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Library DIY: Library Instruction at the Point of NeedMeredith Farkas, Portland State University
Two Revelations
Revelation #1
“What users seemed to want to know most was how to get the tasks for their research done fast, and they preferred to do so by themselves. They appreciated any tools that help them to achieve this if the tools were easy to use. But they were not interested in being mediated by a librarian.”
“Librarians exist to serve as a mediator between
users and resources... but the users consider our mediation as a speed bump rather than as
value-added service. So where do research
libraries and librarians go from here?”
Reference usage has declined
“According to Association of Research Library (ARL) statistics, the number of reference transactions taking place in ARL libraries has declined by more than half since 1995. Control that statistic for enrollment and the decline is greater: in 1995, ARL libraries provided an average of 10.1 reference transactions per student FTE; in 2009 the number was 3.6, a decline of over 60%.”
Anderson, Rick. (2011). “The Crisis in Research Librarianship” Journal of Academic Librarianship, 37(4).
Reference transactions in U.S. academic libraries Source: NCES
Reasons patrons might not ask for help
Unapproachability of librarians
Library anxiety
Low academic self-efficacy - asking for help means admitting they lack ability.
Lack of understanding of the role of the librarian
They are “DIY patrons”
The DIY patron
Wants to figure it out themselves
Is accustomed to using Google and other web services
Is accustomed to using quick help sites like WikiAnswers, Yahoo! Answers, etc.
Wants things to be intuitive
Looks for pointers about how things work
Learning objects
Learning objects
INSTRUCTIONINSTRUCTION REFERENCEREFERENCE
Revelation #2
Learning objects
Learning objects
INSTRUCTIONINSTRUCTION REFERENCEREFERENCE
INSTRUCTIONINSTRUCTION REFERENCEREFERENCE
LEARNING OBJECTS TO SUPPORT A
COURSE
LEARNING OBJECTS TO SUPPORT A
COURSE
LEARNING OBJECTS FOR
POINT OF NEED INSTRUCTION
LEARNING OBJECTS FOR
POINT OF NEED INSTRUCTION
These are two different things
Do students come to the desk looking for this?
Or this?
So what about these?
Great when assigned
Not very helpful for point-of-need support
The answer for point-of-need instructional support
Develop instructional content/systems that mimics answer services on the web like Yahoo! Answers (small, specific bits of content)
Make that content available and easily findable at their points of need 24/7
Embed instructional content into the fabric of classes
Library DIY @ Portland State
“Reference librarian in a box” Small pieces of instructional content
Based on questions we get at the reference desk
Each one answers just one question
If in-depth help needed, link out
Information architecture gets students to just the info they’re looking for, much like in a reference interview
The environment at Portland State, Spring 2012
New instructional design team led by Head of Instruction (me)
Hired an instructional designer with funding from the Center for Online Learning
Big push from liaisons for learning objects to support teaching, LibGuide development, and reference
Trouble in paradise…
Why Drupal?
Comfort level
System we use for our website
Great for building database-driven CMS-type sites
Content needs to be findable via multiple paths
Discovering needs
Reference transactions
Web statistics
Usability testing
Ethnographic research
Observational studies
Focus groups
Interviews
Before launch Placement and marketing
On the library website
Under “Ask a Librarian”, “Research Tools & Collections”, “Help & Services”, “Services for Students”
In LibGuides – created a box for liaisons to put on their guides
In instruction sessions
In reference transactions
Early results
Google Analytics suggests promising, modest use (better than any of our existing instructional content)
Library DIY amazing for virtual reference – just send a link!
Definitely need to do better marketing
Unexpected benefits
Content from Library DIY reused in LibGuides and in other tutorials
Infrastructure useful for so many other purposes
Reaction from profession = AMAZING!
Lots of libraries working to implement open source code
Two DIY clones: https://my.ucs.ac.uk/Library/Centres/Ipswich/Find-your-question.aspx and http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/research/library/help-and-instruction/how-to-find/how-to-find_home.cfm
Next steps
Usability testing (in the process this week)
Updating all the things that change with Primo migration
Developing better marketing communications for students/faculty
Make sure Library DIY is prominently featured on new website
Links to specific DIYs in contextually-relevant places
Marketing Library DIY in the physical world
Caveat: Disintermediated instruction is just one piece
of the puzzle
Questions? Comments?
Find me at
http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress
mgfarkas (at) gmail.com
twitter: librarianmer
facebook: meredithfarkas
Making content findable at points of need
And how findable is this?
Links to tutorials
Under research resources/start your research
Under help/research help
Under Services
Under Library Services --> Instruction
Within LibGuides
Unfindable from some library websites
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yogendra174/5980718184
Get in their flow
Where might patrons look for/need help on your library website?
Ask a Librarian page
Any help type of pages
Research guides
Databases page (and inside databases)
Catalog
Webpages for specific services (ILL, gov docs, etc.)
“The library needs to be in the user environment and not expect the user to find their way to the library environment”-Lorcan Dempsey http://orweblog.oclc.org/archives/000688.html
Go where your users are
in the Learning Management System (LMS)
on an Intranet
in any local social networks or relevant community websites
on Facebook
on mobile devices
in computer labs (on the desktop)
Questions? Comments?
Find me at
http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wordpress
mgfarkas (at) gmail.com
twitter: librarianmer
facebook: meredithfarkas
