Library Homepage Research Articles

Preference for Print or Electronic Book Depends on User’s Purpose for Consulting

A Review of:
 Rod-Welch, L.J., Weeg, B.E., Caswell, J.V., & Kessler, T.L. (2013). Relative preferences for paper and for electronic books: Implications for reference services, library instruction, and collection management. Internet Reference Services Quarterly, 18(3-4), 281-303. 
 doi: 10.1080/10875301.2013.840713
 
 Abstract
 
 Objective – To determine patron format preference, perceived usability and frequency of e-book usage, and to study use and preference of e-reading devices.
 
 Design – Survey questionnaire.
 
 Setting – Large public research university in the United States of America.
 
 Subjects – 339 students, faculty, and staff members
 
 Methods – An anonymous 23-item survey was available in online and print formats. Print surveys were distributed in the lobby of the library and throughout various buildings on campus. A direct link to the online version of the survey was included in e-newsletters, on the library homepage, and on the library’s Facebook site. A definition of e-book was placed prominently at the beginning of the survey. Questions included information on preference of format (11), experiences using e-books (3), ownership of particular devices for reading e-books (1), attitudes regarding library purchase of e-books and readers (3), demographic information (4), and additional comments (1).
 
 Main Results – Of the 339 completed surveys, 79 were completed online and 260 in print. When asked about preference in format for reading, 79.6% of respondents preferred print books compared to 20.4% choosing e-books. If the library was purchasing a book to support class research and projects, 53.9% preferred print and 46.1% preferred electronic, but if the library purchased a book for leisure reading, 76% preferred print and 24% preferred electronic. In response to the question about how often they used e-books from the library, 50.1% of respondents never used library e-books, 21.1% used once per year, 20.8% monthly, 7.4% weekly and 0.6% daily. Of those who used e-books, 38.1% read only sections they needed, 31% searched keywords, 24.2% downloaded and printed pages to read later, 21.8% read the most relevant chapters, 17.1% skimmed the entire book and 14.2% read the entire book. If both formats were available, 25.1% felt that the library should purchase the print book, 16.7% the e-book, and 58.2% chose both formats. When asked about downloading e-books, 51.1% of respondents would use an e-book only if they could download it to a hand-held device. A majority of the respondents, 81.7%, felt that the library should provide e-readers for checkout if the library purchased e-books instead of print books. When asked which types of books they preferred to read in electronic format in an open-ended question, 22% preferred textbooks, 21% leisure reading, 18% research books, 15% other types, 6% journals, 5% reference books, and 3% anything. Regarding which types of books were preferred in print format, 42% preferred leisure reading, 21% other, 14% all, 11% textbooks, 6% research books, 2% no e-books, 2% journals and 2% reference books.
 
 Conclusion – Preference for book format (electronic or print) depends on the users’ purpose for reading the text. This will likely change over time, as users gain more familiarity and experience with e-books, and better support is provided from the library.

Improving the Library Homepage through User Research -- Without a Total Redesign

Improving the Library Homepage through User Research -- Without a Total Redesign

디지털 환경의 전문도서관 서비스 품질과 이용자 만족도에 관한 평가

This research was conducted to measure the satisfaction level of users and the service quality of specialized libraries in the digital environment. 289 users of 24 government-funded institutes were divided into humanity/social science area and science/technology area for comparison. Using seven hypotheses, the tests were conducted between three independent variables, service quality, space quality, and information quality and one dependent variable, user satisfaction. It was concluded that the competence and quality of the librarian, library homepage, and quality of information are most critical for user satisfaction. Suggestions are made: an improvement in the service quality and specialization of the librarian’s skills, a need for librarian’s courtesy education, a provision of differentiated and specialized quality of information, an easy access to the library homepage, and supports on the contents and information search. 키워드: 전문도서관, 서비스 품질, 이용자 만족도, 전문도서관 평가, 품질평가 Specialized Library, Service Quality, User Satisfaction, Evaluation of Specialized library, quality evaluation * ** *** 본 연구는 2013년도 상명대학교 교내연구비 지원을 받아 연구되었음. 상명대학교 문헌정보학과 교수(mehelee@smu.ac.kr) (교신저자) NICE신용평가(주) 자료실 사서(jxad35@nicerating.com) 논문접수일자 : 2014년 2월 4일 논문심사일자 : 2014년 2월 24일 게재확정일자 : 2014년 3월 17일 한국비블리아학회지, 25(1): 343-361, 2014. [http://dx.doi.org/10.14699/kbiblia.2014.25.1.343] 344 한국비블리아학회지 제25권 제1호 2014

