Library Patrons Research Articles

Nodes of Knowledge: Librarians as Navigators for Geospatial Technology Users

Decades following the advent of geospatial technology use in government, industry, and academia, elementary and secondary classrooms remain mostly uninitiated in the ways of spatial analysis, data collection, and map creation. While computers have become more common in schools, limitations of bandwith, accessibility, and familiarity remain barriers to using geospatial technology across the curriculum. A multitude of small studies has been undertaken describing the success of teachers using geospatial technology in classrooms, yet these reports have not led to widespread usage by technology, geography, science, or social studies teachers. Geospatial technology professionals who shared their enthusiasm for this resource with educators decades earlier remain surprised at the continued dearth of geographic information science (GIS) in pre-collegiate classrooms. This review uses survey results from seven professional development workshops in Colorado to frame a discussion of the cycle of adoption of new technologies by K-12 educators. Survey results in Colorado substantiate previously-identified concerns about the time it takes to learn and instruct using GIS, the increased burden of teaching English and math as part of science and social studies instruction, and the technical challenges associated with lack of up-to-date computers and sufficient bandwidth. Librarians, who are often overlooked as educational collaborators, can become equal partners in educational ventures. As more and more patrons of libraries wish to explore digital maps, academic librarians trained in GIS will be called to assist patrons in addressing new challenges and can model this behavior for K-12 educators and school librarians. Based on the survey comments from Colorado K-12 teachers interested in geospatial technologies, geographers, academic librarians, and school librarians should consider developing approaches that support elementary and secondary educators in learning and teaching with geospatial technology.

Identification and development of patron personas for an academic library

Purpose – Ranganathan’s Laws of Library Science and continued refinements place identification of patron’s needs and connection of those needs to library services of primary importance in libraries. Identifying and developing personas or user group descriptions helps to identify the unique nature of library patrons. Personas help librarians identify or create specific services for each patron persona. Understanding each library persona allows the library faculty and staff to prepare and to plan service delivery. The purpose of this paper is to develop personas for undergraduate students followed by the identification and development of personas for graduate students and faculty. Design/methodology/approach – The identification and development of undergraduate patron personas engaged communications students, as part of their course work, to use a review of previous studies to develop theories of library patron personas. Each of the three groups within the communications class verified their initial persona theories using surveys, focus groups, interviews, observations and ethnographic methods. All personas from each group was further developed and refined into a final list and description of ten library personas. A principal components analysis helped to provide interconnections between the personas and estimate the percent of patrons each persona comprised. Findings – The study identified ten personas (user groups) who use a wide variety of library services. Descriptions of personas enabled library faculty and staff to identify personas accessing their services, to further develop and refine current services and to create new services to meet the needs of patrons. A principle components analysis further facilitated the understanding of interrelations between the personas based on persona use of library services. Personas that had common needs or use patterns were grouped together to further understanding of patrons use patterns and needs. While an attempt was made to determine the percent of total patrons each persona was, evidence was found that indicated the fluid nature of personas in regards to library services. That is, as the patron needs shifted, so did their persona. Patrons moved from one persona to another to meet their shifting needs as the academic semester proceeded. Practical implications – Personas have several practical implications for librarians. First, they enable librarians to reflect on provided services in terms of personas. This reflection enables library services to be refined to meet patron needs. Second, the interconnection between personas enables librarians to market other services. As a patron uses one service, librarians can point out related services that may be of interest or help. This is particularly important for new student orientation tours. Finally, matching the personas with other library trends and patterns assists librarians with the development of the library as a space suited to meet the needs of its patrons. Originality/value – While the use of personas is common in communications, marketing and business, their development and use in academic libraries is quite unique. They become quite useful in associating library services to the patrons that use them. Strategic planning also uses personas as services are upgraded and improved or new services are created to meet more persona needs.

