Digital Commons Network^™

Perceptions Of Library Value, Carol Tenopir

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

Some recent studies show that the perception held by the general public about electronic library collections and digital services may differ from that held by faculty and university students. The predominant perception of libraries is as a place to borrow printed books, even as libraries' electronic budgets begin to outpace print budgets.

The Impact Of Scholarly Communication On Lis Education, Carol Tenopir

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Under The Online Hood, Carol Tenopir

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

THE FAVORED SEARCHING TEXT in LIS programs for over a decade has been Online Retrieval: A Dialogue of Theory and Practice by Geraldine Walker and Joe Janes (Libraries Unlimited). It covers search basics and more advanced techniques, focusing on the Dialog system. Janes is working on a new edition with Carol Barry of Louisiana State University, and the appearance of two new books is welcome.

Suzanne S. Bell's The Librarian's Guide to Online Searching is aimed at LIS students and Greg R. Notess's Teaching Web Search Skills is for instructional librarians. Together they provide a basic picture of modern online …

The Value Of Csa Deep Indexing For Researchers (Executive Summary), Carol Tenopir, Robert Sandusky, Margaret Casado

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

Keeping Up With Expectations, Carol Tenopir

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

USER EXPECTATIONS ARE CHANGING, mainly owing to the web, search engines, and advances in communications technology. Libraries and information industry providers are taking steps, both large and small, to keep pace.

Measuring Total Readings Of Journal Articles., Donald W. King, Carol Tenopir, Michael Clarke

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

There have been hundreds, perhaps thousands, of studies of journal reading by professionals in such fields as science, engineering, medicine, law, social science and the humanities. These studies have been done for many reasons, including research to better understand professional communication patterns and the role this plays in their work. Some studies also focus on providing specific information to journal system participants such as publishers, librarians, other intermediaries and their funders. In this article we present a description of a little used but powerful method of observing reading by scientists (1). This method is designed to measure the …

Readers Who Like This Book, Carol Tenopir

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

I LIKE RECREATIONAL SUMMER reading and quickly go through the newest books of my favorite contemporary authors and look for titles with similar themes. Readers' advisory librarians use a plethora of book resources to help readers like me find new authors and interesting titles. The books in the "Genreflecting Advisory Series" published by Libraries Unlimited are key resources, with over 20 volumes that provide a guide to reading in every genre--from historical fiction to Westerns to romances. Other well-established book-finding sites include NoveList and WhichBook.

University Of Akron Student Journal Reading Patterns, Carol Tenopir, Lei Wu, Xiang Zhou, Kitty Mcclanahan, Max Steele, Natalie Clewell, Donald W. King

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

This report is a factual analysis of the results of the University of Akron survey of students, conducted in October and November 2005 (see Appendix for the Questionnaire.) A comparison of this report with Tenopir & King survey data of other U.S. universities is not yet included, but further comparisons, both with the other Ohio universities, universities in Australia, and the University of Tennessee, will be included in subsequent articles for publication. This report is for the internal use of Akron library personnel, as well as for the preparation of presentations and journal articles.

Thinking About Linking, Carol Tenopir

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

LINKING TO FULL TEXT THROUGH link resolver technology and the OpenURL standard has made electronic journals a cornerstone of library collections. Users expect that full text will always be a click or two away and it brings the library catalog, indexing and abstracting databases, and full text into an integrated system. The impact is great as major and smaller players embrace linking to all types of digital materials.

University Of Akron Faculty Journal Reading Patterns, Carol Tenopir, Lei Wu, Xiang Zhou, Kitty Mcclanahan, Max Steele, Natalie Clewell, Donald W. King

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

This is a question-by-question analysis of the results of the University of Akron survey of faculty, conducted fall 2005 as part of a grant funded by IMLS (see Appendix for the Questionnaire.) Final results may require further analysis or information about the library context for complete analysis. At the same time as this survey, a survey of reading patterns of Akron’s students was conducted, with results presented in a separate report. Also at the same time, surveys of faculty and students at three other Ohio universities and the University of Tennessee were conducted. Comparisons among these will be included in …

Moving History Forward, Carol Tenopir

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

CURRENT EVENTS, CURRENT awareness, and faster news mean the immediate present often dominates our worldview. But for many researchers, history informs the latest hot topic.

Renovating This Old House, Carol Tenopir, Gayle Baker, William Robinson, Jill E. Grogg

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

When we turn on the faucet we expect water to flow. When we flip the power switch, we expect light. We want a house to work and to look good. This old house of online databases is getting a new look and, in some cases, a new foundation to make it more attractive and robust for 2006.

Much of the value of a renovation lies in respecting history while reinforcing the foundation to keep the house intact. Information providers are using state-of-the-art technologies to create digital historical back files and collections.

