http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP University of Alberta Learning Services Evidence Based Library and Information Practice The Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 applies to all works published by Evidence Based Library and Information Practice . Authors will retain copyright of the work. http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/663 Lindsay Glynn 2007-09-05 2 2007-09-05 http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/51 Objective - To test if the Information Skills Survey(Catts Information Skills Survey for Assessment of Information Literacy in Higher Education) is suitable for the purpose of investigating the information literacy levels of a group of students in medicine. If not, the study was designed to determine the modifications that are necessary to make the Information Skills Survey a reliable instrument for investigating the information literacy levels of a group of students in medicine. Method - Administration of the Information Skills Survey to two groups of medical students. To confirm the validity of the results, follow up questions and interviews were also conducted. Statistical analysis was carried out to determine the internal consistency of the questions in relation to the Information Literacy Standards and also to determine the statistical significance of the results. Results - The two groups of students reported similar results for a number of the tested skills. However, several areas of difference were also identified. The main areas of difference between the two groups were the questions that can be interpreted as being related to clinical practice. This was also emphasised in the interviews. Conclusions - The Information Skills Survey is a useful tool to investigate the information literacy skills of groups of medical students who are in their early years of study. Further research needs to be done to develop valid questions for medical students in the clinical years. This would reflect the different information resources that are used in clinical practice. Catherine Clark Dr. Ralph Catts 2007-09-05 2 2007-09-05 http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/261 Objective - Every day, librarians make decisions that impact the provision of library products and services. To formulate good decisions, librarians must be equipped with reliable and valid data. Unfortunately, many library processes generate vast quantities of unwieldy information that is ill-suited for the evidence based decision-making (EBDM) practices librarians strive to employ. As a result, librarians require tools that facilitate the translation of unmanageable facts and figures into data that can be used to support decision-making. One such tool is a rubric. Rubrics provide at least four major benefits to librarians seeking to use EBDM strategies and merit further investigation. To this end, this study examined 1) librarians’ ability to use rubrics as a decision facilitation tool, 2) barriers that might prevent effective rubric usage, and 3) training topics that address potential barriers. Methods - This study investigated librarians’ use of rubrics as an EBDM tool to improve an online information literacy tutorial. The data for the study came from student responses to open-ended questions embedded in an online information literacy tutorial called LOBO used by first-year students in English 101 at North Carolina State University (NCSU). Fifteen academic librarians, five instructors, and five students applied rubrics to transform students’ textual responses into quantitative data; this data was statistically analyzed for reliability and validity using Cohen’s kappa. Participant comment sheets were also examined to reveal potential hurdles to effective rubric use. Results - Statistical analysis revealed that a subset of participants included in this study were able to achieve substantially valid results. On the other hand some librarian participants included in the study were unable to achieve an expert level of validity. Non-expert participants alluded to roadblocks that interfered with their ability to provide quality data using rubrics. Conclusions - Participant feedback can be categorized into six barriers that may explain why some participants could not attain expert status: 1) difficulty understanding an outcomes-based approach, 2) tension between analytic and holistic rubric structures, 3) failure to comprehend rubric terms, 4) disagreement with rubric assumptions, 5) difficulties with data artifacts, and 6) difficulties understanding local library context and culture. Each of these barriers can be addressed through training, and topics to maximize the usefulness of a rubric approach to EBDM are suggested. Megan Jane Oakleaf 2007-09-05 2 2007-09-05 http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/269 Objective - The study examined whether a prompt sheet improved the reference interview process for health information advisers working at NHS Direct, a 24 hour telephone helpline that provides confidential health care advice for the public in England. Method - A randomised control trial was conducted at eight NHS Direct sites across England in 2003-04. Newly recruited health information advisers (n=30), full and part-time, were randomly allocated to a control group (n=15) or intervention group (n=15), and 26 completed the study. Existing health information advisers were involved in the planning and design of the intervention. The prompt sheet included prompts for demographic information, reason for call, condition/treatment plan, existing knowledge of caller, special needs of the caller, handling a call empathetically, conclusion. Testing of reference interview expertise was done at the end of basic training, and two months later, using the same ten test questions, that were based on common questions received by NHS Direct. A relevance framework for possible responses was drawn up for each question for scoring test responses, with more relevant responses scoring higher than less relevant responses. Results - The average score of prompt (experimental) and non-prompt (control) participants increased on the second test, for each of the 10 questions. The prompt group improved significantly more overall than the control group. There was variation within the groups. Sixteen health information assistants showed a net increase in their score over all ten questions (10 experimental group, six control group). The post-test score for an individual on a particular question did sometimes decrease from the pre-test score, but all 26 improved on at least one question. Previous call handler experience did not appear to influence the extent of improvement, but length and type of experience in the post may have an influence. Conclusion - The trial demonstrated the benefit of a simple and inexpensive prompt sheet for some, though not all, newly recruited health information advisers to improve their reference interview technique. Toni Price Christine Urquhart 2007-09-05 2 2007-09-05 http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/253 Objective - How can we discover patterns of how librarians develop new information services needed when disaster strikes the community? While there are many guidelines and training materials for planning to protect staff, systems, collections and buildings (in order to return to normal services) in disasters, there are none for quickly improvising needed services. Evidence-based standards and education modules could be very useful to librarians in such crises. Published accounts of such services describe services improvised during a single disaster or during a small number of similar