Evidence Based Library and Information Practice

Looking at Things in New Ways

Denise Koufogiannakis — 2010-03-17

No abstract.

Editorial Responsibilities

2010-03-17

No abstract.

Taking Stock(holm): Time to Up Our Game?

Andrew Booth — 2010-03-17

Andrew Booth, Co-Chair of the International Programme Committee for the 5th International Evidence Based Library and Information Practice Conference introduces the keynotes from the event in Stockholm.

Virtual Peer Mentoring (VPM) Might Facilitate the Entire EBLIP Process

Jonathan D. Eldredge — 2010-03-17

Implications for Practice • Virtual Peer Mentoring (VPM) is one possible means for maintaining one’s continuous professional vitality. • Mentoring relationships can thrive despite boundary crossings or multiple relationships provided both participants uphold ethical principles. • Virtual peer mentoring is a possible response to the short supply of high level professionals with time to mentor junior staff. Implications for Research • Professional associations must take the lead in identifying the most important and answerable questions facing our profession. • Where authoritative evidence does not exist for an informed decision a mentor may advise a protégé on the potential for further research • Despite scarce research on Virtual Peer Mentoring, we can infer guidance from similar research on distance learning and collaborations.

Toward Collaborative Evidence Based Information Practices: Organisation and Leadership Essentials

Anita Mirijamdotter — 2010-03-17

This commentary is based on my key note for the EBLIP conference held in 2009 in Stockholm, Sweden. The title was: Bridging the gap between users and systems – the potential contribution of Social Informatics to Evidence Based Library and Information Practice. In the following commentary, I focus on the application of social informatics principles to develop a collaborative evidence based approach grounded in shared workplace leadership. My remarks highlight some main contributions from the field of library and information science and social informatics and conclude with implications for practice, including further research.

Identifying Customer Expectations is Key to Evidence Based Service Delivery

Susan McKnight — 2010-03-17

The authors look at the specific links between Evidence Based Library and Information Practice and the Customer Value Discovery methodology.

Shaping the Information Professional of the Future

Birgitta Olander — 2010-03-17

No abstract.

Provocative and Stimulating – but EBLIP (and Information Literacy) are Moving Targets!

Andrew Booth — 2010-03-17

Andrew Booth provides a response to Ola Pilerot's EBLIP5 Keynote critiquing Evidence Based Library and Information Practice against a model of research use.

Applying Evidence in Practice: What We Can Learn from Healthcare

Prudence Dalrymple — 2010-03-17

Applying research findings to practice is the foundation of evidence based practice. In healthcare, evidence-based practice depends upon the development, promulgation and application of clinical guidelines. While EBM has been enthusiastically embraced by many, gaps persist, and transmission from research to practice remains slow and uneven. The perception that EBM threatens professional autonomy accounts for some resistance but, even among practitioners who support EBM in concept, uptake of guidelines has encountered numerous barriers. A recent study of guideline implementation by residents in a tertiary care medical center provides insight into the barriers to guideline adoption, and draws parallels between the uptake of EBM in the healthcare sector and the uptake of EBLIP in the library and information field. Through increased understanding of the diffusion of evidence-based practice in one field, LIS practitioners can position themselves to avoid similar impediments.

Evaluating the Development of Virtual Communities of Practice that Support Evidence Based Practice

Christine Urquhart — 2010-03-17

Objective – The aim of this paper is to examine how virtual community of practice principles might be used by information professionals with emphasis on the work of the Specialist Libraries for health professionals in England, UK. An evaluation conducted in 2004-2005 examined the operation of the Specialist Libraries, which the National Library for Health had contracted out to various organisations, and assessed their stage of development as communities of practice. Methods – Evaluation methods included observation of a meeting of information specialists, interviews with clinical leads and information specialists, and evaluation of the content and format of the Specialist Library websites. The evaluation framework was based on a systematic review of the literature to determine the critical success factors for communities of practice and their role in supporting evidence based practice. An updated literature review was conducted for this paper. Results – Operational structures varied but were mostly effective in producing communities of practice that were at an “engaged” stage. Some Specialist Libraries wished to move towards the “active” stage by supporting online discussion forums, or by providing question and answering services or more learning activities and materials. Although the evidence from the literature suggests there are few clear criteria for judging the effectiveness of communities of practice, the evaluation framework used here was successful in identifying the state of progress and how information professionals might approach designing virtual communities of practice. Conclusions – Structuring library and information services around community of practice principles is effective. Careful and participative design of the information architecture is required for good support for evidence based practice.

