Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (Journal)
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Motivational Design and Problem-Based Learning May Increase Student Engagement in Information Literacy Instruction Sessions
No full textA Review of:
Roberts, L. (2017). Research in the real world: Improving adult learners web search and evaluation skills through motivational design and problem-based learning. College & Research Libraries, 78(4), 527-551. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.78.4.527
Abstract
Objective – To determine whether the use of the ARCS (Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction) Model of Motivational Design, combined with the Problem-Based Learning approach, improves the skills, confidence, and perception of workshop relevance among non-traditional students in information literacy sessions.
Design – Experimental study, one group pre-test and post-test.
Setting – Community college in Denver, Colorado, United States.
Subjects – 41 community college students.
Methods – A convenience sample of three community college student groups each attended an information literacy session. The session was constructed using principles and strategies outlined in the ARCS Model of Motivational Design and the Problem-Based Learning approach. Pre-test and post-test instruments were developed by the author after a literature review. The students were given the information literacy-related pretest before the session. After receiving instruction, the comparable posttest (with different literacy challenges) was administered.
Main Results – A comparison of the pre-test and post-test results showed that there were increases in the students’ search skills; their confidence in their own search skills; and their perceptions of workshop relevance in relation to their needs and to real-world situations.
Conclusion – This study focuses on the use of motivational design for information literacy instruction. It addresses a gap in the research literature, as it explicitly examines issues of concern regarding the instruction of non-traditional students. The conjunction of the ARCS Model and Problem-Based Learning is considered to be an effective strategy for improving learning and perceptual outcomes for non-traditional students in information literacy contexts. This is important because: 1) information literacy skills are a central aspect of successfully transitioning from the educational setting to the modern workplace; 2) increased confidence can enhance students’ sense of self-empowerment and self-efficacy, as well as decreasing “library anxiety”; and 3) establishing a sense of the personal relevance of information literacy engages students with tools that they can and will actually use in work and life situations.
In addition, the author connects these findings to two other areas. One is the new ACRL (Association of College and Research Libraries) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education; the author notes that “threshold concepts”, defined by Roberts as “big picture ideas that are foundational to the field”, relate best to teaching techniques such as problem-based learning. The other is the concept of metacognition, which is an aspect of metaliteracy; the author states that the study’s information literacy session addressed three of four metaliteracy goals being considered. Future avenues of research and collaboration will include librarians working with learning scientists around the Framework content; finding new and engaging methods for teaching literacy concepts and assessing learning; incorporating metacognitive awareness into teaching and assessment; and specifically focusing on transferable skills and knowledge, in the service of preparing non-traditional students for the world of work
Informing Evidence Based Decisions: Usage Statistics for Online Journal Databases
No full textAbstract
Objective – The primary objective was to examine online journal database usage statistics for a provincial ministry of health in the context of evidence based decision-making. In addition, the study highlights implementation of the Journal Access Centre (JAC) that is housed and powered by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) to inform health systems policy-making.
Methods – This was a prospective case study using descriptive analysis of the JAC usage statistics of journal articles from January 2009 to September 2013.
Results – JAC enables ministry employees to access approximately 12,000 journals with full-text articles. JAC usage statistics for the 2011-2012 calendar years demonstrate a steady level of activity in terms of searches, with monthly averages of 5,129. In 2009-2013, a total of 4,759 journal titles were accessed including 1,675 journals with full-text. Usage statistics demonstrate that the actual consumption was over 12,790 full-text downloaded articles or approximately 2,700 articles annually.
Conclusion – JAC’s steady level of activities, revealed by the study, reflects continuous demand for JAC services and products. It testifies that access to online journal databases has become part of routine government knowledge management processes. MOHLTC’s broad area of responsibilities with dynamically changing priorities translates into the diverse information needs of its employees and a large set of required journals. Usage statistics indicate that MOHLTC information needs cannot be mapped to a reasonably compact set of “core” journals with a subsequent subscription to those
Collaborating to Increase the Evidence Base in Library and Information Practice
No full textNo abstract
PubMed’s Native Interface Remains the Best Tool for Systematic Searching of its Biomedical Citations
No full textA Review of:
Wildgaard, L. E., & Lund, H. (2016). Advancing PubMed? A comparison of third-party PubMed/Medline tools. Library Hi Tech, 34 (4), 669-684. http://dx.doi.org/doi: 10.1108/LHT-06-2016-0066
Abstract
Objective – To compare the functionality of third-party PubMed tools for searching biomedical citations in PubMed, in the specific context of systematic searching.
Design – Comparative analysis of software functionality.
Setting – Online, freely accessible search software.
Subjects – Sixteen third-party tools for searching and managing the full range of PubMed citations (tools which focused on specific disciplines were not included).
Methods – Tools for analysis were identified in two ways; those discussed in two published articles were used, and a supplementary PubMed search was performed. The initial list of 76 possibilities was assessed for study inclusion on 4 criteria: covering the entire range of PubMed content; being freely available; not limiting to a particular bio-medical discipline; and incorporating online PubMed/MEDLINE content. After assessment, 16 tools were chosen for further analysis (the authors provide a list and description of the tools in their Table I). Each was examined in relation to 11 crucial operational aspects. Result sets were tested against a control (a literature search result set on a particular clinical question which was determined by physicians to yield relevant results, details of which are provided by the authors in an online appendix).
