15 An Overview of Research Output on User

Dr S S Chandel

  1. Introduction

The „user studies‟ has now become an important thrust area for research in library and information science because the results of user‟s studies may be used to improve the services and functioning of the libraries. Many research studies have focused on how people use information/electronic resources or on their feelings about electronic and print resources in the library since the years. These usage studies draw many conclusions about the behavior and preferences of library users, although sometimes the conclusions are contradictory or unclear.

 

It is quite obvious that the practice of librarianship may be improved by making a valuable user study. We can also enhance the understanding of users‟ behaviour through user study. The rational of the study should be taken in mind while conducting users‟ studies. The studies based on the information needs for particulars users can also motivate those users for their reading interest in the subject concerned. The study for the behaviour of users will certainly be helpful to promote library activities and practices.

 

Generally, two types of survey conducted for research on users‟ studies. First, by the libraries itself, in this survey libraries conduct survey to evaluate the services and functioning of the library and institutions then improve their quality of services for users of their library. Another type of users studies are concerned with individual or other than library for making the general policy for particular libraries. The survey can be conducted online or offline. For this, time and effort both are important factor to conduct a user study.

  1. The Concept of User Studies

Generally, we use to study the user‟s behaviour and their information needs under the user studies. What we need to know, What information do we need in order to provide good service to the people who come to us to use the concerned library to fulfil their information needs etc. Any study regarding the use of library and its resources in any form are certain basic issues come under the category of user study.

 

We know that user study may consist of multi-dimensional aspect. Keeping in mind the nature of the study we may distinguish the user studies in the following manner.

  •  Human resources related studies for all kind of users‟ interaction with library personnel for betterment of library services and library resources as well.
  • What kind of information resources like books, journals working papers, monographs, grey literature are being used by the users of the library. The format like digital, e-format or traditional format is more used by users. All studies related with the use of library material may be assessed or studies for overall development of the concerned library.
  • All the studies related with the dissemination of the information available in the library or in other words it may be stated that all studies related with knowledge dissemination system of the library to achieve its goals.
  1. Meaning of Research Output

According to Concise Oxford Dictionary output means “the amount of something produced by a person, machine or industry” or “the process of producing something” or “the power, energy etc. supplied by a device or system”. In general, research output means all the process of producing research is called research output.

 

The research outputs, in terms of libraries are concerned with of the use of library resources to fulfil the objectives of the libraries. It may also consist of the impact for all the devices and techniques, library services, collections, facilities, and views of library personnel and users community.

 

Research defined as the creation of new knowledge and/or the use of existing knowledge in a new and creative way to generate new concepts, methodologies and understandings. This could include synthesis and analysis of previous research to the extent that it leads to new and creative outcomes.

 

The major difference between research outputs and research outcomes is that research outputs are activities, events, services, and products that reach people, however research outcomes or impacts are changes in knowledge, actions, or conditions (http://agsci.oregonstate.edu).

  1. Need and Scope of Research Output on User Studies

The user is an important component in the library system. The large number of studies carried out so far consisting of several aspects over the user‟s view regarding library facilities and services and behaviour of library staff towards library users.

 

Most of the user‟s studies carried out so far in India are related with educational research work for certain purpose. This kind of studies conducted and various level in India like university, college and schools of different states. Some of the studies based on the academic institutions established for the development of science, humanities and social sciences.

 

The scope of these studies is very limited as they were designed for certain purpose. Only a few have taken into consideration for publication and policy making purpose. The concept of internal evaluation of library system in India is still not very well as desired. Most of the time libraries on which survey was conducted do not know the output of the survey, as the report of that survey was not submitted to them. These kinds of studies are limited to surveyor and their concerned authority only. The provision was never made that a copy of the report must be sent to that organisation from where data are generated. The user needs and behaviour related report must be taken care of for improving the quality of library services and infrastructural facilities. The libraries itself design a system to fulfil their specific objectives by using appropriate and adequate methodologies to examine user‟s need.

 

The role of library in the educational system and in the information retrieval process is very significant. Thus for making effective use of library resources, interaction of the users‟ community with the library system is essential.

 

Keeping the above fact in mind, we have to identify the reality of this system. What are the information needs for users? What kind of facilities exists for meeting those needs? What process is being adopted for the promotion of library resources and services? How user reacts towards library services? How much information sources are being used?

 

The role of the library within the library system should be evaluated, assessed and justified within a given time. The existing library services, resources, tools and equipment, ICT system must be up-to-date. It may be concluded that user studies are an effective way for the library to introduce user‟s feedback.