Course-Integrated Learning Outcomes for Library Database Searching: Three Assessment Points on the Path of Evidence

Dianne Cmor — 2010-03-17

Objective - This study aims to assess student learning with respect to basic database searching at three different points within a required first year course. Methods - Three methods were employed at three different points to identify evidence of successful learning: 1. Analysis of in-class exercises from the initial library workshop, e.g. how many students showed evidence of satisfactorily achieving the stated learning outcomes. 2. Participant observation of student presentations, noting themes, strengths and weaknesses of student research strategy; written observation reports from librarians were coded and quantified to identify major themes. 3. Interviews with course instructors responsible for grading the final submitted projects, focusing on both student achievement and instructor perceptions of the impact of library involvement. Results - Though performance on in-class exercises showed evidence of successful learning in over 70% of students, observational data indicated that very few students showed evidence of applying new knowledge and new search skills to their own topics two weeks later. Instructor interviews revealed a perception of similar difficulties in final project submissions, and instructors suggested that students did not appreciate the need for library resources. Conclusion - In this study, students showed evidence of learning in a simulated environment, but were unable or unwilling to demonstrate this learning in authentic situations. Multiple assessment methods reveal a lack of student ability to apply search skills.

Information Literacy Instruction Assessment and Improvement through Evidence Based Practice: A Mixed Method Study

Diana K. Wakimoto — 2010-03-17

Objective— This study explored first-year students’ learning and satisfaction in a required information literacy course. The study asked how students understand connections between themselves and information literacy in terms of power, society, and personal relevance to assess if students’ understanding of information literacy increased after taking the course. Student satisfaction with the course also was measured. Methods—The study used pre- and post tests and focus group session transcripts which were coded and analyzed to determine student learning and satisfaction during the regular 2008-2009 academic year at California State University, East Bay. Results— Many students entered the course without any concept of information literacy; however, after taking the course they found information literacy to be personally relevant and were able to articulate connections among information, power, and society. The majority of students were satisfied with the course. The results from analyzing the pre- and post-tests were supported by the findings from the focus group sessions. Conclusion— The results of this study are supported by other studies that show the importance of personal relevancy to student learning. In order to fully assess information literacy instruction and student learning, librarians should consider incorporating ways of assessing student learning beyond testing content knowledge and levels of competency.

Addressing the Challenge: Cataloguing Electronic Books in Academic Libraries

Shuzhen Zhao — 2010-03-17

This paper explores the various issues and challenges arising from e-book cataloguing experienced at the University of Windsor’s Leddy Library and the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL). This discussion uses an evidence -based approach to identify and resolve issues relevant to academic libraries as well as to consortia. With the ever rising popularity of e-books within academic libraries, cataloguing librarians are actively seeking more effective methods of managing this new electronic medium, including the development of new cataloguing policies and procedures. This paper will explore the various issues and challenges surrounding e-book cataloguing and processing within academic libraries, and will identify new policies and procedures that may be used to effectively assist in e-book management.

