Developing a generic tool to routinely measure the impact of health libraries

Background

Health libraries contribute to many activities of a health care organisation. Impact assessment needs to capture that range of contributions.

Objectives

To develop and pilot a generic impact questionnaire that: (1) could be used routinely across all English NHS libraries; (2) built on previous impact surveys; and (3) was reliable and robust.

Methods

This collaborative project involved: (1) literature search; (2) analysis of current best practice and baseline survey of use of current tools and requirements; (3) drafting and piloting the questionnaire; and (4) analysis of the results, revision and plans for roll out.

Findings

The framework selected was the International Standard Methods And Procedures For Assessing The Impact Of Libraries (ISO 16439). The baseline survey (n = 136 library managers) showed that existing tools were not used, and impact assessment was variable. The generic questionnaire developed used a Critical Incident Technique. Analysis of the findings (n = 214 health staff and students), plus comparisons with previous impact studies indicated that the questionnaire should capture the impact for all types of health libraries.

Conclusions

The collaborative project successfully piloted a generic impact questionnaire that, subject to further validation, should apply to many types of health library and information services.     

Assessing the preparedness of university libraries for digital preservation

This study was carried out to assess the preparedness of libraries for digital preservation programs in terms of the availability of financial, technological, human resources, and policies and procedures. The sampling frame comprised of central libraries of 70 public sector universities and DAIs established till 2010. Out of the 70 targeted institutions, 63 participated in the survey with a response rate of 90%. Due to a lack of normality in the data, non-parametric tests (Mann Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis H) were applied for exploring significant differences and variances between different groups. Overall, a passive level of preparedness was observed for digital preservation in these libraries. A lower level of preparedness was noted in terms of policies and procedures related to digital preservation (M = 1.79, SD = 1.039), training opportunities (M = 1.98, SD = 0.944), and skilled human resources (M = 2.07, SD = 1.110). The availability of funds for acquisition of technological infrastructure (M = 2.59, SD = 1.364) was the only area where libraries had a good level of preparedness. Libraries of Islamabad Capital Territory and the Punjab province showed better preparedness than libraries in other parts of the country. The study has theoretical implications for researchers and practical implications for university libraries, higher education administrative bodies, and university and library administrators.     

Public library computer training for older adults to access high-quality Internet health information

An innovative experiment to develop and evaluate a public library computer training program to teach older adults to access and use high-quality Internet health information involved a productive collaboration among public libraries, the National Institute on Aging and the National Library of Medicine of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and a Library and Information Science (LIS) academic program at a state university. One hundred and thirty-one older adults aged 54–89 participated in the study between September 2007 and July 2008. Key findings include: a) participants had overwhelmingly positive perceptions of the training program; b) after learning about two NIH websites (http://nihseniorhealth.gov and http://medlineplus.gov) from the training, many participants started using these online resources to find high-quality health and medical information and, further, to guide their decision making regarding a health- or medically-related matter; and c) computer anxiety significantly decreased (p < .001) while computer interest and efficacy significantly increased (p = .001 and p < .001, respectively) from pre- to post-training, suggesting statistically significant improvements in computer attitudes between pre- and post-training. The findings have implications for public libraries, LIS academic programs, and other organizations interested in providing similar programs in their communities.     

Bibliotherapy for mental health service users Part 2: a survey of psychiatric libraries in the UK

Aims and objectives: UK health policy advocates a patient‐centred approach to patient care. Library services could serve the rehabilitation needs of mental health service users through bibliotherapy (the use of written, audio or e‐learning materials to provide therapeutic support). Part 2 of this two‐part paper assesses the views of psychiatric libraries in the UK on providing access to service users and possible services provided. Methods: An e‐mail questionnaire survey of psychiatric library members of the psychiatric lending co‐operative scheme (n = 100) obtained a response rate of 55%, mostly from libraries based in hospitals. Results: At present, libraries funded by the health service provide minimal facilities for service users. Librarians are uncertain about the benefits and practicalities of providing access to service users. Conclusions: In order to implement change, information providers across the National Health Service (NHS) will need to work collaboratively to overcome attitudinal and institutional barriers, including the key issue of funding.     

Metadata Quality Control in Digital Repositories and Collections: Criteria,Semantics, and Mechanisms

This article evaluates practices on metadata quality control in digital repositories and collections using an online survey of cataloging and metadata professionals in the United States. The study examines (1) the perceived importance of metadata quality, (2) metadata quality evaluation criteria and issues, and (3) mechanisms for building quality assurance into the metadata creation process. The survey finds wide recognition of the essential role of metadata quality assurance. Accuracy and consistency are prioritized as the main criteria for metadata quality evaluation. Metadata semantics greatly affects consistent and accurate metadata application. Strong awareness of metadata quality correlates with the widespread adoption of various quality control mechanisms, such as staff training, manual review, metadata guidelines, and metadata generation tools. And yet, metadata guidelines are used less frequently as a quality assurance mechanism in digital collections involving multiple institutions.     

