Applying ethnographic methods to library research

Bryony Ramsden of the University of Huddersfield explains why methods more commonly used in ethnography can be usefully applied to research in libraries

Library Impact Data Project: hit, miss or maybe

Purpose In February 2011 the University of Huddersfield along with 7 partners were awarded JISC funding through the Activity Data programme to investigate the hypothesis that: “There is a statistically significant correlation across a number of universities between library activity data and student attainment” The Library Impact Data Project aimed to analyse users’ actions with regards to library usage and then linking those to final degree award. By identifying a positive correlation in this data those subject areas or courses which exhibit high usage of library resources can be used as models of good practice. Design, methodology or approach The overall approach of the project is to extract anonymised activity data from partners’ systems and analyse the findings. For each student who graduated in the sample years, the following data was required: final grade achieved; number of books borrowed; number of times e-resources were accessed; number of times each student entered the library and school or faculty. This data was then collated, normalised, and then analysed. In addition all partners were asked to hold a number of focus groups in order to secure qualitative data from students on library usage to provide a holistic picture of how students engage with library resources. Findings This paper will report on the findings of the project which ran from February to July 2011. It will consider whether the hypothesis was proven for the three indicators of library usage. Research or practical limitations or implications The main aim of the project was to support the hypothesis. The project acknowledges however, that the relationship between the two variables is not a causal relationship and there will be other factors which influence student attainment. Conclusions The paper will discuss the implications of the results and suggest further work that could result from the projects findings

LEARNING AND USAGE BEHAVIOUR IN TWO HIGHER EDUCATION LIBRARIES: HOW STUDENTS USE LIBRARIES AND HOW DESIGN INFLUENCES THEIR BEHAVIOUR, A CRITICAL ETHNOGRAPHY-BASED APPROACH

User behaviour in academic library spaces is an under researched topic in the UK, and that research which has been undertaken is predominantly based on quantitative research. There is still little understanding of use or behaviours that manifest within Higher Education (HE) library spaces, or of the way staff interpret use and behaviours. There is also little discussion of how much the design of the library influences use and behaviour, thus whether or not the library spaces are inclusive of a broad range of users. This thesis represents qualitative research addressing this gap. Using a critical ethnographic based approach influenced by Feminist Standpoint Theory, observations and semi-structured interviews were carried out at two HE institutions across a period of two academic years over 2013-14 and 2014-15. The overarching research aim was to discover whether academic libraries provide a supportive and inclusive learning environment. This led to the following research questions: How do students behave in and use academic libraries? - What do students do when they visit the library? - How do students interact with each other when they are in the library? Do they support or disrupt each other’s’ activities? - How do students interact with staff in the library? When in a study space, do students interact with staff to gain support/guidance in their library use, or are staff members seen primarily as rule enforcers? What impact does design have on use and perceptions of use? - When students use academic library spaces, does the design of the space help or hinder their chosen use? - Do students conform to the intended purpose of a space? If not, is the non-conformity of benefit or problematic to other users? How do staff understand and interpret the way students use the spaces in the library, and do they try to modify student behaviour as a result of that interpretation of use? Does modification of behaviour impact on: - The student-staff relationship (will students refer to staff for help or feel discouraged from doing so?) - The ways students use or situate themselves in spaces (is their use modified to match staff requirements or does it differ from staff expectations? Does modification of behaviour by staff impede the levels of students’ productivity and learning?) Do differing perceptions of appropriate use create inequalities between students, and between students and staff? Addressing the research aim and these questions offers a better understanding of how academic libraries can be used and,in some cases,manipulated to the benefit and detriment of different library users. Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006)was used to draw out themes of patterns of use (groups and individual) and how they could be gendered in representation of power over other users and the space itself.Themes also indicated discrimination. There are a number of key findings from the research. There are several groups of people for whom the library is important or essential: in particular, people who attend university under the Widening Participation bracket, including mature students (usually female) returning to studying,need library space and technology because of lack of resources at home. The spaces studied are designed to be supportive of a number of study activities, but often also encouraged or allowed exclusive disruptive behaviours to manifest. There are incidents of some staff racializing behaviour at one institute in the study, whether consciously/intentionally or not, primarily influenced by problematic behaviours regularly requiring policing. Staff interpretations of larger group use (i.e. more than six to seven group members) in the library were also racialized. I conclude that the library is both inclusive and exclusive via behaviours of its users, through space design, and through staff interpretations of use

Ethnographic methods in academic libraries: A review

Research in academic libraries has recently seen an increase in the use of ethnographic-based methods to collect data. Primarily used to learn about library users and their interaction with spaces and resources, the methods are proving particularly useful to academic libraries. The data ethnographic methods retrieve is rich, context specific, and often difficult to collect via other methods. This review provides an overview of research demonstrating how ethnography can be applied to learn about a variety of issues in academic libraries, ranging from space use to a way of teaching new students about library resources and facilities

Learning Space: What difference does it make?