 

The outcomes of the users‟ studies are related with statistical analysis for library use, information retrieval process, needs of the users for improving and restructuring library services. In general, the scope of users‟ studies would assess the following fact:

  • Use pattern of the library, frequency for use of library resources, ease to access in library.
  • Users priorities, their needs and expectations from library staff, preferences for use of library collection, services and systems of library.
  • Assessment of library collection (e-resources and traditional resources both), library services, library personnel regarding users‟ satisfaction.

Generally, the users‟ studies are survey oriented. The data collected from these surveys are being helpful in the allocation of finance and human resources. They are also used to inform decision-making and strategic planning for different library units.

 

The data collected from survey also used to study the political process. Sometimes it is used for presentation to improve the library practice and convey the real fact of the library to faculty members, academic councils and library advisory boards to support for betterment of the library. The user‟s survey data are also used in preparing proposals for grants for financial assistance What is happening in the library? Sometimes data collected to know this fact provides the surprising results. Certainly these results may be helpful to improve the quality of library services, interaction with users and other related plans. The following applications may be indicated from the output of the research obtained from users‟ studies:

 

The users‟ studies are helpful collection development of the library. It may be useful to take decisions for subscription of information resources like books and journals in both print and electronic format.

 

Users‟ studies may be used in making budget, subscription of e-journals and other library facilities to improve the library system. It may also be used to meet user‟s need and their expectation regarding information resources.

 

All the library services like reference, circulation, and resource sharing (inter library loan and document delivery services) can definitely be improved by using the results of users‟ studies.

  1. Types of Research Output on User Studies

It has already been stated that research output of users‟ studies may be depends on the researchers interest and choice. It must be carries out by the librarians or researcher of the library and information science disciplines or any other individual/body for having specific objectives. Some of the researchers share their views by learning the experiences of librarians or library personnel‟s. These experiences may be useful for the development of the concerned library. These views may be taken as a research output for certain specific objectives. Librarians can also try to identify the users‟ interest regarding availability of library material and facilities available for them. They can also conduct a survey by putting research questions to know their views for betterment of the library services and to measure their satisfaction. They can use this significant data/information for report of their own library. The scope of this kind of report may be limited to concerned library only. It cannot be generalized for entire system working for library as it was designed for a very specific purpose. If the data/information used in the report has wide vision for certain issues related to same kind of libraries then only the output of research must have broader impact over the libraries. This will definitely ensure the qualitative library services.

 

We know that the process of thinking differ from man to man therefore this phenomena will also influence the research output of the users‟ studies. While making review of literature for any research study we prepare a variety of research output concerned with the subject. In the review of literature output of the research studies may consist of different characteristics like descriptive, constructive, real, hypothetical etc. It can use descriptive and prescriptive models, positive and normative methods in preparing the literature survey.

 

Review of the literature is base for that study which has been carried out by the researcher. It may be fully based on that theme or related to them to some extent. Some of the studies conducted earlier employed a variety of research methods. The researchers have different approaches in the study and given different outcomes for their users and libraries.

 

Most of the studies related to the users may be different by its nature. However some of the general type of the user studies as follows:

  1. Survey on library and library use
  2. User‟s priorities (Choice, Interest, Liking etc.)
  3. User‟s satisfaction and behavior.

The large number of studies has been made so far by the individuals or institutions. These studies belong to different places, different disciplines, and different approaches. In India, most of the studies related with users are carried out by individual researchers only for certain specific purposes. The scope for evaluation process for libraries in India is not as encouraging as desired.

 

There are a large number of institutions working in the concerned field at the international level. They are making approaches to provide qualitative services to their users. For which they are regularly conducting survey related with users and library. Some of the popular organizations/institutions mentioned here for the said purpose:

 

6.1 Tenopir and King

 

National Science Foundation (NSF) developed a questionnaire under contract for surveys in universities and other settings in 1977 (http://web.utk.edu/~tenopir/research). A large number of surveys were conducted by the researchers on scientists, engineers, medical researchers, and social scientists in addition to other professionals and students. Most of the surveys applied the same questionnaire with some modifications to reflect technological changes.

 

James Evans (Boyce et al. 2004; Tenopir et al. 2004) explained reading patterns and citation patterns for science and publishing communities, online and electronic journals. They expressed that journals freely available online cited even less. The reading patterns and citation patterns differ in researchers while research and writing. The percentage of searching is high but citation is low.

