Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (Journal)
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Undergraduate Students Seek Librarian Assistance Only After They Have Searched Independently Without Success
No full textA Review of: Vinyard, M., Mullally, C., & Colvin, J.B. (2017). Why do students seek help in an age of DIY? Using a qualitative approach to look beyond statistics. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 56(4), 257-267. http://dx.doi.org/10.5860/rusq.56.4.257
Abstract
Objective – To explore how undergraduate students look for information and the reasons these students seek assistance from a librarian.
Design – Qualitative research.
Setting – A university in Southern California.
Subjects – 10 students were interviewed: 1 freshman, 1 sophomore, 5 juniors, and 3 seniors.
Methods – Students who met with a librarian for longer than 20 minutes were invited to participate in the study, and interviews were conducted within six weeks of this interaction. Semi-structured interviews were scheduled for one hour blocks and were audio-recorded and transcribed afterward. Interview data was analyzed using applied thematic analysis. The researchers used NVivo to assist with the process of coding data.
Main Results – Once all transcripts were coded, the researchers identified the following six themes related to how students look for information and the reasons they asked for assistance: how students research, personal perceptions of research skills, assumptions (students’ misperceptions about library services), motivation for asking for help, path to the librarian (how students contacted librarians and their reason for selecting a particular librarian), and experience working with a librarian.
Conclusion – Overall, the research results demonstrate that students prefer to conduct research independently but will consult a librarian if they are not able to find what they need, if they find the research question especially challenging, or if they have spent an unreasonable amount of time conducting research. In-class library instruction, along with professor referrals are the most effective methods for encouraging students to seek out library assistance
Nurses Need Training and Policies to Address Barriers to Use of Mobile Devices and Apps for Direct Patient Care in Hospital Settings
No full textA Review of:
Giles-Smith, L., Spencer, A., Shaw, C., Porter, C., & Lobchuk, M. (2017). A study of the impact of an educational intervention on nurse attitudes and behaviours toward mobile device and application use in hospital settings. Journal of the Canadian Health Libraries Association/Journal de l\u27Association des bibliothèques de la santé du Canada, 38(1), 12-29. doi: 10.5596/c17-003
Abstract
Objective - To describe nurses’ usage of and attitudes toward mobile devices and apps and assess the impact of an educational intervention by hospital librarians and educators
Design - Descriptive, cross-sectional survey, one-group pre- and post-test, and post-intervention focus group
Setting - One 251-bed community hospital and one 554-bed tertiary care hospital in Winnipeg, Canada
Subjects - 348 inpatient medical and surgical nurses
Methods - The study had two phases. In Phase I, respondents completed a survey of 21 fixed and open-ended questions offered online or in print to a convenience sample from the community hospital and a random sample of medical and surgical units from the tertiary hospital. The survey collected demographic data and included questions about mobile devices and apps covering current awareness of hospital policy, ownership, internet access, usage patterns, concerns, and attitudes toward their use for direct patient care. It also included information to recruit volunteers for Phase II. In Phase II, participants attended four 30-minute educational sessions facilitated by the researchers. The first session addressed the regional health authority’s policies, Personal Health Information Act, and infection control practices. Subsequent sessions covered relevance, features, and training exercises for one or more selected apps. Participants installed five free or low-cost apps, which were chosen by the librarians and nurse educators, on their mobile devices: Medscape, Lab Tests Online, Lexicomp, Twitter, and Evernote. Participants were then given a two-month period to use the apps for patient care. Afterward, they completed the same survey from Phase I and their pre- and post-intervention responses were matched for comparative analysis. Phase II concluded with a one-hour audio-recorded focus group using ten open-ended questions to gather feedback on the impact of the educational sessions.
Main Results - 94 nurses completed the Phase I survey for a response rate of 27%. Although 89 respondents reported owning a mobile device, less than half used them for patient care. Just under half the respondents were unsure if they were allowed to use mobile devices at work and a similar number answered that devices were not allowed. Two-thirds of respondents were unsure whether any institutional policies existed regarding mobile device use. Of the 16 participants that volunteered for Phase II, 14 completed the post-intervention survey and 6 attended the focus group. In comparison to the Phase I survey, post-intervention survey responses showed more awareness of institutional policies and increased concern about mobile devices causing distraction. In the Phase I survey, just over half of the nurses expressed a desire to use mobile devices in patient care. Four themes emerged from the survey’s qualitative responses in Phase I: (1) policy: nurses were unsure of institutional policy or experienced either disapproval or bans on mobile device use from management; (2) barriers to use, namely cost, potential damage to or loss of devices, infection control, and lack of familiarity with technology; (3) patient perceptions, including generational differences with younger patients seen as more accepting than older patients; and (4) nurse perceptions: most valued access to information but expressed concerns about distraction, undermining of professionalism, and use of technology. Qualitative responses in the Phase II survey and focus group also revealed four themes: (1) barriers: participants did not cite loss of device or infection control as concerns as in Phase I; (2) patient acceptance and non-acceptance: education and familiarity with mobile devices were noted as positive influential factors; (3) information need, accessibility, and convenience: nurses reported needing easy-to-use apps, particularly Lexicomp, and appreciated improved access to information; and (4) nurse behaviour and attitude: participants reported more time would be needed for changes to occur in these areas.