Learning Space: What difference does it make? How does learning space impact on the learning behaviour of it’s users? How do students use our spaces? What does this mean for the staff who support them

Library Impact Data Project: looking for the link between library usage and student attainment

The Library Impact Data Project was a six month project funded by JISC and managed by the University of Huddersfield to investigate the hypothesis that: ‘There is a statistically significant correlation across a number of universities between library activity data and student attainment’. E-resources usage, library borrowing statistics and library gate entries were measured against final degree award for 33,074 undergraduate students across eight UK universities. The research successfully demonstrated a statistically significant relationship between library resource use and level of degree result; however any conclusions drawn are not indicators that library usage and student attainment have a causal relationship

Evaluating the Impact of Learning Space

Purpose Seeks to find a method to analyse the impact of learning space on learning behaviour and, in particular, learning support, using the context of a university library. Design/methodology/approach A method was created based partially on pre/post occupancy evaluation methods used in other institutions, and partially on methods utilised by the Library on other occasions, gathering qualitative and quantitative data from staff observations, desk enquiries and student use. The method was tested at the University of Huddersfield Library and Computing Centre following extensive refurbishment. Findings The method overall was deemed successful, but was problematic due to lack of student engagement. Research limitations/implications Research was conducted at one university only, so can be considered either a starting point for further research, or as a toolkit for other universities to utilize. Practical implications Ensuring full understanding and engagement of students via academics would increase potential of the method for understanding learning behaviours and utilisation of the library. Originality/value Assessed what impact library usage and potentially newly observed learning behaviours made on library staff

Looking for the link between library usage and student attainment

In 2010, the University of Huddersfield shared results from its analysis of anonymised library usage data [1]. Data was analysed for over 700 courses over four years - 2005/6 – 2008/9; this included the number of e-resources accessed, the number of book loans and the number of accesses to the University Library. This investigation suggested a strong correlation between library usage and degree results, and also significant underuse of expensive library resources at both School and course level. At the time, it was highlighted that the correlation between library usage and grade had not yet been significance-tested and that it was not known whether the Huddersfield findings were an anomaly or the norm [2]. As a result, a number of universities approached Huddersfield in order to benchmark against the data. In the light of the recent Comprehensive Public Spending Review and the Lord Browne’s Review of Higher Education Funding and Student Finance [3], it was thought that, if the Huddersfield experience was found to be of statistical significance across a broad range of universities, there was potential for the results to be used as a factor to enhance student attainment. In parallel, there is a continuing focus on the student experience and a desire that all students should achieve their full potential whilst studying at university. Results could also be used by libraries to target their resources more effectively where budgets are shrinking. In September 2010, the JISC released a call through the Activity Data programme [4] and in February 2011 the University of Huddersfield along with 7 partners: University of Bradford, De Montfort University, University of Exeter, University of Lincoln, Liverpool John Moores University, University of Salford and Teesside University were awarded JISC funding to prove the hypothesis that: ‘There is a statistically significant correlation across a number of universities between library activity data and student attainment

Does library use affect student attainment? A preliminary report on the Library Impact Data Project

The current economic climate is placing pressure on UK Universities to maximise use of their resources and ensure value for money. In parallel, there is a continuing focus on the student experience and a desire that all students should achieve their full potential whilst studying at University. Internal investigation at the University of Huddersfield suggests a strong correlation between library usage and degree results, and also significant under usage of expensive library resources at both School and course level. Data from over 700 courses using three indicators of library usage; access to e-resources; book loans and access to the library were matched against the student record system and anonymised. Initial findings highlighted that the correlation between library usage and grade had not yet been significance tested. In January 2011, the University of Huddersfield together with partners at the Universities of Bradford; De Montfort; Exeter; Lincoln; Liverpool John Moores; Salford and Teesside were awarded JISC funding to prove the hypothesis that: There is a statistically significant correlation across a number of universities between library activity data and student attainment Academic Librarians at Huddersfield are also working closely with tutors on a selected sample of courses to explore the reasons for unexpectedly low use of library resources. By identifying subject areas or courses which exhibit low usage of library resources, service improvements can be targeted such as: • Course profiling, to determine the particular attributes of each course and its students, which may affect library use • Targeted promotion of resources at the point of need • Raising tutor awareness of resources, particularly e-resources and current awareness services Review of the induction process Target information resources allocation, to ensure value for money Target staffing resources, to ensure that support for students is available at key times of the year This paper will report on the initial findings of the project and whether the measurable targets have been achieved: Sufficient data is successfully captured from all partners Statistical significance is proved for all data The hypothesis is either wholly or partly proved for each data type and partne