Main Results – The 11 identified aspects related to tool functionality were examined for each tool selected, with results grouped into three sets of factors: 1) supporting the search (field codes, filters, limits and Boolean operators); 2) managing the search (output, related articles, links to articles, number of results, exporting); and 3) documenting the search (saving the search and search history). In some cases, the tests had to be adjusted to accommodate the tool\u27s specifications. In Table II the authors present a grid with the results of the testing, on each of the 11 aspects, for each tool.
The authors found that with many tools it was not straightforward, if even possible, to filter and limit in order to get more specific result sets. Few tools were effective at suggesting related articles within the tool itself, instead linking the user out to PubMed, and only two tools provided the same number of citation results as the comparison PubMed search. In addition, the display of results often made it difficult to assess result sets; and only two tools provided the option to save searches and see search history. Furthermore, due to unexpected tool limitations, it was not possible to assess the relevance of citation result sets delivered by the third-party tools, as compared with the control PubMed search.
Conclusion – Close analysis of the tools studied indicated that they were not created in order to support systematic searches. They lack support for filtering/limiting, saving or exporting searches, which are central functionalities to the work of performing such searches. While some of the tools studied may still be in the early phases of development, and while several of them, in enhancing PubMed searches in particular ways, may suggest additional profitable strategies for performing a systematic search, not one of them can replace the functionalities of the native PubMed interface. It remains the best tool for searching and managing the full range of PubMed citations, for the purposes of performing systematic searches
Twitter Users with Access to Academic Library Services Request Health Sciences Literature through Social Media
No full textA Review of:
Swab, M., & Romme, K. (2016). Scholarly sharing via Twitter: #icanhazpdf requests for health sciences literature. Journal of the Canadian Health Libraries Association, 37(1), 6-11. http://dx.doi.org/10.5596/c16-009
Abstract
Objective – To analyze article sharing requests for health sciences literature on Twitter, received through the #icanhazpdf protocol.
Design – Social media content analysis.
Setting – Twitter.
Subjects – 302 tweets requesting health sciences articles with the #icanhazpdf tag.
Methods – The authors used a subscription service called RowFeeder to collect public tweets posted with the hashtag #icanhazpdf between February and April 2015. Rowfeeder recorded the Twitter user name, location, date and time, URL, and content of the tweet. The authors excluded all retweets and then each reviewed one of two sets. They recorded the geographic region and affiliation of the requestor, whether the tweet was a request or comment, type of material requested, how the item was identified, and if the subject of the request was health or non-health. Health requests were further classified using the Scopus subject category of the journal. A journal could be classified with more than one category. Any uncertainties during the coding process were resolved by both authors reviewing the tweet and reaching a consensus.
Main results – After excluding all the retweets and comments, 1079 tweets were coded as heath or non-health related. A final set of 302 health related requests were further analyzed. Almost all the requests were for journal articles (99%, n=300). The highest-ranking subject was medicine (64.9%, n=196), and the lowest was dentistry (0.3%, n=1). The most common article identifier was a link to the publisher’s website (50%, n=152), followed by a link to the PubMed record (22%, n=67). Articles were also identified by citation information (11%, n=32), DOI (5%, n=14), a direct request to an individual (3%, n=9), another method (2%, n=6), or multiple identifiers (7%, n=22). The majority of requests originated from the UK and Ireland (29.1%, n=88), the United States (26.5%, n=80), and the rest of Europe (19.2%, n=58. Many requests came from people with affiliations to an academic institution (45%, n=136). These included librarians (3.3%, n=10), students (13.6%, n=41), and academics (28.1%, n=85). When tweets of unknown affiliation were excluded (n=117), over 70% of the requests were from people with academic links. Other requesters included journalists, clinicians, non-profit organisations, patients, and industry employees. The authors examined comments in the tweets to gain some understanding of the reasons for seeking articles through #icanhazpdf, although this was not the primary focus of their study. A preliminary examination of the comments suggested that users value the ease, convenience, and the ability to connect with other researchers that social media offers.
Conclusion – The authors concluded that the number of requests for health sciences literature through this channel is modest, but health librarians should be aware of #icanhazpdf as another method through which their users might seek to obtain articles. The authors recommend further research into the reasons why users sometimes choose social media over the library to obtain articles
Health Sciences Patrons Use Electronic Books More than Print Books
No full textA Review of:
Li, J. (2016). Is it cost-effective to purchase print books when the equivalent e-book is available? Journal of Hospital Librarianship, 16(1), 40-48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15323269.2016.1118288
Abstract
Objective – To compare use of books held simultaneously in print and electronic formats.
Design – Case study.
Setting – A health sciences library at a public comprehensive university with a medical college in the southern United States.
Subjects – Usage data for 60 books held by the library simultaneously in print and electronically. The titles were on standing order in print and considered “core” texts for clinical, instructional, or reference for health sciences faculty, students, and medical residents.