Information organization on the web site of medical library

ABSTRACTA library home page should be a document providing information about library, its various services to and activities for the users. The purpose of the present research was an evaluation of the actual state of-the-art of library home pages of Slovene medical libraries, and a set of suggestions is offered for their improvement. The results of the research, based on the sample of medical libraries partaining to the Ljubljana medical circle, indicate that posibilities offered by databases accessible on internet are unutilizied. Medical libraries mostly use their web sites for presentation of their activities in a fairly rigid and unchanging format, including general information on the library, e-mail, mailing adresses, library regulations, but without much interactive information. The article indicates the necessity for improvement of the present state and offers a few advices on how to achieve the positive change.

Tracking Changes: One Library's Homepage Over Time—Findings from Usability Testing and Reflections on Staffing

A strong Webmaster, additions and reorganizations of staff, a library commitment to providing the user with an effective site, changes in the site's focus, and external factors such as technological improvements and changes in user expectations are all factors that can trigger changes in a library Web site's design. Yet these changes are not necessarily always progressive evolutions. This case study examines the various iterations of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas Libraries Web site from 1996 to the present, noting issues with each version, reasons leading to change, the people responsible for Web site decision-making, and the specific changes incorporated over time. In particular, the authors reviewed the usability test results for each of the tested designs, noting whether the identified problems were addressed in the redesign process and highlighting the usability problems that found their way back into the site in later redesigns. This study, which speculates on reasons for the reoccurrence of usability issues and identifies findings from usability testing that remain viable over the years, is anticipated to be useful in UNLV Libraries’ efforts to continuously improve its Web presence. Descriptions of organizational structure provide context for Web redesign efforts.

Library Homepage Design at Medium-Sized Institutions

This study sought to describe and analyze the homepages of academic library Web sites at 313 medium-sized bachelor's and master's general institutions. The authors evaluated an unprecedented number of library homepages for the presence of 118 design elements and reported common and uncommon design practices at these libraries. They found 21 elements present on at least half the homepages studied. Seven of these occurred on at least 80 percent of the pages studied: links to the university homepage, library hours, images, portals by subject or links to subject guides, links to interlibrary loan services, “about” sections, and catalog searches. This study serves as a baseline for the current practices of homepage design for a large population of libraries. The results of this survey indicate trends and common design elements for library Web site design and show which elements Web designers and librarians at medium-sized libraries should consider including on their Web pages. Findings are compared with a similar study conducted in 2010, and this study in turn may provide a comparison point for future research. The study also reports characteristics of the implementation of discovery services for this population of libraries in unprecedented detail and provides descriptive information about homepage links to social media sites and mobile applications.

Online On Ramps: A Pilot Study Evaluation of the Accessibility of Canadian Public Library Web Sties to Visually and Hearing Challenged Users

A pilot study was conducted to assess the accessibility of Canadian public library web pages to visually and hearing challenged individuals using adaptive technologies. A random sample of their library home pages were evaluated using Bobby, a software program created by the Centre for Applied Special Technology using the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Accessibility Guidelines. Results suggest that Canadian public...

U.S. academic libraries: understanding their web presence and their relationship with economic indicators

The main goal of this research is to analyze the web structure and performance of units and services belonging to U.S. academic libraries in order to check their suitability for webometric studies. Our objectives include studying their possible correlation with economic data and assessing their use for complementary evaluation purposes. We conducted a survey of library homepages, institutional repositories, digital collections, and online catalogs (a total of 374 URLs) belonging to the 100 U.S. universities with the highest total expenditures in academic libraries according to data provided by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Several data points were taken and analyzed, including web variables (page count, external links, and visits) and economic variables (total expenditures, expenditures on printed and electronic books, and physical visits). The results indicate that the variety of URL syntaxes is wide, diverse and complex, which produces a misrepresentation of academic library web resources and reduces the accuracy of web analysis. On the other hand, institutional and web data indicators are not highly correlated. Better results are obtained by correlating total library expenditures with URL mentions measured by Google (r= 0.546) and visits measured by Compete (r= 0.573), respectively. Because correlation values obtained are not highly significant, we estimate such correlations will increase if users can avoid linkage problems (due to the complexity of URLs) and gain direct access to log files (for more accurate data about visits).

