My filing cabinet

To prepare for a project, I started reading up on the subject matter – library subject guides. One of the articles is:

Reeb, B., & Gibbons, S. (2004). Students, Librarians, and Subject Guides: Improving a Poor Rate of Return .Portal: Libraries and the Academy, 4(1), 123-130.

Reeb and Gibbons discovered a disconnect between library subject guides and its intended users. They used surveys, usability tests, and usage statistics to prove that students did not relate well to the subject guides. They also discovered that users were unable to use the guides effectively.

They argued that guides are usually created to reflect the discipline, that is, organizing the resources according to a discipline. However the intended users’ do not usually approach an information search with the discipline in mind. Their objective is much narrower, to complete an assignment or to do well for a course.

They suggest that librarians find ways to make subject guides more contextual:

1. Meaningful names for the subject guides
2. Locations of the access points to the subject guides
3. Moving from a discipline-based to more course-based approach to organizing library resources

The key idea is to meet the users where they are. Their context, past experience and knowledge should be taken into account.

They believe that once a connection is made, librarians can bring the users to “a place of broader knowledge, awareness of content, and greater information literacy” (Reeb and Gibbons 2004, p128)

What they said resonates with me. This is really systemic thinking with an assumption that the world is a large system and everything is connected in some ways. I fare better when I have connected to the background, the past, the present (where I am) and where I am going/doing and especially why I am going/doing. In short, something personally meaningful.

How about you?

I received this thank you note from a user today.

As librarians, we received a fair number of thank you notes in our work. It is nice to be appreciated and acknowledged. But sometimes I can’t help but think that it is just a courteous gesture on the part of my user and may not be an indication of my impact on their work.

This email message is a little different. It crystallizes my impact. The new knowledge is like a fishing rod to my user. It means she can do something better tomorrow.

She brightened my day.  (^__^)

Yes?

Drop by the Asian Communication Resource Centre to visit the Go-Far 2009 photo exhibition. This year 14 students from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication & Information visited Bangladesh with Professor Shyam Tekwani and got a taste of what a foreign photojournalist do.

It is not a big photo exhibition but it will have a big impact on you.

No?

No problem, visit their website and online photo gallery.

Their Blog discloses more information. The students documented their thoughts on their assignments and the country they visited.

Short article read:

Gorrell, M. (2008). The 21st Century Searcher: How the Growth of Search Engines Affect the Redesign of EBSCOhost. Against the Grain, 20(3), 22-24.

This is a short article written by the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Ebscohost Publishing. It explained the motivation behind Ebscohost 2.0, the new Ebscohost search platform and interface.

Librarians frequently concede that search engines are popular because they are convenient and quick, but quickly criticized that they do not necessarily offer the best answers. In other words, libraries are still better at high quality content.

Gorrell argues that being the best may not be better because convenience is, whether we like it or not, probably the most important criteria for the success of any search instrument. It may not be palatable but it is true. Most users are going to use something that is easier even if it is not the best.

Gorrell, in his  conclusion, said

Today, searching is easy. Most browsers have a search box built into the browser itself. The challenge … is to make finding premium high-quality content just as easy.

There is a difference between searching and finding. Obviously finding is more important and also harder to achieve. But that difference shouldn’t stop us from trying to make both as easy.

Cheryl LaGuardia (2005) reviewed the Communication & Mass Media Complete database offered by Ebsco Publishing and has this to say about the pre 2.0 platform:

The Ebscohost system continues to be one of the best interfaces on the market because it is so simple yet so powerful … The screen draws your attention to what is needed most yet offers “add-ons” that allow you to do quite sophisticated searching just by filling in the blanks.

And I have to agree. Ebscohost is fairly easy and straightforward. It is not an easy task to come up with a user-friendly interface and intuitive features. And I have come across many wannabes.

When Ebscohost 2.0 was launched, I didn’t know what the fuss was about. With any new change, I experienced some inconvenience because I need to unlearn and relearn a few habits. But the new system has proven itself. It was a good move to redesign and be on par with new developments in search engine technology.

The only problem I have with Ebsco now is the 1-year embargo on quite a number of the journals in their collections. It hurts the quality of their content coverage. I hope they can address this issue and then many of my users will be very contented.

Reference

LaGuardia, C. (2005). Communication at Last. Library Journal, 130(3).

Why does Eugene have to be a librarian? Or, even if he is, he need not have to introduce his profession on TV. It is hard enough trying to change the general public’s perception of a librarian but Eugene may have just erased years of hard work.

That’s how I feel before seeing his poetry recital at Britain’s Got Talent.

I’m still not sure his association with the library profession is a good thing but I was impressed. Not by his performance but with his high level of self-awareness, courage and humour.

He is a nerd and he knows it. He knew he could be boo-ed off the stage but he went anyway. His poem was funny.

Journal article read:

Gayton, J. T. (2008). Academic libraries: “Social” or “Communal?” The nature and future of academic libraries. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 34(1), 60-66.

Author-provided Abstract
The apparent death of academic libraries, as measured by declining circulation of print materials, reduced use of reference services, and falling gate counts, has led to calls for a more “social” approach to academic libraries: installing cafés, expanding group study spaces, and developing “information commons.” This
study compares these social models with the traditional academic library, whose spirit is best understood as “communal.” It argues that this communal spirit is unique and greatly valued by academic library users. Efforts to create a more social academic library threaten this communal spirit and may do more harm than good.