disasters and usually point to the heroic efforts of particular librarians in particular libraries. They tend to be anecdotal and idiosyncratic. The authors needed to design a project using valid research methods to gather consistently and to analyze rigorously narrative data from a wide variety of libraries that have provided improvised services during a wide variety of disasters. Information professionals everywhere strive to provide timely and relevant information in an appropriate format to meet the needs of users. Textbook studies tell us about the value of thoughtful data collection and advance planning before launching new information services for users of libraries and information centers. How can we find out what librarians have done when there is no time for such planning? Method - The authors surveyed a variety of accepted research methods for gathering and analyzing qualitative narrative data describing similar phenomena. They tested some methods in a pilot study of services provided by librarians in southern Louisiana after two hurricanes in 2005. They quickly realized that surveys of hundreds of libraries and interviews of a few librarians did not produce the kind or amount of data to answer the “what” and “how” questions for a variety of libraries in a variety of disasters. They discussed that study and its results with several senior researchers experienced with qualitative methods. (Reports on the pilot study have been published in peer-reviewed publications.) Based on what they had learned during the pilot study and in subsequent discussions, the researchers designed a much larger study to gather evidence of common practice patterns in diverse disasters. Needing to be open to discovery of what happens in different situations they devised a research method based on in-depth interviews, multiple case studies, and narrative data analysis to build grounded theory. The study will conclude with the development of best practices presented as case studies and evidence based training modules for LIS students and practicing librarians. (They submitted the research proposal to the Institute for Museum and Library Services National Leadership Grant program.) Results - The researchers found evidence of the efficacy of Multiple Case Study and Grounded Theory research methods for this kind of for this kind of research question. They developed a protocol to gather data from academic, public, school and special libraries that provided extraordinary services during days and weeks of community disasters caused by earthquakes, massive blackouts, tornadoes, wild fires, hurricanes, land slides, floods, chemical spills and other natural or accidental events. The IMLS agreed with their findings on how to study the question and funded the grant proposal. The researchers have begun the two year project and report briefly on its progress in this paper. Conclusion - Librarians need evidence-based case studies and educational material to learn how to identify needed information services during any kind of community-wide disaster and to respond to these needs creatively. Since this preparation is not currently included in LIS education, standards and guidelines or research literature, there is a need for reliable studies of these phenomena in a variety of libraries and a variety of disasters. The researchers studied and tested various quantitative, qualitative and mixed data gathering methods, tested them, and designed a method for gathering and analyzing the data necessary to support such guidelines and education. Based on their resulting research proposal to study about twenty such phenomena, the Institute for Museum and Library Services has awarded them a two-year National Leadership Grant to perform the study. Michelynn McKnight Lisl Zach 2007-09-05 2 2007-09-05 http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/254 Objective - The authors describe a simple and effective tool for selecting digitization projects from competing alternatives, providing decision makers with objective, quantitative data. Methods - The paper adopts the value engineering methodology for the selection, evaluation and ranking of digitization project proposals. Project selection steps are described. Selection criteria are developed. Digitization costs are presented as an equation. Project value is determined by calculating projected performance of digital collections based on the established criteria over cost. Results - Scenarios are presented that evaluate and rank projects based on an evaluation of performance criteria and cost. The communication and use of rating criteria provides selectors with information about how proposed collections are evaluated. The transparency of the process output is easily communicated to stakeholders. Conclusions - Value engineering methodology provides a tool and a process that gives decision makers a set of objective, quantitative data upon which selection of digitization projects is based. This approach simplifies the selection process, and creates transparency so that all stakeholders are able to see why a decision was made. Michael H. Boock May Chau 2007-09-05 2 2007-09-05 http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/432 Objective – To determine whether three competing citation tracking services result in differing citation counts for a known set of articles, and to assess the extent of any differences. Design – Citation analysis, observational study. Setting – Three citation tracking databases: Google Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science. Subjects – Citations from eleven journals each from the disciplines of oncology and condensed matter physics for the years 1993 and 2003. Methods – The researchers selected eleven journals each from the list of journals from Journal Citation Reports 2004 for the categories “Oncology” and “Condensed Matter Physics” using a systematic sampling technique to ensure journals with varying impact factors were included. All references from these 22 journals were retrieved for the years 1993 and 2003 by searching three databases: Web of Science, INSPEC, and PubMed. Only research articles were included for the purpose of the study. From these, a stratified random sample was created to proportionally represent the content of each journal (oncology 1993: 234 references, 2003: 259 references; condensed matter physics 1993: 358 references, 2003: 364 references). In November of 2005, citations counts were obtained for all articles from Web of Science, Scopus and Google Scholar. Due to the small sample size and skewed distribution of data, non-parametric tests were conducted to determine whether significant differences existed between sets. Main results – For 1993, mean citation counts were highest in Web of Science for both oncology (mean = 45.3, SD = 77.4) and condensed matter physics (mean = 22.5, SD = 32.5). For 2003, mean citation counts were higher in Scopus for oncology (mean = 8.9, SD = 12.0), and in Web of Science for condensed matter physics (mean = 3.0, SD = 4.0). There was not enough data for the set of citations from Scopus for condensed matter physics for 1993 and it was therefore excluded from analysis. A Friedman test to measure for differences between all remaining groups suggested a significant difference existed, and so pairwise post-hoc comparisons were performed. The Wilcoxon Signed Ranked tests demonstrated significant differences “in citation counts between all pairs (p The study also looked at the number of unique references from each database, as well as the proportion of overlap for the 2003 citations. In the area of oncology, there was found to be 31% overlap between databases, with Google Scholar