 

6.2 LibQUAL+ TM

 

The online survey is conducted by several libraries but this trend is popular in American and European countries. As far as India is concerned it is limited to individual researchers only. Majority of the libraries in India are not so interested to make self survey to evaluate its services. Some of the libraries situated in western countries are using LibQUAL+ TM for survey. The brief information for the same is as follows:

 

LibQUAL+ TM is a survey method used by libraries to understand their users‟ experiences and to improve their quality of service. Central to the program is a web-based survey in which library users evaluate the offered products and services and offer suggestions for improvements. The questionnaire gauges the user‟s expectations and the mate of his or her satisfaction with the level currently offered for each part of the services. LibQUAL+ TM has participating libraries in Canada, the US, Australia, the United Kingdom and other European countries.

 

LibQUAL+ TM is a survey conducted online. To fill out the questionnaire you will need an internet address. That link sent to you via your university email account. All the data is stored on a server in the United States.

There are a number of libraries making online survey for research. University of Sussex Library conducted a survey in 2011 and found it suitable to review the services of the library. Similarly, British Library, Wadsworth Library and The Davidson County Public Library System also conduct online survey. Apart from these mentioned libraries, several other libraries also are conducting online survey to find out how our patrons use the library‟s computers and Internet connection.

 

The surveys are helpful for the libraries to improve their technological services and communicate the value of providing free access to computers and the Internet within the community.

 

6.3 Super Journal project-1995- UK

 

Super Journal is an electronic journal research project developed by a consortium of publishers and UK universities to investigate user expectations of electronic journals and the factors that will make future services successful. The Super Journal Consortium includes approximately 20 societies, university press, and commercial publishers. Academic Press Ltd., Blackwell Publishers, Blackwell Science Ltd., CAB International, Cambridge University Press, Carfax Publishing Company, Chapman & Hall Ltd, Churchill Livingstone Ltd, Elsevier Science Ltd, Institute of Physics Publishing Ltd, Institution of Electrical Engineers, Macmillan Publishers Ltd, Oxford University Press, Rapid Science Ltd, Routledge Ltd, Royal Society of Chemistry, Sage Publications Ltd, Society for Endocrinology, Taylor and Francis Ltd, John Wiley and Sons Ltd. are included in the Super Journal consortium.

 

The Super Journal has developed a platform for journals in the sciences and social sciences for readers to have value in their subject disciplines. It gives new insight to authors to submit content with full text to explore it for further research. It has also developed production and delivery models for publishers for scalable distribution of electronic journals in a network environment. It has developed technical and organizational  models for libraries to provide electronic journals to readers and provide user support.

 

6.4 Pew Internet and American Life Studies

 

Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Cell phones and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are playing an increasingly prominent role in how voters get political information and follow election news, according to a new national survey by the Pew Research Center.

 

6.5 Council on Library and Information Resources

 

The Council on Library and Information Resources is an independent, non-profit organization that forges strategies to enhance research, teaching, and learning environments in collaboration with libraries, cultural institutions, and communities of higher learning. CLIR aspires to transform the information landscape to support the advancement of knowledge. CLIR promotes forward-looking collaborative solutions that transcend disciplinary, institutional, professional, and geographic boundaries in support of the public good.

 

In pursuing its mission, CLIR is committed to:

  • Building trust
  • Retaining independence
  • Fostering collaboration
  • Cultivating effective leadership
  • Capitalizing on strategic opportunities

The organization advances its mission through project initiatives and partnerships, publications, the DLF program, and award and fellowship opportunities. Through CLIR Connect, CLIR provides a forum for discussion, exchange, and collaboration. Washington, D.C. Data are now available from a large-scale study of how information usage patterns are changing among undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty members in U.S. academic institutions. The report, Dimensions and Use of the Scholarly Information Environment: Introduction to a Data Set Assembled by the Digital Library Federation and Outsell, Inc., is available at http://www.clir.org/pubs/abstract/pub110abst.html.

 

6.6 HighWire

 

HighWire Press is a leading ePublishing platform of societies, associations, university presses and independent scholarly publishers. HighWire collaborates and facilitate digital resources like journals, books, reference works, and proceedings for the readers‟ community and researchers. It has approximately 3000 journals. The complete manuscript submission, tracking, peer review, and publishing system for journal editors offered by HighWire. It has excellent technology and support services for its members. It plays a significant role in the online publishing.

 

HighWire stared a Journal of Biological Chemistry and Neuroscience. The JBC is Online and affiliated with Stanford University since 1995. Librarians and other information professionals support it for online subscriptions and reports. The HighWire portal provides a centralized interface for administrators to manage their accounts for publications. The users of its publications are researchers, clinicians, scholars, and students.