Library patrons’ emotions after information retrieval: effects of perceived self-efficacy

Purpose – Successful information retrieval is determined by library patrons retrieving accurate, relevant, and up-to-date information stored in documents; this affects their self-efficacy, emotions, and behavior. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of mastery experiences, self-evaluation, vicarious observation of others’ experiences, social feedback, and physiological state of library patrons’ emotions after information retrieval. Design/methodology/approach – A structured close-ended questionnaire survey was utilized of which 200 responses were valid and usable for data analysis. Multiple regression analysis was executed to assess the influence of personal self-evaluation, comparisons with others, physiological state, and social feedback, on the library patrons’ emotions after information retrieval. Findings – The findings of this study indicated that social feedback had the greatest influence on the library patrons’ emotions after information retrieval, followed by personal self-evaluation and physiological state. Originality/value – This study employed quantitative research design utilizing multiple regression analysis which provides useful insight for university librarians on the specific factors that have significant effects on library patrons’ emotions after information retrieval. The outcomes add a new perspective to preceding studies on library patrons’ emotions after information retrieval, which has previously been inadequately researched in the Malaysian setting.

Out of the Library and on to the Floors: Librarian Participation in Nursing Rounds

ABSTRACTPhysicians, nurses, residents, pharmacists and social workers are commonly thought to be part of the healthcare team. Incorporating medical librarians as part of this team is beneficial not only to the library patrons, but to the library as well. Nurses are often asked to respond immediately to clinical care questions. However, they do not always have the time or resources available. This article describes the successful implementation of a collaborative librarian rounding service provided by two librarians from separate institutions; an academic medical center library and a hospital library.

Demand-driven Service Innovation: Discovery and Analysis in Chinese Law Libraries

AbstractThis article introduces readers to a new perspective on meeting library user needs. The author employs Kano theory to examine library user demands in Chinese law libraries and how law libraries in China have tried to meet user needs on three different levels. The Kano model was first introduced by Professor Noriaki Kano of Tokyo Rika University. The model was based on the assumption that customer needs are constantly changing and the question becomes how to meet library users’ evolving demands. The article summarizes demands of Chinese law library patrons on three levels: basic needs, performance, and excitement demands. Currently, most Chinese academic law libraries meet the basic needs of library users, but they need to further enhance user satisfaction and promote the law libraries’ status as a legal information center instead of merely a place to collect and house books.

Geospatial Data Collection Policies, Technology and Open Source in Websites of Academic Libraries Worldwide

The proliferation of geospatial data demands the engagement of information organizations, such as academic libraries, for their management and diffusion.The purpose of this paper is to reveal issues related to the development of geospatial collections and explore their efficient use as required by the current information environment. Thus, a research conducted on 363 websites of academic libraries worldwide and 136 websites maintaining geospatial collections were identified. The research questions were formed based on international bibliography and we applied a content analysis method for data extraction. Findings show a significant activity of academic libraries in providing GIS services in accordance with high rates in user education programs, creating the use of geospatial collection and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) services more effective. Nevertheless, through their websites we obtained poor response to communicate geospatial collections policies. The majority of the academic libraries surveyed in this study provide commercial software to their users for managing data on a local level, while the minority of library patrons are able to use geospatial data via remote access. This paper explores aspects of development in geospatial collections in academic libraries that have not been adequately raised. Additionally, we provide an overview of geospatial collections worldwide.

The Health and Libraries of Public Use Retrospective Study (HeLPURS).

Public libraries may promote health through literacy, education and social connections. To conduct the first broad-based, quantitative exploration of health and public library patronage. Retrospective cross-sectional study. All 2925 adult patients at a general practice clinic living in a small north-eastern U.S. city were invited by mail to participate; 243 consented. Clinical variables from the medical records were combined with library usage variables from the public library patron database. The authors analysed how patient health characteristics were associated with library cardholding, average card use or recency of use. Approximately 72% of participants held a library card; 40% of these had used it within the last month. Library cardholding was not associated with patient characteristics. Higher average card use was associated with pregnancy, having youth at home and depression severity. Lack of recent library usage was associated with current smoking (P = 0.01) and drug use (P = 0.01). Among ever-smokers, moderate/high card use and card use within six months were both associated with over two times the odds of quitting smoking. Public libraries and health appear to intersect around substance abuse and depression-anxiety disorders. Moderate or higher use of public libraries is strongly associated with tobacco cessation.

