Julianne’s ATEM Presentation
Download
Report
Transcript Julianne’s ATEM Presentation
User Studies
Janine Schmidt
University Librarian
University of Queensland
April 2004
CAUL User Studies
1
Outline
User studies – what and why
Results and analysis
What next?
Current research
Future trends
April 2004
CAUL User Studies
2
Types of user studies
Quantitative
Statistics!
Use of electronic resources
Qualitative
Database hits, log-ons, downloads
Number of searches, TOC, Absracts, Full text
Counter
Surveys e.g. Rodski
Focus groups
Disciplinary-based studies e.g. architects, physicists
Specific user groups e.g. academic staff,
undergraduates
April 2004
CAUL User Studies
3
Why conduct user studies?
Improve library collections and services
Understand user needs
Guide collection management and development
April 2004
Match collections with needs
Ensure optimal and appropriate use of resources
Identify problems clients perceive
Establish unmet needs
Cancellations
New purchases
CAUL User Studies
4
More whys!
April 2004
Guide access approaches, portal, search
mechanisms and website design
Implement new services
Improve customer service
Benchmark against others
Market resources and services
Develop better ICT and physical infrastructure
CAUL User Studies
5
What can be measured?
Resource use
Extent of use
April 2004
Databases accessed
Journals (Counter)
Internet
Monograph vs Journals
Print vs online
Citation studies
Number of downloads
Range of disciplines and titles
CAUL User Studies
6
What can be measured?
Method of access/discovery
Content use
Catalogue
Database
Peer advice
Serindipity
In/out of the library
What it is used for?
How it is exported?
What is the value added?
Analysis of what last read
Website use
April 2004
CAUL User Studies
7
My interest in user studies
April 2004
How do we communicate with the users we never
see? Who are the users we do not see?
Purchased extensive e-journals – does the use
warrant the expenditure?
What do people really do as opposed to what they
say they do?
Does the so-called “big deal” pay off?
What impact does library/literature use make on
research outputs?
How do we design the website effectively?
CAUL User Studies
8
UQ Cybrary Use (2003)
Take away/eat in (30% of website use from library
branches)
Order in (30% of website use from UQ, 40% external)
April 2004
3,000,000 people used study areas and computers in e-zones
1.6 million items borrowed
46,000 attended information skills classes
Dial-up from offices/laboratories within
university/homes/workplaces throughout world
Check website, catalogue, service availability, holdings, use ejournals, e-books, ask questions, databases
Nearly 30 million pages of website used by over 500,000
computers throughout world
CAUL User Studies
9
Some UQ usage figures
Blackwells (647 titles) – Jan – Aug 2003
No titles unused
3.2% titles used once
14.2% titles used more than 200 times
Conservation Biology used 2133 times
185 titles (28.6%) make up 80% total useage
58 titles (8.96%) make up 50% total useage
Elsevier (Science Direct (1627 titles)) – Jan – Aug
April 2004
1% titles unused
2.2% titles used once
10.3% titles used more than 200 times
Lancet used 8585 times
483 titles (29.7%) make up 80% total useage
159 titles (9.77%) make up 50% total useage
CAUL User Studies
10
Other UQ usage
Components of website most heavily used
Time and type of use
E-print repository
April 2004
CAUL User Studies
11
What the results are telling us?
O.71 is the relationship between downloads and
number of users ie 1.4 downloads per user
(http://people.cornell.edu/pages/pmd8/highwire.doc)
Researchers will use many pathways to find
information ie catalogue, Web of Science, database
Search methods are not consistent
Proxy servers
Most users download a few articles from a few
journals
Related to quality – 20% of papers get 80% of cites
(Thomson Scientific)
April 2004
CAUL User Studies
12
Research use of libraries
April 2004
The stuff of research (and teaching and learning)
Hard copy and electronic material both seen as
essential
Better tools required for identification and
location of information resources required,
increasingly in e-formats
Own university library is essential to their
research (83% of researchers)
CAUL User Studies
13
Research use of libraries
60% medical and biological science researchers, 77% physical
science and engineering regard printed books as essential
92% researchers in arts, humanities and social sciences regard
printed books as essential
95% researchers see access to printed refereed journals as
essential
75% researchers in sciences see e-journals as essential, 57% in
social sciences and 22% in humanities (Education for change, SIRU
University of Brighton & The Research Partnership. Researchers use of libraries and
other information sources; current patterns and future trends)
April 2004
CAUL User Studies
14
…more results
Disciplinary differences
Most like e
Researchers read more articles now than they used to (Tenopir
and King – 100 per year in 1977 to over 200 now)
Print is not dead nor obsolete
Preferred format for reading
Personal archiving?
Browsing still important
E-print archives significant
People read for primary research, current awareness and
teaching purposes
Googleisation
April 2004
CAUL User Studies
15
… still more results
Interdisciplinarity
Modes of access changing
Open access
April 2004
CAUL User Studies
16
What to do with the results?
Improve the library service & collections
Provide training
Improve the discovery tools
Purchase more effectively?
Find the balance
Tell the vendor
April 2004
Discipline
Format
Monograph/Journal
Develop better searching systems
CAUL User Studies
17
Current research
Carol Tenopir (http://web.utk.edu/~tenopir/index.html)
Philip Davis (http://people.cornell.edu/pages/pmd8/)
John W. Houghton
More detailed examination of e-use and
pathways to use
April 2004
CAUL User Studies
18
Where to from here?
What are the real questions?
What are the real problems?
Use wide variety of data for comparisons
Collaborate on the research
April 2004
Appoint a CAUL sub-group to look at implications
of user studies
Connect solutions to the issues and findings
from user studies
CAUL User Studies
19
Bibliography
April 2004
Davis, P. (2003) What usage statistics say about online user behaviour.
Presented at Fiesole Collection Development Retreat, Amsterdam. Available:
http://digital.casalini.it/retreat/2003_docs/Davis.pdf.
Houghton, J. W., Steele, C. & Henty, M. (2003) Changing research practices
in the digital information and communication environment, Department of
Education, Science and Training. Available:
http://www.dest.gov.au/highered/respubs/changing_res_prac/c_res_pract.pdf
Luther, J. (2000) White Paper on Electronic Journal Usage Statistics.
Available: http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub94/contents.html
Marcum, D. B. & George, G. (2003) Who uses what? Report on a national
survey of information users in colleges and universities, D-Lib Magazine,
9(10).
Tenopir, C. (2002) Use patterns of print and electronic journals, presented at
Fiesole Collection Development Retreat, Amsterdam. Available:
http://digital.casalini.it/retreat/2002_docs/Tenopir.pdf.
CAUL User Studies
20
April 2004
CAUL User Studies
21
Thank you for listening
Discussion please….
April 2004
CAUL User Studies
22