Using Evidence Based Practice in LIS Education: Results of a Test of a Communities of Practice Model

Joyce Yukawa — 2010-03-17

Objective - This study investigated the use of a communities of practice (CoP) model for blended learning in library and information science (LIS) graduate courses. The purposes were to: (1) test the model’s efficacy in supporting student growth related to core LIS concepts, practices, professional identity, and leadership skills, and (2) develop methods for formative and summative assessment using the model. Methods - Using design-based research principles to guide the formative and summative assessments, pre-, mid-, and post-course questionnaires were constructed to test the model and administered to students in three LIS courses taught by the author. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. A total of 34 students completed the three courses; response rate for the questionnaires ranged from 47% to 95%. The pre-course questionnaire addressed attitudes toward technology and the use of technology for learning. The mid-course questionnaire addressed strengths and weaknesses of the course and suggestions for improvement. The post-course questionnaire addressed what students valued about their learning and any changes in attitude toward technology for learning. Data were analyzed on three levels. Micro-level analysis addressed technological factors related to usability and participant skills and attitudes. Meso-level analysis addressed social and pedagogical factors influencing community learning. Macro-level analysis addressed CoP learning outcomes, namely, knowledge of core concepts and practices, and the development of professional identity and leadership skills. Results - The students can be characterized as adult learners who were neither early nor late adopters of technology. At the micro-level, responses indicate that the online tools met high standards of usability and effectively supported online communication and learning. Moreover, the increase in positive attitudes toward the use of technology for learning at the end of the course may indicate that an effective balance between face-to-face and online media was achieved. At the meso-level, students valued learning in community for developing mutual respect, confidence building, risk taking, deeper and more varied learning, learning with and from their peers, and greater enjoyment in the classes. Students found that the online environments were useful for organizing the class objectives and subject matter, “staying connected” between classes, sharing ideas, keeping track of their work, and preparing them for future work in blended environments. At the macro-level, the findings of the effects on student growth related to core LIS concepts, practices, professional identity and leadership skills were inconclusive. However, students’ expressed a high regard for the value of collaboration, and there were indications that the model supported differentiated learning of professional knowledge and skills. Conclusion - The findings strongly suggest that the use of the CoP model had positive effects on the learning process. Students’ high regard for the value of collaboration appears to be a clear effect of using the CoP model. The assessment methods were sufficient for testing the efficacy of most aspects of the model under the limited conditions of this study. Student responses led to refinements in both the model and methods. This study contributes to social constructivist learning approaches and LIS curricular development by presenting an innovative model for supporting professional growth among adult learners, as well as a conceptual framework to guide evidence -based practice. Further testing and refinement of the model in other contexts and by other educators are needed to ensure that the model is robust and broadly applicable.

Undergraduate Student Use of the Physical and Virtual Library Varies according to Academic Discipline