including the most unique references (13%), followed by Scopus (12%) and Web of Science (7%). For condensed matter physics, the overlap was lower at 21% and the largest number of unique references was found in Web of Science (21%), with Google Scholar next largest (17%) and Scopus the least (9%). Citing references from Google Scholar were found to originate from not only journals, but online archives, academic repositories, government and non-government white papers and reports, commercial organizations, as well as other sources. Conclusion – The study does not confirm the authors’ hypothesis that differing scholarly coverage would result in different citation counts from the three databases. While there were significant differences in mean citation rates between all pairs of databases except for Google Scholar and Scopus in condensed matter physics for 2003, no one database performed better overall. Different databases performed better for different subjects, as well as for different years, especially Scopus, which only includes references starting in 1996. The results of this study suggest that the best citation database will depend on the years being searched as well as the subject area. For a complete picture of citation behaviour, the authors suggest all three be used. Lorie Andrea Kloda 2007-09-05 2 2007-09-05 http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/430 Objective – To compare users’ perceptions of 5 clinical information resources, and to assess the average number of questions answered after attempting 3 randomly assigned clinical questions on each resource. Design – A combined task assessment, based on the design specification published in the Sixth Text REtrieval Conference (TREC-6) “interactive track,” and a user-satisfaction questionnaire developed from previously published surveys. Setting – A health sciences library at a university in the United States of America. Subjects – A convenience sample of 18 volunteers, who were either university health care staff or students. Methods – A set of 15 clinical test questions was developed from previous studies. Participants were randomly allocated 3 test questions, which they then attempted to answer using each of 5 commercially available clinical information resources. Each participant was allocated a different set of test questions for each resource and did not attempt the same question on more than one resource. As part of the overall study design, the questions were randomised such that each question was paired with each resource at least once. The order in which the resources were tested by participants was also randomised. The resources tested were ACP’s PIER, DISEASEDEX, FIRSTConsult, InfoRetriever and UpToDate. Training in use of the resources was not provided as part of the study; however, participants were allowed to familiarise themselves with each resource before attempting the test questions. To simulate a clinical situation, participants were asked to spend a maximum of 3 minutes on each question. The number of questions successfully answered using each resource was recorded. Participants were also asked to complete a user satisfaction questionnaire, based on previously published questionnaires, for each resource after attempting the 3 questions allocated to that resource. The questionnaire used a 5-point Likert scale with participants asked to rate attributes such as clarity, ease of use, speed and accuracy of content. A final question also asked participants to indicate which resource they liked the best and which they liked the least. Participants also completed a background questionnaire, again based on previously published questionnaires, covering aspects such as age, gender, experience with searching and previous use of various information resources, including the 5 resources being tested. Main results – Characteristics of participants – Participants ranged in age from 28 to 49 years (mean 35 years), and were experienced computer users with over 94% using a computer at least once a day. The male (42%) and female (58%) split of the group was roughly equal. The participants’ occupations were physician (44%), medical informatics student with previous clinical experience (28%), pharmacist (17%), nurse (6%) and MRI technologist (6%). Participants had been in their current profession for a mean of 8 years (range 1 to 20 years). Whilst 72% of participants reported familiarity with UpToDate, no more than 12% of participants reported familiarity with any one of the other information resources tested. Clinical questions - Participants were able to answer more questions with UpToDate (average 2.5 questions) compared to the other resources, which ranged from an average of 1.6 (ACP’s PIER) to 1.9 (DISEASEDEX) questions answered. This difference was found to be statistically significant using the Friedman test. User satisfaction - The user satisfaction survey results showed no significant differences in perceptions of the different resources in relation to accuracy, currency of content, speed or amount of information provided. However, UpToDate scored significantly higher (Friedman test) on ease of use, clarity of screen layout and how well it satisfiedparticipants’ needs. Overall, 13 participants (73%) rated UpToDate the best, 3 (18%) preferred FIRSTConsult and 1 (6%) rated ACP’s PIER best. Conversely, InfoRetriever was rated worst by 6 participants (38%), 4 participants (25%) each rated DISEASEDEX and FIRSTConsult worst and 2 participants (13%) rated ACP’s PIER worst. A chi-squared analysis found these rankings to be significantly different. Conclusion – A number of commercial information resources are now available that aim to help clinical staff make treatment decisions at the point of care. This study evaluates 5 such resources by comparing both success in answering typical clinical questions and the results of a user satisfaction survey. The study indicates that participants were able to find significantly more answers when using UpToDate compared to the other resources tested. Whilst there was no statistically significant difference between the user perception ratings assigned to each resource with regard to speed, accuracy or amount of information provided, participant ratings for screen layout and ease of use significantly favoured UpToDate. In addition, significantly more participants identified UpToDate as the best resource. Evaluations of clinical information resources have traditionally focused on user ratings of the content of these products. The findings of this study suggest that this approach may no longer be sufficient, and that evaluations that address the user’s experience (satisfaction concerning ease of use, speed, etc.) are also needed. Jennifer Kelson 2007-09-05 2 2007-09-05 http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/427 Objective – To determine the effect of large bookstores (defined as those having 20 or more employees) on household library use. Design – Econometric analysis using cross-sectional data sets. Setting – The United States of America. Subjects – People in over 55,000 households across the U.S.A. Methods – Data from 3 1996 studies were examined using logit and multinomial logit estimation procedures: the National Center for Education Statistics’ National Household Education Survey (NHES) and Public Library Survey (PLS), and the U.S. Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns (CBP). The county level results of the NHES telephone survey were merged with the county level data from the PLS and the CBP. Additionally, data on Internet use at the state level from the Statistical Abstract of the United States were incorporated into the data set. A logit regression model was used to estimate probability of library use based on several independent variables, evaluated at the mean. Main results – In general, Hemmeter found that "with regard to the impact of large bookstores on household library use, large bookstores do not appear to have an effect on overall library use among the general population” (613). While no significant changes in general library use were found among high and low income households where more large bookstores were present, nor in the population taken as a whole, middle income households (between $25,000 and $50,000 in annual income) showed notable declines in library use in these situations. These effects were strongest in the areas of borrowing (200% less likely) and recreational purposes (161%), but were also present in work-related use and job searching. Hemmeter also writes that “poorer households use the library more often for job search purposes. The probability of library use for recreation, work, and consumer information increases as income increases. This effect diminishes as households get richer” (611). Finally, home ownership was also correlated with higher library use. Households with children were more than 20% more likely to use the library (610). Their use of the library for school-related purposes, general borrowing, program activities, and so on was not affected by the presence of book superstores. White families with children were somewhat less likely to use the library, while families with higher earning and education levels were more likely to use the library. Library use also increased with the number of children in the family. Shorter distances to the nearest branch and a higher proportion of AV materials were also predictive of higher library use. Educational level was another important factor, with those having less than high school completion being significantly less likely to use the library than those with higher levels of educational attainment. Conclusions – The notable decline in public library use among middle income households where more large bookstores are present is seen as an important threat to libraries, as it may result in a decline in general support and support for funding among an important voting block. More current data are needed in this area. In addition to the type of information examined in this study, the author recommends the inclusion of information on funding, support for library referenda, and library quality as they relate to the presence of large bookstores. Stephanie Hall 2007-09-05 2 2007-09-05 http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/438 Objective – To investigate the reasons behind the cessation of 9 virtual (chat) reference services. Design – Multiple case-study investigation Setting – Academic, public, and special libraries in the United States. Subjects – Five academic libraries, 1 public library, and 3 library consortia. Methods – The initial method used to identify discontinued chat reference services was via a posting to DIG_REF, the digital reference services listserv. From this initial posting, librarians on the list also suggested other cases, for a total of 7. Two cases later came to the authors’ attention and were added. The 9 cases included academic libraries, a public library, and consortia who used tools provided by four major software vendors, giving a good cross-section of the types of libraries participating in VR and the major software packages available at the time. A contact person for each discontinued service was invited to participate. The participants were geographically scattered, so data were collected via e-mail questionnaires, telephone interviews, and examination of available documents describing the services, audiences, demographics, operations, and any decision-making processes either for starting or discontinuing the service. The authors then compared and contrasted results obtained from the 9 services. The authors analysed reasons for discontinuation of services, the decision making processes, volume of questions, service hours, marketing, evaluation, and whether the service might be restarted at some time in the future. Main Results – Although the VR services discussed were being delivered by diverse organizations, some commonalities emerged. All 9 services used existing staff and added chat reference to their duties. In all but one case, the hours of service offered when VR began were within the hours that the libraries were already open to the public. In the exception (Case E), there were hours of service after the libraries were closed, from 7-10 p.m. These shifts were covered by librarians working from home. Decisions to either begin or suspend services were generally made by small informal groups or committees. Some cases began with pilot studies and received positive responses. Other than these pilot studies, little pre-planning appeared to have been done. For example, there were no extensive advance surveys or studies to determine potential demand or markets for the service, or projected costs and benefits. Only one service had a strong, multi-stage evaluation plan. In future launches of virtual reference services, both extensive pre-planning and detailed measures for evaluation could be helpful in avoiding some problems. Major reasons for discontinuation fell into 6 categories: funding problems, staffing problems, technical problems, institutional culture conflicts, low usage overall or low usage by target populations. A table (Table 1) was included that actually listed 7 categories of reasons for discontinuation, but the last one listed, “Software Change,” is discussed as part of “Technical Problems” in the text, though it is separated in the table (527). This is not immediately clear in the article, and thus the table is slightly confusing. Four cases reported funding problems as the major reason for discontinuation. Low volume or low volume for target population were primary reasons for discontinuation by 4 cases, and secondary reasons for discontinuation by 4 cases. If one combines primary and secondary categories in this table, low volume is the most frequently cited reason for discontinuation. Low volume was determined to be “driven by a complex combination of variables including marketing strategies, insufficient hours of operation, and [failure to provide] an ample amount of time for a service to gain momentum” (527-528). Funding was cited as the primary reason for cancellation in 4 cases. Technical problems were listed as primary or secondary factors for suspension of service in 2 cases, and software change was the secondary factor behind the suspension of service in 2 cases; one service reported that up to one third of chat sessions were ‘lost” (527). In many cases, these sites were early adopters of VR, or even beta test sites, so technical issues are perhaps not surprising. Staffing was the primary or secondary reason for discontinuation in a total of 3 cases. Staffing problems included insufficient questions to keep staff interested; however, concerns about extending service hours and thereby putting additional pressure on existing staff were also raised. Clashes in institutional cultures were reported as secondary reasons for discontinuation of the service in 2 consortia. It should be noted that the sample size is small; as the authors point out, the literature on unsuccessful or discontinued virtual reference services is quite limited. Pop-up surveys were used by some cases to evaluate service success and user satisfaction. User satisfaction was reported as being high, but return rates for the surveys were very low, as can be expected since pop-ups are often blocked or