Research Proposal - Study on Librarian Actions that Fulfill User Needs for Diverse Patron Groups

This is a research proposal, created for a library school course on research methods. This paper outlines the parameters of a study on reference service satisfaction of different types of law library patrons. The purpose of conducting such a survey would be to create a best practices guide to support reference librarians working in this library.

Organizational Socialization of Academic Librarians in the United States

This study aims to investigate academic librarians' organizational socialization. Successful socialization can increase librarians' commitments to and retention in the libraries, which may enhance the quality of information services to library patrons. In addition to collecting demographic information, we measured the organizational socialization of 314 academic librarians using Chao, O'Leary-Kelly, Wolf, Klein, and Gardner's (1994) content framework. Study participants possessed high levels of socialization in their libraries overall. They were well socialized in Politics, followed by Performance Proficiency (task/skills), and Language; however, their socialization in Organizational goals/values, History, and People were relatively low, suggesting that there is room for improvement. Other key findings are: (1) male participants had lower levels of socialization in the People dimension than did females; (2) participants who were tenured had higher levels of socialization than did those who had not yet achieved tenure; (3) participants who had informal mentoring experiences had higher levels of socialization overall compared to those who had not received any mentoring; and (4) participants' socialization was associated negatively with the number of employees in their libraries and with the highest degree offered by their institutions. The study findings can be used to understand the learning and adjustment process of academic librarians in the United States, predict their retention and job satisfaction, and develop and improve library training or orientation programs.

Playing with LEGO®, Learning about the Library, and “Making” Campus Connections: The Rutgers University Art Library Lego Playing Station, Part One

ABSTRACTAs libraries continue to grow and change in the 21st century, we are seeing an increased emphasis on outreach, engagement, creativity, and innovation for academic libraries. These ideas are crucial to the future of academic libraries and makerspaces are one way for academic libraries to realize these ideas. Makerspaces can be affordable, don't need to take up a lot of space, and have potential to be catalysts for creating partnerships within one's community. Engaging making events can stimulate broader conversations among library patrons and library employees as well as a way for library liaisons to connect with their faculty, students, and staff.

News, Awards, and Announcements

This issue’s installment of News, Awards, and Announcements is shorter than usual for a few reasons. Firstly, many of the world’s book awards were announced in the previous issue and there seems to be a bit of a lull between the excitement of awards, the concentrated reading time of summer, and the calls for award submissions in the early fall. Secondly, we have to admit that Canada’s beautiful springtimes may be the only season where even avid book readers are distracted by the weather - summer, fall, and winter are definitely reading seasons but spring beckons us outdoors (hmm, I wonder if anyone has researched “reading seasons”...).Illustrator-in-residence at Edmonton Public Library - Apply now!www.ibby-canada.orgCall for submissions - Illustrator-in-residence at Edmonton Public Library.Although the deadline is nigh, there might still be time to get your application together to spend October 2016 engaging library patrons in art activities. The residency is funded by the family of Joanne Fitzgerald (1956-2011) and administered by IBBY Canada (INternational Board on Books for Young Peoplewww.ibby-canada.org/2016-joanne-fitzgerald-illustrator-in-residence-program/Canadian Children’s Book Centre Author-Illustrator Directorybookcentre.caDo you know about the CCBC’s “Author & Illustrator” directory? It allows you to search artists by a number of criteria such as craft, genre, curriculum links, province, booking availability, and grade level. For example, a search of Alberta YA authors in the vicinity of my postal code brings up profiles of Jim Sellers and Marty Chan with their publications, genres, websites, and a description of the workshops they offer. Strangely, however, there are mysteries in the search results. Although the full index shows more than 150 entries, choosing categories in the profile browser seems to display a maximum of six even when choosing “all” from the drop down menus. If you are an artist, becoming a CCBC Professional Creator Member allows you to add your profile.Festival of Trees 2016 - Ontario Library Associationhttp://forestfestivaloftrees.ca/If you are a spur-of-the-moment type person, you might have time to get to the Festival of Trees - a “rock concert” for readers. The culminating event for Ontario’s Forest of Trees reading program, the activities take place in London (May 13), Toronto (May 17&18 for English, May 19 for French), and Sault St. Marie (May 27). Happy Spring,David Sulz, Communications Editor (outgoing)David is a Public Services Librarian at University of Alberta. He is liaison librarian to Religious Studies, Economics, and Social Work as well as international liaison for China. He has university studies in Library Studies, History, Education, Asian Studies, Japanese language, and Economics which he’s used in various settings including teaching in schools and museums. His interests include several forms of physical activity, music, home improvements, and things Japanese.

