Patterns of CultureRe-aligning Library Culture to Meet User Needs

CNI Fall 2008 Task Force Meeting, Washington, DC

Introduction

Context

Research Questions

Methods (include observation)

Findings, Thoughts, Observations

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication

Syracuse University Library

Research TeamCo-Principal Investigator and Project Manager

• Nancy Turner, Librarian

Research Team Members• Ilka Datig, Graduate Assistant• John Olson, Librarian, Maps & GIS • Bonnie Ryan, Librarian, Social Sciences• Ann Skiold, Librarian, Art

Advisory

Library Suzanne Thorin, Dean of Libraries and Co-Principal

Investigator Michael Pasqualoni, Communications Librarian

Newhouse Amy Faulkner, Associate Dean for Academic AffairsRosanna Grassi, Associate Dean for Student AffairsJohanna Keller, Director, Goldring Arts Journalism ProgramRobert Kucharavy Newhouse Faculty Library LiaisonCarla Llyod, Associate Dean for Creative and Scholarly

ActivityDavid Rubin, DeanSoo Yeon Hong, Student Advisory Committee

UniversityMichael Freedman, Faculty Member, Anthropology

Department

Initial questionsIs ethnography a feasible method for

learning about our users?Can ethnographic data be used as a

framework for looking at our own organization’s culture?

Can we compare library and academic “cultures” in a meaningful way?

Do we share a common understanding with our users as to what the “library” means?

ProcessTraining

Interviews

Observation

Co-Listening

Shared Coding

Analysis

Project team meeting

Interview protocolTell me about a

recent article or piece of information that you read

How did you find it?

What did you do to prepare for your most recent class?

When you started work in your office today, what was the first thing you did?

Bonnie interviews student

Coded transcript from Atlas.ti

Manual organization

Barriers we face

Finding, Accessing and Evaluating Information

Managing Resources: Space, Time, Technology

Communication

Relationships , Teaching and Collaboration

Finding information

“A lot of these websites are easy to access over again compared to when I search for a journal article, sometimes it is hard to search and find that journal article again.” – Faculty Member

“Sometimes it is a hassle to phrase your search right.” -- Student

Finding information

“Almost all of us really like those kind of questions, it is a challenge, it is a scavenger hunt, it is one of those little puzzles that you have to figure out.”– Librarian

“Librarians like to search,

everyone else likes to find.”Roy Tennant in “Digital Libraries”, Library Journal, 2001

Accessing information

“We could sit at our library and access it, but if I were trying to access it off campus, you would be met with ‘username’ and ‘password’ and you would have to pay hundreds of dollars for access to these things” ---Student

“I’ll run into permission errors, or odd blackout days, or I’ll log in and the way the internal database site is administered won't let me do some things” – Faculty Member

“I really like studying in here because I like the chairs first of all because they are really comfortable, and I also like that fact that people are kind of talking, but they are not talking really loud.” -- Student

Study space, Tully Humanities Building

Newhouse Computer Lab

“Don’t get me wrong, but I get this kind of soulless feeling whenever I am in there.” -- Student

Learning new technologies Students

struggle with learning technology and usage

Faculty struggle with technology in classroom and keeping up with what they need to know.

Student Time Management

“I’m teaching Flash, I’m teaching Macromedia Studio, Photoshop, After Effects... I don't do any research except to prepare myself to teach them and I sometimes have to dive into a book and discover how to find out how to do something I don't know how to yet. ... I'm a week ahead of them in the book. Do I use library resources? No. The resources I have are online -- help desks, discussion groups, forums.“ – Faculty Member

Communication technologiesFaculty

Social networks (real, not virtual), Blackboard, E-mail

Librarians E-mail, Wikis,

Listservs

Students Cell phones,

Facebook, Blackboard, E-mail

Things I carry with me

What does faculty/student interaction look like in and outside the classroom?

What technologies are in use?

Food.com

Connecting with students “I learn from my students. I listen very

carefully to what their lives are about.” – Faculty Member

“I think of professors sometimes, what they do is put on a show. You write the script and you think of how you will visualize it, then you create the special effects. And then you have to be the performer.” – Faculty Member

“I am sort of one of those people that feels that, I don’t sort of trust myself to remember everything I need to talk about, so I basically write out a script for the whole class.” -- Librarian

Breaking down barriers for facultyImproved support for access

troubleshooting

More collaboration on web tools

Understanding essential information networks outside the library

Breaking down barriers for students

Technology space that provides appropriate support

Communication using tools already at work

More interactive approach to instruction

Collaboration with students from the School of Visual and Performing Arts

Draw your “Dream Library” interviews with students

Faculty interviews• How do you make reserve materials available to

students?• How do locate, access and use sound recordings?

Re-aligning library culture

Thoughts and Observations

Questions, Feedback?

Please contact us:Nancy Turner, nbturner@syr.edu

Bonnie Ryan, bcryan@syr.edu