Conclusion - The study found that although most nurses own mobile devices and express strong interest in using them for patient care, there are significant barriers including lack of clarity about institutional policies and concerns about infection control, risk of damage to personal devices, costs, lack of experience with the technology, distraction, and negative patient perceptions. To address these concerns, the authors recommend that hospital librarians and educators work together to offer training and advocate for improved communication and policies regarding use of mobile devices in hospital settings. Moreover, the study affirmed the benefits of using mobile devices and apps to support evidence-based practice, for example by providing access to reliable drug information. The authors conclude that additional research is needed to inform policy and develop strategies that hospital librarians and nurse educators can use to promote the most effective application of mobile technologies for patient care
European Academic Libraries Offer or Plan to Offer Research Data Services
No full textA Review of:
Tenopir, C., Talja, S., Horstmann, W., Late, E., Hughes, D., Pollock, D., … Allard, S. (2017). Research data services in European academic research libraries. LIBER Quarterly, 27(1), 23-44. https://doi.org/10.18352/lq.10180
Abstract
Objective – To investigate the current state of research data services (RDS) in European academic libraries by determining the types of RDS being currently implemented and planned by these institutions.
Design – Email survey.
Setting – European academic research libraries.
Subjects – 333 directors of the Association of European Research Libraries (LIBER) academic member libraries.
Methods – The researchers revised a survey instrument previously used for the DataONE survey of North American research libraries and conducted pilot testing with European academic library directors. The survey instrument was created using the Qualtrics software. The revised survey was distributed by email to LIBER institutions identified as academic libraries by the researchers and remained open for 6 weeks. Question topics included demographics, RDS currently offered, RDS planned, staffing considerations, and the director’s opinions on RDS. Libraries from 22 countries participated and libraries were grouped into 4 regions in order to compare regional differences. Data analysis was conducted using Excel, SPSS or R software University of Tennessee, University of Tampere, and University of Göttingen.
Main Results – 119 library directors responded to more than one question beyond basic demographics, for a response rate of 35.7%. Among the libraries surveyed, more libraries offer consultative services than offered technical support for RDS, although a majority planned to offer technical services in the future. Geographically, libraries in western Europe offer more RDS compared with other regions. More libraries have reassigned or plan to reassign current staff to support RDS services, rather than hire new staff for these roles. Regardless of whether or not they currently offer RDS, library directors surveyed strongly agree that libraries need to offer RDS to remain relevant.
Conclusion – The authors determine that a majority of library directors recognize that data management is increasingly important and many libraries are responding to this by implementing RDS and collaborating across their institutions and beyond to help meet these needs. Future research is suggested to track how these services develop over time, how libraries respond to the staffing challenges of RDS, and whether consultative rather than technical services continue to be primary forms of RDS offered
Students May Demonstrate Information Literacy Skills Following Library Instruction
No full textA Review of:
Luetkenhaus, H., Hvizdak, E., Johnson, C., & Schiller, N. (2017). Measuring library impacts through first year course assessment. Communications in Information Literacy, 11(2), 339-353. http://comminfolit.org/index.php
Abstract
Objective – To determine whether there is a correlation between information literacy skill development and participation in one or more library instruction sessions.
Design – Learning outcomes assessment.
Setting – A public research institution with multiple campuses.
Subjects – 244 first-year undergraduates enrolled in a compulsory general education course during the 2014-2015 academic year. All subjects completed a series of library research assignments, followed by a final research paper. 65% of subjects participated in at least one library instruction session as part of the course, and 35% did not.
Methods – The researchers convened six librarians and six instructors/faculty to score 244 research papers using a rubric designed to measure six possible information literacy learning outcomes. Evaluators established inter-rater reliability through a norming session, and each artifact was scored twice. The authors analyzed rubric scores using Ordinary Least Squares regression modeling.
Main Results – Participation in a library instruction session correlated with higher rubric scores in three information literacy learning outcomes: argument building; source type integration; and ethical source citation.
Conclusion – Students may achieve greater information literacy learning outcomes when they participate in course-integrated library instruction
The Library Assessment Capability Maturity Model: A Means of Optimizing How Libraries Measure Effectiveness
No full textAbstract
Objective – This paper presents a Library Assessment Capability Maturity Model (LACMM) that can assist library managers to improve assessment. The process of developing the LACMM is detailed to provide an evidence trail to foster confidence in its utility and value.