ignored. The authors recommend alternative means of evaluation, such as focus groups and more detailed surveys. The authors also discuss alternative technologies and user expectations for services such as IM or SMS text messaging, and suggest evaluation of user expectations and desires in these areas. One question which arose was what constituted success in chat reference – was it usage/volume, or some other measure, such as whether chat reference queries were answered correctly more frequently than reference questions asked in other ways, such as by telephone or in person. Other key concerns identified include the importance of strong marketing, service usability, and the importance in a consortial environment of having someone responsible on a full-time basis for directing and spearheading the project. Many of the suspended services reported that they could potentially become re-interested in VR service, as issues are resolved and the technologies available mature. Finally, the authors provide detailed recommendations for single and consortial VR services, and offer directions for future research. Some suggestions for future research include ways to bridge the apparent gulf between expectations and technological preferences of users versus those of librarians and others staffing these services, as they often appear to have marked differences. Other areas of interest could include causes for low question volume, and possible relationships among various factors contributing to such poor usage along with an investigation of what makes successful services work well. Research on IM or SMS reference services as compared to those using other chat technologies and cost-effectiveness studies or evaluations based on goals and measured outcomes are also needed. Conclusion – VR services have had erratic success rates and bumpy beginnings, but many libraries report continued interest The libraries in this study all indicated that they would consider, or are considering, re-starting such services. Issues of staffing, technological usability and reliability, institutional culture, funding, marketing, and volume are key. As services and technologies mature, interest in offering VR services in one form or another continues to grow. Stephanie Walker 2007-09-05 2 2007-09-05 http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/425 Objective - The authors measure theory incidents occurring in four LIS journals between 1984-2003 in order to examine their number and quality and to analyze them by topic. A third objective, only identified later in the text of the study, was to compare theory development and use between Korean and international journals. Research questions asked include whether LIS has its own theoretical base as a discipline, and what characteristics the theoretical framework has. Design – Bibliometric study. Setting – Journal issues selected from four LIS journals for the time span from 1984 - 2003. Subjects – Two international journals, Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology (JASIST) and Library and Information Science Research (LISR) were selected based on their high ranking in the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) impact factors. Two Korean journals, Journal of the Korean Society for Information Management (JKSIM) and Journal of the Korean Society for Library and Information Science (JKSLIS) were selected. Methods - After having determined a definition of theory, and identifying different levels of theory, the authors set up rules for the identification of theory incidents, which are defined as “events in which the author contributed to the development or the use of theory in his/her own paper” (550). Content analysis of 1661 research articles was performed to measure theory incidents according to working definitions. Interrater reliability was ensured by conducting independent coding for “subfield classification, identification of theory incidents, and quality measurement” (555), using a sample of 199 articles (random selection not specified), achieving 94-97% interrater reliability. Incidents, once identified, were evaluated for quality using Dubin’s “efficiency of law” criteria, involving measures of relatedness, directionality, co-variation, rate of change, and “profundity,” defined as the depth to which theory is incorporated into the research study. Main Results - 21.79% (n=362) of the articles contained theory incidents that were analyzed and evaluated. Trend measurement indicated an overall increase, although a slight decrease was shown in the year range 1993-2003. International journals accounted for 61.33% of theory incidents, compared to 38.67% for the Korean journals. T-testing showed that differences in means between Korean and international journals were not statistically significant. Topical theory areas were ranked by frequency. The top five areas were shown to be nearly identical between Korean and international journals. ANOVA was performed with significant results in the difference between efficiency ratings. Conclusion – The authors find that the overall proportion of theory incidents including both theory development and use increased through the 20-year time span examined, and that LIS has established its own theoretical framework based upon the frequency of incidents. Carol Perryman 2007-09-05 2 2007-09-05 http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/433 Objective – To determine the information seeking behaviors of primary care practitioners in order to inform future efforts towards the design of information services that would support quality in primary care. Design – A cross-sectional survey. Setting – A primary care practice based research network (PBRN) of caregivers who serve a broad population while simultaneously studying and disseminating innovations aimed at improvements in quality, efficiency and/or safety of primary health care in the United States. Subjects – All primary care practitioners in the PBRN including family practitioners, general practitioners, nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Methods – A questionnaire comprising twenty-six questions was distributed to 116 practitioners. Practitioners attached to academic centres (who were also members of the PBRN) were excluded in order “to achieve a sample of practices more representative of the primary care practising population” (208). Descriptive data were collected and analyzed. SPSS v11.5 was used for statistical analyses. Main results – There was a response rate of 51% (59 of 116). Fifty-eight percent of the respondents stated that they sought information (excluding drug dosing or drug interactions information) to support patient care several times a week. Sixty-eight per cent sought this information while the patient waited. Almost half of the respondents had access to a small medical library (48%) or a hospital library (46%), while 21% used a university medical library. Approximately 14% had no immediate access to a medical library. Almost 60% of practitioners stated that they had an e-mail account. Thirty-four percent agreed that the use of e-mail to communicate with patients enhanced medical practice, while 24% disagreed. There was frequent prescribing of Internet-based consumer health information to patients by only 16% of the practitioners, while Internet support groups were frequently recommended by 5%. The main barriers to information seeking were lack of time (76%), cost (33%), information seeking skills (25%), and format of information sources (22%). The use of EBM resources was fairly low, while there was a high preference for ready reference and interpersonal sources. When compared with print information resources, the