My thoughts
This is a rare cry amidst the huge wave of Library 2.0 and Librarian 2.0 literature. It questions the dominant library model which Gayton terms “social” and argues that the advent of this model is threatening the true value of the academic library. True value being encapsulated in the “communal” model which Gayton describes as “the experience of seeing and being seen by others, quietly engaged in the same serious studious activity.“

I get what Gayton is trying to say. Our own library’s survey has revealed the students want more quiet study area. The problem is that they are not necessary quietly studying library materials. In that sense, this need can be replaced efficiently by Reading Rooms. Equally quiet, equally seen and more economically viable. I think it is hard to justify to university management for money to provide quiet study area…unless the next University President is Kishore Mahbubani or Tommy Koh.

Another common use of the library

But his argument is attractive. I am one of those who like to visit libraries, browse book shelves, pick up a book, pick a nice quiet spot and read. It is very calming and I like it when serendipity steps in and I learn something interesting in a book.

One axe to grind. Gayton, like others, oversimplify the causes of declining academic library usage. It is not just the Internet per se. The tertiary education scene has changed a lot. I remember as a young undergraduate, I used to have to look for recommended books myself. Now, students buy course packs with all the readings conveniently printed and organized. Why would they need to come to the library?

More group assignments mean higher division of research labour. Less people are consulting the same materials.

Less time to contemplate and dig in. We used to have an entire year to learn one subject. Now, a course is over in 13-14 weeks. If they can’t even finish reading their course packs, where would they have time to expand their reading to related fields?

Why am I in a field where I have to keep justifying my existence?

Stephen Lax
P96.T42 L425
Check availability at NTU Library

A great introduction to ICT, neither technologically deterministic nor overly critical of and overlooking the influence of technology.

Lax sees “technologies as social products, that is, as the results of social processes such as investment decisions, political intervention and consumer response and equally as social products which have technological features that constrain or otherwise help explain the consequences of their use and their subsequent development.”

This approach informs his coverage of the various technologies starting with the telegraph and ending with the plethora of mobile communications.

I appreciate the way he situated the technologies in history and marked out the turning points. He also took pains to explain key technological features. I’m not a very technically inclined person but I could follow his explanations and gain an appreciation.

I find this book a clear and concise read.

Journal article read:

Green, T. (1994). Images and perceptions as barriers to the use of library staff and services. New Library World, 95(1117), 19.

Author-provided Abstract

The images and perceptions that individuals and library funders hold of libraries, library services, and the librarian profession in relation to effective use of libraries and the skills of librarians are discussed. It is argued that contributing factors to non-use and under-use are also those images and perceptions that librarians hold of their profession and of potential users and their information needs. It is not only negative images and perceptions that need to be overcome but also barriers caused by lack of awareness of the library world and unrealistic expectations. Surveys and experiences across all types of libraries from school to university and public to private sector are examined.

Definitions according to the Oxford English Dictionary

Image – A concept or impression, created in the minds of the public, of a particular person, institution, product, etc.; spec. a favourable impression; often in public image.

Perception – As a count noun: a direct recognition of something; an intuitive insight; an understanding. Also: an interpretation or impression based upon such an understanding; an opinion or belief.

My thoughts

Green’s article used previously conducted studies exploring the effect images and perceptions held by library users, non-users and library staff have on the use of library staff and services. The conclusion is that negative images and perceptions resulted in low usage.

I believe it is already widely accepted that libraries are suffering from an image problem and that is affecting library usage. Image and perceptions are usually not accurate. They could be formed a long time ago and are no longer valid.

The good news is that since image and perception are mental constructs, they can be changed or influenced. That’s where library marketing, promotion and public relations work come in.

This article is good enough as a discussion piece although I thought the structure could be clearer and the key similarities and differences between studies drawn out in a diagram or table.

Interior of the Bogota City Library

I would love to spend a quiet afternoon reading in this library.

I was asked to rethink the promotion for a very useful little library tool: proxy bookmarklet.

Context:

Our Library technology division created this little library tool that acts like a link resolver. It redirects a url through our library proxy gateway so that our users can authenticate and login to gain full text access to subscribed resources. It does not matter what search engines they use to discover the resource they want.

This is what I came up with.

I came up with the name, the tagline, the idea of something like a keyboard button and general colour scheme. A student assistant came up with the design and did most of the hardwork. There were at least 5 drafts.

The above is the layout for a postcard but we started the design work on a poster first. When all the elements are confirmed, we utilize the same on all collaterals with changes to layout and size to suit the type of collaterals we were working on.

The back of the postcard has more information:

I am quite pleased with the outcome, especially when the student assistant can capture the essence of the brief.

Besides the poster and postcard, we have also created a web banner, a desktop wallpaper and a web graphic that our subject librarians can use.

Tagline and text for a 2nd postcard for the digital repository aimed at faculty staff.

Context:

The angle for this postcard is slightly different from the first one as it is aimed at only faculty staff. The focus is therefore on how this digital repository can support scholarly communication and increase exposure.

Both text and photo was re-angled.

————————————————————-

USE digital repository at NTU

(open access) to support your research activities

Unveil your research to a global audience

Support open and free scholarly communication

Enjoy permanent access and storage for your research papers

DIGITAL REPOSITORY – NTU

http://dr.ntu.edu.sg

—————————————————————————-

Final product:

We had a bit of fun with the photo shoot (if I can call it that).

We went on a little “shopping spree” looking for attractive-looking conference proceedings. We had to browse through quite a lot of shelves as the book cover design of most conference proceedings are unimaginative. We made our selection and lugged the heavy books up to our office for better lighting.

Can’t tell that these books are not sitting on book shelves but on a crowded table huh?