Still Desperately Seeking Citations: Undergraduate Research in the Age of Web-Scale Discovery

ABSTRACT Web-scale discovery services promise fast, easy searching from a single Google-like box, pleasing users and making library resources more discoverable. Some librarians embrace the concept of giving users what they have come to expect from Google, while others are concerned that this will “dumb down” searching and undermine information literacy. In this article we explore the potential impact of Web-scale discovery tools on information literacy, focusing particularly on undergraduate research skills. We review the existing literature and present findings and experiences from two mid-sized academic libraries that have adopted EBSCO Discovery Service as their library home page portal.

Turning the pages of Obesity

The January 2013 issue of Obesity inaugurates a new chapter in the history of the Journal as several changes are occurring simultaneously. First, our new publisher, Wiley, with Jo Wixon as Senior Editor, brings a commitment to publish our work efficiently and to market it to achieve a wider readership. Wiley will improve the reader experience with an anywhere article format to meet the screen demands of newer devices. The Wiley Online Library homepage will improve branding and highlight our content. We can build virtual issues around chosen themes and promote the journal across readership in Endocrinology, Nutrition and Dietetics, Cardiology, Surgery, and others. Second, we hope to bring new energy as Editor-in-Chief (Eric Ravussin) and Associate Editor-in-Chief (Donna Ryan). We have mapped out an ambitious strategy to bring Obesity to the next tier, to be a leading specialty journal sought after because of its quality and its speed from submission to publication. This is the official journal of The Obesity Society and we want Society members to be proud of Obesity. We will increase readership and citations. We want all submitting authors to consider that we have given a careful and speedy review and that the time to publication is as short as possible. We want Obesity to be the first journal that an author considers for publishing a discovery of interest to the obesity research community. Society members should scan Obesity every month for the latest developments in the field. We are aided in our ambitious goals by some experienced Associate Editors who are staying on (David Allison, Marc Reitman, and Jacqueline Stephens) and a cadre of young and enthusiastic Associate Editors (David Cummings, Vishwa Dixit, Gary Foster, Paul Franks, Bret Goodpaster, Ruth Loos, Christopher Morrison, Leanne Redman, Melinda Sothern, and Holly Wyatt). Among the changes are a simplification of section headings to just four (Obesity Biology and Integrated Physiology; Clinical Trials: Behavior, Pharmacotherapy, Devices, Surgery; Pediatric Obesity; and Epidemiology/Genetics). We are limiting the word count for original articles to 3,500 words, but we will have more Invited Reviews (5,000 words) and Perspectives (1,000 words). We are designating a format, Brief Cutting-Edge Reports, for excellent and novel findings that can be reported in 1,500 words. We will work with authors to produce more press releases so as to increase the impact of the Journal in the press. Obesity has made remarkable progress since its founding almost two decades ago as Obesity Research, under Editor-in-Chief George Bray. Able leadership, including Xavier Pi Sunyer, Barbara Corkey, and Richard Bergman, has pushed the journal to an Impact Factor of 4.284 (ISI Journal Citation Reports Ranking 2011). Obesity ranks 9/72 among Nutrition and Dietetics journals and 31/121 of Endocrine and Metabolism journals. So, the Editors-in-Chief stand on the shoulders of some talented and hardworking predecessors in the ambition to expand the scope of the journal. With our Managing Editor, Hedy Ross, and Editorial Assistants, Deborah Rice and Lorrie Brescia, we have already begun to implement some procedures to reduce a large backlog and to speed time to decision for submissions and to publication for accepted papers. We are turning the pages on the “old” journal and are ready to embark on a new chapter for Obesity. As with starting any new chapter, we have learned from what came before and are anxious to see what unfolds on the new pages. However, of course, we need your expert help by submitting your best work to Obesity.

Emergent digital services in public libraries: a domain study

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the emergence of digital services in the public library domain via an extensive study of the websites of all Scottish public library services.Design/methodology/approachIn a four‐month period all 32 of Scotland's public library authority websites were visited by a researcher. The goal of the researcher was to record the options available from the library homepages in the following way: role of library in providing page content: content provider or access provider; was the page providing a digital service; what was the audience for the page: adult, child, or not specified; description of page content; and any noted usability issues. Each site was only visited to three levels below that of the initial homepage.FindingsThe study found a good standard of innovation in digital services around LMS functions, offering users the ability to keep in control of their borrowing and reserving. In addition there was a consistent set of electronic reference resources subscribed to by multiple libraries, offering high‐quality information both within the library and for library members from their home or workplace. Problems were found with regards to guidance on the usage of these resources, as well as confusion and inconsistency in terminology usage across different library services.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper only examines Scottish public library sites, and thus can only claim to be representative of that country. It also can only represent the sites at the time they were examined.Practical implicationsThe paper should be of interest to public and other librarians interested in patterns across websites in their sector.Originality/valueThis is the first national study of Scottish public library websites and its findings should be of value as a result.