Methods – The LACMM was developed during a series of library benchmarking activities across an international network of universities. The utility and value of the LACMM was tested by the benchmarking libraries and other practitioners; feedback from this testing was applied to improve it. Guidance was taken from a procedures model for developing maturity models that draws on design science research methodology where an iterative and reflective approach is taken.
Results – The activities decision making junctures and the LACMM as an artifact make up the results of this research. The LACMM has five levels. Each level represents a measure of the effectiveness of any assessment process or program, from ad-hoc processes to mature and continuously improving processes. At each level there are criteria and characteristics that need to be fulfilled in order to reach a particular maturity level. Corresponding to each level of maturity, four stages of the assessment cycle were identified as further elements of the LACMM template. These included (1) Objectives, (2) Methods and data collection, (3) Analysis and interpretation, and (4) Use of results. Several attempts were needed to determine the criteria for each maturity level corresponding to the stages of the assessment cycle. Three versions of the LACMM were developed to introduce managers to using it. Each version corresponded to a different kind of assessment activity: data, discussion, and comparison. A generic version was developed for those who have become more familiar with using it. Through a process of review, capability maturity levels can be identified for each stage in the assessment cycle; so too can plans to improve processes toward continuous improvement.
Conclusion – The LACMM will add to the plethora of resources already available. However, it is hoped that the simplicity of the tool as a means of assessing assessment and identifying an improvement path will be its strength. It can act as a quick aide-mémoire or form the basis of a comprehensive self-review or an inter-institutional benchmarking project. It is expected that the tool will be adapted and improved upon as library managers apply it
The 360-Degree Temporal Benefits Model Reimagines Value-Based Assessment of User-Centred Design Services
No full textA Review of:
Kautonen, H., & Nieminen, M. (2018). Conceptualising benefits of user-centred design for digital library services. LIBER Quarterly, 28(1), 1-34. https://doi.org/10.18352/lq.10231
Abstract
Objectives – The study has two central objectives: to examine the conceptual elements of evaluating and managing user-centred design (UCD) performance in library settings; and to propose a new framework, the 360-Degree Temporal Benefits Model (360°TB Model), that assesses value-based evaluation of UCD performance in libraries.
Design – Data collection and analysis were conducted through literature reviews, case studies, semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and reviews of digital library service documents.
Setting – Two digital library service environments in Finland that use UCD approaches: one located at the National Digital Library and the other at a medium-sized special library.
Subjects – There were 17 participants representing internal and external stakeholder groups such as digital service designers, end-users, and consumer organizations.
Method – Through a literature review, the authors studied several topics related to UCD services including digital services, design management, public value frameworks, and services. They examined literature from two theoretical perspectives: 1) performance management, which explains why and how performance evaluation is necessary for public services, and 2) temporality, the concept of time in relation to service provision. This lens allowed the authors to identify existing knowledge gaps in professional literature and define key concepts. The literature review informed the framework for the 360°TB Model.
Two digital library settings tested the model and served as case studies in the paper. Data collection activities in this phase included reviews of existing project documentation and semi-structured interviews with stakeholders, at which time participants were also asked to complete an online questionnaire. The authors recorded and transcribed the interviews and combined these results with comments derived from questionnaires. Finally, participants received the data collected from their interview sessions and were asked to review and validate their answers.
Main Results – The most significant result is the development of the 360°TB Model. The framework combines three components to evaluate UCD design: the identification of stakeholders; the benefits of UCD services; and the temporal phases (e.g., process-time, use time, and future service provisions) of UCD design efforts and outcomes. The authors summarize the relationship between the components of the framework as follows: “a Stakeholder anticipates Benefits of the design in different Phases” (p. 8).
Regarding the case studies, the authors captured a range of diverse opinions through semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Participants in Case 1 selected a range of benefits and there was little consistency in responses. However, two-thirds of participants in Case 2 selected quality of services as the most desirable benefit of UCD, while the remaining one-third selected options such as process time and societal problem solving.
The participants stated that the 360°TB Model provided authority in matters of design goals. It was challenging to capture temporality in design performance because it is not easy to specify goals or state the anticipated benefits of design activities in library settings. This is because the impact of design is indirect and cannot be easily quantified or isolated from the larger context of the library environment. The model provides a method to justify managerial choices regarding UCD and frame service changes around phases of development (e.g., process-time, use-time, and future service provisions).
Conclusion – The 360°TB Model pushes assessment activities beyond organization-centric evaluations and into intra-organizational and polycentric perspectives. It reaches beyond the boundaries of the institution to capture diverse viewpoints and service needs of external stakeholders. Finally, the 360°TB Model bridges the theoretical gap between Public Value frameworks and real-world information environments through the use of three key concepts: stakeholders, benefits, and phases. 
