Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

A User-Centered Approach To Addressing Issues Of Discoverability And Access, Nathan Hosburgh, Tess Graham

Faculty Publications

eResource access problems challenge electronic resources librari- ans and frustrate users. Challenges of using library systems can include information overload, links that do not work properly, incorrect metadata, and questionable relevance to search results. Nate Hosburgh, Electronic Resources Librarian at Montana State University, gave a presentation titled “A User-Centered Approach to Addressing Issues of Discoverability and Access” at the Mississippi State University Libraries’ eResource & Emerging Technologies Summit held in the Mitchell Memorial Library on August 2, 2013. Hosburgh spoke of lessons he and his team learned about troubleshooting eResources and his team’s approach to issues of discoverability and access.

Library Security Gates: Effectiveness And Current Practice, Jonathan H. Harwell

Faculty Publications

For years, library personnel have relied on security gates to prevent theft from their collections. However, recent anecdotal evidence suggests that libraries are removing the gates for various reasons, including cost and patron frustration with false alarms. This study examines current practices via a survey of libraries and security gate vendors and analyzes the effectiveness of security gates by empirical testing of alarms and with loss inventories of collection samples, supplemented by lost item statistics from interlibrary loan. Thus we use three primary methods to assess libraries’ approaches to security gates.

A Method For Evaluating Library Liaison Activities In Small Academic Libraries, Jonathan Miller

Faculty Publications

This article presents a practical method for formative, self-reflective assessment of the liaison activities of individual librarians and to evaluate liaison activities in general. Many libraries evaluate their liaison programs, but few evaluate the effectiveness of individual librarians’ efforts within the program.

Librarians of Rollins College redefined and re-branded their liaison program as “Your Librarian.” As part of this effort, the author surveyed the faculty and assessed the program and the effectiveness of individual librarians. The author outlines the liaison responsibilities, the survey instrument, and how the results are analyzed and used in a process of continuous reflective improvement for …

Library Space Assessment: User Learning Behaviors In The Library, Susan Montgomery

Faculty Publications

Library space assessment in academic libraries is beginning to attract attention in the research literature. Libraries need to uncover how as an informal learning space, it contributes to student learning on campus. The Olin Library sought to learn the role of library space in our users’ learning. We surveyed users about their learning behaviors in a specific space prior to a scheduled renovation and then in the same space afterward. We wanted to determine how the renovation changed users’ perceptions of their learning behaviors in that space.