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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Apples And Oranges: Lessons From A Usability Study Of Two Library Faq Web Sites, Susan Archambault May 2012

Apples And Oranges: Lessons From A Usability Study Of Two Library Faq Web Sites, Susan Archambault

Susan Gardner Archambault

The William H. Hannon Library at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) conducted a usability study to test Springshare’s LibAnswers product against “How Do I,” our own FAQ (frequently asked questions) web page. Our “How Do I” page featured a set of static links organized by broad category. LibAnswers is a hosted web platform allowing libraries to build a knowledge base that is searchable by keyword or browsable by topic. If a LibAnswers search does not return an answer, users can submit a question and will receive an email response; library staff may then also add the question/answer pair to the public …


Using A Rubric To Assess Freshman English Library Instruction, Susan Archambault, Elisa Acosta May 2012

Using A Rubric To Assess Freshman English Library Instruction, Susan Archambault, Elisa Acosta

Susan Gardner Archambault

Loyola Marymount University’s (LMU) Reference Department redesigned their freshman English library instruction so that all freshmen get a consistent and measurable experience using the library. In order to move to a more outcomes-based approach that measures what students can do with the information literacy skills we teach them, the Department designed an interactive five-module introduction to the research process that can be evaluated. All teaching materials were inserted onto a “LibGuide” content management system. Students sequentially complete an “English 110 Library Research Worksheet” as they work through the five-module research process and receive library instruction. The Department also designed a …


Library Instruction For Freshman English: A Multi-Year Assessment Of Student Learning, Susan Gardner Archambault May 2012

Library Instruction For Freshman English: A Multi-Year Assessment Of Student Learning, Susan Gardner Archambault

Susan Gardner Archambault

Abstract Objective – The objective of this study was twofold: 1) to assess the effectiveness of curriculum changes made from the 2009 freshman English library instruction curriculum to the 2010 curriculum at Loyola Marymount University (LMU); and 2) to evaluate the effectiveness of library instruction delivered via a “blended” combination of face-to-face and online instruction versus online instruction alone. Methods – An experimental design compared random samples of student scores from 2009 and 2010 worksheets to determine the effects of a new curriculum on student learning. A second experiment examined the effect of delivery method on student learning by comparing …


In Search Of Patterns At The Desk: An Analysis Of Reference Question Tracking Logs, Susan Archambault Apr 2012

In Search Of Patterns At The Desk: An Analysis Of Reference Question Tracking Logs, Susan Archambault

Susan Gardner Archambault

This study is a content analysis of reference questions and answers asked at an academic library Information Desk during the Fall 2010/Spring 2011 academic year. An Excel file was created consisting of Reference question statistics recorded using the Gimlet (http://gimlet.us) question tracking system. A data dump was performed, resulting in separate Excel columns for service provider, duration of transaction, question format, Reference Effort Assessment Data (READ) Scale difficulty level*, month, time of day, day of the week, and free-text question and answer. The authors took the free-text question and answer fields and recoded them into the following fields: “Reference Tags,” …