2005 Poster Session
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2005 Poster Session |
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[Link to Presentation] Abstract:
There are a wide variety of ways for librarians and information specialists to develop an understanding of their users and their information needs. This poster session will review some of the tools available to subject specialists in a research institute setting. Some uncommonly used approaches will be described, including:
2. Tracking the Elusive "E-resource"
[Link to Presentation] Abstract:
Libraries spend hundreds of thousands, even millions, of dollars licensing e-resources. How do users find the electronic resources licensed by the library? A recent email survey in Spring 2005 validated impressions that users not only “Google” their way to success, but use a variety of other strategies to reach needed e-resources. In response, the UCLA Science & Engineering Library Web site now features a new Web page <http://www.library.ucla.edu/sel/e-resources> with a selection of links for finding e-resources. A next step is publicizing and refining this page with feedback from users. Developing a metasearch of these links is another possible enhancement.
3. Needs of the Virtual Engineering Community
[Link to Presentation and Handout] Abstract: At a large university library reference desk you can never guess what type of question someone will ask next. Even though you are at a large engineering school, staff still get nervous when a hint of engineering is in the question asked at the desk. Add the complexities that go along with the instant gratification wanted and expected from a virtual reference service by the users and now you are have an anxious group. One may just want to throw their hands in the air and run away. By evaluating the questions asked this semester virtually by the engineering community and determining what the common types of questions are, better resources can be developed. These resources, whether subject guides based on a specific topic or a web site of frequently asked questions, can be made available for self exploration by the engineering community or used as a tool by all levels of staff to better assist the engineering students, faculty and staff.
4. Papers Happen - What undergraduates do when they write research papers
[Link to Presentation] Abstract: The University of Rochester, River Campus Libraries have begun a multi-semester project to discover the details of how undergraduates formulate, begin, and carry out their library investigations for writing extended research papers. We have interviewed students, who have previously written research papers, and selected faculty to establish a basic understanding of the paper writing process and of the context within which the students write their papers. We are now gathering detailed information by following students from the time the research paper is assigned to when the papers are submitted. Data to be analyzed includes interviews (some to be recorded) and direct observations.
Locations for interviews and observation include the classroom, the library, dormitory rooms, and other places that students work on their research paper. Attention will be paid to people and resources that students use and consult during the writing process. The goal is to improve the student's success in 1) identifying information, 2) gathering research materials, and 3) writing the paper. We hope to accomplish this through changes in 1) our reference out-reach services, 2) library facilities, and 3) the usability/suitability of our online resources.
5. Exploring relationships between publicly funded research and public consumption of research
[Link to Presentation] Abstract: Based in part on public and researcher concerns over the cost of access to publicly funded research (i.e., NIH Public Access Policy) we are investigating the relationship between usage of journals at a science and technology, state-supported university and the funding sources for research published in these journals. The data sample for this pilot study consists of articles by US-based authors published in 2002 in a subset of journals published by the American Chemical Society. The data collected for each article includes journal title, impact factor for the journal, acknowledged funding sources, and number of citations to each article. In addition, electronic usage data at NCSU Libraries will be collected for each journal in the sample.
Funding sources will be analyzed by frequency and type (government, non-profit and for-profit). Comparisons will be made between journals associated with major funding sources and the funding sources associated with high impact, frequently accessed journals.
This analysis may reveal relationships between the level of usage (access) to research funded by public, non-profit and for-profit agencies. This work may also contribute to an understanding of how funding sources (inputs) contribute to the scholarly publication process in terms of chemical publications (outputs), and how those outputs are consumed in the form of download rates and viewing rates.
6. Proposed Meta-Level Ontology for Nanoscience
[Link to Presentation] Abstract: Nanoscience is an emerging field, characterized by its multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research. The number of scientists and institutions engaging in nanoscience is increasing rapidly. Scholars involved in nanoscience come from the traditional disciplines, such as Chemistry, Physics, and Materials Sciences. This causes problems for them when they need information outside their particular discipline to effectively conduct their research. While they may proceed without knowledge of further developments in disparate areas, this might well hamper the scope of their approaches, their utilization of novel tools, and, ultimately, their interpretation of data. As is typical for other emerging fields of science, there are no readily available databases or detailed classification schemes for nanoscience.
