I recently read Walt Crawford's essay "Life Trumps Blogging" that he publishes in the latest Cites and Insights (get the PDF here, the actual page in html to the essay here). These are just some quick thoughts I had as I was reading it. I am in the middle of drafting my "why do I blog" post, which for some reason keeps getting more complicated, but we'll see on that later. At any rate, my thoughts.
It seems to me that the title of the essay and what it says is common sense. For instance, Walt writes "that a vacation works better if the notebook stays at home (or at least stays off the internet as much as possible)." I know I would make a lousy conference or travel blogger because I would not be carrying a laptop. Travel for me is time to disconnect. I have plenty of internet time at home and especially at work. Sure, if I got the inclination to check e-mail on some freely available terminal, I might send the better half a note, but otherwise, I have not seen the need to carry a laptop. Does not mean I may not at some future if work were to require it, but as I know this is slim, I am pretty comfortable. I do however carry my personal journal for notes, so I would be able to post things when I get back, which has the added advantage that I can reflect on things. Anyhow, just my philosophy. For those who are always connected, I am sure it works for them.
When I discovered the essay, I was a bit sceptical. Not because of Walt's writing, which I know is among the most brilliant, but because I figured why would anyone need to write an essay about something that seems so common sense, well, to me at least. However, Walt's essay was interesting. I particularly liked seeing the various examples from other bloggers and writers that he presented, and I liked the little advice he gives at the end. I actually saw some of the posts he mentioned from people either taking a hiatus or leaving the blogosphere. Those who are gone for good I will miss, but I know that they have to do what they have to do: pure and simple. As Walt says, for those who may be taking a break, no explanation is required or needed. Having said that, odds are I may do such if I take a hiatus. I am funny that way. I don't need others to explain, yet I expect it of myself. Go figure. As for writing, I do need to write, and blogging has been and continues to be a nice extension of that. I do so for various reasons, which I am trying to explore in my other draft, but such reasons include seeking a little meaning and explaining things to myself.
At any rate, go read that great essay, and the rest of the issue of Cites and Insights is great as well. Walt has a reply to an essay by Blake of LISNews on the future of libraries which is worth reading. Walt recommends reading Blake's work first. If asked, I agree more with the way Walt took Blake's ideas apart and explained them. What disturbed me about the Blake piece was the fact that it seemed to leave behind those who could not afford the technological future he envisions. This was pointed out by some of the commenters in Blake's piece. Reading both makes for an interesting conversation. I won't add much here since I think what needed to be said in that regard has already been said by people who are more eloquent and knowledgeable than I could ever be. But hey, someone leaves me a comment, I may reply.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Monday, November 07, 2005
Article Note: Using Government Information to Teach Source Evaluation
Citation for the article:
Hogenboom, Karen. "Going Beyond .gov: Using Government Information to Teach Evaluation of Sources." portal: Libraries and the Academy. 5.4 (2005): 455-466.
I read this article through Project Muse, so it may be available for readers with access to the database.
This article describes how government information can be used to teach students the process of evaluating information sources. In fact, it also discusses how some government resources can be used to illustrate the research process. Usually, librarians tell students that websites with the .gov URL extension are good and reliable sources for a research assignment. This article proposes that .gov sources can be used for teaching critical thinking skills as well.
The article opens with a brief summary of arguments in favor of teaching critical thinking and the role of librarians in that process. This process ideally should entail the collaboration of faculty, librarians, and even the campus writing center. According to Hogenboom, "the librarian's role is often in the early stages of the process, showing students sources that demonstrate various concepts in critical thinking, as well as showing them how to find sources appropriate to their purposes, both for the specific project that brought them to the library and in general" (456). The literature review gives some definitions of information literacy and critical thinking to provide a context. This review also recalls how often faculty express concern over the fact that students seem to be doing more cut-and-paste than actually presenting arguments in their papers.
