An availability study of electronic articles in an academic health sciences library

Objectives:

The purposes of this study were: to determine the number of articles requested by library users that could be retrieved from the library''s collection using the library catalog and link resolver, in other words, the availability rate; and to identify the nature and frequency of problems encountered in this process, so that the problems could be addressed and access to full-text articles could be improved.

Methods:

A sample of 414 requested articles was identified via link resolver log files. Library staff attempted to retrieve these articles using the library catalog and link resolver and documented access problems.

Results:

Staff were able to retrieve electronic full text for 310 articles using the catalog. An additional 21 articles were available in print, for an overall availability rate of nearly 80%. Only 68% (280) of articles could be retrieved electronically via the link resolver. The biggest barriers to access in both instances were lack of holdings and incomplete coverage. The most common problem encountered when retrieving articles via the link resolver was incomplete or inaccurate metadata.

Conclusion:

An availability study is a useful tool for measuring the quality of electronic access provided by a library and identifying and quantifying barriers to access.

Highlights

• Lack of holdings, including access to recent articles restricted by embargoes, was the most common barrier to locating full text, accounting for over 90% of all identified problems.
• Availability rates for electronic articles varied by year of publication and by the database in which the OpenURL request originated.
• Link resolver error rates varied widely based on the source of the request and frequently resulted from incomplete or inaccurate metadata.

Implications

• An availability study is an inexpensive, practical tool for assessing the quality of electronic access to journal articles.
• The results of an availability study can help libraries identify barriers to access and thereby allocate limited resources to areas that will provide the most benefit to users.
• Link resolvers might be more accurate if the quality of metadata in OpenURLs was improved and the behavior of full-text targets was standardized.

A user who attempts to access an electronic article expects the process to be seamless: click a link or two, and the article appears. Unfortunately, this process is not always so simple. Many factors can prevent users from retrieving an article, including:

• Collection and acquisition problems: The library may not subscribe to the desired journal, or the article and/or journal may be unavailable for some other reason.
• Cataloging and holdings problems: The journal may be cataloged or indexed incorrectly, or the library''s holdings data may be wrong.
• Technical problems: Problems may occur with the journal provider''s site or the library''s proxy server.

While many libraries use link resolvers to make it easier for users to retrieve articles, these can introduce additional points of failure. The resolver might not be configured correctly, the knowledgebase (database of library journal holdings) might include incorrect information, or article metadata from the source database might be incomplete or incorrect.At the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Library, users occasionally complained about access problems. These complaints provided anecdotal information about barriers to access, but library staff needed more solid data on which to act: How often were users able to retrieve a desired article? What problems did they encounter in the process, and how often did these problems occur? An availability study was conducted to answer those questions.First described by Kantor [1], an availability study is a method for evaluating how well a library satisfies user requests and identifying barriers to satisfying those requests. An availability study consists of the following steps:

1. gather actual user requests (or simulate them)
2. try to fill those requests using the same tools and methods a user would use
3. record what happens
4. analyze the results

     

高校图书馆中文图书采访的客观影响因素研究

中文图书采访是高校文献资源建设的重要组成部分。中文图书的采访质量不仅取决于采访人员的素质和主观能动性,而且受制于客观因素的影响。文章通过对出版信息、出版质量、采购方式以及学校学科变化等进行深入探讨,揭示客观因素对中文图书采访影响的复杂性。     

The establishment of an academic health sciences library in a developing country: a case study

The development of a Faculty of Medical Sciences (FMS) and an academic health sciences library for the University of the West Indies (UWI) has proven to be a polemical and political issue due to the depressed economy of the country. Although FMS is still shrouded in politics and controversy after its inaugural year, the Medical Sciences Library (MSL) has expanded its dimensions and is actively developing a biomedical information network within the country. This will result in better dissemination and control of biomedical information. The library now participates in joint projects with other health sciences libraries in the country with the goal of joint automated listings of holdings and shared cataloging projects. This paper examines the development of the library and explains the difficulties experienced in its developmental stages due to politics, the delay in appointment of a medical sciences librarian, and the financial decline in the local economy.     

Eliminating traditional reference services in an academic health sciences library: a case study

Question:

How were traditional librarian reference desk services successfully eliminated at one health sciences library?

Setting:

The analysis was done at an academic health sciences library at a major research university.

Method:

A gap analysis was performed, evaluating changes in the first eleven months through analysis of reference transaction and instructional session data.

Main Results:

Substantial increases were seen in the overall number of specialized reference transactions and those conducted by librarians lasting more than thirty minutes. The number of reference transactions overall increased after implementing the new model. Several new small-scale instructional initiatives began, though perhaps not directly related to the new model.

Conclusion:

Traditional reference desk services were eliminated at one academic health sciences library without negative impact on reference and instructional statistics. Eliminating ties to the confines of the physical library due to staffing reference desk hours removed one significant barrier to a more proactive liaison program.     