7. Chemical information instruction, 1984-2004: Who is leading the charge?
[Link to Presentation] Abstract: The importance of chemical information instruction (CII) in the education of both undergraduate and graduate students has long been emphasized by both the SLA Chemistry Division and the Chemical Information Division (CINF) of the American Chemical Society. In 1984 and 1993, the CINF Education Committee surveyed US academic institutions regarding their level of CII. The results of these surveys have provided valuable information about the levels of teaching activity and the difficulties faced in providing information instruction. However, in the 11 years since the last survey was conducted, there have been explosive changes in both information delivery and instructional methodology. We have therefore updated the survey instrument to capture such changes, and distributed it to over 600 colleges and universities across the country. We will present the results of this survey and illustrate the trends shown by its comparison with findings from the previous surveys.
8. Users: How do they seek information?
[Links to Presentation and Survey] Abstract: This poster will present the findings of a user survey of chemistry undergraduate students conducted at the University of Mississippi. The main purpose of this study was to examine user needs, preferences, priorities, and satisfaction level of the Science Library collections and services. This is part of a long-term project which will be expanded to graduate students. The survey questions were distributed to the students during their chemistry laboratory sessions. The survey had questions that would identify users’ information seeking habits and how often they use library resources. The questions revealed how often and how many hours that the students used the web to seek information. The survey also identified the most frequently used search engines by the students. I am anticipating a lively discussion of the results.
9. Showing Them Their Way - or Why VARK Matters
[Link to Presentation] Abstract: Whether we are working one-on-one or with a whole group, when we show people how to do something, they are learning. Learning preferences - that is, the way people take-in information - is one of the keys to learning. Although people can use any means of taking information in, most people do have a preference(s) and it is generally more efficient for them to take in the information their way. In addition, people tend to teach their own learning preference(s) while ignoring other strategies. So by adapting how we teach, we can show people how to use the library in a more effective fashion because we are teaching them THEIR way. This display will feature VARK. VARK, which stands for Visual, Aural, Read/Write, and Kinesthetic, is a way to classify learning preferences and was developed by Neil Fleming. The display will give the characteristics of each type of learner and suggestions on how to teach to each one. I will also have a handout which will give a brief self test so that people can find out their own learning preferences.
For more information about VARK, go to: http://www.vark-learn.com/english/index.asp
10. The Information Power Tour – When the Library comes to You
[Link to Presentation] Abstract:
Summary: In the Summer of 2004, the R.E. Gibson Library & Information Center Science & Technology Information Services initiated an outreach effort titled the Information Power Tour. As in many institutions, the number of people coming into the Library had declined drastically and it was time to “take it to the people,” show them our wares, and find out their information needs and their knowledge of Library services.
Background: The R.E. Gibson Library & Information Center is the main Library of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. (APL) The Library Group of 27 people consists of three sections, Business and Government Information, Enterprise, and Science and Technology. There are 2 physical libraries and an archives managed by the Group.
The APL is a University Affiliated Research Center (UARC) and is situated on a 360 acre campus with over 20 buildings. The over 2600 engineers and scientists have access to a wealth of information from their desktop, both through direct APL purchase and through leveraging the resources of the University. The tour was designed to get out to different parts of the Laboratory and interact with our customers.
A lot of planning went into the naming, branding and execution of the effort. Though initially “staffed” by Susan Fingerman and Christina Pikas, the success of the Tours has encouraged participation by both professional and support staff from the other Library sections.
We will have examples of our publicity posters, and some of the handouts that we use describing our databases and other services. We will describe the logistical and publicity challenges and our “lessons learned.”
11. Information Literacy and the Sci-Tech Student--What Do They Know and What Do They Need To Know?
Abstract: Purdue University librarians have carried out needs assessments of sci-tech students in an attempt to understand their information literacy needs. This poster reports results of general surveys given to current students, alumni, and employers, asking them to rate a variety of information skills they (or their new hires) have and which they think are important for their careers.