Are We There Yet? Calculating Wait Time for Popular Digital Titles

ABSTRACTE-books and audiobooks are becoming increasingly popular in the United States. Unfortunately, the supply of digital titles does not meet the demand. Library patrons must frequently wait for weeks to receive popular e-books. We examined the issue of wait time for e-book and audiobook titles using three public library patron accounts to gather data consisting of the average daily number of wait spots for each title, and days until the title was available. Based on our observations, we propose the Waiting Reduction Rate (WRR) formula to determine the average number of wait spots per title as a metric to help determine a better holds-to-copy ratio for electronic materials and reduce patron wait time.

How less is truly more: Merging library support services

ABSTRACTIn the summer of 2010, to provide a “one-stop shop” service point to Woodruff Library patrons, the Circulation, Reference, and Learning Commons (LC) desks merged into the unified Library Service Desk (LSD) under Access Services. Last year, due to organizational changes in the library and IT, and anticipated support needs of the new LC spaces and technologies, Student Digital Life opened a separate LC Technical Support desk. The lessons of the year of the two desks, funding considerations, and the persistent goal to streamline the experience of our patrons resulted in transitioning the functions of the LC desk to LSD, thus evolving it to new organizational and operational levels.

Evaluation of Self-Ratings for Health Information Behaviour Skills Requires More Heterogeneous Sample, but Finds that Public Library Print Collections and Health Information Literacy of Librarians Needs Improvement

A Review of:
 Yi, Y. J. (2015). Consumer health information behavior in public libraries: A qualitative study. The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy, 85(1), 45-63. http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/679025 
 
 Abstract
 
 Objective – To understand public library users’ perceptions of ability to locate, evaluate, and use health information; to identify barriers experienced in finding and using health information; and to compare self-ratings of skills to an administered instrument.
 
 Design – Mixed methods.
 
 Setting – Main library and two branches of one public library system in Florida.
 
 Subjects – 20 adult library users purposively selected from 131 voluntary respondents to a previously conducted survey (Yi, 2014) based on age range, ethnicity, gender, and educational level. Of the 20, 13 were female; 11 White, 8 Black, 1 Native American; most had attained college or graduate school education levels (9 each), with 2 having graduated from high school. 15 respondents were aged 45 or older. 
 
 Methods – Intensive interviews conducted between April and May 2011 used critical incident technique to inquire about a recalled health situation. Participants responded to questions about skill self-appraisal, health situation severity, information seeking and assessment behaviour, use of information, barriers, and outcome. Responses were compared to results of the short form of the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (S-TOFHLA) test, administered to participants. 
 
 Main Results – On a scale of 100, participants’ S-TOFHLA scores measured at high levels of proficiency, with 90% rating 90 points or above. Self-ratings of ability to find health information related to recalled need were ”excellent” (12 participants) or “good” (8 participants). Fourteen participants did not seek library assistance; 12 began their search on the Internet, 5 searched the library catalogue, and 3 reported going directly to the collection. Resource preferences were discussed, although no frequency descriptions were provided. 90% of participants self-rated their ability to evaluate the quality of health information as “good” or “excellent.” Participants selected authority, accuracy, and currency as the most important criteria of quality evaluation; however, other important criteria such as editorial review of content were not mentioned. Participants rated their ability to use health information as either “excellent” (17) or “good” (3). 
 
 Conclusion – Use of health information enabled health behaviour change for participants, although conflicting information tended to increase anxiety. Barriers to success in all areas of inquiry include difficulties with terminology, collection limitations, asking a librarian for assistance, and lack of awareness of resources. Librarians should improve their health literacy skills in order to advise on all aspects of health information seeking, evaluation, and use. Collaborative efforts are suggested, such as special libraries and public library efforts, and health professional workshops or seminars offered to public library patrons.

