Reference Evaluation: A Three-Step Approach—Surveys, Unobtrusive Observations, and Focus Groups

Norlin, Elaina

doi:10.5860/crl.61.6.546

Cited by 15 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…Another result was the continuing need for librarians to read current literature about reference interviewing techniques and apply what they learn. Norlin (2000) discussed secret shoppers who had long been part of the business sector to evaluate company and competitor behavior, prices, and products. They helped identify benchmarks (Cocheo, Harris, & Kirk, 2003;Czopek, 1998).…”

Section: Concurred Withmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research documented decades of reference service studies; however, a set of standards replicable by all libraries appeared difficult to determine (Dewdney & Ross, 1994;Durrance, 1989;Hernon & McClure, 1986;Norlin, 2000;. Saxton and Richardson (2002) suggested the absence of an accepted definition of reference service, independent variables, and outcome variables contributed to inconsistent studies of quality reference service.…”

Section: Barriers and Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effectiveness of Asynchronous Reference Services for Distance Learning Students Within Florida's Community College System

Profeta

2007

Community & Junior College Libraries

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Barriers and Issues 93 Summary of the Known and the Unknown 96 Contributions to the Field 97 3. Methodology 98 Research Methods Employed 98 Specific Procedures Employed 100 Formats for Presenting Results 126 Resources Used 127 Reliability and Validity 128 Summary 130 4. Results 131 Analysis of the Data 131 Responses from the Digital Reference Service Providers 132 Background Details on the Unobtrusive Study 150 Results of the Unobtrusive Study of Asynchronous Reference Services 151 Response Rate 155 Analysis of the Answers 155 Summary of Results 222 5. Conclusion, Implications, Recommendations, and Summary 225 Conclusions 225 Implications 249 Recommendations 251 Summary 261 Appendixes A. Methodology Workflow 272 B. Nova Southeastern University IRB Approval 276 C. Permission from IRCC 277 D. Permission from Library Administrators 278 E. IRB Adult/General Informed Consent [DRSP] 280 F. Checklist for Quality E-mail Reference Responses 282 G. Scoring Quality E-mail Reference Responses 285 H. Expert Panel 287 I. IRB Adult/General Informed Consent [student] 289 Reference List 292 vii List of Tables Academic Degree and Certificate Programs, the standards for the Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications (WCET) (1996), set the tenor for quality DL. A subsequent policy report from WCET is entitled the Principles for Electronic Campus Library Services (Southern Regional Education Board, 2002b). The Institute for Higher Education Policy (2000) included the provision of library services in its report, Quality on the Line: Benchmarks for Success in Internet-Based Distance Education. The American Library Association (ALA) and the National University Extension Association (1931) recognized inadequate services to extension students in 1931 when it published a report dealing with the need to support the library needs of DL students. ALA's (2004a) Guidelines for Distance Learning Library Services asserted the need for "equivalent" library support and services to all students no matter where their learning takes place (p. 1). Guidelines and standards often helped an organization determine if its service was effective for accrediting standards (Lessin, McGinnis, & Bean, 2002). With assessment measures so diverse, a national example might have helped to provide direction for local needs (Gross, McClure, Hodges, Graham, & Lankes, 2001). During the 1990s, more libraries started to offer DL resources and services comparable to those provided to campus-based students (Mahony, 1993). In 2000, the U.S. Department of Education identified 72% of public postsecondary institutions that offered digital reference via e-mail, including more than 65% of community colleges (Tabs, 2003, pp. 3, 51). Straw (2001) attributed the change to the advances in technology. Library services available to DL students included, but were not limited to, digital reference and instructional services, remote access to online research tools, database and research tutorials, interlibrary loan, and document delivery. Digital reference through (Hernon & McCl...

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Section: Concurred Withmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Barriers and Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effectiveness of Asynchronous Reference Services for Distance Learning Students Within Florida's Community College System

Profeta

2007

Community & Junior College Libraries

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“…For instance, librarians perceive the usability of an information service in terms of efficient and effective access to information (Chowdhury, 2004b). The HCI community, on the other hand, generally define usability with respect to the user interface (Hansen, 1998; Nielsen and Lavy, 1994) and especially on the effectiveness, efficiency and/or satisfaction of the user with a particular interface (Choudhury et al , 2002; Nielsen, 1993a, b; Marchionini and Komlodi, 1998; Norlin, 2000).…”

Section: Usability Impact and Hib Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Usability and impact of digital libraries: a review

Chowdhury

Landoni

Gibb

2006

Online Information Review

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Purpose - The main objective of this paper is to review work on the usability and impact of digital libraries. Design/methodology/approach - Work on the usability and impact of digital libraries is reviewed. Specific studies on the usability and impact of digital libraries in specific domains are also discussed in order to identify general and specific usability and impact measures. Findings - The usability studies reviewed in this paper show that a number of approaches have been used to assess usability. In addition to the technical aspects of digital library design (e.g. architecture, interfaces and search tools), there are a number of usability issues such as globalisation, localisation, language, culture issues, content and human information behaviour. Digital libraries should, however, be evaluated primarily with respect to their target users, applications and contexts. Research limitations/implications - Although a digital library evaluation study may have several objectives, ranging from the evaluation of its design and architecture to the evaluation of its usability and its impact on the target users, this paper focuses on usability and impact. Originality/value - This paper provides insights into the state-of-the art in relation to the usability and impact of digital libraries

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“…We would also like to elicit feedback through different methods, such as through an online survey, like the ones conducted by Acquisitions and the Library Systems Office. By comparing data collected through different assessment activities, we hope to improve our perception of our effectiveness [11]. Additional assessment opportunities will give us a truer sense of how our services are regarded and will help us to account for variables in feedback.…”

Section: Future Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifting focus

Elhard¹,

Jin

2004

Library Collections, Acquisitions, & Technical Services

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Focus groups are a valuable research tool for evaluating library services but they are overlooked as a means of analyzing the performance of internal library units like technical services. In this study, focus group meetings were held with departmental library personnel to gather data related to the perception of centralized cataloging services in the decentralized library system at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Participants requested clearer contact information, enhanced communication, and more education regarding policies, processes, and cataloging issues. In response, a new contact list is being developed, technical services librarians are reaching out as liaisons, and educational workshops are underway.

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Reference Evaluation: A Three-Step Approach—Surveys, Unobtrusive Observations, and Focus Groups

Cited by 15 publications

References 1 publication

Effectiveness of Asynchronous Reference Services for Distance Learning Students Within Florida's Community College System

Effectiveness of Asynchronous Reference Services for Distance Learning Students Within Florida's Community College System

Usability and impact of digital libraries: a review

Shifting focus

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