12. Creating a seamless information delivery experience at Ford Motor
[Link to Presentation: Color and B/W] Abstract: This study involves purchased information by the company. The information science domain at Ford is fairly complex and widely distributed. Multiple libraries of the company are managed, funded, staffed and IT maintained independently across the enterprise/brands.
The IT organization is responsible for the technologies and strategies to provide personal productivity technologies to the enterprise. This includes search engine, document management, collaboration strategies and information architecture. The virtual environment of libraries' materials aims to create seamless access to the information, internal and external, that the knowledge worker requires.
Key points of this study include:
Integrating these points across technology and library science-based solutions are expected to evolve to meet the sophistication of the user.
13. Library Book Use by Science and Engineering Undergraduates
[Link to Presentation] Abstract: Electronic resources are garnering a lot of attention from the library community, but it is still important to maintain print collections, especially print monograph collections that can support the needs of undergraduates. This is particularly important at an institution such as the University of Victoria, which is primarily an undergraduate teaching university. In 2003, the UVic Libraries participated in the LibQual+ survey, and its results revealed that undergraduate students in science and engineering were dissatisfied with the library's book collection. The science & engineering librarians at UVic therefore developed a web-based questionnaire to further explore these results. With this study, we are investigating the reasons why science and engineering undergraduates use the library's book collection, the frequency with which they use books, and which subject areas have adequate or inadequate resources for students' needs. Preliminary results indicate that there are several areas in which students feel that the library's collection needs to be updated or expanded (note that data collection is in process, but the data will be analyzed and results will be available by June or earlier, if needed). Results of this user survey will be useful for strategically buying books in science and engineering subject areas, for improving communications between librarians and faculty, and for gaining a better understanding of library use and needs of science and engineering undergraduates.
14. If I Could Hear What You See: Electronic Resources and the Visually Impaired Patron
[Link to Presentation] Abstract: In the United States, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, (29 U.S.C. 794 and 794d as amended in the Workforce Investment Act of 1998) requires that all electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained or used by the Federal Government be fully accessible by persons with disabilities. The American with Disabilities Act extends the requirements of the Rehabilitation Act to the entire nation, with some exceptions, not just to programs that are the recipients of federal funds. This poster session will identify some of the more common tools used by blind and visually impaired researchers for accessing Internet-based databases and journals. It will present the results of studies being done by the Technology Access Program (TAP) at Oregon State University (OSU) to test the accessibility of the many databases and electronic journals that the OSU Libraries subscribe to.
15. Establishing a Science Browsing Collection for Undergraduates: A Success Story
[Link to Presentation] Abstract: How do undergraduates find books they can actually read and understand in an academic science library? Students, enthusiastic about an introductory astronomy or geology class, do not have the subject knowledge necessary to read the scientific scholarly literature, and often leave the library frustrated and empty handed. Of course, the Carlson Science and Engineering Library of the University of Rochester, like all large academic libraries, had lots and lots of "popular science" titles written for the lay reader, but they were hard to find. The OPAC doesn't distinguish between popular and scholarly, and browsing the shelves is a daunting proposition. The Carlson Library had an additional barrier because there were no collections on the main entrance floor of the library. In 2000, the authors created a small, separate browsing collection of popular science titles on the main floor near the newspapers, with comfortable chairs and even board games. Existing titles transferred from the stacks became the core of the collection. With support in part from the Dean, new titles have been purchased each year. Titles with low circulation counts are transferred back to the stacks to keep the collection focused and interesting to undergraduates. Feedback from the students has been positive and circulation has been high. These books bridge the gap between students' first curiosity about scientific disciplines and the eventual ability to read the primary literature in their major fields of study. The creation of the browsing collection has been successful in providing an inviting place for undergraduates to read science books in a research library.
16. Web Log Analysis and Resulting Improvements
[Link to Presentation] Abstract: Many organizations already maintain web transaction logs as part of their basic web server software. There are other transaction log software products that provide more sophisticated options in order to identify more detailed user patterns. Basic use data includes: type/version of browser used, country of origin, visitor user domain (edu/com/robot, etc), actual pages visited (in some cases, from which page you were referred), hour of visit, day of the week of visit, and more.
