Research Catalog

Title

Usage and usability assessment : library practices and concerns / by Denise Troll Covey.

Author

Troll Covey, Denise

Publication

Washington, D.C. : Digital Library Federation, Council on Library and Information Resources, ©2002.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Additional Authors

Digital Library Federation

Description

vi, 93 pages; 28 cm.

Summary

"This report offers a survey of the methods that are being deployed at leading digital libraries to assess the use and usability of their online collections and services. Focusing on 24 Digital Library Federation member libraries, the study's author, Distinguished DLF Fellow Denise Troll Covey, conducted numerous interviews with library professionals who are engaged in assessment. The report describes the application, strengths, and weaknesses of assessment techniques that include surveys, focus groups, user protocols, and transaction log analysis. Covey's work is also an essential methodological guidebook. For each method that she covers, she is careful to supply a definition, explain why and how libraries use the method, what they do with the results, and what problems they encounter. The report includes an extensive bibliography on more detailed methodological information, and descriptions of assessment instruments that have proved particularly effective."

Series Statement

Tools for practitioners

Uniform Title

Tools for practitioners

Subject

• Libraries > Self-evaluation
• Library use studies
• Electronic information resources > Use studies
• Information services
• Information Services
• Library Surveys
• Bibliothèques > Auto-évaluation
• Sources d'information électroniques > Utilisation
• Services d'information
• Electronic information resources

Genre/Form

Use studies

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (pages 61-74).

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

• 1. Introduction -- 1.1. Report Structure -- 1.2. Summary of Challenges in Assessment -- 2. User Studies -- 2.1. Surveys (Questionnaires) -- 2.1.1. What Is a Survey Questionnaire? -- 2.1.2. Why Do Libraries Conduct Surveys? -- 2.1.3. How Do Libraries Conduct Surveys? -- 2.1.4. Who Uses Survey Results? How Are They Used? -- 2.1.5. What Are the Issues, Problems, and Challenges With Surveys? -- 2.2. Focus Groups -- 2.2.1. What Is a Focus Group? -- 2.2.2. Why Do Libraries Conduct Focus Groups? -- 2.2.3. How Do Libraries Conduct Focus Groups? -- 2.2.4. Who Uses Focus Group Results? How Are They Used? -- 2.2.5. What Are the Issues, Problems, and Challenges With Focus Groups? -- 2.3. User Protocols -- 2.3.1. What Is a User Protocol? -- 2.3.2. Why Do Libraries Conduct User Protocols? -- 2.3.3. How Do Libraries Conduct User Protocols? -- 2.3.4. Who Uses Protocol Results? How Are They Used? -- 2.3.5. What Are the Issues, Problems, and Challenges With User Protocols? -- 2.4. Other Effective Research Methods -- 2.4.1. Discount Usability Research Methods -- 2.4.2. Card-Sorting Tests.
• 3. Usage Studies of Electronic Resources -- 3.1. What Is Transaction Log Analysis? -- 3.2. Why Do Libraries Conduct Transaction Log Analysis? -- 3.3. How Do Libraries Conduct Transaction Log Analysis? -- 3.3.1. Web Sites and Local Digital Collections -- 3.3.2. OPAC and Integrated Library Systems -- 3.4. Who Uses the Results of Transaction Log Analysis? How Are They Used? -- 3.4.1. Web Sites and Local Digital Collections -- 3.4.2. OPAC and Integrated Library Systems -- 3.4.3. Remote Electronic Resources -- 3.5. What Are the Issues, Problems, and Challenges With Transaction Log Analysis? -- 3.5.1. Getting the Right (Comparable) Data and Definitions -- 3.5.2. Analyzing and Interpreting the Data -- 3.5.3. Managing, Presenting, and Using the Data -- 4. General Issues and Challenges -- 4.1. Issues in Planning a Research Project -- 4.2. Issues in Implementing a Research Project -- 4.2.1. Issues in Sampling and Recruiting Research Subjects -- 4.2.2. Issues in Getting Approval and Preserving Anonymity -- 5. Conclusions and Future Directions -- Appendix A. References and Selected Bibliography -- Appendix B. Participating Institutions -- Appendix C. Survey Questions -- Appendix D. Traditional Input, Output, and Outcome Measures.

ISBN

• 1933645164
• 9781933645162
• 9781887334891
• 1887334890
• 1887334890 (canceled/invalid)

LCCN

• 2002726837
• 9781933645162

OCLC

49191012

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library