Megan von Isenburg — 2010-03-17

A Review of: Bridges, L.M. (2008). Who is not using the library? A comparison of undergraduate academic disciplines and library use. portal: Libraries and the Academy, 8(2), 187-196. Objective – To determine differences in undergraduate students' use of the physical library and virtual library by academic disciplines. Design – Online multiple-choice survey followed by focus groups and secondary online survey with open-ended questions. Setting – Oregon State University (OSU), a land-grant university with over 19,000 students located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. Subjects – A random sample of 22% (n = 3,227) of the undergraduate population (n = 14,443), drawn by the registrar's office. Distance education and students at branch campuses were not included. From this pool, 949 usable survey responses (29% of the sample) were collected. The respondent demographics proved to be reasonably equivalent to those of the total undergraduate population in terms of class standing (freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior) and academic discipline. Methods – The study consisted of three phases. In phase one, an email invitation with a link to the four-item multiple choice online survey was sent to students in the sample population. Results were analyzed using Pearson chi-square tests to determine goodness of fit between the following variables: class standing and library visits, class standing and virtual library use, academic college and library visits, and academic college and virtual library use. When significant dependence was detected, researchers examined relationships between the specific groups (e.g., freshman and sophomore) and library use, and also compared each group to one another using odds ratios and by constructing 95% confidence intervals. Phase two was intended to gather qualitative information from the 275 infrequent or non-users of the library in focus groups. However, researchers invited the 95 students in this group who had indicated a willingness to be contacted for further study, and only five students participated. The author therefore does not report on this limited data. In phase three, researchers invited the 95 students who had self-reported as infrequent or non-users of the library and who had indicated a willingness to be contacted for further study to complete an online survey consisting of 36 open-ended questions. 38 students responded. Much of the data for phase three is reported on in a separate research article (Vondracek, 2007). Main Results – Results from phase one are reported in detail: in response to the question of how often undergraduates visit the physical library, 24.6% visited several times a year, 29.6% visited several times a month, 34% visited several times a week, 7.7% visited once or more per day, and 4% reported that they did not visit at all. Response to how often undergraduate students use the online library resources or website from outside the library were: 37.7% use them several times a year, 32.8% use them several times a month, 12% used them several times a week, 1.3% used them once or more per day, and 16.2% reported that they did not use them at all. No significant relationships were found between class standing and visits to the physical library or class standing and virtual library use. Researchers determined a significant relationship between academic college and visits to the physical library (p=0.003): College of Agriculture students were significantly less likely to visit the library than students from the Colleges of Health and Human Sciences, Liberal Arts, and Sciences. Researchers also determined a significant relationship between academic college and virtual library use (p=0.008): students in the College of Engineering were significantly less likely to use the virtual library resources than students in the College of Liberal Arts. The survey from phase three of this study asked students further questions about their library use and relevant results are discussed in this article. Five students from the College of Agriculture responded to the survey and all five students noted that they study at home. When asked about where they go for help with research, three reported that they ask a friend or peer, one noted a professor and the fifth did not respond to the question. Four engineering students responded to this survey; when asked about where they carry out online research, two responded that they use Google, one responded that he/she uses the library, and the fourth noted that he/she uses a building on campus. Conclusion – This study determined that College of Agriculture students were less likely to use the physical library than their counterparts in the Colleges of Health and Human Sciences, Liberal Arts, and Sciences, and that College of Engineering students were less likely to use the virtual library resources than students in the College of Liberal Arts.

Quality of Online Chat Reference Answers Differ between Local and Consortium Library Staff: Providing Consortium Staff with More Local Information Can Mitigate these Differences

Laura Newton Miller — 2010-03-17

A Review of: Meert, D.L., & Given, L.M. (2009). Measuring quality in chat reference consortia: A comparative analysis of responses to users’ queries.” College & Research Libraries, 70(1), 71-84. Objective – To evaluate the quality of answers from a 24/7 online chat reference service by comparing the responses given by local and consortia library staff using in-house reference standards, and by assessing whether or not the questions were answered in real time. Design – Comparative analysis of online chat reference transcripts. Setting – Large academic library in Alberta, Canada. Subjects – A total of online chat reference transcripts from the first year of consortium service were analyzed for this study. Of these, 252 were answered by local library staff and 226 from consortia (non-local) library staff. Methods – A stratified random sample of 1,402 transcripts were collected from the first year of consortium service (beginning of October to end of April). This method was then applied monthly, resulting in a sample size of 478 transcripts. In the first part of the study, responses were coded within the transcripts with a “yes” or “no” label to determine if they met the standards set by the local university library’s reference management. Reference transaction standards included questions regarding whether or not correct information or instructions were given and if not, whether the user was referred to an authoritative source for the correct information. The second part of the study coded transcripts with a “yes” or “no” designation as to whether the user received an answer from the staff member in “real time” and if not, was further analyzed to determine why the user did not receive a real-time response. Each transcript was coded as reflecting one of four “question categories” that included library user information, request for instruction, request for academic information, and miscellaneous/non-library questions. Main Results – When all question types were integrated, analysis revealed that local library staff met reference transaction standards 94% of the time. Consortia staff met these same standards 82% of the time. The groups showed the most significant differences when separated into the question categories. Local library staff met the standards for “Library User Information” questions 97% of the time, while consortia staff met the standards only 76% of the time. “Request for Instruction” questions were answered with 97% success by local library staff and with 84% success by consortia. Local library staff met the “Request for Academic Information” standards 90% of the time while consortia staff met these standards 87% of the time. For “Miscellaneous Non-Library Information” questions, 93% of local and 83% of consortia staff met the reference transaction standards. For the second part of the study, 89% of local library staff answered the questions in real time, as opposed to only 69% of non-local staff. The three most common reasons for not answering in real time (known as deferment categories) included not knowing the answer (48% local; 40% consortia), technical difficulty (26% local; 16% consortia), and information not being available (15% local; 31% consortia). Conclusion – The results of this research reveal that there are differences in the quality of answers between local and non-local staff when taking part in an online chat reference consortium, although these discrepancies vary depending on the type of question. Providing non-local librarians with the information they need to answer questions accurately and in real time can mitigate these differences.