Incorporating Millennium Catalog Records into Serials Solutions' Summon

Grand Valley State University implemented the web scale discovery system, Summon from Serials Solutions, in August of 2009. The decision was made to use Summon search as the only search box on the library home page. This fueled the desire to ensure that the Grand Valley State University local catalog was included in the Summon index. The inclusion of these records caused many issues that had to be addressed and worked through, including daily updates and incorrect data. In this article the authors share their experiences and discuss solutions to issues faced during and after implementation.

Creating a user‐centered library homepage: a case study

Purpose – This paper aims to describe the process, testing, and data analysis of redesigning a library's homepage to create a more user‐centered experience.Design/methodology/approach – A survey and a usability test were conducted to collect data on users' interactions. The goals were to make design changes catered to users' needs, prior to migrating the site to a content management system.Findings – Recommendations are made to improve the usability of the Ursula C. Schwerin library homepage, as well as considerations for future testing.Originality/value – This case study will be useful for librarians and web programmers implementing usability tests for the first time. It will also be useful for those focusing on developing a more user‐centered homepage.

Study on Librarian Service Providers' Awareness and Perceptions of Library Services for the Disabled

The purpose of this study is to improve library promotional marketing for the disabled by identifying requirements of public library disability services. This study aimed to investigate librarian service providers’ awareness of library programs for the disabled in order to prepare a systematic plan for promoting such library services. Research methods used are a literature analysis and survey. First, the ratio of respondents with experience promoting activities and services for the disabled was less than 50%. Second, regarding methods for promoting library disability services, the respondents used library homepages, press releases, library user guides, library newsletters, and library pamphlets in that order. Third, when asked what kind of PR media the library disability service providers had experience with and how often they use it, library boards and banners were the most common response. Fourth, suggested improvements to the current design and content of PR materials included: clearer word choice (or greater understandability), more detailed descriptions, simpler layouts, and more interesting or eye-catching content in that order. Fifth, the library disability services which are in the most need of public relations were guide information for library disability services, Library and Information Service (DOI services and search services), using alternative materials and the library collection, and aiding the information search. Overall, when evaluating the promotion of disability services in Korea, the library’s public relations for disabled services needs to improve because currently neither librarians nor the disabled community they are targeting has frequent or quality experience with it.. Thus, the policy department for the library disability services must develop a variety of promotional strategies adjusted for each type of the disability and distribute PR materials to service providers individually, making sure to utilize effective PR methods.

A Use of Space: The Unintended Messages of Academic Library Web Sites

Academic library home pages are not only access points to the resources and services of a library, they are virtual representations of the library itself. The content placed on the page, where it is placed, and the amount of space allotted are all choices that send a message about the character of the library, the resources a user should start with, and the library's attitude toward its users. This study explores the messages being sent by the content selection and design of the home pages of 49 of the 50 largest academic libraries in the United States. By looking at the area allocated to different content types and the number and location of different content types, the researchers discovered that design elements and promotion/public relations receive a large amount of page space. The researchers also identified the prominently positioned multi-search box as the apparent de facto standard access point to library resources. Many sites are clearly designed to direct users to specific, presumably important resources. Other sites are more obscure in their site structure and design, increasing the options and visual clutter for users without providing much guidance.

Come together: A common vocabulary for University of California library homepages