Implementing Twitter in a health sciences library

The NYU Health Sciences Libraries created an account on Twitter, a microblogging service, as a new outreach tool marketed to students, faculty, and staff. The team used Twitter to promote resources, events, and news. Twitter is a part of a pipeline of information that also includes the library's Web site and Facebook. Although it is difficult to measure the effectiveness of a social networking tool, the overhead of using Twitter is so low that it merits consideration.     

The impact of institutional ethics on academic health sciences library leadership: a survey of academic health sciences library directors

Ethical behavior in libraries goes beyond service to users. Academic health sciences library directors may need to adhere to the ethical guidelines and rules of their institutions. Does the unique environment of an academic health center imply different ethical considerations? Do the ethical policies of institutions affect these library leaders? Do their personal ethical considerations have an impact as well? In December 2013, a survey regarding the impact of institutional ethics was sent to the director members of the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries. The objective was to determine the impact of institutional ethics on these leaders, whether through personal conviction or institutional imperative.     

Web usage mining at an academic health sciences library: an exploratory study.

OBJECTIVES: This paper explores the potential of multinomial logistic regression analysis to perform Web usage mining for an academic health sciences library Website. METHODS: Usage of database-driven resource gateway pages was logged for a six-month period, including information about users' network addresses, referring uniform resource locators (URLs), and types of resource accessed. RESULTS: It was found that referring URL did vary significantly by two factors: whether a user was on-campus and what type of resource was accessed. CONCLUSIONS: Although the data available for analysis are limited by the nature of the Web and concerns for privacy, this method demonstrates the potential for gaining insight into Web usage that supplements Web log analysis. It can be used to improve the design of static and dynamic Websites today and could be used in the design of more advanced Web systems in the future.     

Staff development planning in an academic health sciences library.

OBJECTIVE: A staff development committee (SDC) was convened to implement staff development opportunities for an academic health sciences library system comprised of three separate facilities. The charge for the SDC was to: (1) develop programs to enhance workplace skills and personal growth, (2) communicate the availability of existing programs at the university and medical center, and (3) encourage the staff to participate in these opportunities. PROGRAM: The committee created goals and objectives and developed a survey designed to give staff the opportunity to provide input for this initiative. With an 80% response rate, the survey results were used to plan 15 events based on staff needs and preferences. First-year attendance for SDC-sponsored events was 459. Committee members served as liaisons for each event. Two forms were developed to facilitate event planning. A monthly announcement sheet, email reminders, and the library's local area network are used to communicate upcoming SDC events and encourage attendance. CONCLUSION: This approach can serve as a useful model for similar program planning in any organization.     

The ethical implications of health sciences library economics

The intersection of ethics and economics is rarely discussed in the library literature or at conferences. This may be due, in part, to what economists describe as a romantic value system, that is, the belief that resources are or should be unlimited and available for exploitation by every individual with a need. But recent changes in the national economy for libraries are forcing a realization that individualistic codes of ethics and value systems do not always result in socially desirable consequences. The problems of information management and access cannot be solved by ethical individuals acting alone. Instead, a new consensus is needed on collective ethical behaviors to ensure that health information resources are managed for the common good.     

An end user search service in an academic health sciences library

This paper describes the experience of an academic health sciences library which made BRS/After Dark, an end user search service, available to its clientele as a complement to its mediated search service. The library environment, initial publicity efforts and administrative procedures are discussed. An attempt is made to evaluate the usefulness of the service in a library environment. This evaluation, covering a three-month period, is based on the observations of the librarians administering the service and an exit interview conducted with searchers over a two-month period. User satisfaction, both observed and recorded, was quite high; however, the librarians found that users had more difficulty in constructing appropriate search strategies than had been anticipated. Overall, the service is assessed as highly useful.     

Management of journal errata in a health sciences library.

A management decision to discontinue manually correcting errata in medical journals is based on a five-month study and is justified in terms of the cost of identifying and correcting errata, the haphazard way such errors are reported, and the fact that online errors are not corrected. Additional questions raised by the study address emerging problems with online Full text databases, and with whom the responsibility for correcting errors in the medical literature should rest. Concern is expressed over the sense of responsibility librarians may feel as they provide reference referral to sources of information which may contain uncorrected information.     

Building capacity in a health sciences library to support global health projects

This paper describes how a large, academic health sciences library built capacity for supporting global health at its university and discusses related outcomes. Lean budgets require prioritization and organizational strategy. A committee, with leadership responsibilities assigned to one librarian, guided strategic planning and the pursuit of collaborative, global health outreach activities. A website features case studies and videos of user stories to promote how library partnerships successfully contributed to global health projects. Collaborative partnerships were formed through outreach activities and from follow-up to reference questions. The committee and a librarian''s dedicated time established the library''s commitment to help the university carry out its ambitious global agenda.