务工作绩效,找出图书馆服务工作的重心及急需图书馆改进的领域,以利于整体把握和推进图书馆质量管理工作。文章从调查目的及指导思想、RodskiGroup与澳大利亚大学图书馆馆长委员会(CAUL)合作方式、调查方法及数据统计方法、调查结果在图书馆工作中的应用等方面研究评价了这种调查方法及其给我国大学图书馆用户满意度调查研究和图书馆服务质量评估工作带来的启示。     

A Study of the Variables Influencing Academic Library Staff's Attitudes Toward Marketing

This article aims to present an insight into some of the factors influencing the attitudes of academic library staff in three UK university libraries toward marketing and how these factors could be incorporated into an existing model. An online questionnaire about attitudes to marketing and personality was completed by 54 academic library staff from three UK universities. Four academic library management staff were also selected for in-depth interviews. The results indicated that academic library staff have a positive attitude toward marketing and feel that it is vital in the current environment. The research found that personality factors such as extroversion and openness to change, experience and training influenced marketing attitudes. It also revealed that academic library staff were unclear of the definition of marketing, leading to a possible misunderstanding and mistrust of the terminology. The research discovered a gap in marketing knowledge and understanding that must be addressed for marketing success to be achieved. The findings supported the definition of marketing for individual academic libraries as a prerequisite to strategic marketing planning and the importance of considering the attitudes of staff when implementing marketing strategy.     

A Use of Space: The Unintended Messages of Academic Library Web Sites

Academic library home pages are not only access points to the resources and services of a library, they are virtual representations of the library itself. The content placed on the page, where it is placed, and the amount of space allotted are all choices that send a message about the character of the library, the resources a user should start with, and the library's attitude toward its users. This study explores the messages being sent by the content selection and design of the home pages of 49 of the 50 largest academic libraries in the United States. By looking at the area allocated to different content types and the number and location of different content types, the researchers discovered that design elements and promotion/public relations receive a large amount of page space. The researchers also identified the prominently positioned multi-search box as the apparent de facto standard access point to library resources. Many sites are clearly designed to direct users to specific, presumably important resources. Other sites are more obscure in their site structure and design, increasing the options and visual clutter for users without providing much guidance.     

Toward a Usable Academic Library Web Site: A Case Study of Tried and Tested Usability Practices

Usability testing is an important element when designing useful, usable academic library Web sites. Since 2001, members of the Florida International University Libraries Web team have worked toward establishing a process that identifies user needs through usability testing. Starting with the libraries’ first Web site redesign project in 2001, the team has taken an active part in improving Web site user experience. After engaging in multiple redesign efforts, the Web team has developed a process that supports awareness of user experience through continual usability testing and feedback gathering. This article presents strategies and practices to measure Web site user experience, including classic usability testing methods (e.g., card sorting activities, focus groups, and task-based user testing), as well as the team's latest effort to assess Web site analytics and content to identify Web site usage patterns and areas of concern. A history of the Florida International University Libraries’ Web site redesign process is presented to illustrate lessons learned and best practices to facilitate future redesign and testing efforts. Taking a longitudinal look at usability testing at one institution, the study aims to inform the development of an effective strategy for user research and content management.     

Differently Able: A Review of Academic Library Websites for People With Disabilities

ABSTRACT

As an interdisciplinary field, Gerontology shares with History, Literary Criticism, Psychology, Sociology, and Anthropology the use of autobiography as a primary research tool. In addition, Gerontology, like Counseling, Social Work and Psychoanalysis, uses autobiography as a counseling technique. We believe that autobiography also has merit in orienting older, non-traditional students, and students in social work related fields, to the library and its resources. In this paper we describe a pilot project based on this theory.     

The Researcher's Journey: Scholarly Navigation of an Academic Library Web Site

A qualitative study of the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library's Web site identified the ways in which students and faculty of the University of Montana used the site for research purposes. This study employed open-ended interview questions and observations to spontaneously capture a user's experience in researching topics in which they specialized. Four thematic recommendations emerged from nine study participants: increase the readability and consistency of the library's Web site, provide research guidance and ease of navigation, offer task-based services that maximize technology, and enable customization. The study led to Web site modifications and a formalized process by which the library will approach subsequent Web site design.     

Toward a User-Centered Academic Library Home Page

ABSTRACT

In the past decade, academic libraries have struggled with the design of an effective library home page. Since librarians' mental models of information architecture differ from those of their patrons, usability assessments are necessary in designing a user-centered home page. This study details a usability sequence of card sort and paper and online survey methods conducted at the Auraria Library, which serves the University of Colorado Denver, the Metropolitan State College of Denver, and the Community College of Denver. The three top complaints about the existing Web page included information overload, lack of visual cues and guidance, and difficulty getting to what students knew was the heart of the library's Web page: online resources. Using qualitative and quantitative data from the card sorting sessions, the Web librarian, under the direction of the Web Advisory Committee, was able to create a more user-centered home page. Unique to this study are the use of undergraduate students in creating test instruments and a means of gathering information about what students value most in their library's home page.     

对新世纪高校图书馆建设的几点思考

新世纪高校图书馆建设受到四大潮流冲击：世界科技革命、市场经济、素质教育和知识经济对图书情报业提出严峻的挑战。目前高校图书馆存在的“五重五轻”现象暖流相适应，因此，应当从更新观念，制定规划、盘活馆藏、提高档次、加强培训、完善服务方面入手，搞好新世纪高校图书馆建设。     

Academic Library Web Sites and Distance Education

Abstract

This study focuses on college and university library services provided to distance education students and a content analysis of library Web sites. The Web sites chosen were categorized by the amount of distance education the institution offered to students. Results indicated that the size of the institution had the strongest correlation to library services offered to distance education students (Spearman's rho of .618), not the degree to which distance education is provided (rho of .076). This study suggests that just because an institution offers distance learning courses does not necessarily mean that its library offers a full range of Web services to meet distance learner needs, and it brings into question whether some institutions have been too quick to provide distance education services without properly addressing student library needs.     