Visualizing Search, Carol Tenopir

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

EXPECT MORE SEARCH SYSTEMS to incorporate visualization and other sophisticated search and display techniques. They not only give a system a distinctive look, they also help users get deeper into results and stimulate thinking about search strategies. Instruction librarians can use these tools to move students and researchers beyond just plain search and retrieval.

Some traditional systems are now adopting new search tools that go beyond text results. They incorporate clustering and visualization into search display that sidesteps long lists of document titles and the tendency of users to select just from the first ten results and stop there. These …

Building Bridges, Carol Tenopir

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

MY CAREER AS A LIBRARIAN, LJ columnist, researcher, and teacher has been about building bridges--bridges between librarians and publishers, students and knowledge, and research and practice--which is probably why I was selected to deliver the NFAIS (National Federation of Abstracting and Information Services) Miles Conrad Memorial Lecture. Established in 1965, the lecture commemorates NFAIS founder G. Miles Conrad and honors people who have made significant contributions to information science (www.nfais.org). It isn't often that a librarian gets such acknowledgment from the information industry.

The work of librarians and information industry professionals is about connecting users to the information they need. …

What Chat Transcripts Reveal, Carol Tenopir

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

CHAT REFERENCE PROVIDES NEW ways to interact with patrons. Research by Marie L. Radford of Rutgers University (mradford@scils.rutgers.edu) and Lynn Silipigni Connaway of OCLC (connawal@oclc.org), supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, will replace suppositions about how chat conversations progress in ways satisfactory to both patrons and librarians. They are conducting focus group interviews, online surveys, and telephone interviews of virtual reference service (VRS) users and nonusers and VRS librarians. They also plan to examine over 1300 anonymous transcripts from chat services. Rapport-building, deference, and identifiable beginning and closing "rituals" all have a place in virtual reference. And …

The Value Of The Container, Carol Tenopir

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

WHY ALL THE FUSS ABOUT ELECtronic journals? That was the question raised by Michael Gorman, the outspoken president of the American Library Association (ALA), at a session on "Future of Libraries" at the recent Online Information Meeting in London. "What we want is articles," said Gorman, calling the idea of putting them together in things called journals "irrelevant."

"We don't need e-journals," said the controversial Gorman. Articles should be put together by "our interests, not the editor's." The real problem, according to Gorman, is that there is no viable economic model. "Buying all articles [including those no one reads] is …

Naturalistic Observation For Understanding Users: How Technology Professionals Use And Communicate Information, Suzie Allard, Kenneth J. Levine, Carol Tenopir, Shalini Urs

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

This study examines how design engineers and technical professionals (hereafter referred to as engineers) in innovative high‐tech firms in the U.S. and India communicate and use information in their daily work activities including research, development, and management. By observing engineers in the workplace, it extends our understanding of the engineering workplace, and the information environment in the workplace. This study will provide information useful for improving communication and information methods for accessing information and communicating in the workplace, which will ultimately lead to better job performance, facilitate innovation, and encourage economic growth. This poster focuses on the methodology the researchers …

Being User-Oriented: Convergences, Divergences, And The Potentials For Systematic Dialogue Between Disciplines And Between Researchers, Designers, And Providers, Brenda Dervin, Karen Fisher, Eric Meyers, Charles Naumer, Marilyn Ostergren, Carol Tenopir, Kreetta Askola, Louann F. Blocker, Carly Hamlett, Timothy Lepczyk, Ashley Mcconnell, Anthony Schlagel, Kelli Y. Williams, Andrew Dillon, Lorraine Normore, Tingting Lu, Shannon Hoste, Troy Elias, Peter H. Jones, Carrielynn D. Reinhard, Bethany Simunich, Donald Case, Melissa A. Gardner, Gary K. Hughes, Jennifer L. Robinette, Robert J. Trader, Granger H. Butler, Melissa D. Davis, Sarah M. Donaldson, Susan M. Finley, Betsy A. Law, Anne E. Ledford, Christina Joy Mark, Nancy R. Marshall, Krista M. Mcmanis, Jennifer Paul, Sarah F. Pratt, Latisha M. Reynolds, Kathryn P. Sexton, Roberta D. Shannon, Sara Fowdy Strange

School of Information Sciences -- Faculty Publications and Other Works

The challenge this panel addresses is drawn from intersecting literature reviews and critical commentaries focusing on: 1) user studies in multiple fields; and 2) the difficulties of bringing different disciplines and perspectives to bear on user‐oriented research, design, and practice. 1

The challenge is that while we have made some progress in collaborative work, we have some distance to go to become user‐oriented in inter‐disciplinary and inter‐perspective ways. The varieties of our approaches and solutions are, as some observers suggest, an increasing cacophony. One major difficulty is that most discussions are solution‐oriented, offering arguments of this sort ‐‐ "if only …