A survey of library services for autistic college students

According to the research literature, services at academic libraries and institutions of higher education do not adequately address the support needed to help autistic students thrive in college. We surveyed academic librarians about library services for autistic students at their libraries to better understand the relevant library services provided for this population. At the institutions surveyed, 37 % (n = 22) of libraries have a person responsible for accessibility issues, and 63 % (n = 37) do not have a person responsible for accessibility. Additionally, we found that 78 % (n = 47) of academic libraries provide services for disabled students and only 22 % do not (n = 13). Most pertinent to our research, 34 % of libraries (n = 20) provide services for autistic students and 66 % (n = 39) do not provide services for autistic students.     

A global snapshot of the state of digital collections in the health sciences, 2013

Two hundred twenty-nine health sciences libraries (HSLs) worldwide were surveyed regarding the availability of digital collections, evidence of the type of digital collections, level of access, software used, and HSL type. Of the surveyed libraries, 69% (n = 157) had digital collections, with an average of 1,531 items in each collection; 49% (n = 112) also had institutional repositories. In most cases (n = 147), these collections were publicly available. The predominant platforms for disseminating these digital collections were CONTENTdm and library web pages. Only 50% (n = 77) of these collections were managed by the health sciences library itself.     

Metadata Practices in Academic and Non-Academic Libraries for Digital Projects: A Survey

This article presents the results of a survey examining and comparing the metadata practices of academic and non-academic libraries regarding digital projects. It explores the types of metadata and vocabularies utilized, issues of interoperability, end-user-created metadata, and staffing for metadata planning and creation. Participants from 87 academic libraries and 40 non-academic libraries responded to the survey. The survey found that, despite their different environments, academic and non-academic libraries engage in similar metadata practices. The majority of the participating libraries have metadata librarians, who are the primary staff members responsible for all metadata activities. Academic libraries tend to use more metadata schemes, plan for metadata interoperability more frequently, and are more likely to have created new positions responsible for metadata for digital projects.     

College students' perceptions on sense of belonging and inclusion at the academic library during COVID-19

This paper demonstrates how university students experienced and perceived inclusion in a public research university library context during COVID-19. Both quantitative (n = 3379) and qualitative data (n = 575) from the 2021 student survey were examined to explore students' library experiences and their perceptions of inclusion. The quantitative data revealed that students using both the physical and online library had the greatest sense of belonging, whereas students who never used any library resources had the least sense of belonging. The qualitative data further revealed that when students used the in-person library space they felt a sense of belonging, as well as feeling accepted and valued; on the other hand, it was hard for them to judge inclusion when they had not been in the library due to COVID-19. This finding suggests how academic libraries need to prepare for the hybrid environment (in-person and online) so that students using online resources and services feel connected to the library.     

Copyright Awareness,Partnerships, and Training Issues in Academic Libraries

This article reports on the results of a national survey of academic librarians and library staff (N = 226) in the United States about their awareness of various copyright policies, partnerships with campus groups to address copyright issues, and training needs. A majority of the survey respondents reported that they have answered copyright-related questions in the workplace, yet only 49% (n = 98) of the respondents perceived they were prepared to provide copyright information to library users. Awareness of various copyright policies among librarians and staff members varied, including a reported minimal awareness of the T.E.A.C.H. Act. In addition, survey respondents expressed the desire for more copyright-related training. In light of these findings, the present study extends the existing literature and offers recommendations to help better prepare a “copyright confident” or “copyright responsive” academic library workforce.     

Coverage and citation impact of oncological journals in the Web of Science and Scopus

This paper reviews a number of studies comparing Thomson Scientific’s Web of Science (WoS) and Elsevier’s Scopus. It collates their journal coverage in an important medical subfield: oncology. It is found that all WoS-covered oncological journals (n = 126) are indexed in Scopus, but that Scopus covers many more journals (an additional n = 106). However, the latter group tends to have much lower impact factors than WoS covered journals. Among the top 25% of sources with the highest impact factors in Scopus, 94% is indexed in the WoS, and for the bottom 25% only 6%. In short, in oncology the WoS is a genuine subset of Scopus, and tends to cover the best journals from it in terms of citation impact per paper. Although Scopus covers 90% more oncological journals compared to WoS, the average Scopus-based impact factor for journals indexed by both databases is only 2.6% higher than that based on WoS data. Results reflect fundamental differences in coverage policies: the WoS based on Eugene Garfield’s concepts of covering a selective set of most frequently used (cited) journals; Scopus with broad coverage, more similar to large disciplinary literature databases. The paper also found that ‘classical’, WoS-based impact factors strongly correlate with a new, Scopus-based metric, SCImago Journal Rank (SJR), one of a series of new indicators founded on earlier work by Pinski and Narin [Pinski, G., & Narin F. (1976). Citation influence for journal aggregates of scientific publications: Theory, with application to the literature of physics. Information Processing and Management, 12, 297–312] that weight citations according to the prestige of the citing journal (Spearman’s rho = 0.93). Four lines of future research are proposed.     

