Transcript (Self-) Discovery Service: Helping Students Help Themselves Rocco DeBonis Ed O’Donnell Cynthia Thomes 15th Distance Library Services Conference April 18, 2012

(Self-) Discovery Service:
Helping Students Help
Themselves
Rocco DeBonis
Ed O’Donnell
Cynthia Thomes
15th Distance Library Services Conference
April 18, 2012
Presentation outline
• About UMUC and the UMUC Library
• Background of EDS selection
• Customization of EDS
• Incorporation of EDS into online library
instruction sessions
• Best practices for use of EDS
• Effect of EDS (so far)
About UMUC
• Founded 1947
• Part of USM system
• 100+ online bachelors and masters
programs and certificates
• Global student population: 92,000+
 Majority online
 Non-traditional students
 Military students
About the UMUC Library
• Mission
 Educate students in use of library/info
resources
 Partner with Undergrad and Grad Schools
 Develop and manage online resources
• 120+ databases
About the UMUC Library
• Points of contact:
 Majority of students online
 E-mail & chat 24/7
 Instant messaging
 Phone
 Walk-in
Background of EDS selection
User satisfaction survey comments
I'd
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able
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search
onsearch
the all
main
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database
the
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learned
how
to
across
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like
databases
should
Google,
be made
at
one
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would
time, sort
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of like with
forthat
a particular
topic.
search all databases would prevent
Google?
I'dseems
much like
rather
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access
It
you
have
to
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switching back and forth from one
ILS and just
use Google or Google
database
first.
database to another.
Scholar…
Who cares about the database?
I just want research to be easy like
Google…
MetaLib (aka Research Port)
Research Port limitations
• Simultaneous searching of ~8 databases
• Very basic searches
 2 search boxes provided
 Connectors: AND, OR, WITHOUT
• Advanced search options unavailable
 Publication date limiter
 Scholarly/peer-reviewed journal limiter
• Longer processing time
Pre-EDS UMUC Library home page
Current UMUC Library home page
OneSearch
UMUC Library home page
Customization
Google
EDS @ UMUC: Our students
UMUC students are largely
adult learners with
day jobs,
military duties,
and families.
What do our students want/need?
• Full-text resources:
Full-text articles
eBooks
• Easy, direct access by the
student without help from the
librarian
The library’s main portal
Comprehensive
• 46 databases searched directly
• 41 databases federated as
additional resources
• 36 databases cannot be included
because of contractual or metadata
issues
Silos of information and distance education
Northeastern
University Library
Illinois State University Library
Mississippi State University
University of North Carolina @
Charlotte
University of North Carolina @
Greensboro
James Madison University
Indiana University
Bloomington
Google
Library instruction background
• Classes visited online for library
instruction by request of instructor
• Asynchronous
• Wide variety of classes visited
• Instruction modules include library
exercise
Topic development and background reading
Searching tips and techniques
Required exercise
• Help students think critically
about their research topic
• Create strong research question
• Create effective search statement
for use in databases
• Find relevant resources
Original exercise
Analysis of exercises
Reason for choosing resource
• Familiarity
• “Easy to use”
After implementing OneSearch
• Searching multiple databases
superior
• More results = more choice
• Misinterpreted UMUC OneSearch
 Does NOT search all databases
• Perceived ease of use
EDCP 100
• Teaches undergrads basic
academic skills
• Students must analyze only one
article
• Yet students still gravitate to
OneSearch
Revised exercise
Down the path of self-discovery
Students start to understand
research process
 Pros and cons of OneSearch
 Pros and cons of subject-specific
databases
 Less is sometimes more
Student reflection
“The results that I got from my first search
[OneSearch] yielded more results but my
second search provided me with articles
that were more appropriate and pertinent to
my topic.”
“The results from the second search [in a
single, subject-specific database] were
much more relevant to my search statement
and subject matter. I also received fewer
results which made it easier to choose an
article.”
Show… don’t tell
• Revised exercise demonstrates
search effectiveness
• Shows importance of using
appropriate resources
What we learned along the way…
• Patron research level
• Scope of assignment/research
• Subject matter
Exhaustive literature search
Graduate students in the Education
and Technology Program had to
perform an exhaustive literature
search regarding technology used in
the classroom.
Exhaustive literature search
With OneSearch these students were
able to cross-search ~90 databases
across dozens of disciplines using
one search engine.
Exhaustive literature search
Exhaustive literature search
Exhaustive literature search
Exhaustive literature search
Exhaustive literature search
Subject area
Subject area
Reference interview template
• Patron research level
• Scope of assignment/research
• Subject matter
Reference interviews versus instruction visits
Fielding questions via phone,
chat, e-mail, and IM is timesensitive.
Lessons learned from instructional visits…
have informed our approach to reference
interviews.
• Anticipating students’ needs in order to
design instruction materials and exercise.
• Review students’ responses to inform the
following:
 Future instruction
 Future innovations
 Reference interviews
Reference interview template
The following guidelines are meant to serve
as a general reference interview template:
 Determine the student’s general
research topic.
Reference interview template
 Determine the scope of their
inquiry into the topic, their level of
scholarship (e.g., undergraduate
or graduate student), and the
general subject area(s) relevant
to their topic.
Reference interview template
 Find where they have searched so far and the
nature of their results.
 Determine whether they need to be
redirected away from/toward UMUC
OneSearch for a narrower/broader search.
 Determine whether they need to be
redirected away from/toward a subject
guide and subject-specific database(s) for a
broader/narrower search.
 Determine whether they are using an
appropriate resource and simply need
further help narrowing/broadening search
results with that resource.
Effects of EDS (so far)
Post-OneSearch implementation
Searches
Sessions
40,000,000
120,000
35,000,000
100,000
30,000,000
80,000
25,000,000
60,000
20,000,000
40,000
15,000,000
10,000,000
20,000
5,000,000
Mar 2012
Feb 2012
Jan 2012
Dec 2011
Nov 2011
Oct 2011
Sept 2011
0
Aug 2011
Aug 2011
Sep 2011
Oct 2011
Nov 2011
Dec 2011
Jan 2012
Feb 2012
Mar 2012
0
Pre- and post-OneSearch implementation
1400000
1200000
1000000
800000
pre-OneSearch
(Aug 2010 - Mar 2011)
600000
post-OneSearch
(Aug 2011 - Mar 2012)
400000
200000
0
EZProxy logins
Pre- and post-OneSearch implementation
1000
900
800
700
Reference
questions
600
500
2010 pre-OneSearch
2011 pre-OneSearch
2011 post-OneSearch
2012 post-OneSearch
400
300
200
100
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
August
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
0
Areas for further research
• Effect of OneSearch on numbers and
types of reference questions received
• Effect of OneSearch on database use
 databases searched directly vs.
available as “additional resources” vs.
not included in OneSearch
Concluding thoughts
Lessons learned so far
• OneSearch heavily used since its
implementation
 prominent placement on library home
page
 authentication not required before
entering terms on basic search page
 increased likelihood of retrieving results
Lessons learned so far
• Librarians still needed to assist with research
 refine search statements
 correct mistaken beliefs about OneSearch
o OneSearch searches all databases
o searching more databases is always better
o getting large numbers of search results is
always better
 provide guidance about when to use
OneSearch and when to use individual
subject-specific databases
Thank you for attending!
Contact information
Rocco DeBonis: [email protected]
Ed O’Donnell: edward.o’[email protected]
Cynthia Thomes: [email protected]
www.UMUC.edu/library