Existing Analytical Frameworks for Information Behaviour Don’t Fully Explain HIV/AIDS Information Exchange in Rural Communities in Ontario, Canada

Kate Kelly — 2010-03-17

A Review of: Veinot, T., Harris, R., Bella, L., Rootman, I., & Krajnak, J. (2006). HIV/AIDS Information exchange in rural communities: Preliminary findings from a three-province study. Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science, 30(3/4), 271-290. Objective –To explore and analyze, against three theoretical frameworks of information behaviours, how people with HIV/AIDS, their friends, and their family living in rural communities find information on HIV/AIDS. Design – Qualitative, individual, in-depth, semi-structured interviews. Setting – Two rural regions in Ontario, Canada. Subjects – Sixteen participants; 10 people with HIV/AIDS (PHAs) and 6 family members or friends. Methods – Participants were recruited through health care providers, social service agencies and through snowball sampling. Semi-structure interviews were conducted focusing on participants’ experience with HIV/AIDS, how they find and use information on HIV/AIDS, networks for information exchange and the effect of technology on information exchange. Interviews were taped, transcribed, analyzed qualitatively using NVivo software. Results were compared to three theoretical frameworks for information behaviour: 1. purposeful information seeking (i.e., the idea that people purposefully seek information to bridge perceived knowledge gaps); 2. non-purposeful or incidental information acquisition (i.e., the idea that people absorb information from going about daily activities); and 3. information gate keeping (i.e., the concept of private individuals who act as community links and filters for information gathering and dissemination). Main Results – Consistent with the theories: • PHAs prefer to receive information from people they have a personal relationship with, particularly their physician and especially other PHAs. • PHAs’ friends and families rely on their friends and family for information, and are particularly reliant upon the PHA in their lives. • Fear of stigma and discrimination cause some to avoid seeking information or to prefer certain sources of information, such as healthcare providers, who are bound by codes of professional conduct. • Emotional support is important in information provision and its presence supersedes the professional role of the provider (social workers and counsellors were identified as key information sources over medical professionals in this instance). Participants responded negatively to the perceived lack of support from providers including doubting the information provided. • PHAs monitor their worlds and keep up to date about HIV/AIDS. Inconsistent with theories: • Reliance on caregivers for information is not solely explained by fear of stigma or exposure. Rather, it is the specialized knowledge and immersion in HIV/AIDS which is valued. • The distinction between peer or kin sources of information and institutional information sources is less clear and relationships with professionals can turn personal over time. • Inter-personal connections include organisations, not just individuals, particularly AIDS Service Organizations and HIV specialist clinics. • Relatively few incidents of finding useful information about HIV/AIDS incidentally were described. The concept of information just being “out there” was not really applicable to rural settings, likely due to the lack of discussion within participant communities and local media. When it was discussed, participants reported being more likely to gain misinformation through their personal networks. • Incidental information acquisition originates mostly from professional and organisational sources. Participants identified posters, leaflets, and, for those who interacted with organisations, information via mail as contributing to current awareness. • The gate keeping concept does not capture all the information sharing activities undertaken by “gate keepers” in rural areas, and neither does it include formal providers of information, yet all PHAs interviewed identified formal providers as key sources. Conclusion – The findings reinforce some of the existing analytical framework theories, particularly the importance of affective components (i.e. emotional supports) of information seeking, the presence of monitoring behaviours, and of interpersonal sources of information. However, alternate theories may need to be explored as the role of institutional information sources in the lives of PHAs doesn’t match the theoretical predication and the “gate keeper” concept doesn’t capture a significant portion of that role in rural HIV/AIDS information exchange.