The author then opens the discussion as follows:
This summarizes her argument, which then goes on to illustrate by showing how government sources do these things. She discusses how information can vary from one administration to the next. She points out that reports from different administrations can be used to compare points of view and agendas. The idea here is that government sources can convey biases and agendas. For instance, the Health and Human Services Department's information on sex education varies from the Clinton Administration, which highlighted condoms in preventing HIV, to the Bush Administration, which currently emphasizes abstinence and downplays the role of condoms. In addition, "even reports that seem non-controversial, like an agency's annual report, often present information in a way that is most beneficial to the agency issuing the report or to the current administration" (457).
The author then uses congressional hearings and related documents to further illustrate her argument. She goes over what a hearing does, how it differs from a report, and then how information can change in the process of going from the hearing to the report to debate on the floor of Congress. She explains what a hearing can do:
The first part of that statement is something I often tell my students in instruction sessions. It often happens in the context of doing a search, and we come across a government document. A student or two may be tempted to skip it because it is a government document, and I get to tell them how helpful such a document can be because of how it can gather a broad range of information on a topic. This usually happens on the fly; it is a quick mention as part of the larger lesson. I like her additional explanation about the information in the hearing and about the different witnesses. I may be able to integrate some more, but since my sessions are often one-shots, time to expand may be minimal. However, it can be an incentive for me to find ways to bring this type of material more into my sessions. Hogenboom adds that "given the partisan nature of government and politics, these sources often contain clear examples that give students a solid understanding of the concept of point of view, an understanding they can then apply in less obvious situations" (458). Furthermore, government information sources also illustrate writing for different audiences. Hogenboom writes, "because government agencies write for the general public, specialists, the bodies to which they are accountable, and other groups, the differences in how information on the same subject is presented to different audiences by the same corporate author can be easily demonstrated" (461). She gives the example of the Department of Education's information on NCLB. There is a difference between the section for parents and the section for teachers in terms of content and presentation because the information is for different audiences.
The author also explains that government resources can be used to evaluate secondary sources. This applies to news accounts and others discussing the government information and findings. She goes on to write that "students not only need to look at the opinions expressed by various commentators but they also need to uncover the criteria being used by each commentator. They should look at the original report to see if the commentator's criteria for evaluating the report are reasonable and if the criteria are applied fairly and consistently" (461). This is not an easy task to teach. In fact, it is not a easy thing to do, but if students are to learn how to be well informed critical thinkers, they need to be taught how to go back to sources and verify what they read. In the case of statistics, as one example, going back to the source of the numbers can often reveal what a reporter or scholar chose to emphasize and leave out of a paper or article.
Hogenboom does recognize that not all instruction sessions have the time to integrate government documents in depth. However, she advocates doing so to the extent that it is possible. For example, for the short one-shot sessions, she suggests that "pointing out what congressional hearings look like in the online catalog and their value for finding experts with a variety of perspectives on a topic or explaining how to trace statistics cited in a secondary source are better ideas. . . ." (462). This is a strength of the article, giving ideas that librarians can use in their next session. She provides hints and advice for using government sources in various types of sessions. However the librarian does this, the needs of the students need to be taken into account.
Hogenboom, Karen. "Going Beyond .gov: Using Government Information to Teach Evaluation of Sources." portal: Libraries and the Academy. 5.4 (2005): 455-466.
I read this article through Project Muse, so it may be available for readers with access to the database.
This article describes how government information can be used to teach students the process of evaluating information sources. In fact, it also discusses how some government resources can be used to illustrate the research process. Usually, librarians tell students that websites with the .gov URL extension are good and reliable sources for a research assignment. This article proposes that .gov sources can be used for teaching critical thinking skills as well.
The article opens with a brief summary of arguments in favor of teaching critical thinking and the role of librarians in that process. This process ideally should entail the collaboration of faculty, librarians, and even the campus writing center. According to Hogenboom, "the librarian's role is often in the early stages of the process, showing students sources that demonstrate various concepts in critical thinking, as well as showing them how to find sources appropriate to their purposes, both for the specific project that brought them to the library and in general" (456). The literature review gives some definitions of information literacy and critical thinking to provide a context. This review also recalls how often faculty express concern over the fact that students seem to be doing more cut-and-paste than actually presenting arguments in their papers.
