Meaningful measures for individuals' realities: evidence from the JUBILEE project

Reality differs according to the individual's perception : this is a statement of the obvious. How to deliver appropriate library and information services to fulfil those individuals' requirements is not obvious. Measures of success are needed to form the basis of service planning.These measures must be meaningful for individuals, both users and managers, if the goal of designing and delivering library and information services to meet individuals' realities is to be realised. Contexts are changing for individuals: the fast developing world of electronic information services (EIS) provides individuals with new opportunities and new threats. It is against this background that the JUBILEE project was launched.This paper will use evidence from JUBILEE to present the issues underlying the development of an evaluation toolkit for managers of EIS, which will take into account differences between individuals, between disciplines, and between institutions

Selling the JUBILEE Project: issues arising from a methodology

This article, inspired by JUBILEE project fieldwork, is influenced by van Leeuwen and Leeuw's work on the growing negative attitude towards market research. While the JUBILEE team, as academic researchers, were not making a sales pitch, they were trying to sell the project to putative participants. Issues discussed include length - and degree of difficulty - of questionnaire; how to sell a questionnaire; and how to identify key prospects for interviews and focus groups. Through the experiences gained, the JUBILEE researchers were able to identify key points of good fieldwork practice in relation to the issues discussed

Enhancing ICT skills: the how, who and when - illustrations from the JUBILEE project

This article reports on findings from the first cycle of the three year JUBILEE (JISC User Behaviour in Information-seeking: Longitudinal Evaluation of EIS) project, being undertaken at the Information Management Research Institute at the University of Northumbria, in respect of the degree to which students and academics in Higher Education lack the necessary skills to take full advantage of EIS. The skills are examined in subsets: IT literacy skills; information searching skills; evaluative & critical skills; and information handling skills. In addition there is discussion on how best to upskill students and at what point in their academic careers. Another debate, common at several JUBILEE case study sites, focuses on whether such upskilling is better delivered by academics or LIS personnel

JUBILEE: monitoring user information behaviour in the electronic age.

The three-year JUBILEE project 'JISC User Behaviour in Information seeking: Longitudinal Evaluation of EIS' is being funded by the UK Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC). It is seeking to predict, monitor and charcaterise the information seeking behaviour of UK students and academics in relation to electronic information services (EIS) and is providing illuminative and contextualised pictures built up over time and in different disciplines. The project began in August 1999 and is approaching the end of the first annual cycle. Data are being collected and analysed in each cycle, to inform subsequent cycles. Preliminary analysis of the first cycle is already characterising the differences and similarities existing between the disciplines studied in cycle one, with some general themes emerging. The picture is not straightforward, with a very wide variation of views and experiences already reported within as well between disciplines at different sites

Health sciences librarians in academic libraries: a brief review of their developing role

Information relating to health has been gathered since ancient times. Physicians often gathered their own books which were sometimes donated to create early medical libraries. The explosion of information, the demands of qualification accrediting bodies and technological developments have also helped to promote the work of health libraries. The professionalisation of health occupations has tended to move their library support from hospitals into academic settings. Librarians are increasingly concerned with promoting their services and teaching patrons to use library resources. While some health sciences librarians see the availability of health information on the internet as a threat, to those that can see ways to exploit it, it may serve to enhance their role

An evaluation of the development of the People’s Network in the North East

This research was conducted in response to a brief from NEMLAC requesting a review of the development of the People’s Network in the North East region’s public libraries with a view to the preparation of an Action Plan. The methodology involved interviews with key contacts in each of the 12 authorities in the North East, questionnaires distributed to users of the PN and brief interviews with customers using the PN in libraries within each authority. An Expert Day was held to which PN managers from the 12 authorities were invited to discuss and contribute to the research findings

The use, misuse, and abuse of art with dissociative/multiple personality disorder patients

p. 188-192Many MPD patients draw or use expressive outlets either spontaneously or with minimal encouragement. The authors speculate that therapists from various professional orientations, regardless of formal knowledge of art as therapy, are being presented with art products and managing as best they can with little direction. This paper offers the combined perspective of an inpatient occupational therapist and an outpatient clinical social worker. It is a result of our collective professional experience and our reflections about being responsible within the limits of training. We will explore general uses of art by therapists not specifically trained in art as therapy. We will also examine areas in which therapists, whether from inexperience or their own needs, may complicate an already complex and frustrating treatment situation. Finally, we will outline some practical considerations and guidelines for managing art work as a part of therapy

Barriers and enablers in access services: evidence from the JUBILEE project.

The JUBILEE project (JISC User Behaviour in Information Seeking: Longitudinal Evaluation of EIS) was set up at the University of Northumbria in response to a Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) call for a qualitative longitudinal monitoring of Electronic Information Services (EIS) in United Kingdom. The issue of EIS performance in support of Higher Education (HE) is of growing concern today. Because HE institutions commit more revenue to systems and services, there is a need to find ways by which to assess the value of EIS. One of the most valid measures is user satisfaction. An important attribute of JUBILEE's holistic method is that it affords a formal approach to the collection and presentation of users' opinions of EIS. JUBILEE will be collecting and collating data on user information-seeking behaviour over a period of time and in a variety of disciplines. The longitudinal tracking of users in JUBILEE will highlight success criteria for information seeking from the users' viewpoint. This article describes early results and background information from the first cycle of the project

Encouraging and Facilitating the Use of EIS

JISC, the Joint Information Systems Committee, established a User Behaviour Monitoring and Evaluation Framework to investigate and profile the use of electronic information services within higher education in the United Kingdom. This article discusses aspects of the methodology of the Framework, and preliminary findings from the first annual cycle of the Framework. Findings are based on interactions with 1500 users, including academic staff, LIS staff, and students. Executed through 3 strands, the framework methodology uses an array of quantitative and qualitative approaches to lend a variety of insights into user behaviour with EIS, factors that encourage the use of EIS, and those that act as barriers to the effective integration of EIS into the learning experience

Encouraging and facilitating the use of electronic information services (EIS)

JISC, the Joint Information Systems Committee, establishes a User Behaviour Monitoring and Evaluation Framework to investigate and profile the use of electronic information services within higher education in the United Kingdom. This article discusses aspects of the methodology of the Framework, and preliminary findings from the first annual cycle of the framework. Findings are based on interactions with 1500 users, including academic staff, library and information service (LIS) staff, and students. Executed through three strands, the Framework methodology uses an array of quantitative and qualitative approaches to lend a variety of insights into user behaviour and electronic information services (EIS), factors that encourage the use of EIS and those that act as barriers to the effective integration of EIS into the learning experience