The LIS Blogosphere Contains Tags that Can Be Categorized and It Disseminates Professional Content

Virginia Wilson — 2010-03-17

A Review of: Aharony, N. (2009). Librarians and information scientists in the blogosphere: An exploratory analysis. Library & Information Science Research, 31(3), 174-181. Objective – This study analyzes library and information studies (LIS) oriented blogs to determine the content, and looks at tags and folksonomies of these blogs to determine whether they form a consistent, coherent scheme or whether they are lacking in internal logic. Design – A qualitative content analysis of tags assigned to 30 LIS blogs. Setting – The research took place on the internet from May to July, 2008. Subjects – Thirty LIS blogs were examined, each of which was written by a librarian or an information scientist. Methods – The researcher reviewed 100 blogs that were found by browsing the Top 25 Librarian Bloggers as published by the Online Education Database in 2007 and by searching Technorati, one of the main search engines for blogs, using the term “library and information science.” Thirty blogs were chosen for analysis based on two criteria: the blog had to be written by a librarian or an information scientist, and the blog had to be active during the period studied (May-July, 2008). A content analysis was undertaken on the tags assigned to the 30 blogs by categorizing the tags that appeared as tag clouds (visual representations of user-generated tags in which the tags used more frequently are depicted in larger, bolder font) in Technorati. In order to validate the Technorati tags, the researcher’s coders read and analyzed all the blog posts over the given time period. The categorization consists of five major categories, each with several subcategories. The categories were developed using a clustering approach, with new categories coming into being when a tag did not fit into an already established category. Main Results – The tag categorization resulted in five broad categories, each with several sub-categories (a few of which are listed here): 1. General (Nouns, Disciplines, Place Names) 2. Library-related (Web 2.0, Librarians’ Activities, Catalogues) 3. Technology-related Products, Technology – Types, People) 4. Information-related (Access to Information, Information Sources) 5. Social web-related (Names of Blogs, Names of Social Networks) The tag analysis resulted in the following percentages of distribution: • 33.62% of the tags associated with LIS blogs were general in nature • 20.21% of the tags were technology-related • 19.12% of the tags were library-related • 14.60% of the tags were information-related • 12.90% of the tags were related to the social web These percentages add up to 100.45%. The author makes no mention of this oddity and it is assumed to be an error. The researcher attempted to determine if tags and folksonomies form a consistent scheme. In reporting her findings, she concluded that four major categories of professional-related content were revealed, which reflect the blogger-librarians’ fields of interest. The prominence of the general category revealed that bloggers’ personal interests and experiences were written about more often. As well, it appears that although bloggers seem to assign non-related tags randomly, the analysis shows that tags still can be categorized. Conclusion – The researcher concludes that this study is helpful for librarians and information scientists because it can help them to navigate the LIS blogosphere. She reports that the categories of tags beyond the general category, which mainly contains tags related to bloggers’ personal interests and experiences, shows that blogs can contribute to professional development. Although more informal in nature, the research has shown that LIS blogs do contain professional information, and it behooves professionals to become familiar with the tag scheme in topic oriented blogs, and to try to work within the scheme to make use of the content within. The researcher suggests further ideas for research, including the differences in LIS blogs written by a single blogger as compared with blogs written by multiple authors, as well as gender differences between male and female authored blogs. The author also suggests further research on multimedia blogs such as photoblogs, and audio and video blogs.