Methods – Researchers collected usage data for 60 print titles from the integrated library system and compared the data to COUNTER reports for electronic versions of the same titles, for the period spanning 2010-2014.
Main Results – Overall, the 60 e-book titles were used more than the print versions, with the electronic versions used a total of 370,695 times while the print versions were used 93 times during the time period being examined.
Conclusion – The use of electronic books outnumbers the use of print books of the same title
Embracing the Generalized Propensity Score Method: Measuring the Effect of Library Usage on First-Time-In-College Student Academic Success
No full textAbstract
Objective – This research focuses on First-Time-in-College (FTIC) student library usage during the first academic year as number of visits (frequency) and length of stay (duration) and how that might affect first-term grade point average (GPA) and first-year retention using the generalized propensity score (GPS). We also want to demonstrate that GPS is a proper tool that researchers in libraries can use to make causal inferences about the effects of library usage on student academic success outcomes in observation studies.
Methods – The sample for this study includes 6,380 FTIC students who matriculated in the fall 2014 and fall 2015 semesters at a large southeastern university. Students’ library usage (frequency and duration), background characteristics, and academic records were collected. The Generalized Propensity Score method was used to estimate the effects of frequency and duration of FTIC library visits. This method minimizes self-selection bias and allows researchers to control for
demographic, pre-college, and collegiate variables. Four dose-response functions were estimated for each treatment (frequency and duration) and outcome variable (GPA and retention).
Results – The estimated dose-response function plots for first-term GPA and first-year retention rate have similar shapes, which initially decrease to the minimum values then gradually increase as the treatment level increases. Specifically, the estimated average first-term GPA is minimized when the FTIC student only visits the library three times or spends one hour in the library during his/her first semester. The threshold for first-year retention occurs when students visit the library 15 times or spend 21 hours in the library during their first semester. After those thresholds, an increase in students’ library usage is related to an increase in their academic success.
Conclusions – The generalized propensity score method gives the library researcher a scientifically rigorous methodological means to make causal inferences in an observational study (Imai & van Dyk, 2004). Using this methodological approach demonstrates that increasing library usage is likely to increase FTIC students’ first-term GPA and first-year retention rates past a certain threshold of frequency and duration
E-Preferred Approval Books at the University of Manitoba: A Comparison of Print and Ebook Usage
No full textAbstract
Objective – To compare the usage of print and ebooks received on University of Manitoba’s e-preferred YBP approval plan as well as to examine cost per use for the approval print books and ebooks.
Methods – Usage data was compiled for books received on approval in 2012/2013 to December 31, 2014. Counter reports were used to determine use and non-use of ebooks, while vendor reports from EBL and ebrary were used for the cost per use analysis. Print usage information was drawn from SIRSI and then ALMA when UML switched systems at the beginning of 2014.
Results – Ebooks received more use than p-books overall, but when examined by subject discipline, significant differences could not be found for the “STM” and “Other” categories. With ebooks, university press books tended to be used more than those from other publishers, but the same result was not found for print books. Ebrary ebooks tended to be used more often than EBL, EBSCO, and Wiley ebooks, and single-licence books tended to be somewhat more used than multi-user ones. Cost-per-use data was much lower for print books, though the comparison did not look at staffing costs for each medium.
Conclusions – This study finds that of approval books matching the same profile, ebooks are used more, but print books receive more substantial use. Both formats are needed in a library’s collection. Future comparisons of cost per use should take into account hidden labour costs associated with each medium. Usage studies provide evidence for librarians refining approval plan profiles and for budget managers considering changes to monographic acquisition methods and allocations
Comparison of E-Book Acquisitions Strategies Across Disciplines Finds Differences in Cost and Usage
No full textA Review of:
Carrico, S.B., Cataldo, T.T., Botero, C., & Shelton, T. (2015). What cost and usage data reveals about e-book acquisitions: Ramifications for collection development. ALCTS, 59(3). Retrieved from https://journals.ala.org/lrts/article/view/5752/7199
Abstract
Objective – To compare e-book cost-usage data across different acquisitions styles and disciplines.
Design – Case study.
Setting – A public research university serving an annual enrollment of over 49,000 students and employing more than 3,000 faculty members in the Southern United States.
Subjects – Cost and usage data from 15,006 e-books acquired by the Library through packages, firm orders, and demand-driven acquisitions.
Methods – Data was collected from publishers and vendors across the three acquisitions strategies. Usage, cost, and call number information was collected for the materials purchased via firm order or demand driven acquisitions and these were sorted into disciplines based on the call number assigned. Discipline, cost, and use were determined for each package collection as a whole because information on individual titles was not provided by the publishers. The authors then compared usage and cost across disciplines and acquisitions strategies.
Main Results – Overall, e-books purchased in packages had a 50% use rate and an average cost per use of 22.21, and e-books purchased through demand driven acquisitions had an average cost per use of $8.88 and 13.9 average uses per title. Package purchasing was cost effective for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) materials and medicine (MED) materials. Demand driven acquisition was a particularly good strategy for humanities and social sciences (HSS) titles.
Conclusion – There are differences between the acquisitions strategies and disciplines in cost and use. Firm orders had a higher cost per use than the other acquisitions strategies