 

6.7 OhioLINK

 

The Ohio Library and Information Network (OhioLINK) is a consortium of 90 Ohio college and university libraries, plus the State Library of Ohio, that work together to provide Ohio students, faculty and researchers with the information they need for learning, teaching and research. Serving more than 600,000 students, faculty, and staff, OhioLINK‟s membership includes 16 public/research universities, 23 community/technical colleges, 52 independent colleges and the State Library of Ohio.

 

Together, OhioLINK and its member libraries provide access to:

  • nearly 50 million books and other library materials
  • more than 100 electronic research databases
  • millions of electronic journal articles
  • over 81,000 e-books
  • thousands of images, videos and sounds
  • over 39,000 theses and dissertations from Ohio students

  6.8 Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)

 

DOAJ is an online directory of open access journals consisting of 1,824,687 articles from peer-reviewed journals. There are 10,189 Journals available for proliferation in 136 Countries for freely accessible to the readers. The DOAJ provide quality open access and indexing services related with journals for wider use, promotion and impact. The main aim of the DOAJ is to increase the visibility and ease of use of open access scientific and scholarly journals.

 

The DOAJ is making continuously efforts for the development of subject specific resources, e-print archives and collections of learning objects. The DOAJ provides a very valuable supplement of scientific knowledge to the existing types of published scientific information (books, journals, databases etc.). However these valuable collections are difficult to overview and integrate in the library and information services provided by libraries for their user constituency (http://doaj.org/about).

 

The open access journals defined as journals that use a funding model that does not charge readers or their institutions for access. From the BOAI definition [1] of “open access”, we support the rights of users to “read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of these articles” as mandatory for a journal to be included in the directory.

 

6.9 JSTOR

 

JSTOR is a non-profit making organization and founded in 1995. It has more than 2,000 academic journals to help academic libraries and publishers. It also has thousands of monographs and other materials relevant for education. JSTOR has shared a digital library to help universities and colleges to save costs, provide access to its contents and space on their shelves. JSTOR has digitized more than 50 million pages and continue to digitize approximately 3 million pages annually.

 

There are a large number of studies available in the JSTOR on users‟ studies. A few of the articles from JSTOR have taken and summarized as follows:

 

Wilson, T.D. elaborated sixty years of the best in information research on user studies and information needs. The details are available at www.emeraldinsight.com/0022-0418.htm.

 

Lois, Bebout, Donald DavisS, JR. and Donald Oehlerts (1975) have described that user studies in science and technology have been conducted for over twenty years, and during the last decade there has been a growing interest in social scientists as information users. However, humanities have largely been overlooked. Yet, frequently one hears the comment that humanists use the library to a greater extent than do researchers in other field. Citation studies have been done in a limited number of subject areas; e.g. Gleaves (1960) and Bolles (in preparation) in American literature; Broadus (1953) in speech; Tucker (1959) in philology; Vaughan (1959) in music; Simonton (1960) in the fine arts.

 

Geoffrey Ford (Ed. :1976) has made a study on library users. It was the first publication of Centre for Research on User Studies. Inadequacies of many user studies and the reasons for these shortcomings were explained in this study. It has been stated in this study that “the user’s awareness of and ability to use information sources is often imperfect.” The study concludes: “Perhaps the first goal of research in this field should be to achieve convincing demonstration of the necessity (of information use).”

 

Paul, Conway (1986) stated that the continuing reluctance of the archival profession to develop a better understanding of users seems less a problem of will than a problem of method. The framework presented here is a first attempt to structure a comprehensive program of user studies. Built on definitions of users, information needs, and use, the framework combines the basic elements of information. It should be recorded, analyzed, and shared among archivists by collecting information. The author illustrates how parts of the framework can be implemented as an ongoing program with a reference log and suggests applications of the framework at the personal, repository, and professional levels.

 

Lynn Westbrook (1993) has made a study on User Needs: A Synthesis and Analysis of Current Theories for the Practitioner. The author found significant developments in the study of user needs during the last twenty years. The paper examines, synthesizes, and, on a narrower scale, analyzes such developments in an effort to determine areas of consensus in the field concerning specific aspects of greater interest to the practicing librarian. In an effort to shed light on consensus, the paper organized into six parts: the user, information/knowledge, information seeking, using information/knowledge, the system, and future research needs.

 

The author feels that the last two decades have witnessed significant developments in the study of user needs. The purpose of the study is to synthesize and, to a more limited extent, analyze those developments in an effort to determine areas of consensus in the field, particularly those points of greatest value to the practicing librarian. Virtually all of the material examined herein relies on grounded theory; local applications and reports are beyond the scope of this review. In an effort to highlight consensus, the following six-part organizational structure has been established i.e. the user,information/knowledge, information seeking, using information/knowledge, system, and future research needs.