Study Describes Research Scientists’ Information Seeking Behaviour, but Methodological Issues Make Usefulness as Evidence Debatable

Scott Marsalis — 2010-03-17

A Review of: Hemminger, B.M., Lu, D., Vaughan, K.T.L., & Adams, S. J. (2007). Information seeking behavior of academic scientists. Journal of the American Society for Information Science & Technology, 58(14), 2205-2225. Abstract Objective – To quantify the transition to electronic communication in information-seeking behaviour of academic scientists. Design – Census survey. Setting – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a large public research university. Subjects – Nine hundred two faculty, research staff, and graduate students involved in research in basic or medical science departments. Participants self-selected (26%) from 3523 recruited. The sample reflected the larger population in terms of gender, age, university position, and department. Methods – The authors developed a web-based survey and delivered it via PHP Survey Tool. They developed the questions to parallel similar earlier studies to allow for comparative analysis. The survey included 28 main questions with some questions including further follow-up questions depending on the initial answer. The instrument included three initial questions designed to reveal the participant’s place and role in the university, and further coding classified participants’ department as either basic or medical science. The questions included categorical, continuous, and open-ended types. While most questions focused on the scientists’ information seeking behaviour, the three final open-ended questions asked about their opinions of the library and ideal searching environment. Answers were transferred into a MySQL database, then imported into SAS to generate simple descriptive statistics. Main Results – Participants reported easy access to online resources, and a strong preference for conducting research online, even when access to a physical library is convenient. Infrequent visits to the library predominantly took place to utilize materials not available online, although the third most common answer for visiting was to take advantage of the library building as a quiet reading space (14%). Additional questions revealed both type and specifics of most popular sources for research, preferred journals, current awareness tools, reasons for choice of journal for publication, and use of bibliographic management tools. Conclusion – Scientists prefer online tools for conducting library research, although specific contexts influence the preference, and online articles may be printed out for reading or annotation. The participants are taking advantage of the developing online arena, utilizing databases for research, as well as literature searching, access to journals and conference proceedings, and to keep abreast of current research.

Benefits of Unionization Still Unclear for U.S. Academic Libraries and Librarians

Diana K. Wakimoto — 2010-03-17

A Review of: Applegate, R. (2009). Who benefits? Unionization and academic libraries and librarians. The Library Quarterly, 79(4), 443-463. Abstract Objective – To investigate the quantitative benefits of unionization for libraries, librarians, and students at academic libraries in the United States. Design – Quantitative analysis of existing datasets. Setting – Academic libraries in the United States. Subjects – One thousand nine hundred four accredited colleges and universities in the United States. Methods – Institutions that provided data for both the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Academic Libraries Survey (ALS) and the NCES Integrated Postsecondary Education Data Service (IPEDS) survey series in 2004 were considered for inclusion in this study. Of these institutions, only those with student populations over 500 and employing more than one librarian were included. The study did not include specialized libraries at institutions where “most of their degrees were awarded in a single area” (p. 449). The institutions were categorized by type derived from data by Carnegie and the Association of Research Libraries. The final categories were: ARL, Doctoral Non-ARL, Masters, Baccalaureate, and Associates. Governance was determined by using information from IPEDS that classified the institutions as public, private not-for-profit, and private for-profit. Unionization status was derived from the Directory of Faculty Contracts and Bargaining Agents in Institutions of Higher Education. After private not-for-profit and private for-profit classifications were collapsed into one category, governance and unionization information were combined to create the final governance categories of: private, public nonunionized, and public unionized. The study analyzed the following characteristics in terms of institution type, governance, and institution type and governance interaction: ratio of students to librarians, ratio of library expenditures to institutional budget expenditures, average librarian salary, percentage of staff who were librarians, librarian salaries as a percentage of staff salaries, and percentage of the library budget spent on staff salaries. Main Results – Analysis revealed statistically significant differences (p< .05) between governance and student-librarian ratio and between governance and percentage of library budget spent on staff salaries. No consistently beneficial relationship between governance and student-librarian ratio was determined. A consistently positive relationship was found between governance and percent of the library budget spent on librarian salaries; all public unionized institution types had higher percentages of the library budget devoted to librarian salaries than private and public nonunionized institutions. All five dependent variables showed statistically significant differences (p< .05) when analyzed by institution type. Analysis by institution type and governance interaction found statistically significant differences (p< .05) for student-librarian ratios, librarian salary, and percentage of library budget devoted to staff salaries. Strong R2 values were determined for the dependent variables of: staff salaries as a proportion of library budget (.51) and student-librarian ratio (.34). Conclusion – Based on the results, the author stated that unionization appears to have positive or neutral benefits for the library, librarians, and students, regardless of institutional type. Further quantitative and qualitative research is needed to analyze the effects of unionization on library quality.