Even this basic data is worth reviewing. Simple user assessment can be performed and modifications to web sites and related services can be considered based upon this data. In one example, we can observe page use increase and remain elevated immediately after course-integrated classroom instruction. In another instance we observed frustration due to misdirection, and re-routed users, after observing repeated user visits to a "dead-end" information-only page for a proprietary product.
This poster session will display user data screens and discuss some modifications that might be made based upon such analysis.
17. Instruction: a Key to Understanding Scientists’ User Behavior
[Link to Presentation] Abstract: Library information sessions are an effective way to interact with students and faculty. These sessions can take many forms: tours of the library, demonstrations of the online catalog and subject index databases, and individual consultations. These interactions provide details on how users access information and give insight into their perception of library resources and services.
Teaching a variety of instruction sessions for diverse groups (pre-college to postgraduate researchers and faculty) provides a wealth of information about user behavior, perceptions, and ability. Analysis of user behavior will be summarized, along with suggested session types for various audiences.
Instruction within departmental programs is an effective way to get to know users. Interaction with a department can take many forms, in both structured and spontaneous environments. Strategies to promote library services and better understand user behavior will be shown.
18. Creating the How to Get it Guide at NASA's GSFC Library
[Link to Presentation] Abstract: Many studies of reference services focus on users' needs in terms of the questions asked. At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Library, we decided instead to focus on the answers our patrons seek from our reference staff as well as the local and global reference sources used to answer the questions. 100 email reference questions were analyzed. The results were used to create our How to Get it Guide, a searchable "wiki"-type database that will serve as a living document of our users' information needs. The impetus of the study was to create a resource to assist Librarians at the reference desk, as well as Project Librarians across the Goddard campus, to more efficiently navigate the disparate and often arcane local sources of information at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The ongoing process of creating the guide has been an effective way of understanding our users' needs and thereby improving our reference services.
19. Understanding the Research and Teaching Needs of Physics Faculty
[Link to Presentation] Abstract: Traditionally, physicists have not been big users of libraries. Now that so much of the information they need is on-line, interactions between faculty and librarians have become almost non-existent. After several years of hearing complaints from faculty about the poor choices of materials their students make ("...they take the first thing that pops up on a google search....") and complaints from students on the other hand about difficulties in finding information ("..it's too complicated..."), I decided to try to find ways to help.
After conferring with faculty and graduate students at Cornell, I joined the American Association of Physics Teachers and began presenting at the organizations national meetings. Since January 2003, I have given contributed papers, invited talks, poster sessions, and tutorials on Internet searching. I serve on the Committee on Graduate Education in Physics and, as a member of that committee, was in a position to feed information on physics and information fluency to the joint American Physical Society and the American Association of Physics Teachers Task Force on Graduate Programs in Physics. The preliminary results of this task force were presented at the January, 2005 meeting. I was pleased to see that information literacy was among the recommendations.
In addition to formal presentation, I also took every opportunity to talk with faculty about how we could work together to make information more readily available. As a way to find out more about physics faculty needs, I monitor several listservs for physics faculty. I am able to supply information to them on occasion.
20. Use Subject Specific Blogs and RSS Feeds to Keep Up-To-Date
[Links to handout and presentation--PDF or PPT] Abstract: Students and faculty need to keep up-to-date with their area of research. New web based tools make it easier than ever to keep up with the latest news and innovations. Two tools we will focus on are RSS feeds and blogs. RSS feeds are simple to use. If an electronic journal, website, or blogger offers an RSS feed, you can receive subject specific updates from them without setting up email alerts and without filling up your email inbox with bulletins. Some electronic journals will even create an RSS feed based on your search criteria and you can receive notification about new articles as they become available. Blogs (a combination of the words "web" and "logs") are an informal but valuable means of communication. Blogs typically include an RSS feed so the blog author can in effect push information to interested people. Blog authors could be fellow researchers exchanging ideas or librarians alerting you to new resources or upcoming lectures. This poster summarizes the technology, software, and advantages of RSS feeds and blogs, and informs people on where to find RSS feeds and blogs that will help them stay up-to-date.
Comments: tmvogel@ucsd.edu |
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