Business Library Web Sites Revisited: An Updated Review of the Organization and Content of Academic Business Library Web Sites

This article updates the findings from a study by Hal Kirkwood in 2000 of the organization and content of academic business library Web sites. The authors examined 75 sites, focusing on five general aspects of the sites: organization, terminology, instructional elements, integration of resources across formats, and annotations. Results of the study show that business library Websites have dramatically improved in the 7 years since the original study.     

Use of Special Collections as an Opportunity for Outreach in the Academic Library

ABSTRACT

Academic special collections librarians have made great strides in making their collections discoverable and accessible to a wide audience. This article examines use of special collections departments and the many kinds of outreach librarians undertake to increase access to and knowledge of their collections, including creating electronic finding aids, digitizing material, collaborating with faculty, increasing participation in instruction and reference, and using exhibits, social media, and relationships with community partners to further the mission and goals of the library and the college or university. The article uses the University of Illinois at Chicago Special Collections Department as a case study.     

The Perfect Storm: Examining User Experience and Conducting a Usability Test to Investigate a Disruptive Academic Library Web Site Redevelopment

Abstract

The researchers conducted a task-based usability test of the effectiveness of online research beginning on the library Web site homepage. The participants included five university faculty members, six graduate students, and six undergraduate students. All participants reported feeling satisfied with their overall research experience, though most were unable to effectively complete all the research tasks of the test. The researchers identified weaknesses in the approach and process of many participants, and overall usability issues of the library discovery tool and other library Web site pages and research interfaces. Findings indicate the need to strategically incorporate self-service information literacy and research skills help into the library Web site, and to implement navigation and design changes to the library homepage, discovery tool interface, online catalog, and across all the library's Web services.     

基于感知质量的科技文献数据库网站信息用户满意模型研究

在网络环境下,如何从用户视角研究网站使用效果和可接受程度,已经成为业界和理论界普遍关注的问题,但作为提供信息产品和服务的科技文献数据库网站,其用户满意研究的相关理论与实践还处于起步阶段.本文对信息用户的感知质量进行了探索性研究,根据样本调查、专家访谈结果识别了科技文献数据库网站所提供的信息产品和信息服务的质量     

Ebooks in Academic Libraries

Abstract

The number of ebooks continues to grow in academic libraries. Ebooks have many advantages that make them attractive as a library resource. However, ebooks also have restrictions. These include use and sharing restrictions, license restrictions, and technological barriers. Some students also prefer print books for specific tasks. The following articles examine many aspects of ebooks in academic libraries, including student preference, overall ebook use, and the advantages and disadvantages of various ebook acquisition models.     

Library Instruction Assessment in Academic Libraries

SUMMARY

Determining the best methods of assessment for a library instruction program in a large research university can be a challenging task. Albert R. Mann Library at Cornell University Library has pilot-tested three methods of formative and summative assessment for its library instruction program-attitudinal, outcomes-based, and gap-measure-and determined not only key areas of improvement for the program, but also the benefits and drawbacks of each method of assessment. Attitudinal assessment has guided program improvement in areas of marketing and user satisfaction but does not provide the measurement of learning that outcomes-based assessment covers. The latter can be difficult to achieve in single-session, short-term instruction, while gap-measure assessment can provide a more nuanced view of both patron and instructor attitudes toward learning outcomes, if not actual data on achievement of the objectives themselves. The authors have determined that a combination of these three different types of assessment can address the shortcomings of a single method alone and provide a better measure of the program as a whole.     

Marketing the Academic Library

Abstract

Academic libraries do not often launch public relations campaigns. However, recent changes and enhancements at the Geoffrey R. Weller Library at the University of Northern British Columbia prompted librarians to embark on a public awareness campaign built upon the “@ your library” framework. The campaign featured multiple strategies, including posters, displays, brochures, newspaper ads, and giveaways. The goal of the campaign was to break away from the stereotypical image of the library as a research necessity, and show it instead as the beating heart of the University. The campaign is evaluated and the continued need for marketing and promotion of academic library services is examined.     

美国顶级大学图书馆应用Web 2.0的现状调查与分析

通过网络调研Web 2.0在美国顶级大学图书馆网站的使用情况。结果显示：最受欢迎的Web 2.0技术是SNS,使用率达到100%;其次为Blog,RSS和IM,分别占90%以上;Vodcasts（占47%）,Podcasts（占46%）和Social bookmarking（占39%）也较受欢迎;Wiki的使用率较低,仅占1/3。认为Web 2.0在这些图书馆的使用情况和技术结构模式在一定程度上反映美国大学图书馆服务数字化、互动化、个性化的发展趋势,同时也映射出世界图书馆服务人性化、互动化的变化。研究结果可为专业图书馆信息研究管理者、Web 2.0部署人员以及图书馆用户等相关人士提供参考意见和建议。     

论图书馆学术权力

学术权力是图书馆权力体系的重要组成部分,是图书馆行政权力的重要补充。现实中,由于行政权力的泛滥,图书馆学术权力并没有发挥出应有的效力,有被极度弱化的现象。这种现象不但使图书馆行政权力的行使失去了科学性保证,而且容易造成学术权力对行政权力的抵制,加大了管理的难度,图书馆专家学者的学术研究也因此表现得松散而无序。要从根本上改变这种局面,关键是须给予学术权力充分的授权,并通过制度确保其行使的合法性。     

略论高校图书馆的学术性

论述了高校图书馆的学术性特征，提出了强化高校图书馆学术性特征的措施。