Information Professionals’ Attitudes Influence the Diffusion of Information and Communication Technologies

Kristen Lee Young — 2010-03-17

A Review of: Rabina, D. L., & Walczyk, D. J. (2007). Information professionals’ attitude toward the adoption of innovations in everyday life. Information Research, 12(4), 1-15. Objective – This study examined the general characteristics and patterns of librarians in connection with their willingness to adopt information and communication technologies. Design – Online questionnaire. Setting – General distribution to information professionals through online inquiry. More than 70% of responders worked in public or academic libraries. Subjects – Librarians and library staff at mostly public and academic libraries. Methods – The study was conducted during a two week period in April 2006 through an online questionnaire that was sent to library and librarian-related electronic mail lists. The questionnaire was divided into two parts and contained a total of 39 questions. Part one contained eight questions that asked for demographic data and the respondent’s daily attitude toward the adoption of information and communication technologies. Questions regarding age, number of years worked in a library, career, type of library environment worked in, and primary responsibilities within that environment were asked. For one question the respondents were asked to identify which of the categories they fall under when adopting a new technology. The results from part one were used to consider the innovativeness of librarians. The results from part two were used for a study of opinions on innovations and their relative advantage. Main Results – A total of 1,417 responses were received. Of those, 1,128 were fully completed and considered valid and used for inquiry. The majority of respondents worked in public or academic libraries. Nine hundred and twenty-six respondents, or 88%, were from the U.S. and represented more than 300 distinct zip codes. Two hundred and two respondents, or 12%, were international respondents. This study notes that the sociologist, Everett Rogers, identified and defined five adopter categories in 1958. Those categories are: innovators, early adapters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. The findings of this study indicate that regardless of the demographic variables considered, more than 60% of respondents, the majority of librarians surveyed, fall into two contrasting adapter categories: early adopters and early majority. The study suggests that the efficient and effective diffusion of new technologies in library settings may be difficult. Three problematic areas among librarians for the dissemination of innovation were identified: conflicting opinions among multiple opinion leaders, deceleration in the rate of adoption, and improper re-invention. The findings of the study also suggest that “contrary to common beliefs, librarians in academic or special libraries are no more innovative than public or school librarians” (Conclusion, ¶3). Conclusion – The study concludes that librarians’ attitudes are unevenly distributed with most either accepting new innovations or being late adopters. The variables of age, role, tenure, and library type had little impact on the approach of the professional toward innovation. The identification of the three problem areas: opinion leadership, deceleration of adoption, and improper re-invention, represents where more time and effort may need to be spent to make the implementation of new technology a smoother process.

An Evidence Based Checklist for the Peer Review of Electronic Search Strategies (PRESS EBC)

Jessie McGowan — 2010-03-17

No abstract.

An Introduction to Critical Appraisal

Virginia Wilson — 2010-03-17

No abstract.

Evidence Based Practice for Information Professionals Book Now Freely Available

2010-03-17

No abstract.

Researcher-Librarian Partnership Program Seeks Applicants

2010-03-17

No abstract.

Registration Now Open for EBLIG Mini-Conference during CLA 2010

2010-03-17

No abstract.