Reaching Out to International Students: A Focus-Group Approach to Developing Web Resources and Services

Librarians at the State University of New York at Buffalo implemented the Resources for International Students Web guide to support library outreach to a multicultural and multilingual audience. A focus group helped librarians to understand the needs of new international students and tailor Web resources accordingly. In addition to creating awareness of international student cultural challenges, this article presents focus-group guidelines to assist in the planning process of library services and resources.     

Instruction in a Virtual Environment

Abstract

In 2002, librarians at the Utah State University (USU) Libraries were awarded a grant to develop online tutorials. The major design challenge was to create tutorials specific to USU resources and students, including distance learners, while also making them flexible so that other Utah colleges and universities can adapt them for their own needs. The tutorials also needed to address the information behavior of a new generation of students accustomed to using computers and the Internet. While recent studies have begun to address some gaps in our knowledge of the information behavior of the Web Generation, we conducted a needs assessment to help us create a tutorial that more accurately addresses the existing knowledge and behavior of undergraduates at USU. We used multiple methods to determine the learning needs of our audience and to provide guidance for the design process.     

Discovering User Behavior: Applying Usage Statistics to Shape Frontline Services

This investigation sought to develop a broad view of discovery service user behavior by analyzing vendor-provided and Google Analytics usage data from discovery service implementations at two Indiana University campuses. The results of this analysis demonstrate how usage data can communicate both intermediary and end results of user interactions within discovery services. The findings reveal user behavior trends, which may be used to develop strategies to improve information literacy instruction techniques, as well as discovery service interface enhancements.     

Priming Welfare Queens and Other Stereotypes: The Transference of Media Images into Interpersonal Contexts A previous version of this manuscript was presented at the 48th annual meeting of the International Communication Association,San Diego (2004).

Specific stereotype portrayals of African American women were hypothesized to produce stereotype-consistent judgments made of a different African American woman. Participants (N?=?76) observed a mammy, jezebel or welfare queen video-segment. Then they observed an African American woman in a mock job interview and rated the interviewee. Participants who observed a specific stereotype associated the interviewee more quickly with stereotype-consistent adjectives than with stereotype-inconsistent adjectives for all three stereotypes. For measures of how suitable the woman was for jobs that were related to the stereotypes, only the welfare queen prime produced significant effects.     

Browsing Through Daily Life in a Neighborhood Library

Our neighborhoods are full of life. This life flows into and through our libraries. The cares, worries, joys, and pleasures of everyday living accompany these visits. Members of these communities may walk in, be pushed in, and sometimes perhaps, skate in. Those of us who work in their libraries are the beneficiaries. The stories of some of these neighbors as they use the Colonial Heights, Elk Grove, and Fair Oaks branches of the Sacramento Public Library are conveyed in this anecdotal‐based article.     

The Complicated Symptoms of Sick Buildings

SUMMARY

When the symptoms of a possible sick building syndrome appeared in a library building more than twenty years ago, it was thought that the situation could be easily fixed. Instead, we are still managing a problem building although extensive work has been done and much progress has been made to moderate the physical reactions of staff and building users. Looking after the well being of our staff has been the primary motivation.     

Using Online Tutorials to Reduce Uncertainty in Information Seeking Behavior

ABSTRACT

Uncertainty is defined as affective symptoms of stress, anxiety, and frustration when faced with an information need. Traditional face-to-face instruction allows sender and receiver to fulfill information needs using multiple sources, which can be visual, auditory, tactile, or verbal. Distance learners may experience high levels of uncertainty when most or all of the communication and interaction takes place in an electronic environment that does not allow for these multiple information sources. Research on face-to-face communication and uncertainty suggests that people attempt to reduce uncertainty by acquiring more information and also by using structured or familiar information resources. This paper suggests that many of our behavioral motivations in face-to-face activities would also apply in the online environment. By creating online tutorials that combine structured hierarchical instructions with familiar modes of communication, we may be able to reduce symptoms of uncertainty in the library search process.     

突发事件情境下网络问答社区用户构成和行为分析——基于问题胶囊事件的实证研究

对用户在突发事件情境下的行为、构成和各类用户特征进行分析,结果显示有关突发事件的提问与回答几乎同步,当天提问当天即有人回答;突发事件吸引了大量匿名用户和沉寂用户参与在线问答,活跃用户在回答问题满意度和参与回答数量上都远远高于前两类用户;如果用户为权威用户,其回答被采纳率更高。最后提出一些改善突发事件网络沟通效果的建议。     

Health Sciences Librarians' Research on Medical Students' Use of Information for Their Studies at The Medical School,University of Queensland,Australia

This study reports the findings of research undertaken by health sciences librarians at the University of Queensland Library into how medical students use information for their studies, particularly resources and services provided by the Library. The methods utilized were an online survey and focus groups. Results indicated that students favor print resources over electronic, value accessing resources on a one-stop basis, and prefer training to be delivered flexibly. The implication of these results for future resource selection, service provision, and instructional design and delivery is discussed.     

The MBA Program: A Restructured Product for Today's Market

ABSTRACT

In response to much criticism for having lost touch with corporate America, the M.B.A. has been analyzed and reshaped in many of our schools. This article provides a report on the extent and nature of the restructuring movement. The findings are based on a survey of accredited M.B.A. programs, and offer some interesting results to educators and practitioners alike. Restructured M.B.A. programs present administrators with unique opportunities to market their programs to different segments of the graduate business school population.