The author then opens the discussion as follows:
"One of the challenges of teaching students to evaluate sources is finding examples that demonstrate how audience, purpose, and point of view affect communication so that students can see below the surface of the information. It is also difficult to find examples that model critical thinking in action and to give students tools for examining the sources they are evaluating. Government information can help in all of these areas" (457).
This summarizes her argument, which then goes on to illustrate by showing how government sources do these things. She discusses how information can vary from one administration to the next. She points out that reports from different administrations can be used to compare points of view and agendas. The idea here is that government sources can convey biases and agendas. For instance, the Health and Human Services Department's information on sex education varies from the Clinton Administration, which highlighted condoms in preventing HIV, to the Bush Administration, which currently emphasizes abstinence and downplays the role of condoms. In addition, "even reports that seem non-controversial, like an agency's annual report, often present information in a way that is most beneficial to the agency issuing the report or to the current administration" (457).
The author then uses congressional hearings and related documents to further illustrate her argument. She goes over what a hearing does, how it differs from a report, and then how information can change in the process of going from the hearing to the report to debate on the floor of Congress. She explains what a hearing can do:
"Congressional hearings are often scheduled in order to hear from experts with differing points on a topic that the congressional committee is considering. Students can look at a single document, the hearing transcript, and see all the information they need in order to discover the point of view of the various witnesses, including their affiliation, relationship to the topic, and qualifications to speak about the issue under consideration. By looking at witnesses' testimonies, they can see how their points of view influence the information they present" (458).
The first part of that statement is something I often tell my students in instruction sessions. It often happens in the context of doing a search, and we come across a government document. A student or two may be tempted to skip it because it is a government document, and I get to tell them how helpful such a document can be because of how it can gather a broad range of information on a topic. This usually happens on the fly; it is a quick mention as part of the larger lesson. I like her additional explanation about the information in the hearing and about the different witnesses. I may be able to integrate some more, but since my sessions are often one-shots, time to expand may be minimal. However, it can be an incentive for me to find ways to bring this type of material more into my sessions. Hogenboom adds that "given the partisan nature of government and politics, these sources often contain clear examples that give students a solid understanding of the concept of point of view, an understanding they can then apply in less obvious situations" (458). Furthermore, government information sources also illustrate writing for different audiences. Hogenboom writes, "because government agencies write for the general public, specialists, the bodies to which they are accountable, and other groups, the differences in how information on the same subject is presented to different audiences by the same corporate author can be easily demonstrated" (461). She gives the example of the Department of Education's information on NCLB. There is a difference between the section for parents and the section for teachers in terms of content and presentation because the information is for different audiences.
The author also explains that government resources can be used to evaluate secondary sources. This applies to news accounts and others discussing the government information and findings. She goes on to write that "students not only need to look at the opinions expressed by various commentators but they also need to uncover the criteria being used by each commentator. They should look at the original report to see if the commentator's criteria for evaluating the report are reasonable and if the criteria are applied fairly and consistently" (461). This is not an easy task to teach. In fact, it is not a easy thing to do, but if students are to learn how to be well informed critical thinkers, they need to be taught how to go back to sources and verify what they read. In the case of statistics, as one example, going back to the source of the numbers can often reveal what a reporter or scholar chose to emphasize and leave out of a paper or article.
Hogenboom does recognize that not all instruction sessions have the time to integrate government documents in depth. However, she advocates doing so to the extent that it is possible. For example, for the short one-shot sessions, she suggests that "pointing out what congressional hearings look like in the online catalog and their value for finding experts with a variety of perspectives on a topic or explaining how to trace statistics cited in a secondary source are better ideas. . . ." (462). This is a strength of the article, giving ideas that librarians can use in their next session. She provides hints and advice for using government sources in various types of sessions. However the librarian does this, the needs of the students need to be taken into account.