use of online resources was moderate. A significant correlation was found between use of online sources and use of print sources, namely, that practitioners who used online sources more frequently, also sought information from print sources more frequently, with the inverse being true for those who sought information less frequently from either electronic or print sources. Conclusion – Primary care practitioners in this rural PBRN used print and interpersonal sources more than online sources. Practitioners who are more likely to use print sources are also more likely to seek online information. Librarians working in PBRN environments will need to identify interventions that address barriers such as time, cost, and information-seeking skills. Martha Ingrid Preddie 2007-09-05 2 2007-09-05 http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/434 Objective – To determine whether and how Danish university and higher education students use public libraries for study purposes. Design – Online survey. Setting – Post-secondary students in Denmark. Subjects – 1,575 students in university-level programs or other higher education programs (vocational three-to-four-year programs) in Denmark. Methods – A sample of students was drawn from the national database of students by selecting every student born on the 15th of every month (approximately 4,900 students). A letter describing the study and with an invitation to fill out an online questionnaire was sent to all students in the sample. There were 1,694 valid responses (approximately 35% response rate). Students following short vocational programs were deemed to be under-represented and these subjects were omitted from the analysis of this report, which reflects the response of 1,575 students. The online questionnaire gathered demographic details (gender, age, educational institution, study topic, study year, geographical location, access to the Internet, etc.) and used 110 questions or statements to gather information about student information-seeking behaviour related to study purposes. These included use of the physical library and satisfaction with services, use of search engines, awareness and use of library Web-based services, study behaviour, and participation in information literacy activities. Main results – For the purposes of this study, “academic library is used as a generic term covering university libraries, research libraries, educational libraries and all other kind of libraries outside the field of public libraries” (p. 278). The survey results confirmed many of the previous international reports of student information-seeking behaviour: 85% of students use the academic library for study purposes; fewer than 10% of all students are able to cope without any library use; students in technology and engineering, the sciences and arts, architecture and music have a higher rate of non-use of their academic libraries; a large percentage of students access the electronic resources from home; the physical library is still considered important to students; Google is used extensively and is nearly the exclusive choice for search engine. The public library is used for study purposes by about 58 percent of all students with the highest use (76%) by students in higher education institutions (HEI); students of education, social topics and psychology are very frequent public library users. Female students in HEI were the most frequent users of the public library independent of study subject or year, or any other demographic variable. Seven per cent of students rely exclusively on the public library for study purposes and first-year HEI students in the subject areas of education, social topics and psychology are over-represented in this group (which additionally has less Internet access from home than the other students). Students perceive nearly all aspects of service in the academic library as superior; HEI students rate ambience, electronic resources and speed of inter-library loan provision in the public library as higher than the academic. University students give a low rating to the collections of public library, although the students use the public library principally to supplement the collections available in their academic libraries. Another high use of public libraries by HEI students is for inter-library loans placed through the national resource sharing system. Public library reference services are used often by only one per cent of students and only two per cent use the public library on a regular basis for “study related group activities.” Conclusion – Students use physical libraries to a great extent to support their studies and students have embraced digital access to collections, especially access from home. Google is the most heavily used search engine and is used by nearly all students; use of Google complements and supplements library use. Nearly 60% of all students use public libraries for study purposes and to supplement the collections of their academic library, but they find that the public library collections are insufficient to meet their needs. The inter-library loan policies of public libraries are more lenient and accommodating to student needs and may drive the high use of public libraries. Students form a large constituency of the public library user population and they generally rate most aspects of service as substandard to those of academic libraries. There is a call for review of the public library’s role in meeting the information needs of students, and in particular, those of HEI programs who are most dependent on the public library. Julie McKenna 2007-09-05 2 2007-09-05 http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/394 Objective – To assess medical graduates’ use of evidence based medicine (EBM) in residency, self-perception of EBM skills, attitudes toward EBM, and the impact of a formal EBM curriculum in their third undergraduate year. Design – A longitudinal follow-up study by self-administered questionnaire. Setting – Internal medicine residency programs in US hospitals. Subjects – A convenience sample of 2001 and 2002 graduates of the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria (UICOM-P) (n=78), and their respective residency program directors (n=72). Methods – A student graduate questionnaire (SGQ) was sent to all members of UICOM-P’s 2001 and 2002 graduating classes who had completed the EBM course during their M-3 Internal Medicine clerkship. A program director questionnaire (PDQ), similar to the SGQ, was sent to the graduates’ residency program directors. The research instrument was tested with a pilot group prior to use, but not validated. The questionnaires consisted of 4 main sections. The first section examined formal and informal EBM programs in the graduates’ residency curriculum. The second section consisted of a self-assessment of EBM skills by the residents and an assessment of those skills by their program directors. The third section asked graduates to compare their EBM skills to those of their fellow residents who had not been students at UICOM-P. Similarly, in the third section of the PDQ, program directors were asked to compare the EBM skills of UICOM-P graduates and non-UICOM-P graduates participating in the residency program. The last section concerned professional and demographic characteristics. Copies of the surveys were mailed out to non-responders after 6 weeks. Results were collated but statistical analysis was not applied. Main results – The response rate was 32% for residents and 35% for program directors. The number of incomplete surveys was not reported. Forty-four percent of all respondents reported having a formal EBM curriculum for