Religious Studies Scholarship is Not Widely Available via Open Access, but Some Authors Share Their Work through Institutional Repositories or Social Networking Sites
No full textA Review of:
Avery, J. M. (2018). The open access availability of articles from highly ranked religious studies journals: A study of ten journals. Theological Librarianship, 11(1), 12-17. Retrieved from https://theolib.atla.com/theolib/index
Abstract
Objective – To examine the current state of open access scholarship among the most highly rated religious studies journals.
Design – Quantitative analysis.
Setting – Research articles published in 2014, in the ten most highly rated religious studies journals.
Subjects – 377 peer-reviewed articles.
Methods – Using the SCImago Journal & Country Rank, the researcher identified the top ten most cited religious studies journals from mid-2015. Articles published in these journals during 2014 were evaluated. The researcher identified 377 research articles through online databases and journal websites. The researcher then used both Google and Google Scholar to search for these articles using titles and authors. If the article was not found, other search strategies were employed, such as the use of additional search terms, limits, and quotes, as well as other search engines.
Main Results – Open access (OA) versions were found for 132 of the 377 articles (35%), and the percent of OA articles by journal ranged from 5% to 100%. The researcher found 70 OA articles in institutional repositories (53%), 70 in Academia.edu or ResearchGate.net (53%), 19 from organizational websites (14.4%), 13 on personal websites (9.8%), and 4 on other sites (3%). The researcher found 44 articles in more than one location (33.3%). Of the 132 OA articles found, 87 (65.9%) were found by both Google and Google Scholar, and 43 (32.6%) articles were found by either Google or Google Scholar, but not both.
Conclusion – Overall, the research results reveal that finding OA content can be done via Google and Google Scholar. While articles in religious studies journals are not typically accessible through OA, authors who tend to publish in these journals who support OA may use institutional repositories or social networking sites to make their work available
A Mapping Review of Poster Presentation Publications Across Time and Academic Disciplines
No full textA Review of:
Rowe, N. (2017). Tracing the \u27grey literature\u27 of poster presentations: A mapping review. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 34(2), 106-124.
Abstract
Objective – To map the development and use of poster presentations in order to determine disciplines in which they are particularly prolific and how their popularity or presence may have changed over time. This will potentially assist health and interdisciplinary librarians asked to search for poster presentations in systematic reviews.
Design – Informetric mapping review.
Setting – An unnamed UK University Library search facility which processes 249 international databases and research publications. Databases and publications range across 37 research disciplines, including literature, medicine, and engineering.
Subjects – Published literature connected to poster presentations – the authors state that this could be poster presentations themselves, abstracts, title listings in conference proceedings, or any variety of materials. They also state that over 99% of the results of this review were title citations or abstracts of conference poster presentations.
Methods – An informetric mapping review was conducted via a UK University Library search facility by searching for the term “poster presentation” in 249 databases spanning 37 research areas. An index of databases used is provided as an appendix to the article. Results were not connected by the search facility to an individual database. Search results were categorized by discipline and decade of publication. Scholarly and peer-reviewed search limiters were used to obtain an idea of the themes and contributions to what could be considered core literature, and the search was also run in Google Scholar to provide a comparator. Duplications across databases were removed by the search service, although several results appeared both in aggregate (for example, conference proceedings encompassing all poster presentations) and individual form. Review of results took an informetrics approach, concerned with quantitative analysis (number of publications over time, number of publications in specific areas or by certain authors, etc.) of production, publication, and use of information, and not with its origins or quality.
Main Results – Even with limiters for peer reviewed or scholarly sources applied, over 99% of returns were abstract or title citations for conference poster presentations – sources which by themselves may not meet the requirements for being scholarly information. From 1937-1969, results only uncovered references to poster use in an educational context. From 1970-1979, the researchers found that poster presentations became a common conference feature, although a less prestigious one than papers. 1980-1989 reiterated the commonality of academic posters, and saw publication of works to advise poster preparation and running poster sessions. During the years 1990-1999, health related disciplines became the main users of posters as an academic medium with 68% of search returns being in health care disciplines. The prominence of posters in health and medicine increased over time. From 2000-2009, search returns in this study show an increase of 360% from those located in 1990-1999. This could indicate an increase in poster sessions, an increase in search accuracy and online availability of material, or both. Health care and medical disciplines have demonstrated the most prominent use of poster sessions since the 1990s, although all disciplines have visible poster presentation activity.
Conclusions – The author concludes that consistently increasing levels of return for poster abstracts indicate that poster presentations are a fulfilling and popular activity that will continue to be practiced by academics worldwide, but that literature in this review raises issues with the effectiveness of posters as ways to disseminate and discuss research. Locating and acquiring conference poster content, not just abstracts or titles, has been a recognized issue in libraries for many years. The authors conclude that the increasing number of poster presentations over time makes it more urgent that we determine what the personal and objective needs of poster users are and ensure that we are meeting them