Friday, November 04, 2005
Some thoughts on librarians' journal clubs
This post was prompted by a post from Mark Lindner of . . .the thoughts are broken . . . . He wrote a post in response to an article, which I cite below, regarding journal clubs for librarians. Mark is proposing the formation of a virtual journal club for librarians and others who may be interested. The article citation is as follows:
Before going on to read Mark's post, I went ahead and read the article. Having a membership in ALA and ACRL meant I could access the article online. My print journals are notoriously slow in arriving via snail mail. The article and Mark's post gave me some food for thought, but it also made me a bit reluctant to write some of the thoughts below because I find myself wishing that some of the conversations made possible by the club way described by Hickman and Allen could be put in place in my library. The odds for that at the moment are a little slim. I will say I had mixed feelings typing some of this since a part of it deals with work, but for me, "alea iacta est."
In my library, like many academic libraries, we route journals of academic and professional interest that we subscribe to. This does not always happen in a timely fashion, but it is just a fact of life. At any rate, a lot of what I would want to look at can be accessed online or through an alert service. What I never hear much though is my colleagues talking about what they read. I am sure they read. I see them sneaking an article here and there at the Information Desk, and I know of one who will read a professional article now and then when things are slow. What the authors describe in their article seems applicable. They write that "more commonly, professional staff is absorbed in completing the tasks and assigned duties that fall chiefly within their immediate area of responsibility." Any dialogue on this that does happen does so on the fly. If I ever ask people what they read, I will admit to feeling a little guilty. Like I am taking them away from something else they should be doing. I hate imposing on people. Sure, I will do various things, but it does not mean I will ask others to jump along. Maybe it is a bit of myself: I am perfectly fine trying out new things and falling on my sword if things do not work out. So, where do I come from with this?
In graduate school, groups like the ones described in the article were formed. And I don't mean just groups formed for specific classes. There is an old joke about graduate students that when the professor fails to show up for class, the students still go ahead and discuss whatever the assignment was rather than go home. Students formed groups on their own to explore readings and interests. It happened in English Studies and in Library School. While I did not make it to every meeting, when I did make it, I got a lot of benefit from the process. It is one thing I miss. And while I understand that the realities of work are different than the ivory tower, I do wonder if it means sharing learning and reading have to go on the wayside. Are such things not part of professional growth and development? I think so. I am willing to gamble at least some of my colleagues think so as well, but time becomes the factor. The reading part is easy; it's the sharing and reflection time that takes work. So, the next question, how do I make it work for me?
That is where blogging and my personal journal help. I can use writing to reflect on the items that I read. In the case of my blogs, it allows me to publicly share what I read. Of course, like any blog, whether others read it or not is a different matter. It is not a matter that bothers much since first and foremost the blogs are a learning tool, a workshop space, and a place for a little fun for me.
The article authors also note there is an absence of the topic in the scholarly literature. Does this mean it is not happening? I would like to think it is happening, even if on a small scale. But like many great things in librarianship, it is not getting written about. At least not in the scholarly journals.
The article authors describe the value of this activity as follows: "individual professional development, an opportunity to socialize informally with colleagues, and the birth of new service initiatives are extremely valuable to all library staff. First and foremost, journal clubs help with the challenge of 'keeping up' with the large amount of literature that is published." Challenges, according to the article, are keeping up interest after the initial period and over-reliance on the same group moderators. The authors wrote that "more librarian participation means more diversity of topics, as we each monitor different information sources, have different skill sets and professional backgrounds, and have unique perspectives on librarianship, which, if shared, would benefit the library as a whole." I will go on to add that there would be benefit for the profession as a whole as well. This is why I posted to Mark in the comments of his blog that he could count me in. The potential of librarians in various areas of librarianship sharing their ideas and readings with others, and then responding to the readings and each other is great. I think it can make for a powerful experience if it works.
Another issue I wondered about from the article is in settings where tenure is an issue. Does the club become a tool for furthering publishing agendas and research plans? In other words, does the club become more focused on finding research ideas, exploring publication opportunities and venues, etc.? Nothing wrong with this, but that would take away from the more casual nature of a journal club turning it into nothing more than a research agenda for tenure forum. That is not what such a tool is meant to be. In his article, Mark has a line that has to be simply labeled brilliant. He writes that "many of the topics that you think are most removed from your daily practice will impact what you do, sooner rather than later." I cannot think for a better reason to launch a journal club in the virtual world.