residents, and 76% reported an informal curriculum. For both formal and informal programs, the most common teaching formats were journal clubs, followed by lectures, teaching rounds, morning reports, bedside consultations, ambulatory clinics and seminars. In section two of the questionnaires, both residents and program directors rated the residents’ EBM skills similarly. However, the residents rated their skills in searching the literature and application of findings to clinical practice higher than the program directors. Program directors also rated the residents’ skills in understanding statistics and tests higher than the residents themselves. Twenty-four percent of both residents and program directors rated the UICOM-P graduates as “very competent” or “extremely competent” in EBM skills (50). Only 35% of program directors and 27% of residents rated the UICOM-P graduates’ EBM skills as “usually better” or “always better” than their peers who were not UICOM-P graduates (50). Conclusion - The authors of this study conclude that, for UICOM-P graduates, “it might be implied from these results that the EBM skills gained during medical school were retained through their medical school graduation and into their residency training” (51). However, this study has methodological weaknesses which make it difficult to draw any definite conclusions from the results. Suzanne Lewis 2007-09-05 2 2007-09-05 http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/435 Objective – As part of a multi-staged project, this study seeks to identify the unanswered questions about users as found in three fields: library and information science (LIS), human computer interaction, and communication and media studies, as well as the convergences and divergences across these fields. Design – A multi-phased, qualitative study involving individual face-to-face and telephone interviews, as well as self interviewing and focus groups. Setting – The fields of LIS, human computer interaction, and communication and media studies as examined in interview situations. Subjects – 83 international experts across the three fields, as well as 31 local experts from central Ohio, USA. Methods – The majority of the 83 international experts in the fields of LIS, human computer interaction, and communication and media studies were interviewed by telephone (some in person). Thirty-one local experts (7 public and 24 academic library directors) were individually interviewed and also took part in focus groups. The Sense-Making Methodology was used as an interview approach with its emphasis on bridging gaps. Neutral interview questions were used to tease out the gaps in certain situations—in the case of this project, the gaps involve communication and the unanswered questions about users. Brenda Dervin developed this approach, which has been transformed and adapted by Dervin and a host of other LIS researchers over the past 25 years. It is a metatheoretical approach that has “evolved into a generalized communication-based methodology seen as useful for the study of human sense-making (and sense-unmaking) in any context” (Dervin 729). The Sense-Making metatheory is implemented three ways in the method: “in the framing of research questions; in the designing of interviewing; and in the analyzing and concluding processes of research” (Dervin 737). In the research under review for this summary the answers to the gap-identifying questions allow different disciplines to begin to communicate and understand each other. Using Sense-Making in focus groups involves self interviewing (diaries, journals) and group discussions. Interviews were transcribed using the “smooth verbatim approach” in which non fluencies such as repetition, hesitancies, and partial words are eliminated. Care was taken to ensure anonymity, as this is necessary in the first step of the Sense-Making approach. The transcripts were analyzed for themes to capture a broad picture of what the participants struggle with across disciplinary and research-practice divides. Analysis was carried out by using comparative coding developed in early grounded theory combined with the Sense-Making methodology’s emphasis on gaps and bridging gaps. The “quotable quote” was the unit of analysis, and thematically representative quotes were selected from the transcriptions. Main Results – In an attempt to analyze communication across and within disciplines, the researchers did a thematic analysis on the interviews conducted with their international and local experts. The thematic analysis found 12 major themes, which included a total of 75 sub themes. The 12 major themes include the following: Participants wanted to make a difference with their work; participants agreed that current user research is not doing the job; there are fundamental disagreements about users and user studies; there are fundamental disagreements about the purposes of using user studies; there are external forces that make carrying out and applying user studies difficult; there was a lengthy list of differing suggestions for improving user studies; interdisciplinary communication across the three fields that do user studies is not effective; it was agreed that interdisciplinary contact is difficult; communication across the research/practice divide is not going well; some participants saw academic researchers as the problem, while some participants viewed practitioners as the problem; and most participants agreed that contact across fields and the research/practice divide would be beneficial. The researchers contend that this analysis is one of many that could be done on the information retrieved from the interviews. Their goal was not to find the definitive answers, but to describe the difficulties that participants are having across disciplines and across the research/practice divide in terms of communication and relating to user studies. The researchers wanted to tease out implications for communication and to illustrate the multiplicity that they found. Conclusions – It is difficult for this study to draw conclusions except in the most general sense, as it is part of a larger, multi-staged research project. However, this study did find that although participants across fields wanted a synthesis, they also expressed their inability to understand syntheses from fields other than their own. There were some who wanted more theories, while some claimed there were too many theories already. There was much criticism about communication across disciplines, but few solutions offered. The researchers can offer up no “magic wands” as solutions for these results, but they do suggest that the modes of communication traditionally used in user studies research are not working. Virginia Wilson 2007-09-05 2 2007-09-05 http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/510 A James Bothmer Robert Heaney Ramon Fusaro 2007-09-05 2 2007-09-05 http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/447 Purpose - The role of library management and administration is pivotal to successful adoption of evidence-based practice by library practitioners. As part of its long-standing commitment to a learning organization, the leadership team of the biomedical research library serving the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD, USA planned and implemented a systematic approach to fostering EBLIP practice. Method - The library initiated a program to build an environment conducive to EBLIP that included support and release time for library research projects, formal training in EBLIP methods, and team mentoring as research projects evolved. Library staff participating in the EBLIP initiative were the library’s 32 professional librarians