ACRL TechConnect Susan Mikkelsen, Kristine Ferry, Rachael Hu, Brian Mathews, Deborah A. Murphy Come together A common vocabulary for University of California library homepages A cademic library Web sites are complex mixes of information gateways and links to resources and services. Hours, staff directories, research guides, room reservation systems, catalogs, databases, and donor infor- mation are just a handful of the many things users look for when they visit library sites. Keeping homepages simple, uncluttered, and easy to navigate is a challenge for library Web masters, and the costs to create and maintain Web sites are significant. To this end, the University of California (UC) Libraries Heads of Public Services (HOPS) recently charged a taskforce to estab- lish a set of shared best practices for library homepage nomenclature, content, and lay- out. Libraries in the ten-campus UC system currently share a number of resources and services: electronic collections, consortial bor- rowing, and 24/7 digital reference to name a few. Yet each of the ten libraries hosts and maintains its own Web page, each as unique as the campus it serves. Exploring cooperative options for library Web sites is consistent with other UC efforts to streamline operations and eliminate redun- dancies across campuses. If adopted, a set of best practices would not only create a more uniform experience for users across the UC system, but also has the potential to eliminate duplication of time and effort in future Web redesigns. Digital reference librarians who assist users from all ten campuses could also provide better service if homepages were standardized. Our taskforce conducted an analysis of top content from multiple UC library Web sites C&RL News June 2011 and QuestionPoint (chat reference) transcripts to determine essential home-page elements. We then collected and reviewed current no- menclature and created graphical scans of each library’s homepage. We also consulted the literature and used our own firsthand experiences with Web design to support our recommendations for layout. We referred to data from a California Digital Libraries mobile environmental scan as we considered recom- mendations for mobile Web site elements. Process We began our analysis by conducting a thorough inventory of existing homepage elements and nomenclature on all ten UC Library homepages, identifying common elements on each homepage, and recording the nomenclature used for each element. All nomenclature variations were noted and tal- lied when duplications existed. This process gave us an awareness of the great variation in nomenclature on UC library homepages. For example, the element “VPN,” was found on all ten homepages, but named six different ways: Susan Mikkelsen is resource access and instruction librarian at University of California-Merced’s Kolligian Library, e-mail: smikkelsen@ucmerced.edu, Kristine Ferry is head of access services at University of California-Irvine, e-mail: kferry@uci.edu, Rachael Hu is user experience design manager at California Digital Library, e-mail: rachael.hu@ucop.edu, Brian Mathews is assistant university librarian, outreach and academic services, at University of California-Santa Barbara, e-mail: bmathews@library.ucsb.edu, Deborah A. Murphy is Web content librarian at University of California-Santa Cruz, e-mail: damurphy@ucsc.edu © 2011 Susan Mikkelsen, Kristine Ferry, Rachael Hu, Brian Mathews, Deborah A. Murphy

Digital Ethnography: Library Web Page Redesign Among Digital Natives

Presented with an opportunity to improve Wesleyan University's dated library home page, a team of librarians employed ethnographic techniques to explore how its users interacted with Wesleyan's current library home page and web pages in general. Based on the data that emerged, a group of library staff and members of the campus’ information technology staff worked together to redesign the library home page to present library resources in a more logical design to meet the needs and expectations of current students and faculty.

The North Carolina State University Libraries Search Experience: Usability Testing Tabbed Search Interfaces for Academic Libraries

Creating a learnable, effective, and user-friendly library Web site hinges on providing easy access to search. Designing a search interface for academic libraries can be particularly challenging given the complexity and range of searchable library collections, such as bibliographic databases, electronic journals, and article search silos. Library Web designers must decide whether to present users with a single search interface—one that searches across content silos by default—or to offer an interface that exposes the various silos available. Designers must also contend with the user's entire search experience and determine how search should appear on the library home page as well as in global navigation systems. In the spring of 2010, the North Carolina State University Libraries sought to answer search design questions for an upcoming Web site design effort. The Libraries evaluated two different search interfaces to determine whether a tabbed search approach with options to pre-select silos is an effective design for end users. Findings show that a tabbed search interface is an effective design device for presenting multiple silos. This study outlines the methods the North Carolina State University Libraries used to conduct usability testing as well as observations, findings, and recommendations about effective design of search on academic library Web sites.

대학도서관 전자자원 메타데이터 실태 분석

본 연구는 국내 대학도서관의 전자자원 메타데이터와 관련된 현황을 살펴보고, 정보조직 패러다임 및 목록 환경의 변화에 대응하기 위한 방향성을 제시하기 위함이다. 국내 대학도서관의 전자자원 도입 및 조직과 최근 정보자원 조직의 동향을 살펴보았고, 디지털콘텐츠 구축 건수 상위 30개 대학도서관의 홈페이지를 방문하여 현황과 문제점을 조사하였다. 앞으로 전자자원을 포함한 다양한 유형의 정보자원을 통합적으로 관리하고, 접근성을 강화하여 이용자들에게 확장된 목록의 기능을 제공하여야 할 것이다.

Differently Able: A Review of Academic Library Websites for People With Disabilities

This research is based on the Library Services for People with Disabilities Policy, which was approved by the American Library Association in 2001. The policy identified focus areas for libraries including library services, facilities, collections, and assistive technology. Library websites frequently convey this information to users. Our study examined and compared academic library websites for the differently able. What services do academic libraries offer to the differently able? Is there a basic level of services that libraries identify or should offer? Are websites for people with disabilities easily located from the library's home page?