Hickman, Theodore and Lisa Allen. "A Librarians Journal Club: A Forum for Sharing Ideas and Experiences." C&RL News 66.9 (October 2005): 642-644.
Before going on to read Mark's post, I went ahead and read the article. Having a membership in ALA and ACRL meant I could access the article online. My print journals are notoriously slow in arriving via snail mail. The article and Mark's post gave me some food for thought, but it also made me a bit reluctant to write some of the thoughts below because I find myself wishing that some of the conversations made possible by the club way described by Hickman and Allen could be put in place in my library. The odds for that at the moment are a little slim. I will say I had mixed feelings typing some of this since a part of it deals with work, but for me, "alea iacta est."
In my library, like many academic libraries, we route journals of academic and professional interest that we subscribe to. This does not always happen in a timely fashion, but it is just a fact of life. At any rate, a lot of what I would want to look at can be accessed online or through an alert service. What I never hear much though is my colleagues talking about what they read. I am sure they read. I see them sneaking an article here and there at the Information Desk, and I know of one who will read a professional article now and then when things are slow. What the authors describe in their article seems applicable. They write that "more commonly, professional staff is absorbed in completing the tasks and assigned duties that fall chiefly within their immediate area of responsibility." Any dialogue on this that does happen does so on the fly. If I ever ask people what they read, I will admit to feeling a little guilty. Like I am taking them away from something else they should be doing. I hate imposing on people. Sure, I will do various things, but it does not mean I will ask others to jump along. Maybe it is a bit of myself: I am perfectly fine trying out new things and falling on my sword if things do not work out. So, where do I come from with this?
In graduate school, groups like the ones described in the article were formed. And I don't mean just groups formed for specific classes. There is an old joke about graduate students that when the professor fails to show up for class, the students still go ahead and discuss whatever the assignment was rather than go home. Students formed groups on their own to explore readings and interests. It happened in English Studies and in Library School. While I did not make it to every meeting, when I did make it, I got a lot of benefit from the process. It is one thing I miss. And while I understand that the realities of work are different than the ivory tower, I do wonder if it means sharing learning and reading have to go on the wayside. Are such things not part of professional growth and development? I think so. I am willing to gamble at least some of my colleagues think so as well, but time becomes the factor. The reading part is easy; it's the sharing and reflection time that takes work. So, the next question, how do I make it work for me?
That is where blogging and my personal journal help. I can use writing to reflect on the items that I read. In the case of my blogs, it allows me to publicly share what I read. Of course, like any blog, whether others read it or not is a different matter. It is not a matter that bothers much since first and foremost the blogs are a learning tool, a workshop space, and a place for a little fun for me.
The article authors also note there is an absence of the topic in the scholarly literature. Does this mean it is not happening? I would like to think it is happening, even if on a small scale. But like many great things in librarianship, it is not getting written about. At least not in the scholarly journals.
The article authors describe the value of this activity as follows: "individual professional development, an opportunity to socialize informally with colleagues, and the birth of new service initiatives are extremely valuable to all library staff. First and foremost, journal clubs help with the challenge of 'keeping up' with the large amount of literature that is published." Challenges, according to the article, are keeping up interest after the initial period and over-reliance on the same group moderators. The authors wrote that "more librarian participation means more diversity of topics, as we each monitor different information sources, have different skill sets and professional backgrounds, and have unique perspectives on librarianship, which, if shared, would benefit the library as a whole." I will go on to add that there would be benefit for the profession as a whole as well. This is why I posted to Mark in the comments of his blog that he could count me in. The potential of librarians in various areas of librarianship sharing their ideas and readings with others, and then responding to the readings and each other is great. I think it can make for a powerful experience if it works.