as well as four other staff members. Many had scientific research experience but few if any had designed a library research study. All considered training as very important to the EBLIP initiative, as well as opportunities to collaborate with colleagues and present at professional meetings. Five teams undertook research projects; highlights of these team studies are described briefly. Conclusions - By providing a supportive framework for EBLIP practice, library leadership can successfully engage staff in EBLIP thinking and small research studies. Librarians with some training in the research process and ongoing mentoring can design and conduct studies that find important practical answers to the questions that arise in daily practice. Suzanne F Grefsheim Jocelyn A Rankin Susan C Whitmore 2007-09-05 2 2007-09-05 http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/649 As new Co-conveners for CLA’s interest group, EBLIG, we would like to take the opportunity to introduce ourselves. Sue Fahey is a public services librarian at the Health Sciences Library, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's. Renée de Gannes-Marshall is the information specialist at the Canadian Dental Association in Ottawa. EBLIG's goals are: to represent the interests of librarians involved in evidence based librarianship and library related research; to organize continuing education opportunities for librarians in this area; to provide a means of communication between librarians involved in evidence based librarianship; to assist librarians with the dissemination of library research utilizing an evidence-based model; to support librarians' evidence based research with grants. We are pleased to announce the introduction of a new workshop grant which has been established to support and encourage the development of continuing education activities in evidence based librarianship in conjunction with local/regional/provincial associations or institutions. EBLIG Co-conveners and volunteers will evaluate applications and determine awards based on the established criteria, including relevance to the profession and to the advancement of evidence based librarianship, value to expected participants and regional/geographic location. We would like to award the first grant this year and have allotted a budget of $250 and set a deadline of October 15th, 2007. Please apply ASAP for funding for your fall course idea! For more information, go to http://eblibrarianship.pbwiki.com/EBLIG+Workshop+Incentive+Grants . An hour long Education Institute audio conference, Evidence-Based Librarianship: A Toolkit for Public Libraries, featuring presenters Virginia Wilson and Stephanie Hall, will be held on Tuesday, November 6th, at 12 pm. Virginia and Stephanie will present a toolkit tailored to public librarians and public library workers with tips on how to integrate EBL into the workflow. The toolkit will include key EBL articles, sources of evidence, and steps to take to put EBL into practice. Registration is $54 for members and $74 for non-members. For more information, go to http://www.thepartnership.ca/partnership/bins/calendar_page.asp . If you managed to make it to EBLIP4 or you missed out, but were wondering how you could get to the next conference, (especially after seeing conference abstracts posted on the website http://www.eblip4.unc.edu ), we have been in touch with the main contact for EBLIP5 to be held in Stockholm, Sweden. Details on the conference, including event dates and venue, are forthcoming. As of July 31st, 2007, our interest group is 48 members strong from across Canada and the United States! For those who participate on the listserv and who live outside of Canada, did you know that you can join EBLIG without having to become a full member of CLA for a fee of only $30 CAD annually? For more details, go to http://www.cla.ca/about/igroups/evidence_based.htm . Also of note is the fact that non-members can participate on the listserv. We look forward to your comments and questions and invite you to participate in the activities set forth during 2007-2008. Participate on the listserv, contribute to the wiki, keep reading this journal, and get involved with EBL. Also, if you are a fellow "Facebooker", feel free to join the Evidence Based Librarians group (118 members strong at the time of writing!). We look forward to working with you. Sue Fahey 2007-09-05 2 2007-09-05 http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/573 The Open University (UK) and Athabasca University (Canada) are hosting the very first international conference to focus on the delivery of library services and resources to users via mobile and handheld devices. This event on November 13th and 14th at the Open University in Milton Keynes will bring together researchers, managers and practitioners from around the world who are interested in extending the value and flexibility of libraries in new and exciting ways. For more details and to register, please visit the website at: http://library.open.ac.uk/mLibraries/ . Gillian Needham 2007-09-05 2 2007-09-05 http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/674 Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (EBLIP) is seeking an Associate Editor (Evidence Summaries) to join its Editorial Team. Evidence Summaries (ES) provide critical appraisal syntheses for specific research articles. These research synopses provide readers with information regarding the original research article’s validity and reliability, thus providing information on the presence or absence of evidence with which to make informed decisions. The Evidence Summaries are a key component of this journal. ES are written by a team of experienced authors who follow a strict format to ensure consistency. All ES undergo peer review to ensure quality. Up to ten ES are published in every issue of EBLIP. The Associate Editor (Evidence Summaries) is responsible for: Monitoring a set of top research journals in librarianship for new research articles Assigning articles to ES writers Seeing ES through all stages of the publication process including assigning peer reviewers & copyeditors Working closely with other Editorial Team members to ensure a consistent, high-quality journal Maintaining a reliable, experienced ES writing team with a variety of areas of expertise Maintaining ES writing guidelines and acting as a support for the ES writing team. The ideal candidate will be well-versed in evidence based practice and critical appraisal. This position requires dedicated time on a regular basis and is labour intensive. It is therefore essential that interested persons ensure available time to devote to this position prior to applying. This is an unpaid position. Interested persons should send their resumes by October 1, 2007, to: Lindsay Glynn Editor-in-Chief lglynn@mun.ca (709) 777-6026 Lindsay Glynn 2007-09-12 2 2007-09-12 http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/683 Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (EBLIP) is seeking a Production Editor to join its Editorial Team. The Production Editor is responsible for the publishing function of the journal, including manuscript layout and formatting of content. The ideal candidate will be able to work within short deadlines and dedicate focused time on issue production according to a set schedule. Solid knowledge of MS Word, Adobe Acrobat and basic HTML coding is essential as well as a demonstrated aptitude and comfort working in an online environment. This is an unpaid position. Interested persons should send their resumes by October 1, 2007, to: Lindsay Glynn Editor-in-Chief lglynn@mun.ca (709) 777-6026 Lindsay Glynn 2007-09-12 2 2007-09-12