 

Ruth, A. Palmquist (2001) provided an overview of usability literature and testing methods. Usability is a term shared by a wide variety of interests in the commercial software development arena, and it is a notion that argues for the centrality of the user – a focus long held by the library and information science (LIS) professions. As more information centers and libraries turn to a Web-based portal to introduce their users to the resources and services they provide, the need to create usable Web-based information displays emerges as a critical task for LIS professionals. Usability testing can be helpful in capturing the user’s experience with electronically provided information and can be helpful in determining the success of Web-based efforts. Usability testing techniques developed as a curricular focus without expensive lab equipment. Further, these elements seem a natural approach for developing in LIS graduates, and in our own efforts to understand the effectiveness of Web-based information services, the ability to better assess a user’s information-seeking activity.

 

Micheline Beaulieu (2003) concluded that user-based studies have evolved linking together studies on information use and provision, information seeking behaviour and the design and evaluation of actual retrieval systems.

 

Amanda Spink and others (2007) have made a study on multitasking information behavior in public libraries. Multitasking information behaviours may involve a combination of cognitive and physical actions on dual or multiple tasks, concurrently or sequentially, including switching between different information tasks. The major finding of study is that many people in libraries are seeking information on multiple topics and are engaged in multitasking behaviours.

 

Terrence B. Bennett and Shawn W. Nicholson (2007) stated that burgeoning use of numeric data resources across all academic disciplines raises significant questions about the library‟s role in providing data services and promoting quantitative literacy. This study analyzes the content of web pages to determine the presence and promotion of data resources and services at a random sample of large research libraries (and their related institutions) in North America. The results prompt the authors to challenge libraries to more fully engage their users in efforts at richer discovery, use, and analysis of data.

 

Aristeidis Meletiou (2010) has mentioned a methodology that evaluates offered services by correlating three important factors that characterize them: Users‟ Satisfaction of a Service, Usage and Cost of this service. These factors are very important as they would be able to express clearly the efficiency and the purpose of a service in a Library organization.

 

In these competitive years of continuing change, libraries enrich their services with modern technologies and innovative approaches to satisfy users‟ standards. This engagement significantly increases the effects of these new inputs on library budgets as new technology applications demand money and new organization schemes. Consequently, the annual budget has to be increased and difficulties arise due to its efficient allocation. This paper describes a methodology of evaluating offered services by using specific important factors like Users Satisfaction of a Service, Usage, and Cost of this service. Known methods for estimating Costs (ABC method) and estimating Satisfaction (MUSA method) in library fields are used. Also, the multi-criteria method to evaluate a service by correlating the above mentioned factors are used to give the observer the ability to find useful information. Finally, a case study about the evaluation of services using the proposed methodology is presented. The goal of the proposed methodology is to help library decision makers choose the most appropriate services to offer change and improvements according to user needs and allocated budgets.

 

Bernard J. Jansen, Kate Sobel and Geoff Cook (2011) have illustrated information sharing within social networking services (SNSs) like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

 

Isto Huvila, Stefan Ek and Gunilla Widén (2014) have made a study on information sharing. They told that Second Life (SL) is an online virtual world. It is a social venue for work, learning, education, entertainment and cooperation that reflects the activities and interests of its users (residents in SL terminology. The study is based on qualitative analysis of open-ended data collected using a web survey of Second Life users.

  1. SUMMARY

User studies are one of the most researched areas in library and information science. A large number of studies carried out in different disciplines since the last eight decades. These users‟ studies constitute a large amount of literature in the related disciplines. The research on user studies was started in the late 1940s and there after it has constantly increased. Now, a literature review shows the diversity and plethora of topics explored by various studies at various levels.

 

User studies are investigations of the use and users (including non-users and potential uses and users) of documents, information, communication channels, information systems and information services. Wilson (1981) writes that as the first user study is commonly recognized a publication at “The Royal Society‟s” conference in London in 1948.

 

Several users‟ studies have been made since the decades in which the use of libraries, databases, media, documents or “information” were treated as the dependent variable, while the sex, age, job, geographical location or institutional affiliation were treated as the independent variable. These kinds of studies in Library and Information Science (LIS) have carried out in different disciplines and different time for different places. The research output on users studies are probably in same direction in almost all the disciplines but their conditions are different.

 

References

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[27]. Isto Huvila, Stefan Ek and Gunilla Widén, Information sharing and the dimensions of social capital in Second Life, Journal of Information Science 2014 40: 237 originally published online 13 January 2014, http://jis.sagepub.com/content/40/2/237.