Another issue I wondered about from the article is in settings where tenure is an issue. Does the club become a tool for furthering publishing agendas and research plans? In other words, does the club become more focused on finding research ideas, exploring publication opportunities and venues, etc.? Nothing wrong with this, but that would take away from the more casual nature of a journal club turning it into nothing more than a research agenda for tenure forum. That is not what such a tool is meant to be. In his article, Mark has a line that has to be simply labeled brilliant. He writes that "many of the topics that you think are most removed from your daily practice will impact what you do, sooner rather than later." I cannot think for a better reason to launch a journal club in the virtual world.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
The Reference Question of the Day, or Metal Handbook to the rescue
We just had a patron come to the Information Desk asking the following:
"What is the tensile strength of carbon steel #1015?"
The answer is:
Boyer, Howard E. and Timothy L. Gall. Metal Handbook: Desk Edition. Metals Park, OH: American Society for Metals. 1985.
Goes to show that now and then we still have a use for the "old fashioned" reference books.
"What is the tensile strength of carbon steel #1015?"
The answer is:
- If "as rolled," 420.6 MPa or 61.0 ksi.
- If "normalized," 424.0 MPa or 61.5 ksi.
- If "annealed," 386.1 MPa or 56.0 ksi.
Boyer, Howard E. and Timothy L. Gall. Metal Handbook: Desk Edition. Metals Park, OH: American Society for Metals. 1985.
Goes to show that now and then we still have a use for the "old fashioned" reference books.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Article Note: On Electronic Journal Use and Acceptance
Citation for the article:
Serotkin, Patricia B., Patricia I. Fitzgerald, and Sandra Balough. "If We Build It, Will They Come? Electronic Journals Acceptance and Usage Patterns." portal: Libraries and the Academy 5.4 (2005): 497-512.
Part of the reason I read this article is that my library is moving with a philosophy of putting as many resources as possible online. Regardless of the pros and cons, we do face an extremely serious space issue, which I am not addressing here. It does help to propel the philosophy forward. In addition, more and more students are coming with requests for articles that can be found "online." This of course means items they can just print out on their computer and are not "stuff from Google." The expectation of finding more articles full-text is pretty much a given, at least in my experience. So, as I start to read this, I wonder if the article will validate some of my experiences or not. After reading the article, I find that it does validate some of my experiences. I was also pleased that it calls for an active role for user education.
The article begins with the literature review. The authors identify three major issues in the scholarly literature: "user acceptance or preference, confidence in the stability and accessibility of the e-journal format, and the role of user education in influencing selection of electronic resources" (498).
Under the discussion of user acceptance issues, the authors cite three obstacles the students face when they try to use e-books or e-journals. They have problems with authentication and passwords when trying to use them from off-campus. Second, they have problems navigating the library's website in order to use the items. Third, cost of printing materials is an issue. This third one refers to printing charges students may face on campuses. At the moment, we do not charge for printing in the library, but the students do have as quota of printing on campus computer labs. To be honest, I am not sure how long we will keep printing free given costs. At my library, the issue of distance access is present. We constantly get phone calls and e-mails from people having problems with accessing due to the need to authenticate. Sometimes this is due to a firewall, other times it may be some other technical reason. Whatever the reason, students simply don't care. They want their access to the articles in an easy way. If they need to sign in, that is fine for them, but that is about as far as the patience goes. If you add being on a database and having to use a resolver like TDNet, which can be confusing, the frustration can rise to ire. This I can see as a solid reason for e-journals and e-books not having as much popularity as they could be. From students who succeed in using the resources off-campus, the ones that give me feedback are usually very pleased. However, it is the displeased ones who tend to be more vocal. This is an area where vendors and technical people need to do further work. Other reported obstacles that the authors cited included lack of time and not enough training on how to find and use the information. Overall, the literature shows that undergraduates expect to use more electronic resources than graduate students and faculty, who still rely strongly on print.