The Complete Prose of T. S. Eliot: The Critical Edition: Apprentice Years, 1905–1918, Volume 1, by T. S. Eliot, The Complete Prose of T. S. Eliot: The Critical Edition: The Perfect Critic, 1919 –1926, Volume 2, by T. S. Eliot

<i>The Complete Prose of T. S. Eliot: The Critical Edition: Apprentice Years, 1905–1918, Volume 1</i>, by T. S. Eliot, <i>The Complete Prose of T. S. Eliot: The Critical Edition: The Perfect Critic, 1919 –1926, Volume 2</i>, by T. S. Eliot

In Defense of Deflation by PhilippBagus. Springer (2015), 215 pp. ISBN: 978–3319134277 (hb, £90.00); 978–3319134284 (eBook, £72.00). Springer's MyCopy edition of the eBook is available to library patrons for £/$/€24.99.

In Defense of Deflation by PhilippBagus. Springer (2015), 215 pp. ISBN: 978–3319134277 (hb, £90.00); 978–3319134284 (eBook, £72.00). Springer's MyCopy edition of the eBook is available to library patrons for £/$/€24.99.

Why Users Come to the Library: A Case Study of Library and Non-Library Units

This case study explores use patterns of an academic library following the addition of several non-library units. Of specific interest were the initial destinations of patrons, the number of destinations visited, and the primary purpose for coming to the library. We observed all destinations of patrons as they entered the building and administered an exit survey to gain additional insight into patrons' use of the library, including all first floor destinations visited and their primary purpose for visiting the library. We used selected statistics to further explore library use. Findings indicate that non-library units are a popular destination for library patrons but do not eclipse the overall use of library units; that the majority of patrons only visit one destination per trip to the library; and that the primary purposes for which patrons come to the library are studying and the use of library materials.

The Use of Web Services for Patron Education and Information by Selected Top University Libraries in USA and India

University libraries today are offering several web-based and cloud-based services through their websites and so library websites can be considered as mirrors of the library. This paper discusses the current status of various web-based services offered by selected top university libraries in the USA and in India to educate their patrons. It also tries to identify best practices to be followed by other similar kind of libraries for their readers and students.USA libraries offer on average 30 out of 70 identified services while Indian libraries only offer 6 on average. In this respect, the weakest USA libraries are still stronger than the strongest Indian ones. Traditional bibliographical services in Indian library websites take a larger relative share than in USA websites. Ranking the universities by number of offered library web-services does not fit with their official rankings according to the calculated Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient for the samples selected from USA and India. These findings will be useful to university libraries in developing countries to diversify their service and change their profiles into more modern information centers with higher educational potential.Keywords: Web-based Library services, Library Best practices, Web Tools, Patron Education, Online Education, and Total Quality Management.

Considering FERPA requirements for library patron databases within a consortial environment

abstractThis case study examines patron record privacy and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) within a consortial environment. FERPA requirements were examined, as well as college and library policy and procedure. It was determined that information in library patron records is directory information and, under most circumstances, does not need FERPA protections. However, the needs of the confidential student, who requests confidentiality of all information, including directory information, were identified as not having been addressed. Reed Library adjusted policy and procedures to meet the needs of the confidential student and fulfill FERPA requirements.

Psychosocial Reasons Why Patrons Avoid Seeking Help from Librarians: A Literature Review

ABSTRACTPatrons avoid asking librarians for help for a variety of psychosocial reasons. These include academic goal orientation; degree of self-regulation; perceived threats to autonomy or self-esteem; desire to avoid being stereotyped; perceptions of librarians; and feelings of confusion, fear, or anxiety. Educational psychologists and college student services professionals have published research on help seeking that is directly relevant to library patrons’ behaviors. This review summarizes literature on the educational psychology of help seeking, help seeking in college student services, interpersonal dimensions of library reference services, library anxiety, the effect of librarian behaviors on patrons’ perceptions of help received, and preliminary findings on help seeking in online settings.