Governance networks that strengthen older adults' digital inclusion: The challenges of metagovernance

Studies show that digital skills and literacy training programs for older adults can help to extend digital inclusion, which remains a policy challenge around the world. However existing research provides little insight into how policy-makers can best deliver large-scale programs. This article examines the design and implementation of a nation-wide, state-led digital skills and literacy program in Australia called Be Connected that aimed to empower older adults (50 years and older) to thrive in the digital world. The article combines an exploratory survey (n = 201) with semi-structured interviews of training providers (n = 19) and draws on public management concepts of metagovernance and governance networks to explain and contextualise the program's model of implementation. It explains how policy makers and community-based organisations can successfully address the digital literacy needs and interests of older adults through a metagovernance model. We argue that the effectiveness of the model relies on finding balance between a) provision of standardised resources versus customised support, and b) achieving cohesion through shared goals whilst also promoting the diversity and independence of local organisations. An effective balance can be achieved through processes of co-creation.     

Provided information literacy instructions at private university libraries in Jordan and trends of Zarqa Private University students towards its objective achievements

This study aims to investigate the resources and methods used in information instruction provided at private university libraries in Jordan. It also investigates trends among Zarqa Private University students towards the achievement of its objectives. Data was collected via two questionnaires. The population of the study consisted of 19 administrators of private university libraries; 14 of them (73.7%) responded positively to the study, and of 600 first year students who were in the first semester of the academic year 2007/2008, 512 of them (85.3%) responded positively. Study findings have revealed that information literacy instruction programmes are not comprehensive in all target libraries. No more than five (35.7%) of the responding libraries offer the required lectures that inform students about the importance of libraries and libraries’ departments, the practical training of online access to databases through internet, or training on the usage of periodical indexes. The curricula offered by more than 78.6% of the respondents lacked courses or exercises that support library usage. Findings of “information literacy instruction programmes offered to students of Zarqa Private University, reveal that the programmes concentrate on theoretical aspects more than practical aspects. This study introduces some recommendations related to its findings.     

Personal librarian programs in medical and academic health sciences libraries: a preliminary study

Objective:This preliminary study examined how personal librarian programs are implemented within medical and academic health sciences libraries. Increasing awareness of these programs and how they are implemented could create a larger and more accessible knowledge base for establishing best practices that similar libraries can look to when creating their own programs.Methods:To characterize existing programs, a twenty-two-item survey was sent to MEDLIB-L, AAHSL-ALL, ARCL-HSIG, and PSS-Lists email listservs in October 2018 to reach a broad audience of medical and academic health sciences librarians. Survey responses were analyzed using Qualtrics and Excel.Results:Of the 2,882 potential email recipients, 49 survey sessions were recorded, and a total of 38 survey sessions were completed (1.3% response rate). Of the 38 completed responses, representatives of 12 libraries (31.5%) reported that a personal librarian program had been implemented at their institution. For implementation, eight libraries involved 1–5 librarians, and four involved 6–10. Librarians were assigned 50–100 (n=6), 101–150 (n=1), or 151 or more (n=1) students each. The identified programs served medical students (n=11), nursing students (n=7), health professions students (n=7), dental students (n=2), and students in other fields (n=4). Services provided and communication methods were also identified.Conclusions:The personal librarian programs identified by the survey were uniquely structured to best meet the needs of their users, though similarities in implementation existed across institutions. Medical and academic health sciences libraries can look to these libraries as practical examples when starting their own personal library programs.     

Patent basics: History, background, and searching fundamentals

The U.S. patent system and the body of issued patents are key elements in meeting information needs related to technology and innovation. Most librarians, however, have little understanding of the value of patents as sources of technological information—and less knowledge about how to help users tap what has been called, “the largest and most comprehensive body of technological literature in the world.” This article attempts to provide a sufficient background on patent fundamentals to allow librarians to assist or refer users who would benefit by the use of patents. Detailed patent searching instructions are provided for staff in Government Printing Office depository libraries to use materials available through the depository program. The value of utilizing one of the 58 Patent depository libraries to enhance and expedite the search process is highlighted, and online searching options are introduced.     

Archiving Web-published materials: A needs assessment of librarians,researchers, and content providers

The Web-at-Risk project is a digital preservation project funded by the Library of Congress as part of the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program. The project is developing a Web archiving service to enable curators to build, store, and manage archived collections of Web-published materials captured largely from U.S. federal and state government agency Web sites. In 2005 the project’s 22 curators, as well as librarians and archivists working primarily in academic libraries (n = 43), university researchers (n = 7), and content providers (n = 7) participated in a study to identify their needs in relation to Web archiving. This paper summarizes the issues and challenges these groups face and discusses the need for collaborations among libraries and government entities for preserving Web-published materials.