The authors also cite a study by Juris Dilevko and Lisa Gottlieb conducted at the University of Toronto in 2002. The study was looking at how undergraduates use print resources for assignments in spite of electronic resources being available. Regarding that study, the article authors observe that "interestingly, 74.5 percent of the subjects in this study said they would prefer an 'exact' print journal to a 'good enough' online journal" (499). In reading that line, I wonder how much of it has to do with professors who tell their students that they will not accept "anything from the web; that only print is acceptable." Academic librarians hear this on a regular basis from students doing their research. Often, it means the professor does not want the students going to Google or Yahoo! However, the students take it to mean anything coming from a computer. In a fair number of cases too, it reflects a lack of education and knowledge on the part of faculty who fail to distinguish or realize the value and significance of e-journals and other electronic resources. True, some electronic versions are not the same as the print. Results from Lexis-Nexis Academic are an excellent example where there are no charts or graphs. On the other hand, many databases provide full-text in PDF, which are as good as getting the item from the shelf. In some cases, only the electronic may be available. I will point out that as long as these details are an issue, I will never be out of a job. Someone has to teach about this.
Further in the literature review, the article also mentions some reasons why print may be preferred. One of these reasons is the computer itself. Reading on a screen for long periods of time can cause eye-strain. As a result, many users prefer to print out an article. I know I am one of these. If I want to have an article and read it later, I will print it out. Also, printing it out means I can make notes on the margins, highlight passages, and take it with me if I need to. Portability and comfort are factors.
The study the authors conducted took place at Saint Francis University, a coed Masters I comprehensive university. It is a Catholic institution. The study was designed to find out if students will use electronic journals that do not have a print version, what kind of access do they prefer, and what can encourage them to use them. (503). It included a sample of 71 students in health sciences. They also used statistics on usage from Ovid, and the students were placed in focus groups. It has to be noted that the access was provided through WebCT as part of a grant, so the journals provided were pretty much bought for the study itself. This was also so they could isolate the journal users as much as possible. However, this meant that students could not go through the library's Web page to get the journals. They had to use the WebCT tool, which became an issue for some of the students. These students stated "that unless someone 'reminded' them, they simply forgot that the journals were available. They would have preferred accessing the new journals through the library's Web portal as they did other electronic resources, finding it confusing to learn a different access method for these resources" (506-507). This seems like something to consider for distance education classes and other classes that use course management systems.
Some of the findings are:
Serotkin, Patricia B., Patricia I. Fitzgerald, and Sandra Balough. "If We Build It, Will They Come? Electronic Journals Acceptance and Usage Patterns." portal: Libraries and the Academy 5.4 (2005): 497-512.
Part of the reason I read this article is that my library is moving with a philosophy of putting as many resources as possible online. Regardless of the pros and cons, we do face an extremely serious space issue, which I am not addressing here. It does help to propel the philosophy forward. In addition, more and more students are coming with requests for articles that can be found "online." This of course means items they can just print out on their computer and are not "stuff from Google." The expectation of finding more articles full-text is pretty much a given, at least in my experience. So, as I start to read this, I wonder if the article will validate some of my experiences or not. After reading the article, I find that it does validate some of my experiences. I was also pleased that it calls for an active role for user education.
The article begins with the literature review. The authors identify three major issues in the scholarly literature: "user acceptance or preference, confidence in the stability and accessibility of the e-journal format, and the role of user education in influencing selection of electronic resources" (498).
Under the discussion of user acceptance issues, the authors cite three obstacles the students face when they try to use e-books or e-journals. They have problems with authentication and passwords when trying to use them from off-campus. Second, they have problems navigating the library's website in order to use the items. Third, cost of printing materials is an issue. This third one refers to printing charges students may face on campuses. At the moment, we do not charge for printing in the library, but the students do have as quota of printing on campus computer labs. To be honest, I am not sure how long we will keep printing free given costs. At my library, the issue of distance access is present. We constantly get phone calls and e-mails from people having problems with accessing due to the need to authenticate. Sometimes this is due to a firewall, other times it may be some other technical reason. Whatever the reason, students simply don't care. They want their access to the articles in an easy way. If they need to sign in, that is fine for them, but that is about as far as the patience goes. If you add being on a database and having to use a resolver like TDNet, which can be confusing, the frustration can rise to ire. This I can see as a solid reason for e-journals and e-books not having as much popularity as they could be. From students who succeed in using the resources off-campus, the ones that give me feedback are usually very pleased. However, it is the displeased ones who tend to be more vocal. This is an area where vendors and technical people need to do further work. Other reported obstacles that the authors cited included lack of time and not enough training on how to find and use the information. Overall, the literature shows that undergraduates expect to use more electronic resources than graduate students and faculty, who still rely strongly on print.
The authors also cite a study by Juris Dilevko and Lisa Gottlieb conducted at the University of Toronto in 2002. The study was looking at how undergraduates use print resources for assignments in spite of electronic resources being available. Regarding that study, the article authors observe that "interestingly, 74.5 percent of the subjects in this study said they would prefer an 'exact' print journal to a 'good enough' online journal" (499). In reading that line, I wonder how much of it has to do with professors who tell their students that they will not accept "anything from the web; that only print is acceptable." Academic librarians hear this on a regular basis from students doing their research. Often, it means the professor does not want the students going to Google or Yahoo! However, the students take it to mean anything coming from a computer. In a fair number of cases too, it reflects a lack of education and knowledge on the part of faculty who fail to distinguish or realize the value and significance of e-journals and other electronic resources. True, some electronic versions are not the same as the print. Results from Lexis-Nexis Academic are an excellent example where there are no charts or graphs. On the other hand, many databases provide full-text in PDF, which are as good as getting the item from the shelf. In some cases, only the electronic may be available. I will point out that as long as these details are an issue, I will never be out of a job. Someone has to teach about this.
Further in the literature review, the article also mentions some reasons why print may be preferred. One of these reasons is the computer itself. Reading on a screen for long periods of time can cause eye-strain. As a result, many users prefer to print out an article. I know I am one of these. If I want to have an article and read it later, I will print it out. Also, printing it out means I can make notes on the margins, highlight passages, and take it with me if I need to. Portability and comfort are factors.
The study the authors conducted took place at Saint Francis University, a coed Masters I comprehensive university. It is a Catholic institution. The study was designed to find out if students will use electronic journals that do not have a print version, what kind of access do they prefer, and what can encourage them to use them. (503). It included a sample of 71 students in health sciences. They also used statistics on usage from Ovid, and the students were placed in focus groups. It has to be noted that the access was provided through WebCT as part of a grant, so the journals provided were pretty much bought for the study itself. This was also so they could isolate the journal users as much as possible. However, this meant that students could not go through the library's Web page to get the journals. They had to use the WebCT tool, which became an issue for some of the students. These students stated "that unless someone 'reminded' them, they simply forgot that the journals were available. They would have preferred accessing the new journals through the library's Web portal as they did other electronic resources, finding it confusing to learn a different access method for these resources" (506-507). This seems like something to consider for distance education classes and other classes that use course management systems.
Some of the findings are:
- "With regard to issues of user acceptance and preference, one of the themes that emerged from the focus group discussions was that the student participants in this study preferred electronic full-text journals to print because it is faster and easier for them to get the information. Students said they also preferred using e-journals because they are not charged for printing in pubolic computer labs, whereas they stated that paying to photocopy print journals is a deterrent to their use" (506).
- "With regard to the issue of user education, this study found that students believed that in order to feel capable of using the new e-journals (as well as other resources) effectively on their own, they wanted an introduction to the new resources followed by additional training and printed instructions that could serve as 'research guides'" (507).
- "Clearly, one implication of these findings is that academic libraries are challenged to achieve an appropriate balance of print and electronic collections that meets their constituents' needs" (508). I am sure a good share of librarians who read this will think that is fairly basic.
- In their conclusion, the authors write that the study "supports the notion that programs that build upon basic skills and that utilize collaboration with faculty in the development of information literacy skills across academic disciplines are both needed and wanted by students" (510). In other words, this is a good piece of evidence for the role that libraries play on their campuses. The next time someone says that libraries should have a minimal or no role on their campuses when it comes to the education of the students, readers can point to this article.
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